[comp.sys.apple] problems with ProTERM under System Software 5.0

hartkopf@tramp.Colorado.EDU (Jeff Hartkopf) (08/03/89)

I'm having a problem with running ProTERM (version 2.1) from the new GS 5.0
Finder.  If anyone else has this problem or if anyone does NOT have this
problem, please let me know so that I can figure out if the problem is with
my setup or with an incompatibility with ProTERM.  Or, certainly, if anyone
has any suggestions or solutions, also please let me know.

The problem is this:  after I launch ProTERM and dial a BBS or whatever,
everything works fine until a beep sounds--then ProTERM immediately
crashes into the monitor.  I've tried it several times on different boards
and on the mainframe at CU which I call up, and invariably it crashes
as soon as a ctrl-g beep is issued, so it's rather unusable for the time
being!

Thanks very much for any input.


Jeff Hartkopf

Internet:
hartkopf@tramp.Colorado.EDU

V2071A@TEMPLEVM.BITNET ("George A. Piotrowski Jr.") (08/04/89)

> I'm having a problem with running ProTERM (version 2.1) from the new GS 5.0
> Finder.  If anyone else has this problem or if anyone does NOT have this
> problem, please let me know so that I can figure out if the problem is with
> my setup or with an incompatibility with ProTERM.  Or, certainly, if anyone
> has any suggestions or solutions, also please let me know.

> The problem is this:  after I launch ProTERM and dial a BBS or whatever,
> everything works fine until a beep sounds--then ProTERM immediately
> crashes into the monitor.  I've tried it several times on different boards
> and on the mainframe at CU which I call up, and invariably it crashes
> as soon as a ctrl-g beep is issued, so it's rather unusable for the time
> being!

> Thanks very much for any input.

> Jeff Hartkopf

Jeff,

     I have not run into this specific problem, but I have found a problem
which I have uncovered.  I have a switch box on my modem port to switch
between the modem and the Laserwriter.  I leave slot 2 selected to your
card and slot 7 to Built in Appletalk.  So all I have to do is hit the
switch when I want to print on the laser.  The problem I have encountered
is that when slot 7 is set to Appletalk, once I get connected to any BBS
or the Schools IBM, I get garbage like there is an incredible amount of
line noise.  Once I set slot 7 bact to your card and reboot, Proterm
works fine.  Do any of the Apple people in the System Group have any
reasons that this is happening???

Also, I have tested sending mail from my Bitnet account to my Compuserve
and back and it worked!!!!!  I will post the messages with the mail
headers if anyone wants it.  The destination address from Bitnet that I
used is:

     74046.1304%Compuserve.com@saqqara.cis.ohio-state.edu

I can't remember the return address that Compuserve used to get mail
from Compuserve back to me, but I will pass it on later.

Bye and Thanks for now,

________________________________________________________________________

George A. Piotrowski                       Bitnet:     V2071A@TEMPLEVM
Coordinator, Educational Computing Cntr    Genie:      G.PIOTROWSKI
Temple University                          CompuServe: 74046,1304
Philadelphia, PA 19122   (215) 787-6228

The opinions expressed are my own and do not have anything to do with
Temple University. (well, not much)
________________________________________________________________________

mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) (08/05/89)

In article <8908040733.aa10223@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> V2071A@TEMPLEVM.BITNET ("George A. Piotrowski Jr.") writes:
>
>     I have not run into this specific problem, but I have found a problem
>which I have uncovered.  I have a switch box on my modem port to switch
>between the modem and the Laserwriter.  I leave slot 2 selected to your
>card and slot 7 to Built in Appletalk.  So all I have to do is hit the
>switch when I want to print on the laser.  The problem I have encountered
>is that when slot 7 is set to Appletalk, once I get connected to any BBS
>or the Schools IBM, I get garbage like there is an incredible amount of
>line noise.  Once I set slot 7 bact to your card and reboot, Proterm
>works fine.  Do any of the Apple people in the System Group have any
>reasons that this is happening???
>
>George A. Piotrowski                       Bitnet:     V2071A@TEMPLEVM

On the whole, ProTERM seems rather intolerant of interrupts it didn't enable.
I've seen what you describe when any interrupt sources were running when
ProTERM was launched (heartbeat tasks like text clocks or the debugger init,
AppleTalk, etc.).  I guess it's a design flaw.

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sedwards@tybalt.caltech.edu (Stephen A. Edwards) (08/05/89)

In article <33749@apple.Apple.COM> mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage) writes:
>In article <8908040733.aa10223@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> V2071A@TEMPLEVM.BITNET ("George A. Piotrowski Jr.") writes:
[ The problem with using both a modem and a laserwriter over AppleTalk ]
>>is that when slot 7 is set to Appletalk, once I get connected to any BBS
>>or the Schools IBM, I get garbage like there is an incredible amount of
>>line noise.  Once I set slot 7 bact to your card and reboot, Proterm
>>works fine.  Do any of the Apple people in the System Group have any
>>reasons that this is happening???
>On the whole, ProTERM seems rather intolerant of interrupts it didn't enable.
>I've seen what you describe when any interrupt sources were running when
>ProTERM was launched (heartbeat tasks like text clocks or the debugger init,
>AppleTalk, etc.).  I guess it's a design flaw.

That's one way of putting it. I suspect that it's simply a speed problem.
The speed at which AppleTalk interrupts occur is very, very high. According
to the IIGS firmware reference (p. 180) 

"AppleTalk: This interrupt has the highest priority because its code is very
time intensive; data can be lost if the SCC is not read within 104.167
microseconds (baud =230,400 ) after an AppleTalk SCC interrupt occurs."

When slot seven AppleTalk is enabled, even if you aren't printing to the
LaserWriter, these interrupts are occuring, quite effectively bogging down
the whole mess. It's not surprising that a few characters are getting lost or
garbled. 

I was in a similar situation, trying to use both the serial port and AppleTalk,
and the serial port was dropping characters right and left. This occured both
in ProTERM and in AppleWorks GS.

Just be glad Apple didn't try to make the poor 65c816 process an Ethernet
connection....

Stephen A. Edwards	|  sedwards@tybalt.caltech.edu

mikes@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Michael Steele) (08/06/89)

In article <8908040733.aa10223@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> V2071A@TEMPLEVM.BITNET ("George A. Piotrowski Jr.") writes:
>
>> I'm having a problem with running ProTERM (version 2.1) from the new GS 5.0
>> everything works fine until a beep sounds--then ProTERM immediately
>> crashes into the monitor.  I've tried it several times on different boards

	I had a similar problem which went away when I recopied P8 from my
	master GSOS disk.

>
>switch when I want to print on the laser.  The problem I have encountered
>is that when slot 7 is set to Appletalk, once I get connected to any BBS
>or the Schools IBM, I get garbage like there is an incredible amount of
>line noise.  Once I set slot 7 bact to your card and reboot, Proterm
>works fine.  Do any of the Apple people in the System Group have any

	Funny I'm having that problem right now!!  I just had to reboot
	because proterm locked up on me, now that I've rebooted everything
	is clean once agian (I didn't even loose my connection once I
	rebooted).  Sound like there is some sort of problem with the new
	system and proterm.  (BTW I still have Appletalk turned on and have
	a transwarp GS).

						Michael Steele
						mikes@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
-- 
Michael Steele		mikes@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
			mikes@ncsuctix.ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
			netoprms@ncsuvm.bitnet

jlink@pro-xy.UUCP (John Link) (08/06/89)

Network Comment: to #77 by obsolete!mikes%ncsuvx.ncsu.edu

I have no problems with ProTerm 2.01 (I don't have 2.1), but my LaserWriter
uses the serial port, not AppleTalk.  My opinion is that AppleTalk is not
quite up to speed, for the // line.  System 5.0 is supposed to fix that, but
it does not aplpear entirely successful.  If you are not using your
LaserWriter for more than two computers, hooking it to the serial port is
cheaper, less buggy, and just as fast.