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000409_news@newsmaster….columbia.edu _Tue Dec 8 19:32:28 1998.msg
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From: "Roger J. Allen" <rja@sis.rpslmc.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.kermit.misc
Subject: Re: Using a laptop in place of a DEC terminal
Date: 8 Dec 1998 23:58:01 GMT
Organization: Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center
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Frank da Cruz <fdc@watsun.cc.columbia.edu> wrote:
> In article <74524j$47q$1@tepe.tezcat.com>,
> jeff canar m.a. <canar.jeff@hines.va.gov> wrote:
> : I'm sure this can be done, just need to know the proper way to
> : connect...
> :
> : We have DEC terminal in an office that is old, and almost useless.
> : I'd like to use an old 386 laptop (running kermit 3.14) I have in
> : place of this terminal. I'm assuming I can simply run some sort of
> : cable out the back of the laptop through the built in serial port (9
> : pin) and into the wall where the original terminal is connected. I
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If this is actually a jack in the wall, then there could be other
devices that are sitting between the wall jack and whatever system you
are trying to connect to. The wall jack could be MMJ, or it might not
be. Also, the wall jack could be 8 pin, or less. Someone could have
made a custom cable for the connection between the wall jack and your
old DEC terminal.
> : think the DEC terminal connects using an RJ-45 connector (or whatever
Is this "RJ-45" like connector on the DEC terminal, or does the DEC
terminal have a DB-25 or DB-9 connector? In other words, what kind of
connectors are on both sides of the cable that currently plugs the DEC
terminal into the wall jack? If the DEC terminal has a DB-25 or DB-9,
then it might be easier to use that old cable plugged into the wall
jack, and make a new extension cable that adapts the old cable to the PC
DB-9 connection.
> : that connector that looks like a telephone jack is called). There is
> : no way to dial into the server at work. It either connects the same
> : way the dumb terminal did or not at all.
> :
> : (2) what kind of connector and cable do I need to go from the 9 pin
> : serial port on the back of the laptop to the wall
> :
> That's the question of the week.
> : (3) is there anything that could seriously get in the way of this
> : working that could take so much time to resolve it ultimately isn't
> : worth the effort?
> :
> Just getting the cable.
> As you probably know, DEC divested itself of its terminal business many
> years ago, and then DEC itself was sold to Compaq. Sources for DEC
> terminal-related items are not obvious. The cable you need, however, is
> the DB9 to MMJ variety, DEC part number H8585-AA.
It depends on what the wall jack is connected to on the other side
of the wall. If you are lucky, then it will be something like a DEC
terminal server, all of the wires between the terminal server and the
wall jack are straight thru, and the wall jack is an 8 pin MMJ. In
that case, the H8585-AA will work fine. If you are not lucky, then it
could be connected to an AT&T ISN, or some other kind of data switch
with it's own custom pinouts. Then, making an extension cable could
be the simplest thing to do. You should contact the administrator of
the system that the DEC terminal connects to and ask them if they know
the details about the equipment that makes that connection to them.
There may also be a data communications department that manages the
connections between your DEC terminal and the remote system.
--
Roger J. Allen Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center
System Administrator Chicago, IL USA
Surgical Information Systems Voice: (312)-942-4825
Internet: rja@sis.rpslmc.edu FAX: (312)-733-6921