[plug] Minimal Linux gateway - TCP over RS232 ?

[Mike Holland]

On Thu, 30 Aug 2001, Mike wrote:

> Hi all,  (Cough - as its so quiet ;)

mmm... too quiet.

> For a couple of independent users in a household and where both machines
> have limited IRQ's (old ISA machines where both have other peripherals
> and not network cards) is the following feasible under Linux ?

A PPP/RS-232 network is quite feasible, but likely to be a LOT more hassle
than ethernet. I've done it before. You will probably need cables with
hardware handshaking.

> a.	Gateway machine (third machine) which is:-
> 	Cheap 486/133MHz with 32M ram, 2Gig HDD, no VGA card

Could be easier to put an old VGA card in (or no slot spare?)

> I'm exploring this as both machine A and B lack spare ints
> for the use of network cards :( and in any case web/email

Hang on. The serial ports will need IRQs. Why not disable them and use
their interupts for the network cards? Or shuffle something else into
IRQ3/4 and make room.

> links and can it be implemented without serious grief. Could

Depends how serious. RS-232 can be a real pain.

> either A or B make the gateway machine connect to net on demand
> basis ?

I dont see why dial-on-demand would care what the links are.

The software is very simple. Run pppd for each link, and that will fix
your routing automatically.

-- 
Mike Holland  <mike at golden.wattle.id.au>
                          --==--
There goes the good time that was had by all.
                -- Bette Davis, remarking on a passing starlet