In message <B0017632722@>, Ross writes:
>Greetings,
>
>I have a Thinkpad 380ED running NBSD 1.5.2.  There are 2 built in serial 
>ports and one 3com 562D/563D modem/ethernet combo card in it.  The first 
>serial port, com 1, is the interface for the Infrared port. The second is the 
>standard 9 pin port in the back.  Com 4 (or com 3 in BSD) is the PCMCIA modem 
>combo.
>
>My problem is this:  I originally bought the laptop in order to interface it 
>with my Autostar telescope controller from Meade.  The serial port 
>communicates fine under windows with the autostar.  On NetBSD I've tried to 
>run the Autostar with XEphem (v. 3.4) with no success.  Their is no 
>communication and I don't really know which serial port NetBSD is seeing, 
>since during boot there are only 2 showing up, one being the modem in the 
>combo card.  I don't care about the IR interface, but there is no way that i 
>can see to disable the IR interface in BIOS to see which port the kernel is 
>"seeing".  To be honest, the BIOS menu on this laptop seems mostly useless 
>other than choosing a boot device.  "Idiot proof" I suppose which means it's 
>also geek proof :(.
>
>I'm using the stock laptop kernel, but i've also tried with enabling the PNP 
>type serial port interfaces and recompiling which didn't help either.
>
>Does anyone else own a 380ED here and can guide me with proper settings for 
>the serial ports, or know if there are any other issues with this model?  
>Everything else works perfectly, video, sound, ethernet.  Just weird stuff 
>with the serial ports.  Too bad the Autostar doesn't interface via ethernet 
>:(.

I don't have a 380ED; however, I've used several other Thinkpads.

First, try the PS2 utility from DOS mode.  On my T21, that's how I 
enable and disable COM ports.  Second, try to get hold of a breakout 
box, or at least an external modem -- that would let you see if DTR is 
being asserted on open, etc., and let you narrow down which port is 
which.  Finally, use Windows to figure out which I/O ports are which 
devices, and match that against the dmesg output from NetBSD.

		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb
		Full text of "Firewalls" book now at http://www.wilyhacker.com