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How to use an Atari ST machine as a Linux terminal

By Matthias Arndt

Abstract

This article should help you with connecting your old trusty ST to your Linux box as a terminal.

Introduction

Before I start, many things mentioned in this article apply to other boxes than an Atari ST as well. For sure, you could use an Amiga or a Sinclair QL as a terminal as well. (Linus had a Sinclair QL, by the way, before he got his PC.)

Actually I started computing on the Atari ST about more than 10 years ago when my brother bought an Acorn Archimedes and I got his old 520STM. So this is why I love ST emulators and the good old games today. Now I still have a functioning ST (actually a newer 1040STFM I bought secondhand) and I thought about using it for more than as a video game system.

This lead me to use it as a terminal on my Linux box. I must admit, I do not have any reason to connect a second terminal to my Linux box as I'm using it alone. Simply, it's experimenting and ST nostalgia :).

Now this solution can be used to transfer files and programs to the ST and finally to give the ST limited Internet access. If the terminal emulator is good enough, you can use lynx and w3m to surf the web, read mail with mutt and read news with tin or slrn. You can even play 2-player games for the console like Nettris with this solution.

But now lets face it.

What is a terminal?

A terminal is simply a display with keyboard, only capable of displaying incoming text, perhaps with special attributes coded into so-called escape sequences and capable of sending the keystrokes to the remote end.

In general a hardware terminal is dumb. It cannot do anything more than that.

In ancient times of computing, terminals were used to connect multiple users to a mainframe.

If you have such an old-style terminal or you can get one, you can connect it in the same way as described here.

The functions of a terminal--receiving, transmitting and displaying--can easily be achieved using software. And this is the way we go here. We use special terminal software to make the ST acting as an old-time terminal.

Hardware needed

You need the following hardware for this project:

  1. an Atari ST computer with preferably 1MB of memory or more
  2. either a monochrome monitor for the ST (SM124 rocks!) or a colour display with good display quality and hopefully capable of 60Hz
  3. a null modem cable that connects to the serial socket of the ST and the PC
  4. finally a Linux or similar Unix box with enough hardware to support more than one user (anything with a 486er or more should work perfectly)

As stated above in general you can substitute the Atari ST machine with any other computer that has a RS232 socket and a 80column display.

You can use real terminals in the same fashion, although you cannot download or upload software then.

Software requirements

  1. a Linux kernel with serial support
  2. a getty capable of using serial lines (agetty or mgetty both work well)
  3. lrzsz for ZModem transfer (optional)
  4. kermit for Kermit file transfers (optional)
  5. software for the ST
  6. many useful console applications to be used from the terminal (supplied with your Linux distribution)
If you use another machine than an Atari ST, you need a terminal program capable of either VT100 or ANSI emulation and file transfer.

The kernel shouldn't be a problem. If you can use your external serial modem to connect to the net, everything should work out of the box.

In most cases, the kernel will have serial support compiled in or supplied as a kernel module. If not, you must compile a new kernel. I will not handle this in detail here, there are several HOWTOs on this subject available.

putting the login prompt on the serial line

This step is required to give the ST a login prompt over the serial lineser interface, talkback features, etc.

  • Webware (http://webware.sourceforge.net) is not a portal but provides modular tools to build one.
  • PHP-based: PHP Nuke (http://phpnuke.org). Warning: low on documentation.

    Thank you for the reply. It is very helpful. Gives me a lot of new places to look.

    peace

    This page edited and maintained by the Editors of Linux Gazette Copyright © 2001
    Published in issue 70 of Linux Gazette September 2001
    HTML script maintained by Heather Stern of Starshine Technical Services, http://www.starshine.org/
    ./usr/share/doc/lg/issue70/arndt.html0100644000000000000000000003606207411342544016304 0ustar rootroot How to use an Atari ST machine as a Linux terminal LG #70
    LINUX GAZETTE
    [ Prev ][ Table of Contents ][ Front Page ][ Talkback ][ FAQ ][ Next ]

    "Linux Gazette...making Linux just a little more fun!"

    How to use an Atari ST machine as a Linux terminal

    By Matthias Arndt

    Abstract

    This article should help you with connecting your old trusty ST to your Linux box as a terminal.

    Introduction

    Before I start, many things mentioned in this article apply to other boxes than an Atari ST as well. For sure, you could use an Amiga or a Sinclair QL as a terminal as well. (Linus had a Sinclair QL, by the way, before he got his PC.)

    Actually I started computing on the Atari ST about more than 10 years ago when my brother bought an Acorn Archimedes and I got his old 520STM. So this is why I love ST emulators and the good old games today. Now I still have a functioning ST (actually a newer 1040STFM I bought secondhand) and I thought about using it for more than as a video game system.

    This lead me to use it as a terminal on my Linux box. I must admit, I do not have any reason to connect a second terminal to my Linux box as I'm using it alone. Simply, it's experimenting and ST nostalgia :).

    Now this solution can be used to transfer files and programs to the ST and finally to give the ST limited Internet access. If the terminal emulator is good enough, you can use lynx and w3m to surf the web, read mail with mutt and read news with tin or slrn. You can even play 2-player games for the console like Nettris with this solution.

    But now lets face it.

    What is a terminal?

    A terminal is simply a display with keyboard, only capable of displaying incoming text, perhaps with special attributes coded into so-called escape sequences and capable of sending the keystrokes to the remote end.

    In general a hardware terminal is dumb. It cannot do anything more than that.

    In ancient times of computing, terminals were used to connect multiple users to a mainframe.

    If you have such an old-style terminal or you can get one, you can connect it in the same way as described here.

    The functions of a terminal--receiving, transmitting and displaying--can easily be achieved using software. And this is the way we go here. We use special terminal software to make the ST acting as an old-time terminal.

    Hardware needed

    You need the following hardware for this project:

    1. an Atari ST computer with preferably 1MB of memory or more
    2. either a monochrome monitor for the ST (SM124 rocks!) or a colour display with good display quality and hopefully capable of 60Hz
    3. a null modem cable that connects to the serial socket of the ST and the PC
    4. finally a Linux or similar Unix box with enough hardware to support more than one user (anything with a 486er or more should work perfectly)

    As stated above in general you can substitute the Atari ST machine with any other computer that has a RS232 socket and a 80column display.

    You can use real terminals in the same fashion, although you cannot download or upload software then.

    Software requirements

    1. a Linux kernel with serial support
    2. a getty capable of using serial lines (agetty or mgetty both work well)
    3. lrzsz for ZModem transfer (optional)
    4. kermit for Kermit file transfers (optional)
    5. software for the ST
      • a terminal program preferably more than the VT52 emulator
      • file transfer software like XYZ.TTP (optional)
      • Serial Fix software because the RS232 handling routines in the TOS (the STs OS) are buggy
    6. many useful console applications to be used from the terminal (supplied with your Linux distribution)
    If you use another machine than an Atari ST, you need a terminal program capable of either VT100 or ANSI emulation and file transfer.

    The kernel shouldn't be a problem. If you can use your external serial modem to connect to the net, everything should work out of the box.

    In most cases, the kernel will have serial support compiled in or supplied as a kernel module. If not, you must compile a new kernel. I will not handle this in detail here, there are several HOWTOs on this subject available.

    putting the login prompt on the serial line

    This step is required to give the ST a login prompt over the serial lineser interface, talkback features, etc.

  • Webware (http://webware.sourceforge.net) is not a portal but provides modular tools to build one.
  • PHP-based: PHP Nuke (http://phpnuke.org). Warning: low on documentation.

    Thank you for the reply. It is very helpful. Gives me a lot of new places to look.

    peace

    This page edited and maintained by the Editors of Linux Gazette Copyright © 2001
    Published in issue 70 of Linux Gazette September 2001
    HTML script maintained by Heather Stern of Starshine Tec