Document 1903 PCTERM 04/13/92 MG SETTING UP A PC AS A TERMINAL IN MULTIUSER DOS DOCUMENTATION REFERENCES - Chapter 1 in the Multiuser DOS User Guide - Chapter 3 in the Multiuser DOS User Guide - Appendix B in the Multiuser DOS User Guide HARDWARE - Host machine must be running Multiuser DOS, and have a free serial port. - PC to be used as a terminal must have at least 256k of RAM, a monochrome or color display, and a free serial port (COM1 or COM2). CABLE - The cable that will connect the serial port on the host to the serial port on the PC must be an RS-232 Null Modem cable. As there is no industry-wide specification, the cable must be wired EXACTLY as outlined in the "CABLING A TERMINAL" tip. SOFTWARE PCTERM Since the setup procedure is clearly outlined in Chapter 3 of the Multiuser DOS User Guide, these points are to be used only as enhancement to that documentation: - The program that runs PCTERM is called PCTERM.COM. It is stored in the OSUTILS subdirectory on the hard disk, and is on the MDOS installation disks. The first time PCTERM is run, it will create a file (in the same directory as itself) called PCTERM.CON. Every subsequent time PCTERM is run, it will write the changes to PCTERM.CON. - It is recommended that the first time the user runs PCTERM, he/she run it from the hard disk of the host machine. That way, there will always be a backup file of PCTERM.CON in the OSUTILS subdirectory, should anything happen to the floppy on which the parameters are stored. - To run PCTERM, get to the C:\> prompt, and type PCTERM. The user will see the main PCTERM menu. To see or alter the terminal specifications, press F2. Most parameters will not need to be changed. Keep in mind that all these parameters refer to the CLIENT machine (the PC which you are connecting as a terminal). These parameters are as follows: F1 - Into which serial communications port (ON THE PC, not the host) will the cable that is going to the host machine (from the PC) be plugged? *F2 - What is the speed at which these two machines will communicate? For trouble|shooting purposes, use a baud rate of 9600. Once everything is working perfectly, one might be able to run the terminal at 19200 baud or 38400 baud. *F3 - Leave Parity at NONE. *F4 - Leave Word Length at 8 (this is DATA BITS in MDOS Setup). *F5 - Leave Flow Control at DTR (this is PROTOCOL in MDOS Setup). F6 - Leave Colour Scroll Mode at FAST. If the PC has an older color adapter, this may need to be changed to Slow or Very Slow, if there is "snow" on the screen at FAST speed. F7 - Leave Display Initial Menu at Yes, the first time that PCTERM is run. After the PC terminal is running perfectly, if the user wishes for the PC to act as a terminal on the host every time it boots up (rather than use the PC locally), this can be changed to No. F8 - Leave Wrap-around at OFF. F9 - Leave this at LPT1, to print to the local printer (off the printer port of the PC). *F10- If the PC being connected has a monochrome display, choose PCTerm. If the PC being connected supports graphics, choose PC/CGA. (This corresponds with "Terminal supports graphics" in Setup.) Once all the parameters have been set, press ESCape to return to the PCTERM menu. Answer Y to the prompt "Update the configuration file?". - At this point, the file PCTERM.CON has been created, with the parameters needed for the PC to act as a terminal. Copy PCTERM.COM and PCTERM.CON from the hard disk onto a floppy disk, and bring the floppy disk over to the PC. If the PC has a hard drive, these two files should be copied into the root directory of drive C on the PC (or into any other subdirectory which is addressed by the PATH statement in the PC's AUTOEXEC.BAT file). At this point, one should be able to turn on the PC, get to a C:\> prompt, type PCTERM, and see the main menu for the PCTERM program. SETUP Keep in mind that the options in the SETUP program refer primarily to the main console and the host machine. To run the SETUP program, get to a C:\> prompt, and type SETUP (enter). The screens are the same as those seen during the initial Multiuser DOS installation. - Choose SERIAL PORTS as the area to configure in the SETUP program. - Choose the appropriate multiport card, if applicable. - Choose VIEW PORT SUMMARY from the port configuration menu. - Choose the port into which the null modem cable is plugged. - Choose PC TERMINAL for this port's function. * Set Baud Rate to 9600. * Set Parity to NONE. * Set Data bits to 8. - Set Stop bits to 1. * Set Protocol to DTR/DSR. * If the PC has a monochrome monitor with no graphics card, answer NO to "Terminal Supports Graphics". If the PC has a Hercules (or compatible), CGA, EGA, or VGA card, answer YES. - If the PC has an older, 84-key keyboard, change the keyboard default to be 84. - Save all options, and finish Setup without any other changes. * - For these parameters, SETUP and PCTERM need to agree. At this point, the user will be able to boot the host computer, with the PC turned on, and get to a C:\> prompt on the PC by typing PCTERM, and choosing F1 to emulate a terminal. This C:\> prompt is coming from the Host Machine, and at this point the PC is nothing more than a terminal connected to the host. To return to the PCTERM menu (so that you can ESCape to the PC's own C:\> prompt), type Control-Alt-F10.