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Parallel port data transfer

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Dusannn

Experienced Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
57
I have a question...
I made connection on parallel ports from my 386 pc to XP machine(it runs all dos programs correctly) and i tested data transfer by program ZIP221. But I want my XP machine to act as server, I just power XP machine on(without monitor, keyboard... just machine) and so I can send/receive files between these two computers using only 386(like, i powered on xp and in 386 pc which has dos 6.22 i say: 1.show me directory of server - 2.receive file hello.exe 3. send file result.log).
 
You might want to try phrasing your question more clearly - I could not figure out what it was that you were asking. I suspect that other people are having "parsing errors" too ...
 
I'll have a shot at interpretation- Headless XP box connected to 386 desktop running MS Dos 6.22 via parallel cable being able to view the a shared XP directory and transfer file to the 386 from that shared directory. Once transfer is completed a log file is created.

The OP seems to be after advice on how to do this.
 
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If it really must be the parallel ports, then the LapLink utility was the standard for earlier PCs.

With DOS 6, use a parallel "null-printer" cable with the Intersvr and Interlnk programs that come with DOS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LapLink_cable

You could try setting up Intersvr to launch on the XP machine at boot from autoexec.bat. To avoid any problems with Windows virtualising the parallel port, I would make a DOS 6.22 boot diskette with Intersvr and use that to boot the "XP" machine and CD to target directory, when needing to use it as a server. Quicker and simpler in the long run, and no complications for the normal XP boot.

If serial ports are an option, then there are countless free programs that are capable of this setting up this direct client-server relationship. Any of the Xmodem versions, for example. A lot of people recommend Zmodem.

Rick
 
RickNel said:
To avoid any problems with Windows virtualising the parallel port, I would make a DOS 6.22 boot diskette with Intersvr and use that to boot the "XP" machine and CD to target directory, when needing to use it as a server. Quicker and simpler in the long run, and no complications for the normal XP boot
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Is DOS 6.22 going to be able to read an NTFS partition? Or any other partition bigger than 2.1 GB?
 
I'd imagine the XP box has ether NTFS or FAT32 as the file system so MSDos 6.22 boot disk may not be a good option.
Edit- I see Stone bet me to it.

It'd be far easier using nics, a cross over cable, then running an ftp server on the xp box, with the dos box using a packet driver, mTCP and mikesbs' ftp client.
 
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Caluser2000 said:
I'd imagine the XP box has ether NTFS or FAT32 as the file system so MSDos 6.22 boot disk may not be a good option.
Edit- I see Stone bet me to it.
Click to expand...
Geez, how'd that happen... you've got 17 hours on me. :) 17 hours to the good.

FWIW, I use a WIN ME FAT32 startup disk all the time to read large partitions. DOS 8 works for that. NTFS is a whole nuther ballgame.
 
Stone said:
Is DOS 6.22 going to be able to read an NTFS partition? Or any other partition bigger than 2.1 GB?
Click to expand...

OP indicated he wanted to use DOS and had tested file transfers using zip221 (a DOS program), so I assumed he was using DOS-compatible filesystem on the "XP" machine - eg a FAT16 partition. There are many better ways to transfer files between machines if you are not limiting yourself to DOS or to parallel port. Better answers, but to different questions. Like using any of the many serial port solutions.

Rick
 
I suppose we should wait until the OP gets back, but he posted and then immediately left. Anyway . . .

We've got apples and oranges. That is, on the one side we have XP, and on the other 386. So, not knowing whether it's the hardware or the operating system that is the fixed value here, I'd say that the best plan would be either to wipe XP and replace it with DOS6.22 and use INTERSVR as Rick suggested. I've found that to be an excellent solution to a headless server that is accessible with any old machine (such as a 386) that is capable of running INTERLNK. The other option would be to replace the 386 with a more capable machine and running some more powerful networking OS. /2¢

PS: It's kinda fun to come up with answers without knowing the question. ;)
 
RickNel said:
OP indicated he wanted to use DOS and had tested file transfers using zip221 (a DOS program), so I assumed he was using DOS-compatible filesystem on the "XP" machine - eg a FAT16 partition. There are many better ways to transfer files between machines if you are not limiting yourself to DOS or to parallel port. Better answers, but to different questions. Like using any of the many serial port solutions.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a reasonable assumption, and I agree that serial is probably a better (at least more versatile) solution - especially considering the cable length limitations that may come into play. That said, I've found parallel transfer to be fast.

Actually, it just occurred to me that parallel as well as serial, can be used for regular networking. I don't know about XP's networking capability, but it should be able to run both SLIP and PLIP. Both of those are available for DOS as well. That would open up some more possibilities.
 
Ok, I have XP computer and DOS can read D: partition. XP computer is connected to 386 via parallel "laplink" cable. I want to modify XP so it on startup runs some kind of program, like server or something, then I can access files located on XP using 386(read, write, dir). So, I don't want to connect any input/output devices to XP computer, I want just to power it on and to have server started.
 
Dusannn said:
Ok, I have XP computer and DOS can read D: partition. XP computer is connected to 386 via parallel "laplink" cable. I want to modify XP so it on startup runs some kind of program, like server or something, then I can access files located on XP using 386(read, write, dir). So, I don't want to connect any input/output devices to XP computer, I want just to power it on and to have server started.
Click to expand...

Put INTERSVR in your XP autoexec.bat and you're good to go there. Type INTERLNK on your 386 (after putting it in the config.sys and rebooting. Done!

PS: I commonly do the above with a headless server which then just boots up and ready to go, but I'm assuming that XP can run DOS. I know some of the older Microsoft OSs can do that.
 
Ole Juul said:
Put INTERSVR in your XP autoexec.bat and you're good to go there. Type INTERLNK on your 386 (after putting it in the config.sys and rebooting. Done!
Click to expand...
The problem(s) with that is XP will ignore those statements in autoexec.bat and config.sys files. It will read config.nt and autoexec.nt which are located in the system32 folder but not on startup (unless you set it up in a PIF or some other way). Furthermore, there is no INTERLNK OF INTERSRV in XP so that would be a major stumbling block.
 
Stone said:
The problem(s) with that is XP will ignore those statements in autoexec.bat and config.sys files. It will read config.nt and autoexec.nt which are located in the system32 folder but not on startup (unless you set it up in a PIF or some other way). Furthermore, there is no INTERLNK OF INTERSRV in XP so that would be a major stumbling block.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I had a feeling I was wrong. So, XP doesn't run DOS - at least in any practical sense. Oh well. :( I suppose he could boot that machine from a floppy. I usually keep a floppy around with INTERSVR in an autoexec.bat for that purpose, but of course I'm only concerned about 16 bit FAT. Did we clarify if the OP had a suitable partition? Or is this just going to be an impossible 16 bit to 32 bit mismatch anyway?
 
I think that's what the aptly named Startup folder is for... ;-)
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Windows-XP-3282/Add-program-start.htm

But I didn't think that DOS programs like Interlink and ZIP221 that access the ports worked in any Windows versions later than 98 without special drivers (if at all)?

What's actually running on the DOS and XP machines that lets the DOS machine see the XP machine's D drive?

And if it's just going to be a headless DOS file server, why bother with Windows at all?
 
I'd just get a cheap ISA network card for the 386. There are just too many hurdles to getting something like Interlink going on XP--the chiefest of which is giving any DOS real-mode program direct access to the parallel port. Even 32-bit programs from Win9x that do this require a helper service like GIVEIO to be installed.
 
Ole Juul said:
Thanks for the clarification. I had a feeling I was wrong. So, XP doesn't run DOS - at least in any practical sense. Oh well. :( I suppose he could boot that machine from a floppy. I usually keep a floppy around with INTERSVR in an autoexec.bat for that purpose, but of course I'm only concerned about 16 bit FAT. Did we clarify if the OP had a suitable partition? Or is this just going to be an impossible 16 bit to 32 bit mismatch anyway?
Click to expand...
A lot of dos programs run in an XP terminal. Of course long file names are mangled and ports etc are vertualised.
 

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