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RE: SCSI Ethernet Solution for 68k Linux?



Hi,

>  I've just signed on to the debian-68k list, because I recently found
>approx. 15
>"Asante mini en/sc-10T" SCSI-->Ethernet adaptors at a local computer
>surplus
>store. These have a DB-25 Mac-style SCSI connector and a 10-baseT
>connector.  The surplus store is selling them for $50 Canadian, which is
>really
>cheap. Asante has variations on this adaptor, which I suspect are
>similar enough
>from a software standpoint, still in production.

>From a software point of view, what matters is two things:

- does Asante provide programming information, or is there a SCSI ethernet 
'standard'? If Asante doesn't cooperate, can you get a MacOS driver to
disassemble?

- does a SCSI ethernet driver for Linux exist? We have midlevel and lowlevel
driver code for SCSI in place (that's the same for disks, tapes, CD-ROM and 
generic SCSI devices). I don't recall a highlevel ethernet driver but someone
might have written a user space solution. The SCSI lowlevel code handles the
bus protocol, and the midlevel code cares about timeouts and calling the
completion routines, so it might be possible to implement the ethernet driver
using the generic SCSI interface. That would not involve kernel programming.

>  I'd like to propose to the developers on this list: if someone who
>*does* have experience
>in these areas would like to take a stab at writing drivers for the
>Asante line of adaptors,
>I will buy you one of these adaptors and send it to you, free of charge.
>In exhange, all I
>ask is that we get a driver for it! (All of us, that is).

You should post this kind of thing to the kernel/development list
(linux-m68k@lists.linux-m68k.org). 

>  There is a guy who has already started gathering info for these
>adaptors, but with the
>aim of writing drivers for Atari GEM/TOS and MiNT. However, I think the
>potential usefulness
>is much larger for the Linux community; a generally written driver
>family for these devices
>would give access to Ethernet for Atari, Amiga, Mac and any other
>Debian/GNU box with
>a SCSI bus.

I look forward to hearing about his findings ... SCSI port ethernet may not 
be the full speed ethernet you wish for, but it's probably faster than parallel
port ethernet. Amd better than no ethernet. 

>  If there aren't any takers, I'll still pick up a few adaptors and
>start learning driver development
>myself, but it will take a lot longer...

I'd say please get one for me, too. I can't promise to make ethernet driver
development a priority, so I can't take your offer above, I'll pay for it.

	Michael


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