Networking options for an A3000?

[floren]

I have a 3000 running WB 2.something (planning to eventually upgrade to 3.1.4) that I'd like to get on a network for easier file transfer (I hear you can use SMB?)



I assume my best choice is to just buy an ethernet card of some sort? What's the best / most cost-effective / most available choice?



I've also got a Linux box near the Amiga so I tried getting SLIP to work using slattach on the Linux side and AmiTCP 3.0-b2 on the Amiga, but haven't had any luck yet.

[brett71]

I've just finished installing an X-Surf 100 in my 3000 with the driver disk I copied from my ACA500+ and after a reboot, it comes right up, grabs an address by DHCP and it's online. Planning to just use Amiga Explorer to transfer some files to/from it for the moment.

The X-Surf 100 is an affordable card with the option for a RapidRoad USB add-on. I have one for my X-Surf 100, but having some issues with it that I'm investigating.

[nogginthenog]

I've been using a X-Surf 100 on my A4000 for a few years. Works well. I use RoadShow.

I found SMB a bit unreliable (maybe I need to try again). Currently using NFS to a Linux box. This is also a bit unreliable but mainly on large files. FTP to the same box is fine (e.g. for backups).

SLIP or similar (PPP?) should work fine but will be slow.

[floren]

Sounds like the X-Surf is a great way to go for real ethernet... now I just have to find a store with them in stock! Amigakit shows them as in stock, until you add it to the cart Everywhere else I've found them is out of stock

[brett71]

Originally Posted by floren

Sounds like the X-Surf is a great way to go for real ethernet... now I just have to find a store with them in stock! Amigakit shows them as in stock, until you add it to the cart Everywhere else I've found them is out of stock

They're in-stock at Individual Computers. 127.82 euro.

[quantum8]

The zz9000 is a great way to get networking, along with RTG, USB and mappable zorro ram expansion all in the one card

A bit more pricey than the X-surf but a decent price for all the features that it has.

[AmigaHope]

btw unless you really need it, consider downgrading any ethernet connection you have to 10-Base-T, even if you have a 100-Base-T card. Zorro III struggles with a 100 Megabit connection, and still hitches even at the best of times when the CPU gives it its full attention. A Z3 card easily runs 10-base-T with low CPU usage. It runs especially well if you connect directly to a layer 3 switch/router (i.e. the Amiga lives on a dedicated L2 network and talks to even local devices via the router which probably has a much faster processor/bus than your Amiga, so packets get dropped on the router's end)

(The one exception is using a USB Ethernet interface on the Deneb in DMA mode. It will still drop packets when running full bore, but goes way easier on the CPU.)