FAQ


Everything you wanted to know about networking..



Q. What's the easiest way to connect two Amiga?

A. The simplest way is to use a NULL MODEM cable between
their serial ports. You can then run a comms program on each
Amiga (for example, Term or NComm) and use the X, Y or
ZModem protocol to transmit files.

Q. Is this how networked games work?

A. Yes, nearly all networked games on the Amiga work using a
NULL MODEM cable connected between the two machines.

Q. Games aside, is there a better way?

A. Yes. For a start, the serial port isn't amazingly fast.
OK, if you connect two Amiga 1200's fitted with HiSoft's new
Surf Squirrel PCMCIA device, things will be a lot faster,
but there is still a better way of linking the machines: the
parallel ports for example.

Q. Can I link two Amiga's through their Parallel ports and
use comms software as before?

A. No, you can't. Parallel ports are not designed with
communications in mind and so you will need special
software. The best known system is ParNet, and the best
distribution is called ParBench. Setting up ParNet can be
very hard, and the ParBench system includes an official
Commodore Installer system to make it a lot easier. Ask your
PD library for ParBench, or get it yourself from Aminet.

Q. Apart from speed, why is Parnet better than a serial
link?

A. ParNet provides true networking features (although not
terribly advanced ones). This means when the Amiga's are
linked there is a new device on each machine called NET:,
and this is a link into the remote hardware. It means that
one Amiga could use the harddrive or CDROM drive of a second
Amiga.

Q. What sort of cable do I need for this?

A. You need a special cable and instructions for making it
are given in the ParNet archive. You must not connect a
standard parallel port to parallel port cable, as this will
damage the Amigas. You must make (or buy) a cable designed
for use on the Amiga.


Q. Can I network a CD32 in this way?

A. Yes, although there are various reasons why this is
tricky. It's best to buy a CDROM and lead kit already made
up, from a dealer such as Brian Fowler Computing.


Q. Is there another way of linking Amiga's via parallel
ports?

A. Yes, you can use a commercial system calle Liana. Liana
comes with a special parallel cable but the software support
is offered through "Envoy". Blittersoft sell Liana in the
UK.

Q. I've heard of Envoy, what is it?

A. Envoy is the standard Amiga networking package, written
by an ex-Commodore employee. It is a commercial product,
currently at version 2. It is considerably more advanced
then Parnet, and offers an amazing number of features, such
as the ability to share printers, full security and
inter-network routing. It also is "hardware independent" in
that it doesn't mind which hardware the network uses, as
long as there is a suitable driver.

Q. Is Envoy available for other hardware?

A. Yes, as long as there is a suitable driver, called a
SANA2.driver. This is an Amiga standard for networking
support. For example, the AmiTrix networking system uses the
floppy disk port and it can run Envoy as well. Envoy will
also run over Ethernet.

Q. What is Ethernet, and can I use it on my Amiga?

A. Ethernet is a fast networking standard used on PCs and
other computers. It allows transfer speeds of up to
10Mbit/second over various types of cable. Many machines can
be linked together over Ethernet. It is possible to buy
Amiga specific network cards for Amiga's with Zorro slots
(BlitterSoft sell the Ariadne card). It's also possible to
buy a GoldenGate 2 card and fit a PC ethernet card (EyeTech
sell the GG2 in various bundles).

Q. Can I use Ethernet on an Amiga without Zorro slots?

A. There are no A1200 Ethernet cards currently advertised in
the UK, although there are rumours of some available in the
US. Sadly, although PCMCIA and Parallel port Ethernet
adaptors are available for the PC, no one has created a
version for the Amiga.


Q. Can I link my Amiga into a PC network?

A. If you have an Ethernet card, the answer is yes -- you
can set up both the Amiga and the PC to use the TCP/IP
transmission protocol and link the machines in that way.
This makes it possible to run Telnet, FTP and even X Windows
systems. If you don't have an ethernet card, there are still
various ways to link up the Amiga at least in theory. One
approach would be to use a SLIP or PPP connection into an
Amiga running Windows95 or a version of UNIX such as Linux.
This isn't for the faint-hearted, and we may cover it in
more detail in a future issue.


John Kennedy