Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!samsung!munnari.oz.au!ariel!ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au!richard
From: richard@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (Richard Begg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Need **LOTS** of COM ports
Message-ID: <665@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>
Date: 17 May 91 00:55:35 GMT
References: <1991May16.205258.4191@dosli.govt.nz>
Sender: news@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au
Reply-To: richard@ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au (Richard Begg)
Organization: University of Melbourne
Lines: 18

In article <1991May16.205258.4191@dosli.govt.nz>, srlncnc@badger.dosli.govt.nz (Chris Crook) writes:
|> Is there any way of putting more than 4 COM ports onto a PC for a 
|> bulletin board application.  
|> 
|> Chris

It is possible to buy multi com port boards for PCs, these boards have
their own processor to rotate the ports etc.  However they are pretty
pricy, The cheapest one I have seen is an 8 port model which
retails for about $800 in Oz.  Perhaps these things are more
common, and cheaper in the states.  Another option perhaps is
to pick up a cheap PC and turn it into a terminal server, this would
give you another 4 ports, however it would involve a fair
amount of comms programming to get it to work.

-- 
Richard Begg (richard@asis.unimelb.edu.au)
Programmer ASIS/ITS - University of Melbourne