-- cut here --- --- cut here --- --- cut here --- --- cut here --- GG2 Bus+ FAQ Version 1.12 17-Feb-97 Copyright (C) 1994-1996 Ethan Dicks and Christina Baum What's new (or changed) in the FAQ? =================================== o Will the Ethernet drivers work with my networking software? o Are there drivers for NetBSD UNIX? o What about drivers for VGA/SVGA cards? o How compatible is the ISA-bus emulation? + What about drivers for PC parallel port devices? + Will it work with ShapeShifter? + Where can I get sample source code from? Changes new to this version of the FAQ are indicated by a "+" next to the question. What is the URL for the GG2 Bus+ Home Page? =========================================== The URL is http://www.infinet.com/~erd/GG2/ What can I do with the GG2 Bus? =============================== The GG2 Bus+ lets you add IBM-compatible hardware to your Amiga. The most common additions are extra parallel and serial ports, and network cards. What kinds of cards work? ========================= The GG2 Bus+ supports almost all non-DMA AT-compatible (8 MHz bus capable) PC plug-in boards. This includes such popular items as internal modems, multi-I/O boards, IDE hard drive controllers, non-DMA ethernet boards, VGA boards, A/D boards, etc. Access to the PC cards is at full Amiga Zorro II bus speed unless wait state support is turned on. What drivers come with it? ========================== ibmser.device A replacement serial device for internal modems and multi-I/O cards. Includes automatic use of the 16550 FIFO buffer when available. Support for up to 4 serial ports at once, equivalent of COM1-4. ibmprint.device A new parallel output-only driver for printing through IBM LPT compatible parallel ports on multi-I/O cards. Support for up to 3 printers at once, equivalent of LPT1-3. ibmIDE.device A driver program to allow the use of IDE, RLL or MFM hard drives as an AmigaDOS drive. NE1000.device These are SANA-II ethernet drivers for Novell NE1000 NE2000.device (8-bit Ethernet) and NE2000 (16-bit Ethernet) boards and compatibles. There are no ArcNET drivers. o Will the Ethernet drivers work with my networking software? =========================================================== Since the Ethernet drivers are SANA-II compliant, you can use your GG2/Ethernet combination with all of the popular network packages, such as Envoy (from IAM), I-Net 225 (from Interworks), AmiTCP (demo version available via ftp from Aminet sites) and Samba (full version available via ftp from Aminet sites). Information about Envoy can be found at http://www.iam.com/ Likewise, you can read more about I-Net 225 at http://www.iworks.com/iw/inet225.html Samba is a Session Message Block (SMB) server that is compatible with "Microsoft" networking software provided with Windows 95/NT/3.11 (frequenly called NetBIOS or LAN Manager networking). The Samba home page is at http://lake.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/samba.html Commodore's AS225r1 is *not* a SANA-II networking package, and will not work with an Ethernet card on a GG2 Bus+. Oxxi's Novell Netware Client for AmigaDOS is *not* a SANA-II networking package and only works with the Commodore A2065 and Ameristar clone. It cannot be used with the GG2 Bus+. o Are there drivers for NetBSD UNIX? =================================== There is built-in support for the GG2 Bus+ board in OpenBSD. Niklas Hallqvist has provided support for devices named com (standard serial ports), lpt (standard parallel ports), ast (AST 4-port serial card), wd (IDE hard disk), acd (IDE ATAPI CD, data and audio functions), and if_ed (dp8390-based network cards like 3c503, NE2000 and SMC Ultra). For more info, check the source and docs for OpenBSD or Niklas' OpenBSD web page at http://www.openbsd.org/amiga.html o Is there a driver for my network card? ============================================= The answer to this question is "yes", as long as you have an NE2000, NE1000 or 100% clone. Drivers for SMC (Western Digital) and 3Com cards have been tested but are not provided with the GG2 Bus+. The latest versions of all the network drivers are available, as-is, from our home page at http://www.infinet.com/~erd/GG2/ One problem which has cropped up is that for at least some models of SMC Ethernet cards (such as some revisions of the WD8003), SMC uses a non-standard method for driving the IRQ line it's attached to. It is possible to modify these cards to work, but this is not a supported configuration. The SMC EtherCard Elite 16 (a Western Digital 8013 equivalent) appears not to need this modification. Additionally, some models of 3Com cards require a special driver that has interrupt code which is unfriendly to other ISA cards in the system. You can use a 3C503 in your Amiga, but not at the same time as any other PC compatible cards. For this reason, we cannot in good conscience declare this to be a supportable configuration, but it works for some people. o What about drivers for VGA/SVGA cards? ======================================== The developer who was working on the SVGA driver has sold his Amiga. We do not have the resources to complete the project ourselves. Anyone wishing to try their hand at this, is welcome to contact us for any assistance and tech support we can provide. + What about drivers for PC parallel port devices? ================================================== There are no drivers at present, but unlike the internal Amiga parallel port, it is possible to drive IBM parallel port devices, such as pocket ethernet, Iomega parallel port ZIP drives, "Snappy" video capture units, etc. + Will it work with ShapeShifter? ================================= Not at the present time. We are working on updated network drivers that will permit Shapeshifter to access an ISA network card with both Macintosh Ethertalk and MacTCP/Open Transport TCP/IP. + Where can I get sample source code from? ========================================== Carsten Heyl has posted his Ethernet drivers on his web page at http://www.nads.de/~heyl/chsana2/ o How compatible is the ISA-bus emulation? ========================================== The following IBM AT bus signals are supported: I/O address space from hex $0000 to $7FFF (first 32K) Memory address space from hex $90000 to $FFFFF (440K) 16 bit data bus All AT bus interrupts (IRQ 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15) Wait states (IOCHRDY signal) for both I/O and memory access 14.31818 MHz clock (OSC signal) from on-board crystal oscillator 7.2 MHz processor clock (CLK signal) BALE signal No support for DMA is available nor planned. Can I use it with software-based MS-DOS emulators? ================================================== Yes. CrossPC and PCTask are aware of the GG2 Bus+ and will let you use IBM-compatible hardware from inside the emulation. Among the peripherals that have been successfully operated are ROM programmers and PC-television cards. Will it work in my Amiga? ========================= The GG2 Bus+ occupies one Zorro II slot aligned with an PC-AT slot in an Amiga 2000, 2500, 3000, or 4000. It has essentially the same form factor as a Commodore bridgeboard. You will need at least one additional open PC-AT slot for your plug-in PC card. The GG2 Bus+ requires 1 Megabyte of available AUTOCONFIG memory space to correctly map all of the PC memory locations. This means that you will have a problem if you attempt to put a GG2 Bus+ in the same Amiga as an 8Mb 16-bit memory card, such as the A2058. For those people who have already filled up all 8Mb of their AUTOCONFIG memory space, they must give up part or all of their 16-bit ZorroII RAM in order to use the GG2 Bus+. All address and data lines to the PC bus are buffered to avoid loading-down Amiga bus lines. How many IBM cards can I put in my Amiga? ========================================= The A2000 has 2 PC-AT (16-bit) and 2 PC-XT (8-bit) slots, and can take three IBM cards. It is possible to upgrade the PC-XT slots to PC-AT slots, but much soldering and desoldering is required. The A3000 has 2 PC-AT slots, and can take one IBM card. The A4000 has 3 PC-AT slots, for a total of two IBM cards. Tower configurations, of course, can have more. Because of the way that the various drivers interact with the hardware registers of the GG2 Bus+ and especially the interrupt logic, it is entirely possible to install a combination of boards whose drivers do not always work and play well with the others. Before trying to use all the functions of a multi-I/O card at once, try each variety of device (serial, parallel, IDE and Ethernet) one at a time first. Can I use a GG2 Bus+ and a Commodore bridgecard at the same time? ================================================================= No. Both products use the IBM slots in the Amiga, and were never designed to work together. What's this GG2 "cache problem" I heard about? ============================================== The 'cache problem' is related to the way in which Commodore built the A2000 and how it talks to the Zorro bus. If a processor is cacheing data, you don't want that data to change when the processor is not looking... Bad Things happen. So... data cache should not be enabled on I/O cards; something might change and the CPU will never know, because it thinks that the data in the cache is still the same as the data, out there on the bus. To avoid this, Commodore designed the Amiga so that Zorro II I/O space (the 64K blocks that AUTOCONFIG I/O cards end up in) is not cached. Zorro II *memory* space (where A2058 cards are, as well as bridgecards and the GG2) *is* cached, because it's normally a Good Thing to cache memory (your machine runs faster). Bridgecards and the GG2 occupy Zorro II memory space because the amount of Amiga memory space they need is over 64K. Now... If you have a processor with cache (not a 68000) in your A2000 and you want to use an A2088 bridgecard (or any other brand, or even a GG2), Commodore's official fix to prevent cache problems, is to run Enforcer. Enforcer programs the MMU (Memory Management Unit) to turn OFF data cacheing, in all Zorro II space). One person who mentioned the "cache problem" in his A2000 has a 68EC030 on his accelerator card; 'EC030 does *NOT* have an MMU, so Enforcer can't work with it. He has to turn off data cache ALTOGETHER to use either a bridgecard or a GG2. This, of course, slows down his system. The A3000 has the same basic bus structure as the A2000 (but it's Zorro III rather than Zorro II), but *all* A3000's have an MMU with the 68030, so Enforcer works. Commodore changed the design of the cache controller on the A4000, so, by default, the A4000 does not try to cache anything in Zorro II space. Since you do not put 16-bit memory in the A3000 or A4000, this does not slow the machine down. Recent experiences have indicated, however, that an A4000/030 acts the same as an A3000 and that since the A4000/030 uses a 68EC030 on the CPU card, Enforcer will not run, so the only remaining option is to turn off the Data Cache. So... the "problem" is not a problem with the GG2, per se, and cannot be fixed by changing the GG2 without removing features. It is a problem with the design of the A2000 and A3000 and is correctable through software if you have the proper processor in your machine. The GoldenGate I card did not support VGA cards, so it only requested a 64Kb AUTOCONFIG block. We explored producing a GG2 Bus+ model with the same features (and limitations) of the older GoldenGate I card, but it would require a complete (and expensive) redesign. What does ISA bus termination have to do with ultra-cheap ISA cards? ==================================================================== Termination is one way of reducing line noise, unwanted spikes and dropouts that fool circuits, resulting in bad data. Ethernet cables, SCSI cables, the Zorro Bus and other transmission lines are terminated on both ends to minimize noise so that the data gets from one end to the other. In the Amiga, the ISA bus is terminated on one end already. The GG2 Bus+ provides the other end. Termination styles differ from one use to another, pull-ups (resistors going from the signal to +5v) and pull-downs (resistors going from the signal to ground) being the most common. In David Salamon's original design, the data and address lines of the ISA bus were terminated by a combination 220 and 330 Ohm pull-up and pull-down termination circuit. This kind of termination is very effective at eliminating most types of noise from a wide variety of circuits. The price to be paid is that the cards trying to drive these circuits need to be able to provide several milliamps of current to stimulate the bus lines. In the old days, ISA cards were made of lots of individual 14 and 16 pin chips and almost always had a 74LS245 or equivalent to drive the ISA bus. The '245 is a very good chip for this job because it can drive more loads than the output of a flip-flop or a NAND gate or other typical parts. In more technical terms, a '245 can drive several TTL loads while a '74 or an '00 can only drive one or two. These days, ISA cards are designed to be as cheap to manufacture as possible. To that end, disposable cards no longer have '245s to drive the ISA bus; they have a single large chip that performs all the functions that used to take 10 individual chips or more. One thing these chips cannot do is drive as many TTL loads as a '245 can. Information from Dave Haynie suggests that the typical gate array (large chip) can source between 4 and 8 milliamps (mA) while a PAL can provide 16mA and a 74LS245, 24mA. Once it was determined that this was preventing the ultra-cheap network cards from being recognized, Software Results made a change in which components get soldered into the GG2 Bus+. The 10-pin resistor packs at R13 and R15 were removed entirely and the ones at R12 and R14 were changed to 4.7KOhms. In summary, if your board has two 4.7K resistor packs at R12 and R14, it will work with more varieties of ISA cards than a board with 220 and 330 ohm resistor packs at R12 through R15. All of David Salamon's Golden Gate cards have four resistor packs, most GG2 Bus+ boards have two. If you have an GG2 Bus+ with all four resistor packs installed and you are having difficulty with some brands of ISA cards, please contact for advice on how to upgrade your board. Will it work with Workbench 1.3? ================================ Most of the software requires 2.04 or higher. The actual device drivers themselves (ibmser.device, ibmIDE.device...) will probably work under 1.3, but the support programs (like SwitchControl and SerPrefs) don't. Who wrote the software? ======================= David Salamon, Dan Babcock, Dan Zenchelsky, Carsten Heyl and Ethan Dicks. Is there a distibutor in my country that I can buy the GG2 Bus+ from? ===================================================================== Software Results is pleased to announce that Eyetech will be handling sales in Europe. Eyetech accepts VISA as well as Eurochecks. Eyetech Group, Ltd. The Old Bank 12 West Green Stokesley North Yorkshire TS9 5BB UK Phone: +44.0.1642.713.185 FAX: +44.0.1642.713.634 email: eyetech@cix.compulink.co.uk WWW: http://www.compulink.co.uk/~eyetech/ When can I order one and how much does it cost? =============================================== Boards are available now. The price is $124.95 USD, plus tax (if any), duties (if any), shipping and handling ($7.50 USD in the continental U.S., slightly higher for Canadian destinations) All North American shipment is via UPS Ground service. International shipping outside of North America is $35 USD, insured, via air, not surface mail. We are able to accept U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. Bank or International Postal Money Orders in U.S. dollars. C.O.D orders are possible for an additional charge of $5 for shipments in the U.S. only. We are obligated to collect 5.75% State/Local Sales Tax on orders in Ohio. We are not able to collect Sales Tax for other states. How much are software updates? =============================== The software is free, the disk and shipping cost money. As newer versions of the drivers and utilities become available, they will be available via e-mail by request. Anyone wishing to put up copies of the software updates for FTP is encouraged to do so. Presently, an archive of the GG2 Bus+ driver disk, version 1.2, 10 October 1994, is available from a couple of sources ftp://ftp.satech.net.au:/pub/amiga/hard/gg2/GG2install-v1.2.lha http://www.infinet.com/~erd/GG2/GG2disk_1.2.lha Because diskettes and labels and mailers and postage are not free, anyone needing physical update or replacement disks will be asked to defray those costs. No price has been firmly set at this time, but expect it to cost a few bucks, more if you live in a foreign country. Can I use my VISA/Mastercard? ============================= No. at this time. Software Results Enterprises looked into being able to take orders by credit card, but the fees involved were not reasonable, given the potential benefits. If you really need to order with a VISA card, Eyetech may be able to help you. How can I get ahold of the manufacturers? ========================================== Software Results Enterprises 2447 N. 4th St., Ste. B Columbus, OH 43202-2706 614/262-9146 (voice) 614/267-2683 (fax) As of 8-Feb-96, e-mail service to kumiss.infinet.com has been interrupted because of the efforts of a cracker who attacked Infinet. For the time being, the best e-mail address to use is: sevant@infinet.com Please use e-mail whenever possible. It leaves us more time to develop products.