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Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 20:52:57 -0400
From: kelly@fsl.noaa.gov (Sean Kelly)
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To: rberndt@mercury.netropolis.net
Cc: brian@mediacity.com, FreeBSD-questions@FreeBSD.org
In-Reply-To: <9505162346.AA15115@mercury.netropolis.net> (rberndt@mercury.netropolis.net)
Subject: Re: Serial<->Net<->Serial pipe????
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>>>>> "Randall" == Randall O Berndt <rberndt@mercury.netropolis.net> writes:

    Randall> I want to have two FreeBSD machines, each hooked to a
    Randall> local (to them) internet provider, each with a static IP
    Randall> address. One machine would have dumb terminals hooked to
    Randall> serial ports, the other would have a non-unix computer
    Randall> (that only connects terminals serial) connected to the
    Randall> FreeBSD serial ports. I am attempting to use internet
    Randall> access as a substitute for long distance direct-connect
    Randall> multiplexors. I want the dumb terminal in one city to
    Randall> pretend it is hooked up to the dumb computer in the other
    Randall> city. The two FreeBSD machines (and their internet
    Randall> connections) would act solely as "transport" for the
    Randall> data.  In fact, there will be no "login", I want to start
    Randall> processes at boot time that connect the ports.

Sounds like a problem the Internet Head-to-Head daemon could solve.
I've only heard about it, so I'm not sure where you could find the
source code, but I'm lead to believe it was originally designed for
people who play two-player, non-UNIX computer games normally over a
modem to instead play over the Internet.

And even if it doesn't exist or isn't appropriate, it's not that hard
to write code for what you're describing.

In fact, you could have rlogins instead of gettys on the PC with the
dumb terminals connected to it.  These could rlogin as a specific user
whose login shell is something that connects stdin and stdout to one
of the serial ports connected to the dumb computer.  Say ... this
might just work!

    Randall> Also, by doing this (and a little extra work), I get free
    Randall> internet access to my desktop at the office and my PC at
    Randall> home ;-)

Hey, no fair!

-- 
Sean Kelly
NOAA Forecast Systems Lab, Boulder Colorado USA

Proof by cumbersome notation:
    Best done with access to at least four alphabets and special
    symbols