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From: Howard.Spindel@p8.f14.n105.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Howard Spindel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: serial port problems... HELP!
Message-ID: <864.24E66F46@busker.FIDONET.ORG>
Date: 14 Aug 89 02:51:47 GMT
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> From: pt@beta.lanl.gov (Paul A. Thiessen)
> Date: 12 Aug 89 21:08:08 GMT
> Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
> Message-ID: <30004@beta.lanl.gov>
> Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
> 
> Hello. Does anyone know how to successfully use 3 COM ports
> on a PC? I have
> a modem on COM1 (or 2), and a card with two serial ports. I
> have been unable to
> get both serial ports to work with the modem installed, too.
> Is there some trick
> to use? I've tried everything in TFM. The system: 386/25
> Phoenix BIOS, Practical
> Peripherals 1200 baud modem, Kouwei Electronic Corporation
> card 2S/P/G.
> Is it the serial card that's screwed? Or the setup?
> Please let me know if you have any knowledge to share!!!
> 
You didn't say whether you are using an internal or external modem, but I assume from your description of the problem that it is an internal.  If so, the modem uses up one of the assigned i/o address spaces for comm ports. You can get your two serial ports and the modem card to work simultaneously only if you can assign them three separate (non-conflicting) i/o addresses. Check the modem manual to see if you can address the modem as Comm 3 (and then make sure the software you use to drive the modem lets yo





u configure for Comm 3).  Alternatively, leave the modem as Comm 1 or 2 and see if you can strap the Kouwei board so that one of its ports is Comm 3.  If the Kouwei board only allows Comm 1 and 2, and the modem only allows Comm 1 and 2 then you can't use all three ports simultaneously.
Caution:  a lot of software cannot be configured to use Comm 3, only Comm 1 and 2.  You also will start running out of IRQ (interrupt) lines to assign with more than two serial ports.  A better solution for you than fooling around with all this might be to buy a cheap external RS-232 switch box.

--  
Howard Spindel - via FidoNet node 1:105/14
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