[ltp] Serial/PCMCIA problems with TP600E

[linux-thinkpad@www.bm-soft.com]

On 16-Feb-01 Thomas Hood wrote:
>=20
> --- I <jdthood2@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:=20
>=20
>> Okay, I just checked.  On my system PS2.EXE does not allow
>> you to set IR ioports and irqs independently, but invites you
>> to select an "ADDress" from 1 to 4 corresponding to DOS
>> COM ports COM1 through COM4.  COM1 is 0x3f8 irq4,=20
>> COM2 at 0x2f8 irq3, COM3 at 0x3e8 irq4, COM4 at 0x2e8 irq3.
>> This means that using PS2.EXE you can only set the IR
>> device to use irq3 or irq4.  Is the output you give above
>> actually from PS2.EXE?  If so then your version of the
>> program is different from mine.  Perhaps the 600E is
>> different from the 600 in this respect.
>=20
> I checked again and I see that Windows gives the user a bit
> more flexibility in controlling resources than PS2.EXE does.
> In Windows Settings|Control Panel|System once can set the
> IR interface to use IRQ 5 as well as 3 and 4.  The IBM
> Technical Reference confirms this.  I don't have a complete
> list of irq "compatibility" for all devices handy though.
> I have posted the choices available under PS2.EXE on my site
> in the "resources" section:
>     http://panopticon.csustan.edu/thood/tp600lnx.htm#secres
>=20
> Thomas
>=20
>=20

You dont have to resort to windows. As I had posted a couple of
weeks ago, David Hinds' PCMCIA package comes with the very
useful tools 'lspnp' and 'setpnp' which can do the same (and more)
than infamous PS2.EXE.

I'm amazed that people still use PS2.EXE.

`lspnp' is much more practical - it shows you all possible
configurations (as well as the actual one).

With `setpnp' you can modify the configuration very much the
same like PS2.EXE. However, it is more powerful in the sense
that it doesn't limit you (like PS2) to what it thinks is
`legal' but to what the PNP-devices are accept.

For using `lspnp' and `setpnp' you must have:

  - PCMCIA package installed and running (pcmcmia_core
    implements the pnp-bios support).

  - Enable pnp-bios in the "EASY-setup"

NOTE: Most reconfigurations still need you to reboot - this
is a limitation of the pnp-bios. However, it saves you one
reboot (linux-linux vs. linux-dos-linux).=20

Frankly, I was surprised that there was no feedback to my
discovery (I assumed most people out there were using it already).


Check it out!

Regards, Till


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