Descent forums - D2 Dos Direct Serial Connection Problem

Author

D2 Dos Direct Serial Connection Problem

CharlieB

2004-09-08, 6:09 pm

I am unable to set up the serial port in D2 in DOS. The com port is
definitely there because msd can find it. The address is 2f8 at irq 3 just
like a standard com 2 port but D2 cannot find it. When I try to select it
"No UART found" is returned.

What really is strange is that it used to work. I recently added more memory
from 128 to 512, changed from Win95 to Win98/Linux but I don't remember if
D2 worked with these changes or not. The com port is detected in the
Windows version but I prefer to play in DOS since the controls work better.

Win98
512MB
ATI Rage Fury Pro
SB16 PCI

Any ideas what might be causing this?

Thanks in advance,
Charlie

Moon

2004-09-08, 6:09 pm

CharlieB wrote:

quote:

> I am unable to set up the serial port in D2 in DOS. The com port is
> definitely there because msd can find it. The address is 2f8 at irq 3 just
> like a standard com 2 port but D2 cannot find it. When I try to select it
> "No UART found" is returned.
>
> Any ideas what might be causing this?

I have absolutely no idea but why not just build in a network card?
Those are incredibly cheap these days, easy to setup and they can
transfer tons of data. You don't even need a hub for 2 players.

Consindering you've got an old PC it might even be cheaper to by some
used ISA card on ebay.

CharlieB

2004-09-08, 6:09 pm

Moon wrote:

quote:

> CharlieB wrote:
>
>
> I have absolutely no idea but why not just build in a network card?
> Those are incredibly cheap these days, easy to setup and they can
> transfer tons of data. You don't even need a hub for 2 players.
>
> Consindering you've got an old PC it might even be cheaper to by some
> used ISA card on ebay.
>

Actually Moon I was considering that but I have no idea where to begin. I
don't know anything about networking. Do I need an IPX driver? If so do you
know where can I get a inexpensive one? I am running d2x in Linux also and
would like to connect to it to an older computer with D2 in DOS. Is that
possible with a network cards?

Try not to laugh too hard, but is a network card much faster than a direct
serial port?

Can you connect 2 network cards together with a single network cable?

Is there a Web site I could go to for more info?

Thanks for the reply. Sorry to ask so many questions.
Charlie

Moon

2004-09-08, 6:09 pm

CharlieB wrote:

quote:

> Actually Moon I was considering that but I have no idea where to begin. I
> don't know anything about networking. Do I need an IPX driver? If so do you
> know where can I get a inexpensive one?

I can't remember if Descent 2 comes with a built-in IPX Dos driver or
not. However, usually the IPX drivers come with your network card. Buy a
noname PCI 10/100 mbit card for about 5 $. In most cases it has a
Realtek chipset like RTL8139 which most Linux distributions support
natively.

quote:

> I am running d2x in Linux also and
> would like to connect to it to an older computer with D2 in DOS. Is that
> possible with a network cards?

Of course, however I have no idea how difficult it is to connect via IPX
between DOS and Linux. In any case I'd recommend you upgrade the DOS PC
to Win 98 which makes networking a lot easier. As long as you got at
least 32 MB RAM it should run at an acceptable speed.

quote:

> Try not to laugh too hard, but is a network card much faster than a direct
> serial port?

If I remember correctly the serial port can transfer 115200 bit/s max
and a current network card can transfer 104857600 bit/s (= 100 Mbit)
that's about 900 times faster. Of course Descent does not need that much
cause you can play almost flawlessly over a modem or ISDN line, however
it's a cheap and convenient way to connect PCs.

quote:

> Can you connect 2 network cards together with a single network cable?

If you go one on one without using a switch you need a crosslink or
crossover cable which looks identical to a patch cable. Just ask in the
shop it will cost the same. Later on if you decide to make a larger
network you can use this cable to connect to the switch's uplink port so
you don't waste any money.

quote:

> Is there a Web site I could go to for more info?

I bet there are tons of pages, however you gotta find them yourself with
Google. You might wanna try this:
http://www.wown.com/articles_tutorials/mspc2pct.html
--
Moon's Descendarium - THE single-player guide to D1-D3
http://moon.descent-3.com
Maintainer of The 'Official' D3 FAQ
http://www.descent-3.com/faq/

CharlieB

2004-09-08, 6:09 pm

Thanks for the info Moon,
Charlie

Moon wrote:

quote:

> CharlieB wrote:
>
>
> I can't remember if Descent 2 comes with a built-in IPX Dos driver or
> not. However, usually the IPX drivers come with your network card. Buy a
> noname PCI 10/100 mbit card for about 5 $. In most cases it has a
> Realtek chipset like RTL8139 which most Linux distributions support
> natively.
>
>
> Of course, however I have no idea how difficult it is to connect via IPX
> between DOS and Linux. In any case I'd recommend you upgrade the DOS PC
> to Win 98 which makes networking a lot easier. As long as you got at
> least 32 MB RAM it should run at an acceptable speed.
>
>
> If I remember correctly the serial port can transfer 115200 bit/s max
> and a current network card can transfer 104857600 bit/s (= 100 Mbit)
> that's about 900 times faster. Of course Descent does not need that much
> cause you can play almost flawlessly over a modem or ISDN line, however
> it's a cheap and convenient way to connect PCs.
>
>
> If you go one on one without using a switch you need a crosslink or
> crossover cable which looks identical to a patch cable. Just ask in the
> shop it will cost the same. Later on if you decide to make a larger
> network you can use this cable to connect to the switch's uplink port so
> you don't waste any money.
>
>
> I bet there are tons of pages, however you gotta find them yourself with
> Google. You might wanna try this:
> http://www.wown.com/articles_tutorials/mspc2pct.html