Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!mcdchg!ddsw1!karl
From: karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: Multi-ports board (Smart vs Dumb)
Summary: Specialix boards
Message-ID: <1989Dec20.035755.1449@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Date: 20 Dec 89 03:57:55 GMT
References: <8912120109.AA17762@decwrl.dec.com> <1989Dec12.162639.26573@ddsw1.MCS.COM> <1652@ctisbv.cti-software.nl>
Reply-To: karl@mcs.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc. - Mundelein, IL
Lines: 44

In article <1652@ctisbv.cti-software.nl> pim@cti-software.nl (Pim Zandbergen) writes:
>karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) writes:
>
>>Specialix is a new one for us, but very promising.  The driver has a few
>>bugs in it, but nothing terrible that UUCP won't deal with.
>
>At least in the UNIX 386 driver for Specialix there is a bug
>that is terrible enough that I can't make this board work properly
>with modems.
>
>If you have strapped your modem to hold CD high only when a connection
>is established, you can't dial out. If you open the modem control
>device with the O_NDELAY flag set (by specifying ttyAxx,M in
>Devices), uucico aborts as soon as the O_NDELAY flag is cleared,
>probarbly because the driver sends a SIGHUP to the process.

Actually the problem is that read()s return immediately (they ignore the
clear of the O_NDELAY).  We can get around that (since we have a "strange" 
uucp) but it is a hassle.

It also breaks our dialout terminal program (grrrrrr).  The problem is
easily demonstrated and reproducible.

>For those who are intererested, I use 386/ix 2.0.1 with
>the 2.02A Specialix driver.

Me too.

>>They also have pledged to solve the problems -- more than many other
>>companies have said they would do (or have actually done)!
>
>You have better experiences then I have, I reported this bug in
>August this year and did not even receive any acknowledgement.

AUGUST?!  Now I am getting concerned.

We >need< that bug fixed.  It is serious.  While I like the card, if this is
a problem that won't get fixed soon we're in deep....

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 566-8911], Voice: [+1 708 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.		"Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"