[Linux-parport] Connecting 2 PCs directly over an "8-wire Fast
Robert Heller
heller at deepsoft.com
Tue Jun 29 11:54:14 EDT 2004
Daniel Tahin <daniel.t at a1.net>,
In a message on Tue, 29 Jun 2004 16:28:02 +0200, wrote :
DT> Ok, I thank you again for your answers.
DT> It seems I should search other ways:-))
Basically, as I said in my original response: buy a pair of NICs and a
Cat-5 crossover cable. It is the fastest, easiest, most reliable way
to move data from one PC to another. It is also cross-platform -- all
modern O/Ss have 'built-in' support for this method. A low-end option
(assuming both boxes have COM ports -- some newer laptops don't) is a
null-modem cable and using some flavor of X/Y/Zmodem, but this is speed
limited. Otherwise you are left with the standard selection of
removable media: floppies, Zip drives, USB memory sticks, CD-Rs, etc.
The Laplink / Parallel port option has its own set of limitations, as
you have discovered and there is no good way around these limitations.
DT>
DT> Best regards,
DT> and a lot of thanx again.
DT>
DT>
DT>
DT>
DT> Am 2004.06.29 15:07 schrieb(en) Robert Heller:
DT> > Daniel Tahin <daniel.t at a1.net>,
DT> > In a message on Tue, 29 Jun 2004 13:07:35 +0200, wrote :
DT> >
DT> >DT> Thank you for your detailed description!
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT> If I correct understand you, the paralell port can function only in one
DT> >DT> direction with the maximum bandwidth. From PC to device. But I found a
DT> >DT> documentation, that describes the ECP mode of paralell port. In this
DT> >DT> case the port can function in both direction (the device can send data
DT> >DT> to PC as well). Put the documentation to the web site.
DT> >DT> I would like to use the port in ECP mode, and this means, the PC, that
DT> >DT> receives the data, should reverse the direction of the port (to input).
DT> >DT> I seen in a Linux source, that there is a way to control each of the
DT> >DT> lines of a port.
DT> >
DT> >The data bits are bi-directional on modern PC parallel ports. The
DT> >problem is that the *hardware* handshaking logic is not symmetrical. It
DT> >could very well be that a true *slave* device can send data to a PC at
DT> >a reasonably high rate, but this is not the case for two PCs wired
DT> >back-to-back.
DT> >
DT> >DT> Or is it not so easy:-))?
DT> >
DT> >For the case of two PCs it is not easy. "PC<=>PC" is not the same as
DT> >"PC<=>device". The documentation you have seen most likely relates to
DT> >"PC<=>device", not "PC<=>PC". The parallel port, unlike, for example
DT> >the RS232 port, is NOT a fully symmetrical I/O device.
DT> >
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT> Thank you for your answer, and patience.
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT> Robert Heller <heller at deepsoft.com> schrieb:
DT> >DT>
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > In message <20040628203552.A11569 at pc199.ben.tuwien.ac.at>, Daniel Tahin
DT> >DT> > writes:
DT> >DT> > >Thank you for the rash answer:-))
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >No, of course not. Sorry I forgat to mention, that I don't need a really
DT> >DT> > bi-di
DT> >DT> > >rectional communication. What I need is to set PC A in output-mode
DT> >DT> and PC B
DT> >DT> > to
DT> >DT> > > input-mode, and do a transfer from A to B (like sending data to an
DT> >DT> external
DT> >DT> > h
DT> >DT> > >arddisk or printer, that you said). Or is it basically impossible to
DT> >DT> > "simulate
DT> >DT> > >" PC B as an paralell external device?
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > The parallel ports on PC are *physically* wired as 'masters'. All PC
DT> >DT> > parallel ports are wired that way. Just like the parallel ports on
DT> >DT> > printers are wired as 'slaves'. Esentually, what you really do want *is*
DT> >DT> > bi-directional communication in a sense, just that it is output from one
DT> >DT> > PC and input from the other.
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > When I said that "The parallel port is a master-slave type of interface
DT> >DT> > -- it is NOT a symetrical bi-directional device.", I was refering to how
DT> >DT> > the control pins on the port are *wired*. The *handshaking* pins on a PC
DT> >DT> > are wired in the opposite sense from the *handshaking* pins on a typical
DT> >DT> > 'slave' device (such as a printer). The handshaking is not symetrical.
DT> >DT> > You cannot wire one-to-one the handshaking pins of one PC to another --
DT> >DT> > there is not a symetrical cross-wiring, like there is with RS232 ports
DT> >DT> > -- that is there is no 'null-modem' type of wiring for a parallel port
DT> >DT> > cable -- this is not what a Laplink cable is. It is actually trivial to
DT> >DT> > use a RS232 serial port as a PC-to-PC data transfer. All you need is a
DT> >DT> > null modem and the lz package installed. You are just limited to the
DT> >DT> max BPS
DT> >DT> > setting (about 128Kbps with modern COM ports). RS232 serial ports *are*
DT> >DT> > symetrical bi-directional devices.
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > You can "simulate" a PC as an external parallel device, but you have to
DT> >DT> > 'fake' it. You cannot use the normal hardware handshaking (which is
DT> >DT> > what allows a 'normal' external parallel device to have higher
DT> >DT> throughput),
DT> >DT> > since it just does not exist in a bi-directional sense. Note that
DT> >DT> > although the parallel port on modern PC's does allow for bi-directional
DT> >DT> > I/O, the hardware handshaking is not meant to work that way. The
DT> >DT> > *original* intent of the parallel port was for a printer. Printers
DT> >DT> > traditionally only sink data (data flows from computer to printer,
DT> >DT> > never the other way around). The handshaking is meant to allow the
DT> >DT> > printer to say 'I'm ready to get another byte' and for the computer to
DT> >DT> > say 'Here is a byte for you'. There are soma additional pins for the
DT> >DT> > printer to say 'Help! I have no more paper' or 'Help! I have a
DT> >DT> > malfunction (eg a paper jam, out of ink, etc.)'. And that is it. It is
DT> >DT> > possible to use one (or more) of these aux error pins as a 'data
DT> >DT> > available' pin, but this is a sort of hack and the I/O port hardware
DT> >DT> > won't be optimized for this use (eg if there is anything like a FIFO,
DT> >DT> > you won't be able to use it and the interupts are handled differently
DT> >DT> > and the data latching works differently, etc.).
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > The input function available with modern PCs does not really give the
DT> >DT> > PC any good way to suck in a continious stream of data in any trivial
DT> >DT> > way. It can be used to read 8 random bits or something like that (such
DT> >DT> > as a bank of toggle switches or code in a dongle or read back a vendor
DT> >DT> > code from a printer). Doing much more requires playing all sorts of
DT> >DT> > games, which means you get lots of overhead, which means your
DT> >DT> > 'bandwidth' is limited.
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >Am 2004.06.28 20:15 schrieb(en) Robert Heller:
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>In message <20040628200224.A11439 at pc199.ben.tuwien.ac.at>, Daniel Tahin
DT> >DT> > write
DT> >DT> > >s:
DT> >DT> > >>>Hello Developers!
DT> >DT> > >>>
DT> >DT> > >>>Hopefully I'm here right. I would like to ask you about connecing
DT> >DT> two PCs
DT> >DT> > ov
DT> >DT> > >er
DT> >DT> > >>> a Laplink cable (on the paralell port). But this cable isn't a common
DT> >DT> > Lapli
DT> >DT> > >nk
DT> >DT> > >>> cable that uses only 4 data lines; it uses each (8) data lines.
DT> >DT> > Information
DT> >DT> > > a
DT> >DT> > >>>bout cross connecting the cable I put at
DT> >DT> "http://members.a1.net/e0226781/".
DT> >DT> > >>>It works well under Windows98, with 160-190Kbytes/sec (better than
DT> >DT> > 50Kbytes/
DT> >DT> > >se
DT> >DT> > >>>c with the cable that uses only 4 data lines:-))). I would like to
DT> >DT> ask you,
DT> >DT> >
DT> >DT> > >th
DT> >DT> > >>>at is really the highest transfer rate, that could be reached with
DT> >DT> it? (I
DT> >DT> > as
DT> >DT> > >k
DT> >DT> > >>>you, because I think other paralell devices can do a higher
DT> >DT> transfer-speed
DT> >DT> > w
DT> >DT> > >it
DT> >DT> > >>>h 8 data lines? Or not?)
DT> >DT> > >>>I set the port to ECP, and EPP mode before doing any transfers, but I
DT> >DT> > couldn
DT> >DT> > >'t
DT> >DT> > >>> go over 190Kbytes/sec.
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>The parallel port is a master-slave type of interface -- it is NOT a
DT> >DT> > >>symetrical bi-directional device. What happens with ALL of the
DT> >DT> > >>'Laplink' parallel port hacks is some sort of hack to 'fake' a full
DT> >DT> > >>duplex interface -- this by its very nature will reduce you effective
DT> >DT> > >>throughput. With a 'normal' paralell device (eg printer), there is a
DT> >DT> > >>clear master (computer) and slave (printer) relationship and no need to
DT> >DT> > >>fake anything.
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>If you really need high-speed bi-directional data transfer, get
DT> >DT> yourself
DT> >DT> > >>a pair of EtherNet NICs (either PCI cards and/or PCMCIA cards,
DT> >DT> > >>depending). These cards are cheap enough and easy to get (Radio Shack
DT> >DT> > >>sells them). With a Cat-5 crossover cable you can skip the switch.
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>It might also be possible to get better thn 190Kbytes/sec. thoughput
DT> >DT> > >>with either FireWire or USB 2.0, but I don't know of any PC-to-PC data
DT> >DT> > >>transfer software using either FireWire or USB 2.0.
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>>
DT> >DT> > >>>
DT> >DT> > >>>Best regards, and thanx for your answer.
DT> >DT> > >>>Daniel
DT> >DT> > >>>
DT> >DT> > >>>_______________________________________________
DT> >DT> > >>>Linux-parport mailing list
DT> >DT> > >>>Linux-parport at lists.infradead.org
DT> >DT> > >>>http://lists.infradead.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-parport
DT> >DT> > >> \/
DT> >DT> > >>Robert Heller ||InterNet: heller at cs.umass.edu
DT> >DT> > >>http://vis-www.cs.umass.edu/~heller || heller at deepsoft.com
DT> >DT> > >>http://www.deepsoft.com /\FidoNet: 1:321/153
DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >>_______________________________________________
DT> >DT> > >>Linux-parport mailing list
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DT> >DT> > >>
DT> >DT> > >
DT> >DT> > >_______________________________________________
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DT> >DT> > Robert Heller ||InterNet: heller at cs.umass.edu
DT> >DT> > http://vis-www.cs.umass.edu/~heller || heller at deepsoft.com
DT> >DT> > http://www.deepsoft.com /\FidoNet: 1:321/153
DT> >DT> >
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DT> >DT>
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DT> >
DT> > \/
DT> >Robert Heller ||InterNet: heller at cs.umass.edu
DT> >http://vis-www.cs.umass.edu/~heller || heller at deepsoft.com
DT> >http://www.deepsoft.com /\FidoNet: 1:321/153
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
DT> >
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DT>
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Robert Heller ||InterNet: heller at cs.umass.edu
http://vis-www.cs.umass.edu/~heller || heller at deepsoft.com
http://www.deepsoft.com /\FidoNet: 1:321/153
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