just got this PCMCIA ethernet card, unsure how to use it properly though
Posted by Federal_Repair1919@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 15 comments
do i need to maybe plug something into that circular thing on the dongle to power it or something? or should my set up in the second and third images work fine?
matt95110@reddit
Typically you plug a network cable into it, which is absent from your photos.
Federal_Repair1919@reddit (OP)
i couldnt really plug it in in such a way as to got a proper photo of it, but rest assured it is plugged in
Howden824@reddit
Did you install the drivers?
Federal_Repair1919@reddit (OP)
no i'm not sure where to find them for DOS
i am probably going to use it to install openbsd anyways but thats only if the openbsd boot floppy supports pcmcia network cards
Scoth42@reddit
DOS drivers for PCMCIA cards could be complicated and annoying. Sometimes you needed a Card Services driver to activate the slots first and then enable the cards, sometimes not. It does look like DOS drivers are available for the card, potentially, so you might have luck with it. Ignore all the Windows-based instructions on the site and just download the file and go from there, but it does look to have a DOS packet driver in there.
I'd expect OpenBSD to support it but perhaps not the boot disk.
Federal_Repair1919@reddit (OP)
according to the manual i need a file called 8022.EXE from an SMC super driver diskette or something like that
i found an image of one and it has the same files (EZSTART.EXE version 2.22) as the link you sent but it doesn't seem to recognise my card and there is no 8022.EXE file in either your link or the super diskette i found
Scoth42@reddit
Packet drivers are usually COM files because reasons, but I'd give the "DOS/SMC8022.COM" a try from the link I sent. It might work on its own.
Bipogram@reddit
The circular thing is a BNC connector.
It's very unlikely that you'll find yourself in a situation where Ethernet is carried over co-ax.
So just plug in an RJ45 cable - the socket's right next to the BNC.
Redemptions@reddit
Jokes on you, I've got a 5 port, 10 megabit hub with a BNC connection on the side of it. I haven't plugged it in in 20 years, and it smells kind of funky, but I have it just in case!
megaladon44@reddit
pcmcia so many letters i never understood why
LayliaNgarath@reddit
Depending on the hardware you are using you may need PCMCIA drivers just to use the slots and then a device driver for the card itself. You need to use the TCPIP driver and not the Netware one. If your OS includes a TCPIP stack you should then be good. There was a period early in Win 3 where the customer version didn't come with networking and you had to add it. Networking only became standard with Windows 3.11.
EmersonLucero@reddit
This is a 10MB card. Depending on the network switch you are connecting to, the switch may not be happy. Some consumer switches really do not test for 10MB Half Duplex connections.
William-Riker@reddit
Wow, thinnet! I have not thought of 10BASE2 with coax for years. I remember networking my IBM 5150s with 10BASE2 8-bit NICS.
By the time this PCMCIA adapter would have come out, twisted pair was already the norm and the BNC connector would have already been legacy at this time.
Nostalgia aside, just find the DOS/Win9x driver, plug in an Ethernet cable, and configure your IP and network settings.
kd8qdz@reddit
Ohhh 10BASE2
Scoth42@reddit
You'll probably wanted to use the twisted pair interface next to the BNC (round) plus, as that's still the current most common interface for ethernet.
You'll also need drivers on the system to recognize it.