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Post by Krisjohn on Mar 24, 2004 1:29:37 GMT -5
Did anything ever come of the idea of using a C64 with a RR-Net cart to be the bridge to another C64 running BBS software? I ask because a CF-friendly version of the IDE64 has just been announced, or possibly released. www.volny.cz/dundera/ide64v34.htmlI've got plenty of spare C64s, I'd love to use a pair to run solid-state BBS (athough there is still the issue of the amount of disk swapping and what that would do to the life span of the CF card).
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Post by Jeff Ledger on Mar 24, 2004 8:56:18 GMT -5
You mean without drives? My translation of this would be a "memory" BBS using multiple 64's to double, triple, etc memory space. (Perhaps I should finish my coffee before replying to this forum. ! In the early 80's I ran the "memory BBS" a small program which would store all data in memory then require all data to be dumped to storage at the end of the night. Jeff
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Post by Leif Bloomquist on Mar 24, 2004 10:37:08 GMT -5
You mean without drives? My translation of this would be a "memory" BBS using multiple 64's to double, triple, etc memory space. Actually, Krisjohn and I discussed this before, and the idea is basically to use a second C64 (with RR-net) with custom code in place of the Windows/Linux PC for the RS-232/telnet bridging. This would be a huge amount of work, and it probably isn't even possible yet with existing (or lack of ) RR-Net code and "drivers". Maybe when MV adds TCP support to IP65 (see www.paradroid.net/ip65/) it would be possible.
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Post by Jim Brain on Mar 24, 2004 11:55:43 GMT -5
The code I have can be compiled with cc65 (well, it should be, a few things would need to be ported...), but you'd need that elusive TCP stack to make it work.
Or, you could take the code I have and compile it into a PIC. I think Microchip has an IP stack for the PIC and an ethernet reference implementation.
Of the 2, the 1st of more "pure", and I like it because you you could possibly use the 64 as a gateway to multiple 64s running bbs software. But, it does require a TCP stack.
jim
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Post by Jeff Hall on Mar 24, 2004 14:43:25 GMT -5
What we need is a small embedded device that uses dip switches to configure how the modem signals are to be raised/lowered (essentially, shove BBS Server into a ROM). There are many devices on the market with built-in TCP/IP. Leif's BBS Server would need to be translated to C and burned into the ROM.
This device would then plug into the user port and an ethernet cable plugs into the other end (which goes into your router).
I've wanted to build one of these but I just don't have time to research the needed parts. No RTOS would be needed, just a simple Scheduler to monitor both ends of the connection. The device would need ethernet and RS-232 drivers.
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Post by Jim Brain on Mar 24, 2004 15:43:48 GMT -5
I'll take a look at this idea. I have the C code already (it needs a bit of work, as it uses fork() and select() now), so I will see how hard this piece would be to build.
It'd give me an excuse to look at the new ucontroller options available.
jim
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Post by Leif Bloomquist on Mar 24, 2004 15:45:05 GMT -5
Leif's BBS Server would need to be translated to C and burned into the ROM. ... simple Scheduler to monitor both ends of the connection. The device would need ethernet and RS-232 drivers. In other words, Jim's code. ;D From what I understand, his achieves the same result, and is already in C. As for a small device with TCP/IP and RS/232, there are the Rabbits which I talked about on comp.sys.cbm . We actually use them at work for RS485/UDP bridging, so the concept is very similar. Programmed in C. www.rabbitsemiconductor.com/However, (to play devil's advocate) - A Pentium-100 PC can be had on eBay for $10. This would easily run Linux and Jim's code, or Windows and my code. Hard to beat that price.
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Post by Jeff Hall on Mar 24, 2004 17:21:44 GMT -5
However, (to play devil's advocate) - A Pentium-100 PC can be had on eBay for $10. This would easily run Linux and Jim's code, or Windows and my code. Hard to beat that price. An embedded device is always almost more reliable than a PC and uses less electricity! And your C= no longer needs a crutch to answer the phone!
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Sysop Fox-1
Newbie
Thunderdome Atari 8-Bit BBS -- http://thunderdome.fox-1.nl
Posts: 16
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Post by Sysop Fox-1 on Mar 25, 2004 16:02:17 GMT -5
An embedded device is always almost more reliable than a PC and uses less electricity! Lantronix sells TCP/IP-to-RS232 adapter. A friend of my is using it for his 8-bit BBS and it works, more or less. I prefer not to use such an embedded device. Since I run a PC anyways, acting as a router/NAT/firewall and mail-, ftp- and webserver, I prefer software to bridge the gap between telnet and RS232. The idea I can modify the software myself makes it more seductive then a hardware device, especially when you take into acount you can run multiple instances of the telnet server...
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