[Coco] NitrOS9 with Deluxe RS232 Pak

[Ron]

Hi Gene,

I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my numerous questions and 
comments.  What you've said makes sense.  It looks like I have a lot 
more to learn (i.e. tboot command, /t2 parameter changing and saving, 
creating new bootfiles, etc.).

I'm still looking for a good sources of documentation (beyond the 
nitros9.org website).  Is OS9 documentation still relevant when using 
NitrOS9?

Thanks again!

-Ron





On 6/17/2015 5:20 PM, Gene Heskett wrote:
> On Wednesday 17 June 2015 17:04:34 Ron wrote:
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> I'm just just getting started with NitrOS9, but being familiar with
>> Linux has help considerably to navigate around the OS.
>>
>> I have a Coco 3 with a MultiPak.  Slot 4 has an SDC controller and
>> I've mounted the NitrOS9 SDC version
>> (nos96809l2v030300coco3_cocosdc.dsk
>> <http://www.nitros9.org/latest/nos96809l2v030300coco3_cocosdc.dsk>).
>> Slot 1 has a Deluxe RS232 Pak.  I've connected this pak to my PC with
>> a NULL modem cable.  RS232 pak seems to work fine with my PC (tested
>> it at 9600 baud) using the RS built-in term program from DECB.
>>
>> I am, however, unable to connect to the Coco (running NitrOS9) from my
>> PC.  Information is a bit spotty online, so I apologize in advance if
>> this is well documented and I just missed it.
>>
>> I run the following command to initiate a shell:
>>
>> shell i=/t2&
> This is correct.
>
>> I believe this telling NitrOS9 to use the Deluxe RS232 Pak and not the
>> bit-banger port.  I'm unfamiliar with how to verify the proper driver
>> is being loaded for /t2 and unable to get the correct syntax for the
>> xmode command to verify what the default term settings are. I'm also
>> thinking there may be a way to communicate faster than 9600 baud using
>> the Deluxe RS232 Pak (from within NitrOS9) as well.
> There is, but in the long run when the coco is on the receiving end of
> that data, it cannot go faster than about 5500 baud if overruns are to
> be avoided.  Particularly if using an error correcting transfer protocol
> such as rzsz.
>
>> I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed by the power of the Coco running
>> NitrOS9.  It was so far ahead of it's time.
> There is also a time limit that I have not discovered the cause of, that
> says if I don't start, or have already running, a copy of minicom, there
> comes a time when the /t2 port is no longer responsive to the incoming
> login from minicom.  10 minutes late, and the coco will need rebooted.
>
> As for the xmode command bear in mind it only works on an unopened path,
> so for playing with /t2's params live, you use tmode .0 or .1, or
> even .2, where 0 is stdin, 1 is stdout, and 2 is stderr.  Permanent
> changes to /t2.dd need to be done using xmode, and then generating a new
> bootfile useing the modified /t2.dd.  Or you can transfer the changes to
> the in memory copy, and then save it for use in a new bootfile. We
> actually have several methods of skinning that cat. ;-)
>
>> Thank you!
>>
>> -Ron
> Cheers, Gene Heskett