Mac 128K, BBS & The Internet? — #26

Post #26 by epooch

Source Forum	68kMLA
Category	Development
Post Date	Wed, 25 Nov 2009 - 03:49
Original URL	https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/mac-128k-bbs-amp-the-internet.18623/

Post

Just as an aside, well... I was fuzing with this out of curiosity, and I never was able to make a USB serial adapter spawn a console out of /etc/ttys automatically. The oft-quoted "use 'screen' to start a getty" manual process works, but trying to adapt the procedure that works for built-in serial ports (on old G3s or Xserves) faceplanted. I wasn't able to Google an example of someone making it go. (Closest I got was someone saying they couldn't make it work on a Mac Mini+USB dongle either.) Anyone here ever bothered?

Configuring a serial console is of course child's play on any other UNIX...

Find the tty device you want to use in /dev. Here are the devices I can use:

Code:

$ls /dev/tty\.*
tty.modem
tty.usbserial

Since I want to avoid using a modem, I will use my cheap prolific serial adapter.

edit /etc/ttys to include the usb serial device:

Code:

tty.usbserial   "/usr/libexec/getty local.9600" vt100   on

Now restart launchd to reload the ttys (or if that doesn't work, just reboot):

Code:

sudo killall -HUP launchd

Now connect the old mac up to the USB serial adapter using the proper cable. Start the old terminal program, select the proper serial port and speed (9600 in the example above) and hit enter a few times. The login prompt should appear and once you are logged in you can use the basic command line utilities on Mac OS X including ssh, telnet, mail, etc - just like using the Terminal application in Mac OS X:

If you have a newer old Mac with MacTCP and MacPPP installed, but no ethernet card, configure pppd (see "man pppd") on Mac OS X and just run pppd when you login. That will start a full TCP/IP session over the serial port. No ethernet adapters, routers or bridges required.

So, what's the proper serial cable?

With a Mac Plus or newer with mini Din 8 serial port, you can use a apple DB9 modem cable, or just make it and include the null modem loop-backs:

This : http://www.jneuhaus.com/applserl.html or this: http://ccadams.webatu.com/se/serial.html should do the trick.

I made a mini DIN8 to DB9 rs422 to RS232 adapter, and then a null modem and a straight through DB9 cable.

If you are using a pre-Mac Plus you have to convert from the DB9 RS422 to DB9 RS232. I made an adapter as posted here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TA27966?viewlocale=en_US.

But you need to find a female mini Din 8 and male DB9. This way I can use the same cable on either computer and just use an extra adapter. You can make the connection directly using 2 DB9 connectors, but you will need to figure the pinout out yourself using the two links from above. A straight through DB9 cable or RS232 null modem WILL NOT WORK.

Good luck!