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Date:      Fri, 12 Jul 1996 03:35:42 -0400
From:      Gary Chrysler <tcg@ime.net>
To:        Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Cc:        martin.loeffler@utoronto.ca, questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: forcing a modem to hangup
Message-ID:  <31E6004E.5873@ime.net>
References:  <199607120612.XAA00740@phaeton.artisoft.com>

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Terry Lambert wrote:
> 
> > > Well, don't buy bad internal modems.  8-|.
> > >
> > > The problem is that you can't issue a blanket rule that way when
> > > manufacturers don't put "bad modem" on the outside of the box,
> > > since "the dealer told me it was a good modem, and you didn't
> > > give me a list of good modems, so I bought it".
> > >
> >
> > Huh, What?
> >
> > You get what you buy, Internal or External!
> > Buy from K-Mart you deserve what you get.
> 
> Gary:
> 
> Can you name an internal modem which does not float open collector the
> RTS between the modem UART and the modem chip?
>

Not off the top of my head, Don't care either.

> That can be powercycled without power-cycling the machine?

Nope. Not something I'm concerned about. Unless in a multi-modem
enviorment, Then I would be using externals!
I still prefer internal!

> That doesn't use a Rockewll chipset, since some of the people I
> talk to has US Robotics 14.4 Courier/Faxmodems with the firmware
> bug?

I use only Rockwell chipsets.

> That itself is not a US Robotics Courier because some of the
> people I talk to have Rockwell chipsets?

I'm a USR fan.

> That doesn't trigger the delay requirements in the SIO driver
> comments because it emulates a UART instead of having one?
> 
> That has a FIFO'ed UART?

If it hasn't a REAL FIFO'ed UART I wouldn't buy it, And I sure
wouldn't push it off on a customer.

> That if it gets fried, can't fry my machine, because like my serial
> ports, it includes optoisolators?

Yup, Many. Even cheap K-Mart specials have optoisolators.
But I agree, Some don't!
I wouldn't buy them And I sure wouldn't sell it to one of
my customers!

> That internally does not float DTR open collector so it won't
> answer the phone unless I set the DTR flag?

Goes with the next question.

> And that, by default, following POST, can be programmmed to have
> a default DTR flag unset, so that the modem will not answer the
> phone until my system is up so that the number will roll over
> like its supposed to in case of system failure?

Yup.

> It's possible to make a pretty long list of external modems
> which do this, mostly because RS232C interfaceing and serial
> PORT post conditions are well known.  Fake RS232C "UART->modem"
> internal wiring is more suspect.
>
> A can only think of one modem that meets these requirements,
> and I can tell you, they want my left testicle for it ($445).

I don't consider that a left testicle. USR Couriers cost ~that!
(Retail)

> When things need to work, they *need* to *work*.

Amen!

> It's possible to get working internal modems; as a general rule
> of thumb, however, external beats internal for quality, if only
> because RS232C does not allow pins 4,5,6,8,and 20 to float open
> collector; they are defined as being pulled down in the absence
> of a definite state setting.  The POST leaving the DTR off in
> any decent BIOS without a specific UART setting to enable it is
> just icing on the cake.
> 

I don't understand what all this has to do with my prefrence of
Internal over External.

I didn't tell you to run Internal! Thats your choice! As it is mine
to prefer Internal!

I don't know how such a lame comment from me can brew into such a
worthless debate!

Lets discuss something where we all can learn something or improve
 FreeBSD and stop this useless exchange/waste of our time!

I have a thousand questions about FreeBSD that I would love to
get answered instead of wasting my time debating if a Internal
or External modem is better!

It all depends on the usage, Level of compentance<sp?> of the user!
I have many customers that I would refuse to sell an external item
to for the sole reason that I know they would be calling me telling
me it is broke because they either didn't turn it on or the power
cord came unplugged! (From the back of the device)

-Enjoy
Gary
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