From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Aug 22 23:32:38 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EC749106566C for ; Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:32:38 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bonomi@mail.r-bonomi.com) Received: from mail.r-bonomi.com (mx-out.r-bonomi.com [204.87.227.120]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9C07F8FC12 for ; Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:32:38 +0000 (UTC) Received: (from bonomi@localhost) by mail.r-bonomi.com (8.14.4/rdb1) id p7MNXhbh096674; Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:33:43 -0500 (CDT) Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:33:43 -0500 (CDT) From: Robert Bonomi Message-Id: <201108222333.p7MNXhbh096674@mail.r-bonomi.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, luvbeastie@larseighner.com In-Reply-To: Cc: Subject: Re: What dialup modem WILL work with 8.x and uart? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 23:32:39 -0000 > From owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Mon Aug 22 17:55:46 2011 > Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:53:55 -0500 (CDT) > From: Lars Eighner > To: Robert Bonomi > Cc: luvbeasie@larseighner.com, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: What dialup modem WILL work with 8.x and uart? > > On Mon, 22 Aug 2011, Robert Bonomi wrote: > > > Even 'sio' support of "PCI serial ports" and/or modems was -very-limitid. > > precisely *two* models of cards -- The 3Com FaxModem PCI and the Advantec > > 56k Voice Messaging PCI FaxModem. > > That's why I sprang for the 3Com which WAS supported by sio for years and is > NOT supported by uart since 8.x. Why it is this device could be supported > for so many years, but somehow it is impossible on 8.x? The answer is "because it *iS*". Whether or not you understand 'why' does't change that real-world FACT. The world changed. The old driver -doesn't- work any more. Because of architectural changes to other parts of the system. At some point in history, there was 'someone' who was 'interested enough' in supporting those 2 PCI cards to actually sit down and write code for the then-existing driver architecture. Time passed, that person is no longer around. > but somehow it is impossible on 8.x? It's not as if > dozens of new such devices from dozens of new vendors are flooding the > market. It's the same thing it ever was. > > > Supporting serial controllers across a PCI bridge takes lots of work. and > > does *not* 'generalize' well. > > > > If I were in your situation, I'e look at a USB serial port and external > > RS-232 modem. > > I'll look at anything, but if I have to buy something, I want to know it is > actually IS working with uart, not that sort of should've. *sigh* If it is a USB serial port, it _doesn't_ use the uart driver. And you avoid any limitations that it might have. > Uart should've > sort of been a "drop-in replacement" for sio - "drop-in repIacement" were > the exact words used when I asked about it the first time I heard sio was > being dropped and was assured uart would be a "drop-in replacement." But it > is not, so theoretical "ought to work"s are not helpful. I'm looking for > really actually does work. You've been told what actually does work. I'm running 8.2 on several machines -- *with* working serial ports that live directly on the legacy ISA bus. Using only the standard kernel drivers. And doing PPP over those ports. I'm not using a modem, just a null-modem cable but I could swap in a pair of _any_ type of hardware modems.