Funded project: Wyse 60 semi-compliant emulator for Linux
Joseph Santaniello
The only thing holding us back from a wide-scale Linux deployment is the
lack of a useable Wyse60 emulator. I have about 5000 USD I can contribute
if someone feels like writing one. Serial interfac isn't required. We only
plan on connecting via telnet.
All help greatly appreciated,
Joe
Scott G. Hall
> The only thing holding us back from a wide-scale Linux deployment is the
> lack of a useable Wyse60 emulator. I have about 5000 USD I can contribute
> if someone feels like writing one. Serial interfac isn't required. We only
> plan on connecting via telnet.
I don't completely understand your question:
a) Do you have WY-60 terminals that you would like to connect
to a Linux server?
(easy -- directly supported; set the TERM env. variable)
b) Or do you have WY-60 terminals that users would log into the
Linux server and run some remote application on a remote system
that requires WY-60 terminal emulation?
(use the cu or telnet commands directly)
c) Or do you have some other kinds of terminals that user's log
into the Linux server with, and they need to run an application
written for only WY-60 terminals?
(use a copy of PCOMM for Linux (Procomm-for-UNIX) -- a
terminal emulator that will emulate one terminal type
while the user is logged in using a different terminal
type; in this case you log into the server, and run PCOMM
to log again into the server with a different terminal
emulation to run the application)
This applies to any UNIX out there that has a version of PCOMM available.
(PCOMM is public domain)
--
Scott G. Hall General Dynamics Communication Systems
ph: 919-549-1189 North Carolina Systems Center
email: Scott...@GD-CS.Com Research Triangle Park, NC USA
Don Yuniskis
Since he is looking for a TERMINAL EMULATOR it seems safe to assume
that he doesn't have *any* terminals! :>
I suspect he has an *application* that wants to talk to
a Wyse-60. He would like to deploy this application on
Linux boxes by having a terminal *emulator* running on the
Linux host(s) to provide display services to the user.
(I assume running under X?)
--don
Thomas Dickey
> In article <39989432...@GD-CS.Com>,
> Scott G. Hall <Scott...@GD-CS.Com> wrote:
>>Joseph Santaniello wrote:
>>> The only thing holding us back from a wide-scale Linux deployment is the
>>> lack of a useable Wyse60 emulator. I have about 5000 USD I can contribute
>>> if someone feels like writing one. Serial interfac isn't required. We only
>>> plan on connecting via telnet.
> Since he is looking for a TERMINAL EMULATOR it seems safe to assume
> that he doesn't have *any* terminals! :>
;-)
> I suspect he has an *application* that wants to talk to
> a Wyse-60. He would like to deploy this application on
> Linux boxes by having a terminal *emulator* running on the
> Linux host(s) to provide display services to the user.
> (I assume running under X?)
so why doesn't he fix the application to make it work with termcap or
terminfo?
--
Thomas E. Dickey <dic...@radix.net> <dic...@herndon4.his.com>
http://dickey.his.com
ftp://dickey.his.com
Jeffrey Altman
: so why doesn't he fix the application to make it work with termcap or
: terminfo?
:
Probably one or more of the usual reasons:
. the application is not running on Unix
. he does not have the source code
. the application was developed by someone that has long since gone
Jeffrey Altman * Sr.Software Designer
The Kermit Project * Columbia University
612 West 115th St * New York, NY * 10025 * USA
http://www.kermit-project.org/ * kermit-...@kermit-project.org
Scott G. Hall
> The only thing holding us back from a wide-scale Linux deployment is the
> lack of a useable Wyse60 emulator. I have about 5000 USD I can contribute
> if someone feels like writing one. Serial interfac isn't required. We only
> plan on connecting via telnet.
I don't completely understand your question:
a) Do you have WY-60 terminals that you would like to connect
to a Linux server?
(easy -- directly supported; set the TERM env. variable)
b) Or do you have WY-60 terminals that users would log into the
Linux server and run some remote application on a remote system
that requires WY-60 terminal emulation?
(use the cu or telnet commands directly)
c) Or do you have some other kinds of terminals that user's log
into the Linux server with, and they need to run an application
written for only WY-60 terminals?
(use a copy of PCOMM for Linux (Procomm-for-UNIX) -- a
terminal emulator that will emulate one terminal type
while the user is logged in using a different terminal
type; in this case you log into the server, and run PCOMM
to log again into the server with a different terminal
emulation to run the application)
This applies to any UNIX out there that has a version of PCOMM available.
(PCOMM is public domain)
--
Joseph Santaniello
Bingo!
I have a SCO box running a propietary system (so proprietary I had to buy
the box from the software vendor and I don't even have root access) which
today 160 users connect to from a Windows Terminal Emulator program. The
app on the SCO expects Wyse60 and there isn't anything I can do about it.
I iherited this mess of 160 Windows machines, and we are at my suggestion
considreing diskless Linux machines (see http://www.ltsp.org) as a way to
cut costs and to make administartion easier. But until I can run this SCO
app from Linux, the whole project is a no-go. I have $5000 I can use to
either get an emulator written, modify xterm, or system integration
consulting to get some workable solution.
Anyone up for the task?
Joe
Scott G. Hall
> I have a SCO box running a propietary system (so proprietary I had to buy
> the box from the software vendor and I don't even have root access) which
> today 160 users connect to from a Windows Terminal Emulator program. The
> app on the SCO expects Wyse60 and there isn't anything I can do about it.
>
> I iherited this mess of 160 Windows machines, and we are at my suggestion
> considreing diskless Linux machines (see http://www.ltsp.org) as a way to
> cut costs and to make administartion easier. But until I can run this SCO
> app from Linux, the whole project is a no-go. I have $5000 I can use to
> either get an emulator written, modify xterm, or system integration
> consulting to get some workable solution.
You have three very inexpensive solutions:
1) Load up Procomm Plus (especially on older version that you can pick up
at a computer or electronics show in your area from one of the surplus
dealers) on your existing MS-Windows PCs. It will allow you users to
emulate over 50 different terminal types, including Wyse-60s (a very
popular and common vertical-market-software terminal type).
In my household, I have 3 different MS-Windows PCs doing exactly this:
a 486-50DX box running Win-3.11 WFWG, a K6-256MHz box running Win-98(a),
and a P-II-400MHz box running Win-NT4. On each of these, I created an
icon to the PcommPlus executable, and when clicked on it runs in a
MS-DOS command prompt window. For each of these PCs, COM2 is the serial
port connected to the UNIX box.
2) On a Linux server, load up PCOMM (Procomm for UNIX). Then have each
Linux workstation NFS mount the PCOMM directory hierarchy appropriately.
You will also want to setup UUCP utilities on each workstation,
specifically so that cu will work. Each user would simply then open an
xterm window and run the pcomm program, setting the terminal personality
to WY-60, and connect to the SCO UNIX/XENIX box. Pcomm cooperates with
cu and uucp in setting lock files and using system connection parameters
from the uucp database files. The primary non-mouse serial port on each
workstation (usually /etc/tty01, or what would be MS-DOS's COM2) would be
wired to the SCO UNIX/XENIX box.
I tried this last night from my Linux box to a UnixWare box, and visa
versa. It works just fine.
3) Another solution is to build up a Linux server, and add a multi-port
serial board in it (maybe 16 or 32 ports). Connect these ports up to
your SCO box (assuming that no more than 16 or 32 will attempt to
connect at the same time). Load PCOMM like #2 above. You can set the
UUCP systems file with more than one line to the remote machine (such
as 32 lines). Then you can use one of two sub-solutions:
a) Download and install a decent telnet application for MS-Windows
(MS version won't work). Then have your users simply telnet to
the Linux server, login, then run pcomm to the SCO machine with
the WY-60 personality set. (Home directories are a wonderful
thing for individual tastes in pcomm settings, such as color
backgrounds and font sizes.)
b) On each user's Linux workstation, simply have them open a xterm
window. Then rlogin to the Linux server (or use remsh) to run
pcomm to the SCO box.
In this case, it doesn't matter what is on the user's desktop. They can
be using a Mac, a MS-Windows OS (such as 3.x, 9x, NT or 2K), a Linux or
other UNIX OS, even an Amiga or dumb terminal. PCOMM supports the TERM
and TERMLIB environment variables, and so the user can connect from a
xterm, from a hardwired Data General terminal, or a dialup from at home
(dialup needing even more ports on the Linux server for inbound modems,
or a DSL or cable modem for connecting from the Internet from user's
homes), using whatever is their favorite terminal personality.
I tried this last night too, from an old Kaypro running CPM running a
H19 (VT52-superset) terminal emulator program into a port on the Linux
box, and then used pcomm to the UnixWare box. Worked fine.
Note that in each of my home tests, I confirmed with a serial protocol
analyzer that the pcomm connection was indeed using WY-60 escape codes.
Don Yuniskis
Thomas Dickey <dic...@saltmine.radix.net> wrote:
>
>> I suspect he has an *application* that wants to talk to
>> a Wyse-60. He would like to deploy this application on
>> Linux boxes by having a terminal *emulator* running on the
>> Linux host(s) to provide display services to the user.
>> (I assume running under X?)
>
>terminfo?
Maybe he doesn't have sources to the application?
--don
Joseph Santaniello
Hi,
There are 128 serial lines going into the SCO box, and the Win machines
now use a serial terminal emulator which allows the printer on the local
machine to be used. But we have found that using our terminal emulator to
telnet in using the Wyse60 command set goes MUCH faster. And printing to
the local printers isn't so important anymore, now that we have more
network printers (and the Linux terminals are easy to print to). The thing
is adding wiring (and serial interfaces) as we grow is too expensive and
slow. So we want telnet acccess. Does PCOMM do anything besides serial? I
can't find it anywhere either, do you know where I can get a copy?
Thanks,
Joe
Scott G. Hall
> There are 128 serial lines going into the SCO box, and the Win machines
> now use a serial terminal emulator which allows the printer on the local
> machine to be used. But we have found that using our terminal emulator to
> telnet in using the Wyse60 command set goes MUCH faster. And printing to
> the local printers isn't so important anymore, now that we have more
> network printers (and the Linux terminals are easy to print to). The thing
> is adding wiring (and serial interfaces) as we grow is too expensive and
> slow. So we want telnet acccess. Does PCOMM do anything besides serial? I
> can't find it anywhere either, do you know where I can get a copy?
I am going to address this out of order...
Most all terminals have an escape code to redirect output to its printer
port. Most all terminal emulation programs (except UNIX's cu) emulate this
by directing output to the default user's printer (and EOF sent when the
escape code to switch redirection back to the screen is received). So any
good emulator worth its salt will still allow you to use "local" printers.
C-Kermit for UNIX has a function to direct its output to a command, like
say to the ls command, but that requires the user to initiate the output
and it basically redirects what would normally go to your screen.
By the way, Kermit95 is probably the best terminal emulation program for
MS-DOS & MS-Windows. And it does a WY-60 pretty well. And it includes
support for local printers....
PCOMM was posted to the comp.sources.unix newsgroup from about 1988 to 1993.
"Volume 26 (Ends August 7, 1993):
pcomm-2.0.2 (6 parts) a serial communications program (clone of ProComm)"
You should be able to ftp the sources from an archive such as:
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume26/pcomm-2.0.2/
or
http://sunsite.org.uk/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume14/pcomm/
or
http://sunsite.org.uk/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume26/pcomm-2.0.2/
or
http://www.kashpureff.org/nic/linux/softlist.en/pcomm.html
A relevant listing of what is on all usenet archive sites:
http://radar.usask.ca/comp.sources.unix.html
There is a utility out, modemu, that is basically a TELNET program that
can be used to mimic a serial port so that any UNIX terminal emulation
program designed for serial ports can be used. It makes a comm program
a telnet client.
I found a version in a Linux terminal emulation program, called minicom:
http://www.pp.clinet.fi/~walker/minicom.html (minicom 1.83.1)
Other UNIX terminal emulation programs that will emulate a Wyse-60 include,
XComm, XC, seyon and of course C-Kermit (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/)
I found at least one page that mentions a number of UNIX terminal emulators:
http://www.stokely.com/unix.serial.port.resources/terminals.em.x.html
and another that talks about the various merits between them:
http://aa11.cjb.net/hpux_admin/1997/0434.html
Jeffrey Altman
Scott G. Hall <Scott...@GD-CS.Com> wrote:
: MS-DOS & MS-Windows. And it does a WY-60 pretty well. And it includes
: support for local printers....
Thanks for the recommendation but I must correct this. Kermit 95 is
available for Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 and OS/2. It is not available
for MS-DOS. It does have a very solid Wy60 emulation. If you find
something that doesn't work (that should) let me know and I will have
a fix to you in a day or two.
MS-DOS Kermit does not support Wy60.
Kermit 95 comes with a C-Kermit 7.0 CD-ROM. For info:
http://www.kermit-project.org/k95.html
Mark Greene
Joseph Santaniello <jos...@arbitrary.org> wrote:
>
> Bingo!
>
> I have a SCO box running a propietary system (so proprietary I had to
buy
> the box from the software vendor and I don't even have root access)
which
> today 160 users connect to from a Windows Terminal Emulator program.
The
> app on the SCO expects Wyse60 and there isn't anything I can do about
it.
>
> I iherited this mess of 160 Windows machines, and we are at my
suggestion
> considreing diskless Linux machines (see http://www.ltsp.org) as a way
to
> cut costs and to make administartion easier. But until I can run this
SCO
> app from Linux, the whole project is a no-go. I have $5000 I can use
to
> either get an emulator written, modify xterm, or system integration
> consulting to get some workable solution.
Try Accusoft. It's a commercial product that will emulate a Wyse60.
According to the web page, a site license is only $995.00:
http://www.asent.com/products99frames2.html
HTH
---
mark
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Frank da Cruz
Scott G. Hall <Scott...@GD-CS.Com> wrote:
: port. Most all terminal emulation programs (except UNIX's cu) emulate this
: by directing output to the default user's printer (and EOF sent when the
: escape code to switch redirection back to the screen is received). So any
: good emulator worth its salt will still allow you to use "local" printers.
: C-Kermit for UNIX has a function to direct its output to a command, like
: say to the ls command, but that requires the user to initiate the output
: and it basically redirects what would normally go to your screen.
C-Kermit 7.0 is also supposed to support ANSI transparent printing directly
(Esc [ 5 i / Esc [ 4 i) but it has a small bug the prevents the material
from being printed until it exits, which will be fixed in version 7.1, to
be announced soon for testing.
: Other UNIX terminal emulation programs that will emulate a Wyse-60 include,
: XComm, XC, seyon and of course C-Kermit (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/)
:
C-Kermit doesn't actually emulate any kind of terminal, except for
intercepting certain ANSI sequences like printer on/off, Application Program
Command, etc. More about this here:
http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckfaq.html#term
Kermit 95, which runs on PC OS's like Windows and OS/2, does emulate Wyse 60
and many others. The aforementioned web page explains why Unix-based terminal
emulators are harder to find that Windows- or DOS-based ones.
- Frank
Scott G. Hall
> There are 128 serial lines going into the SCO box, and the Win machines
> now use a serial terminal emulator which allows the printer on the local
> machine to be used. But we have found that using our terminal emulator to
> telnet in using the Wyse60 command set goes MUCH faster. And printing to
> the local printers isn't so important anymore, now that we have more
> network printers (and the Linux terminals are easy to print to). The thing
> is adding wiring (and serial interfaces) as we grow is too expensive and
> slow. So we want telnet acccess. Does PCOMM do anything besides serial? I
> can't find it anywhere either, do you know where I can get a copy?
I am going to address this out of order...
Most all terminals have an escape code to redirect output to its printer
port. Most all terminal emulation programs (except UNIX's cu) emulate this
by directing output to the default user's printer (and EOF sent when the
escape code to switch redirection back to the screen is received). So any
good emulator worth its salt will still allow you to use "local" printers.
C-Kermit for UNIX has a function to direct its output to a command, like
say to the ls command, but that requires the user to initiate the output
and it basically redirects what would normally go to your screen.
By the way, Kermit95 is probably the best terminal emulation program for
MS-DOS & MS-Windows. And it does a WY-60 pretty well. And it includes
support for local printers....
PCOMM was posted to the comp.sources.unix newsgroup from about 1988 to 1993.
"Volume 26 (Ends August 7, 1993):
pcomm-2.0.2 (6 parts) a serial communications program (clone of ProComm)"
You should be able to ftp the sources from an archive such as:
ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume26/pcomm-2.0.2/
or
http://sunsite.org.uk/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume14/pcomm/
or
http://sunsite.org.uk/usenet/comp.sources.unix/volume26/pcomm-2.0.2/
or
http://www.kashpureff.org/nic/linux/softlist.en/pcomm.html
A relevant listing of what is on all usenet archive sites:
http://radar.usask.ca/comp.sources.unix.html
There is a utility out, modemu, that is basically a TELNET program that
can be used to mimic a serial port so that any UNIX terminal emulation
program designed for serial ports can be used. It makes a comm program
a telnet client.
I found a version in a Linux terminal emulation program, called minicom:
http://www.pp.clinet.fi/~walker/minicom.html (minicom 1.83.1)
Other UNIX terminal emulation programs that will emulate a Wyse-60 include,
XComm, XC, seyon and of course C-Kermit (http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/)
I found at least one page that mentions a number of UNIX terminal emulators:
http://www.stokely.com/unix.serial.port.resources/terminals.em.x.html
and another that talks about the various merits between them:
http://aa11.cjb.net/hpux_admin/1997/0434.html
--