On Tue, May 08, 2001 at 04:17:40PM -0700, stripes@tigerlair.com wrote:

Just first off, you might want to keep in mind that many NetBSD-clued folk
automatically filter messages containing lines longer than 80 characters,
so some of the people most likely to be able to help you are likely to NOT
be reading your email.  Conforming to standard nettiquite would get your
questions in front of a larger audience.  I've reformatted the included
text, for my own sanity's sake.

> >From the i386 FAQ:
> 
> "PCMCIA modem does not appear to work (top) 
> 
> If you have a PCMCIA modem that does not appear to work, make sure you are 
> using the com(4) device in hardware flow control mode. Many PCMCIA modems 
> only work when using hardware flow control." 
> 
> That's great and all, but how do you configure the @#&*$*$ thing? I really 
> like NetBSD, I really do, but the documentation is really lacking.

I don't know what you mean by "configure", so I don't really know how to
answer that question definitively.  If you mean "how do I use the com(4)
device in hardware flow control mode", the answer depends on which program
you're trying to get to use com(4) on your behalf.

If you're using kermit, for example, you'd say "set flow rts" at the 
C-Kermit> prompt.  If you're using cc ( :-) ) you'd set CRTSCTS in c_cflag
in the tty's termios structure, which sure looks like the standard Unix way 
of doing things to me, even if it's not specified by POSIX.

> So, which device is com3? I have a Xircom modem, which seems to be ok.
> com3 at pcmcia0 function 0 port 0x2e8-0x2ef: serial device

The device node /dev/tty03 corresponds to the "com3" line you've quoted
from your kernel's boot messages.

> Now, how on earth do I test the line?

One good way to do so is with kermit.  Pretty much anything else that can
talk to a tty line will do, too.  You could even use a pair of "cat"
commands running in different windows (but be sure to use stty to set
crtscts on the line after you've got it open).

I can't say that I agree with your comment about the documentation.  Unlike
some things that like to claim to be Unix, we do pretty much all the Basic
Unix Stuff -- and ttys are pretty darned basic -- in the Normal Unix Way.
If you're coming from a Linux background, and you're disturbed to not find
a convenient HOWTO file, please keep in mind that those HOWTO files are often
necessary because Linux has chosen to be deliberately weird in some way and
the standard Unix techniques do not apply.

Thor