[aclug-L] Re: Linux for TRS-80

[Curtis Hawthorne <cghawthorne@xxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, for quite a while I really did run an IRC server
on a computer with a 25mhz CPU.  It had 32mb of RAM and a
400mb hard drive though :-).  It was a SparcStation IPX,
wasn't that speedy but worked just fine for a small
IRC/Webserver and I did use Boa for it which was quite
fast.  Compiling software on it took forever though.

Curtis H.

--- Jonathan Hall <jonhall@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I ran into a similar problem when I put my cluster of
> Commodore computers
> running Linux online.  I found that my Vic-20 with 5k of
> RAM didn't really
> have enough memory to run even a scaled down version of
> ipchains.  What I
> had to do was set up a dedicated firewall machine.
> 
> I originally did it with a Commodore 64 with an upgrade
> 20Mhz CPU, but later
> found that extra speed was better used for the front-end
> to my Apache
> cluster, so I implimented a stock Commodore 128 as my
> firewall/router.
> 
> At the time, of course, I could only afford dialup with a
> single dynamic IP
> address, so the C128 was also doing IP Masquerading--that
> took some doing
> b/c the original Linux port to the C128 didn't support
> that.  I had to
> fumble through old 1.2.x kernels to find the appropriate
> code and port it to
> the Commodoore.  Getting my favorite Dynamic DNS system
> to work on the C128
> was a bit tricky, too, but after trying about three, I
> was able to find one
> with client-side software that wasn't too difficult to
> get working on my
> system.
> 
> So I then set up port-forwarding, forwarding port 80
> through my C128
> firewall to the previously mentioned 20Mhz upgraded C64,
> which is running
> Apache (Note: You'll have to compile Apache with all
> necessary modules
> __built in__--the dynamic module code uses too much
> memory otherwise). 
> After about three weeks of trying, I finally got Apache
> compiled on the C64. 
> Even at 20Mhz, in 64k of RAM, it takes about 2.5 days to
> compile--and in
> most cases you get errors before it gets taht far.
> 
> Then on four other Commodore machines (Two Vic-20's,
> another 1Mhz C64, and a
> PC64--essentially a "portable"/luggable C64) I am running
> boa.  I could have
> hacked Apache even more, but figured I didn't really need
> that much
> functionality, since I'm not doing vhosting, and don't
> really have any use
> for PHP or CGI--I wouldn't want to go overboard on these
> poor machines!
> 
> My Apache C64 then forwards or redirects requests to each
> of the other 4
> machines in a nearly-random fassion, which allows for a
> great performance
> boost.  Before I had the cluster going, I was serving
> about .03 hits/sec. 
> Now with this lovely cluster, I can serve more than twice
> that... about .16
> hits/sec over my 2400 baud modem.  (I'm saving up to get
> another 20Mhz CPU
> upgrade for the C128 so I can intall a 14.4kbps modem,
> but first things
> first)
> 
> And lastly, I have one more Vic-20 running as my tape
> backup server.  I
> wrote some custom sh/tar scripts to gather essential
> files from each of the
> other 6 machines, then back them up to a standard audio
> cassette tape.  The
> nightly backup process takes about 6 hours, but since
> audio cassettes are so
> cheap, and I'm only backing up about 150k of data, it
> sure saves a lot of
> money versus buying a newer computer with a commercial
> grade tape drive.
> 
> Now my only question is... Since I had to use the
> Joystick ports on each
> computer as the network interface... Has anyone come up
> with a way to still
> play "Winter Games" using my joystick without disabling
> the entire network?
> 
> 
> On Mon, Apr 01, 2002 at 07:04:02AM -0600, Bruce Alderman
> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > I've been trying to get Linux to run on my old TRS-80
> Model III
> > computer, with its Z-80 processor (running at 2 MHz),
> 48k of memory
> > (upgraded from the original 16k), dual 5.25" floppy
> drives (also an
> > upgrade), and cassette tape backup.
> > 
> > After trying a tiny Linux mini-distribution I
> downloaded from
> > www.you'rekidding.net, I decided to go with a slightly
> more robust
> > version I found at www.thishastobeajoke,right?.org. 
> I'm still working
> > on getting X configured properly.  The TRS-80 has only
> 128x48 graphics
> > resolution, and the built-in monitor is monochrome. 
> Also I'm having
> > lots of problems getting my daisy-wheel printer to
> handle Postscript
> > files.  But it's been a lot of fun trying to get
> everything to work
> > together.
> > 
> > If I can find another TRS-80 somewhere, I'd like to try
> to network them
> > together.  Maybe I can buy one from an itinerant
> merchant at the next
> > Saturday Sale.
> > 
> > Anyway, as I mentioned earlier: it's a tiny
> distribution, and several
> > components had to be left out to fit on the TRS-80's
> 180k floppies.
> > There's no modem-related software, for example.  This
> wasn't a problem
> > until last week, when I found a TRS-80 compatible modem
> in a local
> > junkyard.  Why somebody threw out a perfectly good 300
> baud modem is
> > beyond me.  They could have sold it at eBay.  Anyway, I
> salvaged it,
> > installed it in my machine, and wrote a crufty dialer
> program using the
> > TRS-80's ROM BASIC interpreter (an early Microsoft
> product, but what
> > else can I do?)  I've been leaving the machine on 24/7,
> mainly because
> > that's how long it takes to download my email.
> > 
> > But now I'm worried someone is going to hack my system,
> and I haven't
> > been able to find any good TRS-80 firewall software. 
> Granted, the
> > system speed is probably enough of a deterrent to keep
> me safe.
> > However, I'd sleep better at night if I was sure my
> machine was
> > protected from intruders.
> > 
> > Can anyone help me?
> > 
> > -- 
> > Bruce Alderman                               
> baa@xxxxxxxxxx
> >                  http://www.intcon.net/~baa
> > "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great
> battle."
> >                                        - Philo of
> Alexandria
> > 
> > 
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>   Jonathan Hall  *  jonhall@xxxxxxxxxxxx  *  PGP public
> key available
>  Systems Admin, Future Internet Services; Goessel, KS *
> (620) 367-2487
>          http://www.futureks.net/  *  PGP Key ID: FE 00
> FD 51
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