Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!killer!texbell!ssbn!bill
From: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: standards and ATT
Summary: They're males
Keywords: RS-232
Message-ID: <239@ssbn.WLK.COM>
Date: 13 Nov 88 01:11:03 GMT
References: <851@sceard.UUCP> <2190@cuuxb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: bill@ssbn.WLK.COM (Bill Kennedy)
Distribution: na
Organization: W.L. Kennedy Jr. and Associates, Pipe Creek, TX
Lines: 34

In article <2190@cuuxb.ATT.COM> fmcgee@cuuxb.UUCP (Frnak W. McGee) writes:
>In article <851@sceard.UUCP> mrm@sceard.UUCP (M.R.Murphy) writes:
[ explains new 6386 ]
>>RS232 serial ports. The serial ports have DB25s connectors rather
>>than DB25p connectors.  The cable that used to connect my modem
>
>You can blame none other than IBM for this one.  Every serial port on
>every PC, PC clone, etc. has a female connector.  Also, some
>clones use DB9 connectors instead of DB25's.

Just backwards Frank.  IBM uses DB25p's (male) for DTE ports.  There's
a defnsible reason for it too.  Every modem I've ever seen (DCE) has a
DB25s (female) so that lets you plug in a straight through cable, male
to the modem, female to the PC and you're on your way.  Most terminals
I have seen are DTE and have a DB25s (female) on them except the one I'm
using (a Z-49, but Z-29's are the same) which has a DB25p (male) on the
back for the main port and a DB25s wired as DCE on the auxiliary port.

>One of the reasons for choosing the IPC 802 was that it had ports that
>were physically just like the port on a true IBM PC.
>
>Frank McGee
>Tier 3 Indirect Channel Sales Support
>attmail!fmcgee

Now days it's easy enough to visit your favorite Radio Shack and get a
hank of ribbon cable and D connectors to taste.  A quick session with
the vise in the garage and you're on your way, regardless of the sex of
the connector.  If, on the other hand, you have to hook DCE to DCE, then
you can't use ribbon cable and you'd better have a little line monitor
gadget to show you what you have crossed...
-- 
Bill Kennedy  usenet      {killer,att,rutgers,sun!daver,uunet!bigtex}!ssbn!bill
              internet    bill@ssbn.WLK.COM