Introduction
The PortMaster PM-11 is a high performance serial and parallel communications expander. The PortMaster is specifically designed for the Sun Workstation computing environment. PortMaster allows asynchronous communications devices such as terminals, Personal Computers, printers, modems, host computers, and other RS-232-C or parallel devices to be easily attached to a Sun Workstation.
PortMaster provides the following features and capabilities:
Ten RS-232-C serial ports
One Centtonics-compatible parallel printer port
All communications parameters configurable on-line
Remote control from your Sun Workstation
Connect to your existing Ethernet hardware
Monitoring of performance and PortMaster configuration through a standard ASCI1 terminal.
PortMaster operates as a smart communications device attached to your Ethernet network. It utilizes TCP/IP networking protocol to communicate and establish virtual login and device services on host Sun Workstations. Each of the ten PortMaster serial ports is independently configurable to support all types of RS-232-C communications devices. The parallel port provides standard Centtonics parallel communications for many printers.
Operating Modes
Each serial port can be configured to operate in one of three modes:
User Login Mode - Displays a user login prompt to establish a session on the Sun host. In this mode, PortMaster provides
speed matching of one of three speeds from 300 through 38,400 baud.
Host Device Mode - Serial port functions as a UNIX try device. The Sun host accesses the port through a standard pseudo try driver as if the port were physically connected as a hardware device.
Bidirectional Mode - In this mode, both User Login and Host Device Mode are supported. When a session has been established in user login mode, host device mode is suspended. When the host device is being directly accessed, user login mode is suspended. The allows for applications such as UUCP to utilize one modem in both directions.
The parallel port, P0, functions in only the Host Device Mode.
Smart Features
The intelligence of the PortMaster allow it to be remotely configured and monitored from a Sun Workstation. By utilizing Sun's graphical user interface all functions of PortMaster can be accessed with the click of a mouse. This includes installation, network setup, port configurations, and 1/O monitoring. Ifa graphical display device is not available all configuration parameters may also be set using a character mode terminal interface.
About This Manual
This manual is intended for use by those who are familiar with Sun Workstations, Ethernet, TCP/IP and networking. Where needed, refer to your Sun documentation for complete information on that product. The manual is organized into three chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction - describes the PortMaster hardware and software.
Chapter 2: Installation - describes the steps to follow to complete the installation of the PortMaster hardware and software.
Chapter 3: Administration - describes the process used for
configuring the serial and parallel ports and the monitoring of PortMaster operations. This includes:
The Sunview based PortMaster Console program.
The OpenWindows based PortMaster Console program.
The ASCII Terminal based PortMaster Console program.
The ASCII Terminal based command interface.
Appendix:
Using /der entries - Creating entries in the /dev directory.
Specifications - lists the PortMaster specifications.
Glossary - Definitions of terms used in the manual.
Requesting Assistance
If you have any questions about PortMaster, please use the following, toll-free number:
1-800-458-9966