[comp.sys.atari.st] Connecting 8-bits and ST's

rankinp@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Peter Rankin) (04/22/88)

[Apologies to those who who have seen this before]


Has anyone out  there ever used an ST as a file  server for an 8bit machine?  I
would  like to  keep  all  my  8bit stuff on  ST  disks.  A 'get' type  command
given on  the 8bit would then  cause the ST to send  over the file needed  (via
a joystick port?). This would  mean that an ST hard drive  could be used in the
same way. Is there any code available to do this? If so, can it be done without
the ST user being aware of what is going on (or at least without disturbing any
program running on an ST).

  I would think that any routine to do this would have to be interrupt driven.
The ST watches for the 'get' signal during a VBI. When it arrives, an interrupt
is generated on the ST. The ST procedes with the request using the VBI to send
blocks of data over. Any program running on the ST is only frozen during disk
access. Is my thinking correct? 

c60b-at@buddy.Berkeley.EDU (uVAX bug) (04/27/88)

In article <1016@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> rankinp@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Peter Rankin) writes:
>
>Has anyone out  there ever used an ST as a file  server for an 8bit machine?

This is not impossible.  There has already been a program/cable between the
two machines via the rs232.  I think one possibility could be the midi ports.
If they could be reduced to 19.2Kbaud and connected to the 8-bit serial port,
they could emulate one helluva drive.
BTW, this is a takeoff on Bits and Peices from ANALOG, where they are telling
how to turn an 8-bit into a printer buffer for an 8-bit.
imagine...


        :drive 1: :modem:->-:bbs:  :plotter off R2:
         |	   |		    |
   :800:-+---------+----------------+----user 1
         |         |		    |
         |        :?:             :400 Pbuff:---+--+--+--user 3
         |				    
	 |	   :drives galore:    :?:
	 |	    |		       |
       :st Drive 2:-+------------------+-----------user 2
                    |
                  :modem:->-:unix system:
/\  ___    ___  /\      John Kawakami    c60b-at@buddy.berkeley.edu
  \|  o|/\|  o|/        "Shouldn't we read the instructions?" -Hobbes
   |___|  |___|         "Do I look like a sissy?" -Calvin