8bit internet

[danwinslow]

Lets imagine that someone has written a multi-player game on an 8bit, that has a ethernet card and a TCP stack integrated into it. Lets further imagine that there is a client program on some 8bit machines that want to connect into the game. What are the available options to try and get that TCP-IP connectivity?

 

I know that there is a R: handler hack that will allow a incoming TCP socket connection to be made....and I know that APE supports that kind of thing as well. The Atari just thinks its talking to a modem. So you can have a single user 'modem' BBS that people can telnet into, presumably from a non-atari client. IIRC, you just do something like 'open #1.4,0,"R:www.telnet.com:25"' and the handler turns that into a TCP listen on that port....and the handler maps an incoming connect to the RI modem line, raises CD, etc., and off it goes.

 

What I am looking for is how to get client Atari software to be able to make a TCP connect call out. Thats is, some way to map a R: serial connect to a TCP connect to a specified URL. So that 'open #1.12,0,"R:www.telnet.com:25"' would result in a connect socket call to that address and port. I realize that a standard Atari wouldn't be able to do this very easily, but I was thinking that maybe using APE and/or an emulator like Atari800win might help. Any ideas on this?

[densonj]

I'm not a programmer, but doesn't the kailleraclient do something like this in Atari800WinPlus? A similar implementation might be integrated with APE. You could check with Steve Tucker. Running it on a "real" Atari with, say a LanTronix would be tougher (also very cool) but now you would need some kind of client code residing on the 8-bit.

 

Tom Hunt once wrote a simple Telnet Client in TB. I re-worked it a little and put it in regular Atari BASIC at one point. It wasn't 100% but it did make succesful connections.

[danwinslow]

How was that run?

[Cybernoid]

I believe that it would be possible to include the CS8900a driver and TCP/IP stack within the Contiki port to make a R: handler. However, I am not sure how much memory would be left over.

 

 

I wish I had more time to work on this:

 

http://geocities.com/vlastaar/a8ether/

 

-C-

[danwinslow]

Well, to be clear, I am looking for a way to get a simple connect out across TCP to a server. Its most likely going to have to be via APE or an emulator. Trying to jam an actual IP stack on an 8bit is problematic.

[Cybernoid]

Well, to be clear, I am looking for a way to get a simple connect out across TCP to a server. Its most likely going to have to be via APE or an emulator. Trying to jam an actual IP stack on an 8bit is problematic.

865030[/snapback]

 

 

You are right. APE would most likely be the way to go. You can use any term program (Bobterm, ICE-T, etc...) with APE in client mode to get to the "Proxy>" prompt in order to connect out.

 

You could also setup a Linux box and an 850 interface. You can then use the Linux box to run a tty via a com port. This way you can have a dumb terminal to your Linux box and connect out that way...

 

Cheers...

[densonj]

How was that run?

864980[/snapback]

 

If you like, take a look at it. As I say, I originally got it from Tom Hunts site, but I changed it a bit and converted from TB to Atari BASIC. It's not 100% functional. I got it to connect succesfully but that's it. Probably wouldn't take much to finish it off though. If anybody is good with BASIC (I am not) and can get it working completely please re-post it here for the rest of us!

 

You can run it in the Atari800WinPlus emulator, APE or with a LanTronix. You just have to load a valid R: handler for whatever interface you're using.

TELNET.zip

Edited June 1, 2005 by densonj

[densonj]

I believe that it would be possible to include the CS8900a driver and TCP/IP stack within the Contiki port to make a R: handler.  However, I am not sure how much memory would be left over.

 

 

I wish I had more time to work on this:

 

http://geocities.com/vlastaar/a8ether/

 

-C-

864997[/snapback]

 

The Ethernet Cart is S-o-o-o COOL. I would buy one of these in a heartbeat!

[danwinslow]

Well, thats basically what I am working on. Its not a cart, its integrated into the SIO bus, but the idea is the same.

[Classic Pac]

This is not impossible folks, serverial years ago I recieved in the mail a newsletter from an 8 bit computer club in Ohio and they actually were selling an add-on for Atari computers that allowed one to surf the actual internet

[DamageX]

I've been looking into PPP connections and the like. It looks like the 'direct cable connect' program under windoze is really just a PPP connection except the connection begins with the guest computer saying "CLIENT" to which the host responds with "CLIENTSERVER" That is with a serial connection... I'm guessing parallel is the same but I have not yet hooked up the cable and tried it.

 

My thinking was that a parallel cable to the joystick ports could be a convenient alternative to serial/modem connections.

 

PPP itself is kind of complicated with several layers of protocols... LCP, IPCP, IP, TCP

 

Having that on the Atari is so much more impressive though than having a PC or other device do all the work. And the PC can be eliminated entirely from the picture by using one of those Palm ethernet cradles to access a broadband/LAN connection via serial.

[Gunstar]

I've been looking into PPP connections and the like. It looks like the 'direct cable connect' program under windoze is really just a PPP connection except the connection begins with the guest computer saying "CLIENT" to which the host responds with "CLIENTSERVER" That is with a serial connection... I'm guessing parallel is the same but I have not yet hooked up the cable and tried it.

 

My thinking was that a parallel cable to the joystick ports could be a convenient alternative to serial/modem connections.

 

PPP itself is kind of complicated with several layers of protocols... LCP, IPCP, IP, TCP

 

Having that on the Atari is so much more impressive though than having a PC or other device do all the work. And the PC can be eliminated entirely from the picture by using one of those Palm ethernet cradles to access a broadband/LAN connection via serial.

878347[/snapback]

i agree, and I am waiting for a newer version of contiki to come out for the A8 that can use PPP, since I'm still on dial-up anyway. But A.P.E already has the ability for you to use a terminal program like bobterm or Ice-T and connect via SIO2PC&A.P.E and get onto telnet. There is no need to rewrite something like that for use with APE, it's already there! I like the Contiki idea though, of actually surfing the world wide web, if only text-based, as opposed to being restricted to telnet.