[PLUG] data transfer to a ethernet-less Mac powerbook 180c?

[Russell Senior]

>>>>> "djp" == Petcher, Danielx J <danielx.j.petcher at intel.com> writes:

djp> SUGGESTION: Either SCSI or Serial is the way to go, but either
djp> way will require an odd-ball cable.

djp> SCSI: There is a SCSI connector on the back of the laptop with a
djp> bunch of high-density pins in a rectangular array. Back when
djp> PowerBook 180c was a current machine, there were third party
djp> vendors who made an adapter that would convert this to a DB-25
djp> (SCSI 1) connector. Particularly clever third party vendors made
djp> an adapter with a little switch on it. When you leave the switch
djp> in normal position, the PowerBook could communicate with SCSI
djp> peripherals. In the other position, the PowerBook would boot into
djp> a mode where it acted as a plain-old Macintosh SCSI disk drive. I
djp> don't know where you can find this adapter today, but I'll check
djp> my personal tool-box to see if I still have mine. There were also
djp> a few folks who sold SCSI drive boxes and power bricks that would
djp> enclose a PowerBook drive and give it a standard 50-pin Amphenol
djp> (SCSI 1) connector or two. I used to have one of these, but I
djp> sold it to a neighbor. She has upgraded her system a few times
djp> since then and I don't know where the enclosure has gone.

Digging around in my junk drawer, I discovered that I actually have
one of these SCSI connectors, and a 25-pin to 50-pin SCSI cable.  I
don't quite understand the significance of the switch, but with it
"off" it seems to "work".  Says:

   "SCSI  DOCK"
    off    on

I have an external SCSI disk connected, which isn't going to give me
networking, but at least it'll give me a way to get large files onto
it.

I actually have it _almost_ working.  Just trying to find a kernel
that works right now.  With the prebuilt ones on the sourceforge site:

  <http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=11666>

and a debian root.bin, with their 2.2.25 kernel, I can boot to a
"System Installation" screen, but the keyboard is dead.  With their
2.4.1 kernel, I get happier looking boot messages, but it doesn't seem
to get past:

   [...bunch of stuff...]
   RAMDISK: Compressed images found at block 0
   [...scrolls too fast...]
   scsi0:
     Vendor: QUANTUM   Model: GO160S            Rev: 2.86
     Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
     Vendor: SEAGATE   Model: ST15150N          Rev: 0017
     Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
   Detected scsi disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
   Detected scsi disk sdb at scsi0, channel 0, id 5, lun 0
   SCSI decice sda: 329896 512-byte hdwr sectors (169 MG)
   Partition check:
    sda: [mac] sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4
   SCSI device sdb: 8388315 512-byte hdwr sectors (4295 MB)
    sdb: unknown partition table
   adb: PMU 68K driver v0.8 for Unified ADB.
   ADB keyboard at 2, handler 1
   ADB mouse at 3, handler set to 2
   NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0
   IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP, IGMP
   kmem_create: Forcing size word alignment - ip_dst_cache
   IP: routing cache hash table of 512 buckets, 4Kbytes
   TCP: Hash tables configured (established 512 bind 512)
   NET4: Unix domain sockets 1.0/SMP for Linux NET4.0
   kmem_create: Forcing size word alignment - nfs_write_data
   kmem_create: Forcing size word alignment - nfs_read_data
   VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem).
   [blinking cursor]

I don't understand what the ADB is.  Maybe I'll need to try
cross-compiling my own kernel.

-- 
Russell Senior          ``Rome is strangling my people and my country... the
seniorr at aracnet.com       whole earth.  But not forever!  I tell you, the day
                          Rome falls there will be a shout of freedom such as
                          the world has never heard before.'' -- Ben Hur