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Date:      Sun, 11 May 1997 12:49:35 -0700 (MST)
From:      Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
To:        tom@sdf.com (Tom Samplonius)
Cc:        brian@awfulhak.org, luigi@labinfo.iet.unipi.it, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: sio flow control problems with 2.2?
Message-ID:  <199705111949.MAA06176@phaeton.artisoft.com>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.NEB.3.94.970511115255.22294A-100000@misery.sdf.com> from "Tom Samplonius" at May 11, 97 11:56:05 am

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> ...
> > It's theoretically impossible to give the modem too much data -
> > the next character is only sent on receipt of an interrupt (maybe
> > you've got something else causing interrupts ?) that says the
> > transmit buffer is empty.
> 
>   Not quite.  Generally you drive a modem at 115200 bps, while the line
> rate is only 28800 bps (plus some extra for compression).  When the
> modem's internal buffer fills up, it asserts flow control.  If the
> computer doesn't see it, it will keep pumping data to the modem at 115200,
> which the modem will likely discard.

This is why there are stone tablets in a cave on Mt. Ararat which
(loosely translated) say:

	"Thou shalt not set the port speed higher than the committed
	 data rate for the communications device unless thine flow
	 control is active and trustworthy".

I think it's the one immediately after:

	"Thou shalt not use in-band flow control unless thou art a
	 blithering idiot or a slow witted VT3xx or VT4xx series
	 terminal from DEC".

And immediately before:

	"Thou shalt use the RS232C standard specified external clock
	 for thine strange-ass baud rates, lest though be judged to
	 be non-compliant with the strict definition of RS232C".

	 NB: Most modem and UART manufacturers are evil heretics.

Sorry if I'm mis-quoting, it's been several years since my UNIX serial
I/O pilgrimage to this holy site...


					Regards,
					Terry Lambert
					terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.



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