Ethernet and file transfer with modern computers.

[boratintheuk]

I was thinking about picking up a PCMCIA ethernet card for my a600. I wanted to be able to transfer files over from a modern computer so I don't have to take out the CF card each time I need to add more software. Is that possible? And what other uses does having ethernet on a a600 bring.

Thanks gents.

[hth313]

Probably, I use an A2065 ethernet card in my A3000 and AS225 TCP/IP networking software (there are other choices, Roadshow being a current one). Then I just mount an NFS partition that is on a credit card size Linux computer.

Depending on your file server you might want to use Samba instead of NFS.

Other things, well you can fetch files directly from aminet. I also use it to set the real time clock at boot time from internet as I removed the battery.

[jPV]

Originally Posted by boratintheuk

I was thinking about picking up a PCMCIA ethernet card for my a600. I wanted to be able to transfer files over from a modern computer so I don't have to take out the CF card each time I need to add more software. Is that possible?

Yes, it's possible. There are many solutions and it depends if you want to use the Amiga or the modern computer to handle the transfers. In any case you need a TCP/IP stack installed, and if your A600 is pretty much unexpanded, I guess the only sensible solution would be an older AmiTCP/IP stack. Other newer stacks would be easier to setup, but they require more memory... 2MB minimum I guess.

If you want to handle transfers from Amiga, you could connect to the modern computer by SMBFS (a stand-alone client to mount Samba/Windows shares), FTP (requires a FTP server at the other end), NFS (mostly used with *nix systems), or if your modern computer happens to be an Amiga compatible then NetFS Revised is the best option

But if you just want to download, handle, and transfer files from your modern computer, then you should install some server software on your Amiga. I'd say that FTP is the easiest and has lowest requirements if your A600 isn't heavily expanded. There are dozen of FTPd programs available. Full Samba package is quite bloated and I wouldn't go to that if there are any other options. Or if you could use the NetFS Revised again, it'd be the best option...

I've made a Network Boot Disk to quickly test how, for example, FTP server would feel on your Amiga.

If you use these non-Amiga transfer protocols (FTP, Samba, NFS...) then keep in mind that they don't preserve Amiga's file attributes and thus you should transfer program archives to Amiga as they are before unpacking them. I'm not sure if NetFS Revised could be used under WinUAE or other emulator... maybe? That would preserve file attributes nicely.

Amiga Explorer could be one option too, but I haven't tried that myself..

And what other uses does having ethernet on a a600 bring.

If you have Kickstart 3.x, then you could play HBMonopoly There are some other online games too, but they mostly need more beefy Amiga...

[utri007]

PCMCIA card is nice, but you could also consider PlipBox. There are several sellers and price is about 50€. That way you could still use CF card any time without needing to remove network card.

http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php...hlight=plipbox

Roadshow TCP/IP stack is still supported and it will work with A600 if it has 2mb ram.

http://roadshow.apc-tcp.de/index-en.php

I can recomend Amiga Explorer it is very handy and easy to use.

https://www.amigaforever.com/ae/

[idrougge]

If you have a PCMCIA slot, a Plipbox is like removing a wheel from your car.

[boratintheuk]

The plipbox is slower isn't it? It's also more expensive. What else can I put into the PCMCIA slot? I've heard that there are ram expansions but they are rare and expensive.

[Mr-Z]

I also use a PCMCIA network card in My A600 (10/100Mbit model) picked up on Amibay via Sir Lucas for 10 euro+shipping and use FTP mount on the Amiga side to connect to Filzilla FTP server on my PC.
Very low overhead and fast transfer speeds over my internal network, 1 MB/sec when downloading to Amiga HDD and 1,6 MB/sec when downloading to RAM Disk.
Do mind My A600 is very much expanded with a Vamipre V2, on lesser processor you'll get slower speeds.

I might give Amiga Explorer a try myself as mentioned by utri007, don't know why i didn't try it before.

[Sir_Lucas]

Originally Posted by Mr-Z

I also use a PCMCIA network card in My A600 (10/100Mbit model) picked up on Amibay via Sir Lucas for 10 euro+shipping and use FTP mount on the Amiga side to connect to Filzilla FTP server on my PC.
Very low overhead and fast transfer speeds over my internal network, 1 MB/sec when downloading to Amiga HDD and 1,6 MB/sec when downloading to RAM Disk.
Do mind My A600 is very much expanded with a Vamipre V2, on lesser processor you'll get slower speeds.

I might give Amiga Explorer a try myself as mentioned by utri007, don't know why i didn't try it before.

Thank you for your kind words
If it comes to A600 then you can use Roadshow TCP/IP stack, which is considered to be the best (commercial also, but worth every penny) or AmiTCP (a bit challenging to set up, but it'll do the job as well).

Just like mentioned earlier you can use PCMCIA ETHERNET card with 68000 and 2MB Ram.
You'll be able to FTP, SMBFS, NFS, maybe even IRC if you have enough memory.

You can also connect a WIFI WPA2/AES card to your A600. However, the driver requires at least 68020.
I've got some cards for sale.

Have a look here if you are looking for ETHERNET cards:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=78388

If you are looking for a WIFI WPA2/AES solution then have a look here:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=81915

You can also connect PCMCIA Memory cards to you PCMCIA port.

[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by boratintheuk

What else can I put into the PCMCIA slot? I've heard that there are ram expansions but they are rare and expensive.

Yep, SRAM cards are indeed rare and expensive, and you're much better off fitting a RAM (and CPU preferably) expansion internally. But perhaps more useful are card readers/adaptors that let you use a removable CF card for storage. This makes transfer between the Amiga and PCs a doddle for example, and can be FAT-formatted so both the PC and the Amiga can read them without needing to fire up WinUAE or similar the way you would with an internal CF card connected to the PC. Such adaptors for CF cards can be had for a few dollars on eBay. Readers for SD cards are a little more expensive, but still quite cheap.

Other PCMCIA add-ons include SCSI adaptors, high-speed serial ports and audio samplers, though all of these are less common uses of the port. I vaguely remember an image (or video?) digitiser for the PCMCIA port too...