Setting up Miami for using 3Com LAN card

[manicx]

Okay guys, I was given for free a 3Com EtherLink III PCMCIA card, model 3C589C for free (and I also have access to a 3C589D). I think, I 've heard once that such a card can be easily set up in Amiga using Miami. I am registered user of Miami, although I haven't use it since 99 ! I think Miami Dx can also be used but I am not sure if I will still be registered.

Anyway, all I need is a recommendation of an application to setup networking in my A1200 and whether I will need any special setup of IBrowse based on my setup. I've been succesfully using my A4k to connect to the internet using a modem, but never used my A1200 in a LAN. This is a big challenge for me, since I will present the Amiga in my work, to many windoze/linux gurus and I just need to impress them.

Thanx in advance...

[thomas]

I don't know if this special network card is supported, but in order to use a PCMCIA network card in general, you need the cnet.device and perhaps a fix for the hardware fault of the A1200.

http://www.aminet.net/aminet.cgi?string=cnetdevice
http://www.aminet.net/aminet.cgi?string=cardreset
http://www.aminet.net/aminet.cgi?string=cardpatch

Then it is very easy to set up Miami. Just install a new Ethernet LAN interface and configure your IP address, network mask, default gateway and DNS and there you go.

No special config is needed for IBrowse or other programs.

Well, if you also want to share files in your LAN, you need Samba and SMBFS or SMB-Connect in addition. But this is another story.

http://www.amigasamba.org/
http://www.dmbsoft.de/

Note that Samba needs a lot of CPU power and much RAM is recommended, too.

[Echo]

There's actually a specific device for this card, 3c589.device. Works fine for me.

[manicx]

SO all I need to do is install this driver and use Miami's GUI to set up the above parameters? This sounds reasonable. I have miami registered so this ain't bad!

So actually, using the device that echo posted (thanks) I will be able to have web access ONLY (?). For file sharing from both the Amiga and PC side (Amiga sees PC resources and PCs see Amiga resources) I need Samba...

[Echo]

Well, I've only got as far as being able to ping my PC box and vice versa (through a router)

I really need to sit down at some point and get my teeth into it. Ideally I'd love Web/IRC/FTP access on the Amiga and several shared drives between Amiga and PC.

The command-line applications for drive sharing are rather off-putting though!

[manicx]

Did you use the same LAN card and Miami then? I suppose that once the card is detected and Miami is set, you should have at least web access (well that's what it is supposed to happen in theory, but real life is always another story)...

[thomas]

Yes, it should be as easy like that.

Samba is not that hard either. Just thoroughly follow the INSTALL text. It is only a lot of finger work creating all the needed entries in Miami's database.

[ant512]

Originally posted by manicx
Did you use the same LAN card and Miami then? I suppose that once the card is detected and Miami is set, you should have at least web access (well that's what it is supposed to happen in theory, but real life is always another story)...

Bwahaha! It's not that easy. Really not that easy.

To get net access via a LAN with your Amiga, you will need either a LAN router or another computer set up as a gateway. Assuming the latter, and assuming you're running Windows (2K and XP Pro can be set up as routers out of the box, whilst other versions require additional routing and proxying software), you're going to have to configure both Miami and Windows.

Routing through Windows is a nightmare to set up properly - the OS claims you have to switch to DHCP instead of static IP addresses, but I vaguely remember getting static IPs to work (with the Amiga, anyway - other Windows PCs wouldn't work when given static IPs).

Once you've got Miami set up, you'll be able to ping your PC. Anything else requires vast amounts of work. It took me about 6 hours to get Samba working, and more tweaking afterwards to get it working reliably. It took days to get routing set up, mostly because Windows is an arse (and I kept forgetting to disable my firewall). Then, of course, the modem stopped working with the Amiga (initially set up as the router), so I had to make the PC the router - another few hours of work...

[ant512]

Samba isn't that easy to set up, especially as the documentation is out of date. And a lot of it makes no sense, which doesn't help either.

[Echo]

Originally posted by manicx
Did you use the same LAN card and Miami then? I suppose that once the card is detected and Miami is set, you should have at least web access (well that's what it is supposed to happen in theory, but real life is always another story)...

If only. I had to manually input the router's IP, and my wanted Amiga IP - but IBrowse was having none of it.

The light (10mbit) is lit on the router, so physically it's all connected, but Miami is far from self-configuring.

I didn't get much further than that due to frustration.

[manicx]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Basically, I will let the network administrator in my work do the stuff with windoze. I will do the Amiga stuff. So, I hope we can get LAN to work with Amiga. It's not that I see something innovative, it's just me wanting to demonstrate to windoze and linux gurus that Amigas have no limits...

[Echo]

Originally posted by manicx
Thanks for the feedback guys. Basically, I will let the network administrator in my work do the stuff with windoze. I will do the Amiga stuff. So, I hope we can get LAN to work with Amiga. It's not that I see something innovative, it's just me wanting to demonstrate to windoze and linux gurus that Amigas have no limits...

The fact is though, Windows is light years ahead of Amiga with networking now. My sister recently purchased a Dell with XP, plugged her CAT5 cable in from my router and it configured everything automatically. XP had no idea beforehand it was even going to have access through a router.

Web access, instant messengers etc were all working without a single bit of user interaction.

Almost as quick with Windows 2000, simply needing to put the router IP in the gateway. IP is assigned, and everything works instantly.

[manicx]

Classic Amiga is lacking in hardware comparing to modern PCs and in many cases in software (when used with old h/w) but it is the same story like games. Hard to do 3D but not impossible.

[RetroMan]

If you only want to mount any shared folders of a PeCe on your Miggy, you may want to try out SMB-Connect

It´s really easy to set up and you do not have to fiddle around with a nasty and painfull SAMBA Installation

Perfect tool for data exchange, only limitation is that you cannot "see" your Miggy HD from within Windoze but that really shouldn´t be a problem

[manicx]

Well, I have the tools to exchange stuff between Amiga and PC, but I am really keen on doing the LAN thing. It is a challenge for me since it is one of the few things that I haven't done with a Miggy.

[Echo]

I've downloaded IBrowse 2.3 today in the hope it'll be more friendly to my network.

Does anyone have some really simple instructions to get this working under Miami DX running into a router via 3COM PCMCIA card?

(Miami DX and said card are already functioning correctly as far as I know.)

[ant512]

Originally posted by Echo
I've downloaded IBrowse 2.3 today in the hope it'll be more friendly to my network.

Does anyone have some really simple instructions to get this working under Miami DX running into a router via 3COM PCMCIA card?

(Miami DX and said card are already functioning correctly as far as I know.)

Once you get Miami DX running properly, all Amiga browsers will work - they just interface with the BSDSocket.library (not actually a file - it is emulated by the TCP stack). You don't need to configure the browser. If IBrowse doesn't work, you haven't finished setting Miami DX up yet.

[Echo]

Hmm, maybe it isn't set up correctly then.

Mind you I was trying a very old version (1.2 if memory serves) of IBrowse. Could have been compatible with dialup connections only or something.

I don't know why I'm bothering to be honest, it's going to be completely horrible at 640x512, 64 colours. Download speeds will be interesting though (1mbit line).

[Echo]

No joy I'm afraid. I can get into the router's web configurator with IBrowse, so all hardware and cable is at least working.

But a public website called by domain or IP refuses to load.

I can also ping the router and PC from the Amiga.

[thomas]

Originally posted by Echo
No joy I'm afraid. I can get into the router's web configurator with IBrowse, so all hardware and cable is at least working.

But a public website called by domain or IP refuses to load.

I can also ping the router and PC from the Amiga.

I don't see why you find it so difficult to configure your network.

Here are step-by-step instructions for MiamiDeluxe.

The values are taken from my config, so you should adjust them.

You need the following data:

- The name of your ethernet driver (e.g. DEVS:Networks/via_rhinepci.device)
- The IP address of your router (e.g. 192.168.1.254)
- The IP address you want to dedicate to your Amiga (e.g. 192.168.1.6)
- The IP address of your ISP's DNS server (e.g. 194.25.2.129)

Then start MiamiDx without a config and follow these steps:

Hardware
New
Ethernet
Name = MyNetworkCard
Type = SANA-II
Driver = DEVS:Networks/via_rhinepci.device
Unit = 0
SANA-II parameters
Query device
Ok
Ok
Interfaces
New
Ethernet
LAN
Ok
MyNetworkCard
Ok
IP address = 192.168.1.6
Netmask = 255.255.255.0
Gateway Pri = 1
Gateway = 192.168.1.254
GUI default = Yes
Ok
Database
DNS servers
Add
IP address = 194.25.2.129
Online
Save Settings

I hope this helps.