Re: hardware needed for real terminals..or consoles

[Buddha Buck <bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu>]

> one thing I hope to do when I get acquainted(future,hopefully near )is 
> to open consoles so mt family has, in effect simultaneous access to the 
> computer so I can make upgrades nto one computer rather than buy and 
> maintain several since hardware tends not to be cheap, I'm trying to 
> think(and save up) ahead of time when that day comes what is needed
> for each terminal?
> 
A serial port.  A serial null-modem cable.  A terminal.  A free plug 
;-).

Seriously, that is about all you need, hardware wise.  Out of them, the 
hardest to come by would be the serial ports and the terminals.  I 
don't know where to go to get dedicated terminals, but usually some are 
available in the used market.  The serial ports are a potential 
problem.  Standard PC hardware limits you to two or four serial ports, 
unless something special is done.  There are plenty of solutions, most 
providing 4 or 8 extra serial ports.  If this is all you need, then 
that would be fine.

The cabling is simple, and you might even be able to buy pre-made null 
modem cables.

However, this solution, while fairly traditional, does have certain 
limitations.  The terminals will be limited to text.  X will be 
impossible.  If this is acceptable to you, then this is probably the 
least expensive option.  If you want X-like capabilities, then you need 
to go a more complicated route, a route that most likely involves 
ethernet.  I'll let others deal with that problem.



-- 
     Buddha Buck                      bmbuck@acsu.buffalo.edu
"Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our
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