Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tektronix!tekig5!brianr
From: brianr@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Brian Rhodefer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Accessing PC cards from Amiga (also, NFS)?
Summary: PC-NFS conflicts with Bridge.
Keywords: BridgeBoard, PC, Amiga, Ethernet, NFS, Ameristar
Message-ID: <3716@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM>
Date: 25 Jan 89 21:11:47 GMT
References: <2482@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> <86118@sun.uucp> <228@becker.UUCP> <2052@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
Reply-To: brianr@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Brian Rhodefer)
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 46


I bought a Bridgeboard with my A2000 so that I could use it here at
work to run MS-DOS based tools on the Bridge while using the Amiga-side
to compose documents.

Shortly thereafter, my employer provided me with an Ethernet drop,
and a Sun PC-NFS package.  I discovered that when the NFS driving
software was started on the Bridgeboard, (i.e., "net start ....")
communications between the "Amiga side" and the "IBM side" were
impaired.   I was using the Janus device to mount an Amiga partition
on a hard disk attached to the Bridgeboard;  when NFS was started,
all Amiga tasks which tried to access files on this partition hung.  
Closing down the NFS package didn't reestablish file access.

Since I didn't absolutely require Ethernet access, I refrained from
using the NFS programs, so as to be able to use the Janus hard drive
partition.

Difficulties I experienced while trying to replace my 20MB hard disk with
a larger one convinced me that the Janus device isn't suitably functional,
and I replaced it with a naitive Amiga hard drive (GVP Hard-card).

With no further need to access the IBM-resident hard drive, I thought
that I'd be able to use the NFS package once more.  Nope.
The Aread and Awrite commands must rely upon the same communication
methods; they also cease to work if NFS is active.  The only difference
is that it is the IBM side that hangs, instead of the Amiga.


I should point out that I'm blissfully ignorant of IBM pc hardware
and machine-level programming issues.  An expert could probably snoop
through the 8088's memory, find & disassemble the Bridgeboard/Amiga
communications code, and locate and resolve the Bridge/NFS conflict.
I'm just not up to it.

Equivalent snoopery of the NFS software and 3Com driver board is probably
unnecessary:  *THEIR* manuals describe exactly which interrupts, I/O ports,
and memory spaces are used and impacted.

People similarly uncomfortable with issues like these might do well
to avoid trying to run PC-NFS software on Bridgeboards.


A formerly confident ML programmer,

Brian Rhodefer   ...!tektronix!tekig5!brianr