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Received: by minnie.vk1xwt.ampr.org with NNTP id AA1781 ; Tue, 23 Feb 93 14:57:52 EST Xref: sserve comp.os.linux:26870 comp.sys.laptops:7347 comp.os.386bsd.questions:103 Newsgroups: comp.os.linux,comp.sys.laptops,comp.os.386bsd.questions Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!rpi!newsserver.pixel.kodak.com!laidbak!brad From: brad@i88.isc.com (Bradley Bosch) Subject: PCMCIA modem/ethernet under Linux? Message-ID: <1993Feb20.193340.19155@i88.isc.com> Summary: Can PCMCIA modem or ethernet be used under Linux? Keywords: Linux, PCMCIA, modem, ethernet, driver, notebook Sender: usenet@i88.isc.com (Usenet News) Nntp-Posting-Host: tiny.i88.isc.com Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1993 19:33:40 GMT Lines: 40 Is anyone working on a Linux device driver for any PCMCIA devices? I am interested in the feasibility of using high speed modems and/or Ethernet PCMCIA cards in a laptop running Linux or perhaps 386bsd. I would be willing to develop support for these devices my self, but so far I know nothing about PCMCIA. Is it even reasonable to expect to be able to support PCMCIA devices under Linux? After checking with the PCMCIA Consortium and learning that a basic set of documentation on the standard will cost $250, I decided a query here would be in order. Here are some questions. Do PCMCIA modems appear to software as serial hardware the same as normal internal modems? Can random software that expects to work with the hardware directly, work with these modems? Is there a place I can learn more about how software deals with PCMCIA devices without spending $$$ for standards docs? The reason I am asking is, after searching for months for a reasonably priced notebook computer with a good screen, keyboard, and large disk and memory capacity, I have discovered the AST Power Exec 486SL/25 which seems to meet most of my requirements. This systems has two PCMCIA slots, but no internal modem or Ethernet options except via PCMCIA cards. I would also be interested in hearing from anyone with experience running Linux on this notebook. When I called AST to ask about the availability of programming information for their PCMCIA cards, I was told that they wouldn't be able to tell me anything about the hardware except that they followed PCMCIA standards. They also mentioned ODI and NDSI and said that this should give me enough info to program the devices, but it wasn't clear if these were separate hardware or software standards or part of PCMCIA. Are there any PCMCIA vendors which might be more willing to assist with developing Linux or 386bsd support? Thanks for any info you can provide. --Brad Brad Bosch brad@i88.isc.com