Pin-Outs for modem adapter

[A2Xprt]

Hello,

I've got a server running SCO Xenix. I'm experiencing a problem with the modem answering, but not receiving the "login!" prompt like before. I say like before because our corporate office sent us a new box with a faster processor. All the baud rates, protocols and that are fine. I think we've narrowed it down to the pin configuration from the modem to the PC.
The modem connects to a "Perle" (sp?) board inside the PC via a 6 conductor phone cord. Hence, on the modem there is a 25 pin to RJ11 adapter. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions on some valid pinouts for this adpater? I'd post some that I've tried, but I left that info at the office.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to give as much detail as possible. Thank you in advance to all.

 

[edfair]

If I recall correctly from earlier experience with Xenix/Unix modems are not happy with 6 pin communication ports as supplied from multiport cards. Seems like CTS needed to be forced high. But I was dealing with Computone.
Long term, I think you'll be better served by putting the modem on a standard serial port if you have one available. Or if you can add one to the system.
You'll have send, receive, and common to talk to data, and ringdetect to recognize incoming, DTR to tell the modem it is connected, and CTS to tell the modem OK, but no answer back for Xenix to know that the modem is really connected, which is what the missing 2 wires are used for. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[A2Xprt]

Ed,

Thanks for the reply. The old system had a WYSE board. The guru from corporate told me that what we have now is a Perle boards. I know some of our other locations do have the computone board.

If you can think of anything that might help, please let me know.

I'm in no way a Unix guy.

Thanks again.

 

[edfair]

Do you have any standard serial ports on the system? On the back of the computer you may find "D" connectors, either 9 or 25 pins. Either of these can be used with modems.
Computone boards came with 4 pin rj11, 6 pin rj11, and 8 pin rj45 and I think the only ones I could use were the 8 connector versions. But it has been a while since I've worked with them.
You could log on as root and look in /usr/adm/messages and see if the hardware finds a standard serial port on bootup and if so whether is is in use.
You could also go to the /etc directory and more inittab to see if any standard ports are mentioned (tty1a, tty1A, tty2a, tty2A) somewhere about 16 lines into the file.
I understand your pain. I was there 10 years ago with Xenix. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[A2Xprt]

Ed, I will talk with the corporate guy Monday and check with him on the serial ports. FWIW, our old WYSE board had 8 6pin RJ ports, just like the new Perle board we have now.
Our old system worked perfectly, it was just way too slow.
The modem worked like a charm.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[edfair]

Then it is a matter of matching the old rj11 lines with the new rj11 lines and swapping the pins in the rj11/d25 adapter so the functions between the old and new agree. Evidently the handshaking that is normally used for 8 wire connections has already been bypassed for the WYSE.
And if the lines are the same , you may not have the modem port enabled. Or you might have the non-modem port enabled.(These are the same physical port but are handled differently)
For example, the serial 1 port is tty1a while the same port for a modem is tty1A.
If you know what port the modem is installed on you can look at the /etc/inittab to see which port invocation is enabled and used. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.