Atari Portfolio as a Linux-Terminal

Connect your Atari Portfolio to your Linux computer !
You need a serial interface for the Portfolio, a serial link cable, and a free serial port at your Linux-PC.
Copy the terminalprogram APTerm.com to your Portfolio and start a agetty process on the Linux and you will have a Linux terminal.

Remark

If you have a parallel port and no a serial port for your Atari Portfolio, go to this page (written in german): SerPort - Serial Communication over the Parallel Port for Atari Portfolio

How to get the terminalprogramm APTerm.com

There are different ways to get APTerm.com:

Copy APTerm.com to the Portfolio

If you got PCMCIA Cards, you can copy APTerm.com with a card.If you haven't any PCMCIA Cards, so you can copy APTerm.com with the serial port.

LINUX:

Init the serial port:

stty 1200 cs8 -parenb -parodd < /dev/ttyS1

on the Atari Portfolio you initalize the serial port and type:

copy aux apterm.com

Execute the command: (hurry, there are only a few seconds of time)

cp apterm.com /dev/cua1

On the Portfolio, the size of APTerm.com should be 52 Bytes.

DOS:

Use the PC-DOS-Batch apt.bat file to transfer the program apterm.com to the Atari Portfolio.
Start apt.bat on the DOS PC and follow the steps.

File: apt.bat

@echo off
mode com2,1200,n,8,1
echo Initialize the RS-232 with 1200 baud on the Atari Portfolio
echo Type 'copy aux apterm.com' and 'ENTER' on the Atari Portfolio
pause
copy apterm.com tmp.com /a
copy /b tmp.com com2:
echo Type 'apterm' on the Atari Portfolio
echo Ok

Start apt.bat on the DOS-PC and follow the steps on the screen.

Install the Linux terminal:

There are two ways to start the terminal process on Linux. A temporary way and a permanent way. Before you start the agetty process, you should start the apterm.com program on the Atari Portfolio.

Temporary:

Type in the shell:

agetty /dev/cua1 1200 vt100 &

If you terminate the shell, the agetty process will terminate too. After the next login, you have to start the agetty process again.

Permanent:

Write into the file /etc/inittab:

# Serial line to Atari Portfolio

s1:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty /dev/cua1 1200 vt100

At every start of the linux system, there will be an agetty process for your Atari Portfolio. The command

init q

re-examine the /etc/inittab file. After that or after a system reboot, the agetty will start up a terminal process.
If everything is ok, the Linux login will appear on the Portfolio screen !

APTerm: How to stop a running output:

If you start a Linux command, that has a big output on the screen, use CTRL-S for stopping and CTRL-Q for starting the output.

APTerm: How to terminate APTerm.com:

Press both shift keys simultaneously to terminate the terminalprogram.
APTerm will terminate and return to DOS.

Attention:

Use the /dev/cuax device for the communication with apterm. They were once built for outgoing modem connections and are working more direct than the /dev/ttySx devices.

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