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From: cag@tigger.planet.bt.co.uk (Chris Green,SSTF,5788,)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.cbm
Subject: Re: PC as fileserver for C64
Message-ID: <1990Jan24.144626.17560@planet.bt.co.uk>
Date: 24 Jan 90 14:46:26 GMT
References: <784@kunivv1.sci.kun.nl>
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From article <784@kunivv1.sci.kun.nl>, by root@kunivv1.sci.kun.nl (Privileged Account):
> I am looking for a program to make a PC with harddisk acting as a
> file-server for a C64. The C64 must see the PC as a normal disk,
> accessable over the serial Commodore bus, just as it can acces a 1541
> (ugh) diskdrive. A nice option would be the use of a printer connected
> to the PC by the C64. If such a program exists, together with a document
> which describes the cable between PC (AT) and C64, please let me know.
> Send it to me by email, or send me the address of a MAIL based server
> from which i can order the program (No FTP for me :-(). If the program
> does not exist, please send me documentation, maybe I will write it
> myself.

I too would love to have such a piece of software but I think you will
not find it.  I have certainly never heard of such a thing and have
had C64's and C128's for many years and am a member of ICPUG the UK
user group.
I am pretty sure that some hardware will be needed as well as software
because the C-64 serial bus is a chopped down IEEE-488 (? number) bus
which is not compatible (or even similar) to anything the IBM-PC has.
The one thing it has going for it is that it runs 5volt TTL levels
which from the voltage level point of view would work with the IBM-PC
parallel port.
The three most likely approaches are:-
1 - Produce a 'pseudo-IEEE' interface for the IBM and connect to the
C-64 serial bus.  This is probably easy software but
expensive/difficult hardware.
2 - Special software in the C-64 to redirect disk I/O to the user port
and connect to the IBM-PC parallel port.  This would entail little
hardware but a lot of software at both ends.
3 - Use an RS232 adapter on the C-64 and a small amount of software
modification to redirect disk I/O to the RS232.  Connect to the IBM-PC
RS-232 port and (hopefully) use one of the cheap IBM-PC programs which
allow networking via the serial port.

Chris Green (chris@kbss.bt.co.uk or cgreen@ibmpcug.co.uk)