From owner-freebsd-questions Thu Dec 11 01:25:42 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id BAA23353 for questions-outgoing; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 01:25:42 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions) Received: from Tandem.com (suntan.tandem.com [192.216.221.8]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id BAA23346 for ; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 01:25:38 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from grog@lemis.com) Received: from papillon.lemis.com ([168.87.69.104]) by Tandem.com (8.8.8/2.0.1) with ESMTP id BAA24762; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 01:25:34 -0800 (PST) Received: (grog@localhost) by papillon.lemis.com (8.8.8/8.6.12) id QAA08795; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 16:49:40 +0800 (CST) Message-ID: <19971211164936.37896@lemis.com> Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 16:49:36 +0800 From: Greg Lehey To: Ken McGlothlen Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Serial port overload! References: <199712110211.SAA19859@ralf.serv.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 0.84e In-Reply-To: <199712110211.SAA19859@ralf.serv.net>; from Ken McGlothlen on Wed, Dec 10, 1997 at 06:11:35PM -0800 Organisation: LEMIS, PO Box 460, Echunga SA 5153, Australia Phone: +61-8-8388-8286 Fax: +61-8-8388-8725 Mobile: +61-41-739-7062 WWW-Home-Page: http://www.lemis.com/~grog Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk On Wed, Dec 10, 1997 at 06:11:35PM -0800, Ken McGlothlen wrote: > So I have an HP LaserJet 6MP, a PostScript printer. It has two Centronics- > style parallel ports (the normal B, and the smaller C connector) and one > Macintosh 8-pin DIN connector, which I assume is a serial connector. The > parallel ports are bidirectional, but FreeBSD doesn't support those yet. And > the two serial ports on the FreeBSD box are already taken up: one serial mouse > (I couldn't get a bus mouse to work), and one modem. > > Hence, my request for advice. I could try to get a bus mouse to work, but I > was unable to last time, and I'd hate to waste my time with that, especially as > I also want to eventually add a UPS to the FreeBSD box, and the basic problem > ---not enough serial ports---would just come back. It looks as if you think you will have to run your 6MP on a serial link. This is a Bad Idea. The 6MP does PostScript, and it transfers data across the parallel port at up to 50 kB/s (500 kb/s). You can't do this on a normal serial link. And anyway, it works fine on the parallel port. I have one, and it just plugged in and ran. I'm sitting next to a 5MP (essentially the same machine) with my laptop, and that works fine too. > So I'm considering getting one of those Boca six-port things, or STB four-port > things. Unfortunately, I don't know if I have any IRQs left over (not being > that versed in PC hardware), and I haven't seen *any* RJ45->8-pin DIN > connectors. Has anybody already run into this situation? If so, how did you > resolve it, and what's your current configuration? What I would suggest is: 1. Connect your LaserJet to the parallel port. 2. Figure out why your mouse doesn't work on the PS/2 port, and fix it. 3. If you're still short of ports, get an internal modem next time you need to upgrade the speed, and set it as sio2. Then you'll be able to free up one of the existing ports. In summary, I don't see that you have any reason to buy more hardware at the moment. Greg