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| Newer page: | version 3 | Last edited on Thursday, October 21, 2004 5:16:12 pm | by AristotlePagaltzis | Revert |
| Older page: | version 2 | Last edited on Friday, June 7, 2002 1:06:17 am | by perry | Revert |
@@ -1,368 +1 @@
-Installing Boca Card Mini-HOWTO
-!!!Installing Boca Card Mini-HOWTO
-!David H. Dennis
-
- david@amazing.com
-
-
-
-__Joy Yokley - __Converted document from HTML to !DocBook v4.1 (SGML)
-
-
-
-2001-01-17
-
-
-__Revision History__Revision 1.12001-01-17Revised by: JEYRevision 1.01997-07-08Revised by: DHD
-
-
-
-
-
-Describes the basics of a Boca 16-port Serial Card (Boca 2016)
-used with Linux.
-
-
-
-
-
-----; __Table of Contents__; 1. Introduction; 2. Warning; 3. What do you need to install a !BocaBoard?: ; 1. ; 4. The Basic Procedure: ; 4.1. Recompiling the Kernel; 4.2. Installing the Card; 4.3. Telling Linux about Your Card; 5. Possible Problems: ; 5.1. Additional Information and Service Comments; 6. Acknowledgements----
-!!!1. Introduction
-
-This HOWTO is being maintained by David H Dennis,
-david@amazing.com, to try and help any other individuals who may have acquired
-a !BocaBoard, stared at it and found out that it didn't seem to do
-anything.
-
-
-
-A very high percentage of those interested in the !BocaBoard are
-also interested in becoming Internet Service Providers (ISPs). If you are one
-of them, please feel free to drop by my web site,
- http://www.amazing.com,
-and check out my Inet-Access FAQ, over 9,000 lines detailing how to hook up to
-the net and how to make your Internet provider business succeed in these most
-interesting times.
-
-----
-!!!2. Warning
-
-Multi-Port serial cards, such as the !BocaBoard, are all but dead.
-If you are in business as an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you will not want
-to use any of these devices, because the new 56k modem standards will not
-support them. Instead, you need digital modem/terminal server combinations such
-as the Livingston PM3 (tm) , Cisco 5200 (tm) or US Robotics Total
-Control (tm). Otherwise, you simply won't be competitive in major markets.
-Users want high speeds; you won't be able to provide them with a !BocaBoard or
-other multi-port serial card.
-
-
-
-Even as a multi-port serial card, the !BocaBoard is hopelessly
-obsolete. The overwhelming majority of people who want to buy a !BocaBoard would
-be better off getting a accelerated card such as the Cyclades(tm) or
-Rocketport(tm). (When last I looked, Rocketport(tm) was a better board,
-but Cyclades(tm) had the most stable kernel support). Accelerated cards use
-less of the CPU of your machine, and so you can support more ports per computer
-with less performance degradation.
-
-
-
-That being said, perhaps you own one of these devices and want to
-make use of it, or perhaps you are planning an ISP based on a low-cost business
-model that basically means the use of cast-off equipment from others. In that
-case, the information in this document should be useful for you. But again, I
-repeat: The person who buys a new !BocaBoard at this point probably needs a few
-more clues before starting his ISP or other venture.
-
-----
-!!!3. What do you need to install a !BocaBoard?
-
-
-
-
-#
-
-The board itself and its manuals
-
-
-#
-#
-
-Your Linux source tree
-
-
-#
-#
-
-Patience
-
-
-#----
-!!!4. The Basic Procedure
-!!4.1. Recompiling the Kernel
-
-The first step is to change your kernel so that it knows you
-have a !BocaBoard. Unfortunately, this is not a part of the configure script;
-you must go in and modify the source by hand. In the older versions of the
-kernel, this consists of putting the following line at the beginning of
-linux/drivers/char/serial.c:
-
-
- #define CONFIG_BOCA 1
-
-As of some kernel version or another, this has changed. To make
-it work with newer kernels, search for the
-
-"BOCA_FLAGS" #define in
-serial.c, and change the value to
-
-
-#define BOCA_FLAGS ASYNC_BOOT_AUTOCONF
-
-
-You can then recompile your kernel using the instructions
-included with the source tree. I recommend running the new kernel from a floppy
-until you're very sure it works; otherwise, the procedure for getting back your
-system is mind-numbing at best.
-
-
-
-At least to me, digging into my kernel and re-compiling it was
-quite a stressful venture! Relax; as long as you copy it to a floppy, your new
-kernel is completely harmless. It won't bite! Honest! :-)
-
-----
-!!4.2. Installing the Card
-
-The default address on both the card and the Linux software for
-the configuration is 0x100; leave that alone. Set the IRQ on the card to Linux
-default of 12. If you want to change the IRQ, you will have to search for
-"BOCA_FLAGS" in the file. You will find lines like this:
-
-
- { BASE_BAUD, 0x100, 12, BOCA_FLAGS }, /* ttyS16
-*/
-{ BASE_BAUD, 0x108, 12, BOCA_FLAGS }, /* ttyS17
-*/
-
-You can change the IRQ from 12 by changing the 12 to any valid
-IRQ. I have not tried this, however.
-
-----
-!!4.3. Telling Linux about Your Card
-
-Once you have compiled your new kernel, switch off the machine
-and install the card. Then, turn your machine on with the new kernel floppy in
-the drive. If the installation succeeded, you should see all sorts of strange
-stuff about 16550 UARTS being connected to ttyS16-ttyS32. The system will then
-come up normally.
-
-
-
-The odds are pretty good that you don't actually have entries in
-/dev for those lines. Remember that they start at 16 and go on to 32. If you
-look at the source code, you'll see why; support for other cards is included in
-the code for lower line numbers. Creating them is pretty simple, once you know
-the trick.
-
-
-
-To create entries for dial-out lines (where you call out), type:
-
-#mknod /dev/cuaxx c 4 N
-
-
-
-n = 64 + {line number}. The C indicates that this is a character
-mode device. For example, to create the first couple of lines on your board,
-type:
-
-#mknod /dev/cua16 c 4 80
-#mknod /dev/cua17 c 4 81
-
-
-
-To create dial-in lines (where users call you), type:
-
-
-#mknod /dev/ttySxx c 5 n
-
-where N is the same as described above. For example, to create
-the first couple of lines on your !BocaBoard, type:
-
-
-#mknod /dev/ttyS16 c 5 80
-#mknod /dev/ttyS17 c 5 81
-
-It is recommended that you create both dial in and dial out
-lines for each port, so that you have maximum flexibility. It turns out to be
-very handy to call another line of your system by activating one of your lines
-as dial-out and calling your main number. I've done this already and it works
-great! It's most useful for checking how things look "on the other side of the
-fence"; I used it to find out how my software looked at 2400bps. (It's slower
-than the Linux console. A LOT slower, in fact).
-
-
-
-Once you've finished with this, you can add entries to your
-inittab file in the same way as you would for a standard ttySx entry, and the
-modems or terminals should come up!
-
-----
-!!!5. Possible Problems
-
-If you have problems, you may find that this is due to conflicts
-between your !BocaBoard and systems with dual IDE controllers. According to
-Kevin Traas:
-
-
-
-Is the kernel recognising the board? (i.e. Right at the start of
-the boot process, all sixteen ports should be listed on screen with ttySxx, I/O
-Port, and IRQ identified.) Also,
-__setserial -bg ttyS*__ should list *every* port in
-your system.
-
-
-
-By default, the BB2016 is configured to use IO Ports between
-0100 and 017f. This creates problems on systems with two IDE controllers. The
-second controller, ide1, uses 0170-0177 which falls into this range. Big
-problems!!!
-
-
-
-So, the solution, in my cases, is to go with an IO base of 0200
-through 027f. I haven't had any conflicts in this region; however, you may want
-to check you system to be sure. (run
-__cat /proc/ioports__ - better run
-__cat /proc/interrupts__ to make sure IRQ 12 isn't
-used either.)
-
-
-
-Once you've found an IO range and IRQ that isn't used, you'll
-have to change the jumpers on the BB2016 and edit
-/usr/src/linux/drivers/char/serial.c to reflect the new
-settings. Then, compile the kernel and install as per normal.
-
-----
-!!5.1. Additional Information and Service Comments
-
- If you want to use your new Boca card with any standard DB-25
-RS232 connector, you will have to get a special breakout box, which costs about
-$80. The card itself comes with a breakout box that plugs into the card through
-a truly formidable cable. It then supplies phone-like cables for the ports. The
-special $80 box has phone-like cables that plug into the breakout box included
-with the Boca card; you can then plug your modems or terminals into standard
-RS-232 connectors on the box. Unless you actually have a system that accepts
-the phone-like connectors, you should add the price of the box to the cost of
-the card when comparing it to other alternatives.
-
-
-
-I got my Boca 2016 card through a special wholesale deal that I
-don't think many people will be able to reproduce. It was available quickly.
-However, the breakout box for RS-232 took about two weeks to ship. You should
-be aware of your need for this box before you acquire the card. The 2016 board
-was $235 and the additional box was $79.95.
-
-
-
-I've heard that this breakout box is no longer available, and
-that now people just have special cables made. I'm not sure how you would go
-about doing this, though.
-
-
-
-Only one port of my first Boca 2016 worked. I called Boca,
-expecting to hear a long string of questions and advice. When they said,
-"Linux? What's that?" I feared the worst. However, upon hearing my actual
-problem, they cheerfully told me that the card was defective and I should send
-it back; full 5-year factory warranty, 30-days exchange. I was struck by how
-cheery the lady was. It was as though they were expecting the worst, and very
-kindly making the most of it!
-
-
-
-I had my hardware guy exchange the card. Unfortunately, the
-cards were back-ordered and they took about two more weeks to give me my new
-card. I have to say that I was quite annoyed at this, since I was anxiously
-chomping at the bit to get this thing up and running.
-
-
-
-Some people have problems with ports past the first eight. I
-have tested my card up to port 11 and all the ports appear to be working. Boca
-Research quality control may be lacking; I would recommend that people with
-troubles with the card call Boca and deal with them directly. I suspect that if
-I'd exchanged the card directly through the factory I would have had better
-service than through my dealer. The factory people were all quite nice and
-eager to please.
-
-
-
-Right now, I have only four phone lines. I bought the 16-port
-card for two reasons: because it has modem control (unlike the smaller ones),
-and in anticipation of future expansion.
-
-
-
-Some additional information on this subject from Kevin Traas of
-Baan Business Systems(tm):
-
-
-
-BTW, I've used the BB2016 several times and found them to work
-really well under Linux. I'm extremely happy with them. They perform very well,
-are very inexpensive, and are reliable. They claim 115200 bps per port. I've
-got a unique situation whereby I've got two systems with a PPP serial link
-between them. I'm running this link at 115200 and I experience almost % error
-rate (with hundreds of thousands of packets transmitted). My next step is to
-implement EQL and additional PPP links between the boxes to increase the
-bandwidth. We'll see how it goes.
-
-
-
-One final note. Contrary to the suggestion in the HOWTO, I
-build my own cables for the BB2016 (they've got RJ ports on them). At first, I
-"dabbled" with RJ45-8 conductor plugs, but the BB2016 has RJ48-10 conductor
-jacks, so to get full modem support, I ended up going that route.
-
-
-
-I now run all 10 wires between the BB2016 and my modems. It
-works great! No problems, no regrets! The only initial problem I had was
-finding a source for RJ48 plugs, 10 conductor wire, and RJ48 to DB25
-adapters. None of these are very cheap due to the low demand. Oh, yeah, and
-you need an RJ48 crimper as well.
-
-
-
-If you want, I can build these cables for you and send them
-to you. If you're interested, e-mail me and I'll let you know pricing, etc. I
-found building my own was cheaper than the adapter that is mentioned in the
-HOWTO - which I couldn't find a source for anyway.
-
-
-
-I believe the adapter mentioned in this document is no longer
-being manufacturered, leaving cables such as your own the only remaining way of
-connecting the device.
-
-----
-!!!6. Acknowledgements
-
-Kevin Traas has issued a helpful update to this FAQ that contains a
-major correction to the information on
-__mknod__. He is also standing in as a new source for
-cables for the device.
-
-
-
-The information
here was obtained by begging many people for help.
-Unfortunately, I have forgotten their names due to a pressing need for disk
-space on my Netcom account. :-( Nonetheless, I thank them very much for their
-assistance when things looked blackest. This is my way of paying some of that
-back
.
+Describe [HowToBoca]
here.
