QL on the internet

[Wrangler]

Hi all,

I have been working for some time on a project to get the QL working on the internet, but although the project is almost there I have discovered I am not much of a completer/finisher - real life has intervened and progress has stalled. So the question is, does anyone want to pick up the baton and finish this off?? If so, I am happy to pass on all the source code. My only requests are to make the end product freely available and to credit me somewhere!

So what's this all about? One day, we may get ethernet expansions for the QL and that would be great, but is there another way? I have always been intrigued by those two QLNET ports on QLs and wondered... Then I bought a Spectranet for my ZX Spectrum (for sale on SMR!) that opens up the Speccy to the internet, including allowing it to read and write to a certain type of file server (called TNFS) anywhere on the web.

Basically, what I have done is to write code on the Spectrum side and the QL side that uses the QLNET/ZXNET sockets to use the Speccy+Spectranet+Interface 1 as a relay between the QL and the internet-side TNFS server. Doing this I have been able to dir, read and write across the web. But there are bugs and that's what I have run out of time/enthusiasm to fix. (BTW, none of my research indicates the legendary QLNET hardware bug exists - but the standard QL and Speccy net software is inherently incompatible)

Enough waffling! Anyone interested??

Matthew

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi Mathew,

I have only QL-QL using the QLAN works only if Toolkit 2 in Rom and Minerva. Using TK2 FSERVE as a file server on a QL node

QL to Spectrum, is not very well developed and can not use FSERVE, the Spectrum Interface one Net Port may well use a different protocol all together... I have both so when I have not much to do I will investigate.

How to do implement a TCP/IP stack?

[Wrangler]

Hi Derek,

Yes you are right that QLAN only runs from ROM because it's completely reliant on tight timings to synchronise the 0 and 1 pulses. The Spectrum protocol is intended to be exactly the same but it's just really tough to synchronise that kind of protocol across 2 different machines running 2 different CPUs at 2 different clock speeds! Frankly, it just doesn't work...

So, I've ditched the Sinclair protocol (which unfortunately means ditching FSERVE) and implemented Simon Goodwin's FlexyNET protocol (from DIY toolkit) on the Spectrum. This allows the bit rate to be adjusted by the user which means the software can be run from RAM to compensate for different RAM timings. It also operates entirely differently to Sinclair's protocol: instead of the voltage of the line indicating either 0 or 1, FlexyNET works by timing the period between low to high or high to low pulses. 0s have twice the length of 1s. This is a far more robust approach than Sinclair's and I've got it to work really well between a QL and Spectrum.

As for a TCP/IP stack, that's way beyond my level of understanding I would guess that it's an option only open to (Super) Gold Card owners as it would need 1Mb or more to run And I wanted to implement something that works for as many QLs as possible (the only restriction I have encountered so far is the need to have some extended memory to avoid the contended RAM space).

Matthew

[tofro]

The Spectrum protocol is intended to be exactly the same but it's just really tough to synchronise that kind of protocol across 2 different machines running 2 different CPUs at 2 different clock speeds! Frankly, it just doesn't work...

Interesting - Runs perfectly well over here - 1 Spectrum with IF1, 2 QLs and a QXLed PC were the largest network I had so far and actually working.

TK2 however, brings about 200% more value to the QL network. The things the Spectrum can do, are a bit limited. But accessing the other QL's file system and even windows and memory using FSERVE, is really great. I normally have the QXLed PC working as a fileserver for the bog QLs.

Tobias

[Wrangler]

Tofro,

Can you reliably load data from the Spectrum to a QL? That was always the problem for any Spectrum/IF1/QL combination I have ever come across or heard about. If you can then that's great!
I'm guessing you're using an SG QL? Maybe that's the difference?

[tofro]

I'm guessing you're using an SG QL?

No, stock Trump card - I rather think it's Minerva that makes the deal.

The QXLed PC uses SMSQ/E 2.xx which also talks nicely to the Spectrum (as long as you're not trying to use it on Windows) - I run the QXL on OS/2 Warp, which works fine and doesn't seem to disturb the timing as much as Windows does.

Tobias