#mtcp — Public Fediverse posts

I spent two long days coding streaming writes for mTCP NetDrive. I have some early results.

The test: Copy a large file (1.7MB) from a 386-40 with an NE2000 card to a Linux server about 1800 miles away.

Old code: 18KB/sec
New code: 214KB/sec

The new code is about 350 bytes larger and uses no additional memory on the client side. On the server side I just had to increase buffer sizes.

And DOS is none the wiser .. the remote server just looks like a drive letter.

#retrocomputing #mtcp

@wbpeckham You probably already know this, but DOS didn't start with networking so everything is grafted on.

I'm a big fan of the "packet driver" approach, which loads a small device driver for your card as a TSR and enables the higher level applications using a published API.

Besides the packet driver, my code needs one-time configuration. After that run EXEs for what you need. That's pretty simple.

#retrocomputing #mtcp

Greetings fans of DOS networking! I'm working on bug fixes for mTCP. If you have a bug report or a feature request now would be a great time to let me know. Send it by email or ping me here.

So far I've done a lot of "code golfing" (making things smaller and faster). Telnet will have SIXEL graphics enabled and a few bug fixes. TCP has a flow control improvement to help with the occasional stall. And there are a few other small fixes so far too.

#retrocomputing #mtcp

Here is some potatovision proof of the AUI-hacked Farallon EtherMac AAUI #Ethernet MAU mentioned in this post working with #mTCP on an IBM PC/AT (with some help from an old Netgear twisted pair to WiFi adapter).

What I haven't done yet is verify that the AAUI connector still works, but I'd bet it does: all of its wires just pass through the board directly to the MAU.

mTCP NetDrive users ... the read-ahead version is ready for testing. I'm looking for your feedback on how well it works in your environment. See the announcement here for download links: https://groups.google.com/g/mtcp/c/ktDzPuWd1xw (no sign-in required)

Next up ... I know how I'm going to make writes faster too. With just a little more code in the driver.

#mtcp #retrocomputing

NetDrive with read-ahead caching, running on a VM to a local server and to a server 50ms away. A 4KB read-ahead cache results in a 3x speedup locally and nearly a 5x speedup on the remote server.

Real hardware results depend on the speed of the hardware. Slow machines don't benefit much when connected to local servers, but they still get the full benefit on remote connections.

#retrocomputing #DOS #mtcp

And this is where real hardware asserts itself ...

Using a 4KB read-ahead cache on the DOS side in a VM gave a 5x speedup, which was great and expected; you ask for 1KB and you get 4KB more without having to wait a full round trip.

But the PCjr said no. After a week of cleaning up the code and gathering stats I understand the problem better; it's just processing packets as fast as it can. The best speed-up on that specific test is 30%, which isn't bad, but not 5x.

#retrocomputing #mtcp

I haven't touched NetDrive in a while so I got motivated and just spent two hours adding a 1 sector read ahead cache into the code. After a read request the server sends one extra block, and the DOS side caches it. On the next read the DOS side checks the cache.

Running CHKDSK against a 200MB drive across the network to a server that is 47 milliseconds away was taking around 26.8 seconds. Now it takes 17.69 seconds.

Yep, this feature is worth doing ...

#retrocomputing #mtcp

Setting up at the Interim Computer Festival in Seattle. (sdf.org/icf). The event is this Saturday and Sunday.

I'll be demonstrating the recent changes to mTCP and generally hanging out.

#retrocomputing #mtcp

MS DOS 3.31 fans (specifically the Compaq OEM version) I have failed you! NetDrive should support FAT16B on that version of DOS but I had a "fixme" comment in the code to actually implement it. I have made amends ...

(Compaq MS DOS 3.31 was the first version of DOS to support FAT16B. They broke the 32MB drive letter barrier with it.)

Just another 5 or 6 lines of assembler code did the trick. I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier.

#retrocomputing #dos #msdos #mtcp

@goosey

I've just done it only with mTCP and the Packet Driver. :0)

No Microsoft Network Client or Novell installed.

I run it this way:

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

@goosey

I've just done it only with mTCP and the Packet Driver. :0)

No Microsoft Network Client or Novell installed.

I run it this way:

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

@goosey

I've just done it only with mTCP and the Packet Driver. :0)

No Microsoft Network Client or Novell installed.

I run it this way:

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

#Internet #Networking with MSDOS

Packet Drivers Collection for FreeDOS, MS-DOS, IBM PC-DOS, DR-DOS.
https://packetdriversdos.net

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

#Internet #Networking with MSDOS

Packet Drivers Collection for FreeDOS, MS-DOS, IBM PC-DOS, DR-DOS.
https://packetdriversdos.net

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

#Internet #Networking with MSDOS

Packet Drivers Collection for FreeDOS, MS-DOS, IBM PC-DOS, DR-DOS.
https://packetdriversdos.net

#msdos #freedos #ibm #ibmpc #pcdos #drdos #packet #packetdrivers #drivers #network #tcp #telnet #ftp #http #nntp #bbs #mtcp

#retrogaming #retrocomputing #vntagecomputers #vintagecomputing #oldcomputers #oldcomputing

The latest mTCP for DOS is available!

This version includes some changes to improve TCP reliability on long running (but idle) connections, black & white Sixel graphics in Telnet, a Telnet emulation bug fix, and other small fixes sprinkled around.

The source code to NetDrive (network attached storage) is also published now - enjoy reading an unholy mix of x86 assembly code talking to Golang over UDP!

Spread the word! Friends don't let friends run old code ...

#retrocomputing #dos #mtcp

I just spent 8 hours chasing a bug where mTCP Telnet on a PC (or VM) to a wireless Rasp Pi would die and not recover if it was idle for 10 minutes. (Wired Ethernet is not affected.)

I suspect my Asus router but I can't prove it. The two Rasp Pis never saw the packets after 10 minutes. I added an ARP during the TCP recovery process and that clears it up.

Exactly three other people in the universe will ever experience this problem. Why am I like this? ;-0

#retrocomputing #mtcp

@Sturmflut Please send me an email with a description of the problem. I want mTCP to work for everybody.

mTCP is pretty stable by this point so it's usually a packet driver problem, a resource conflict, or bad hardware. A trace from the crashing mTCP program can help identify what the problem is.

#mtcp

If you are using a PicoMEM and are having trouble with the networking support, please ping me as I have some test mTCP code that you can use as a temporary work-around. (I think I've found the problem in the PM2000 driver that is preventing 80286 and better CPUs from working. 8086, 8088 and V20s should not be affected.)

#retrocomputing #mtcp

Adding black and white sixel graphics to mTCP Telnet with just 700 bytes of code and storage.

For a full color implementation continue to see https://github.com/jhpyle/mTCP, as he did it first and did it well. I'm just code golfing here ...

#retrocomputing #mtcp

@goosey Welcome to the party! You are nearly 10 years late though ;-0

Telnet is getting some fixes soon - this week I fixed an ancient line wrapping bug that Tmux under Linux was exposing. I'm also working on making it faster because there is a lot of code that has to run before a character makes it to the screen.

Yell if you see any problems!

Also check out NetDrive for more storage than a Tandy 1000 should ever need ...

#mtcp #retrocomputing

Ok I'm impressed!
Finally trying mTCP on my Tandy 1000 and everything is working really well!

Even telnet just kinda worked with the somewhat funky Tandy keyboard.
No muss, no fuss, no defining scancode to ascii maps. I am impressed!!!

This is probably going to replace my collection of ancient ncsa & wattcp tools.

#MSDos #MTCP #Tandy1000 #Dos

On Sept 22nd I started the PCjr for a long-term test of the mTCP web server and NetDrive. This time the PCjr was running without a hard drive; all of the content was served from a network attached drive letter via NetDrive.

Last night we had a major wind storm and the UPS was no match for the long power outage, so I had to shut the PCjr down. It nearly made it to 1400 hours of continuous operation, serving my site at brutmanlabs.org.

I think the code is stable ,,

#retrocomputing #pcjr #mtcp

The (in)famous PCjr is doing another long term test of the mTCP code. It's running the web server with the content being served by a remote disk (mTCP NetDrive) and it has just passed 1,000 hours of continuous runtime. Even with the slightly flaky WiFi connection to a RaspPi (the remote storage server) ... the retry logic is working.

Visit at http://brutmanlabs.org/ and http://brutmanlabs.org/status to check the current stats.

#mtcp #retrocomputing

Good news everyone! A new mTCP for DOS is available!

http://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP.html

Besides a few bug fixes this version lets you use the mTCP programs at the same time NetDrive is active. If you know how DOS packet drivers work, that is no small trick.

It might be slow; a PCjr is serving most of the web site to test both the web server and NetDrive. There is no hard drive on the machine; everything after the initial boot is running off of remote attached storage. In DOS!

#retrocomputing #mtcp

Greetings! I'm not big on social media but I finally broke down and created a Mastodon account so that people can more easily find me, especially for things related to retrocomputing.

Cheers!

#pcjr #mtcp #retrocomputing

Retrocomputing has its annoyances, but I swear, #NTP clients with outdated #DST rules are the worst!

(Willard goes off to experiment with #MTCP )

How cool! 🤟🏻♥️😊

"NetDrive is a DOS device driver that allows you to access a remote disk image hosted by another machine as though it was a local device with an assigned drive letter. The remote disk image can be a floppy disk image or a hard drive image."

https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP_NetDrive.html

#itsalive #dos #msdos #TCPIP #mTCP #netdrive

How cool! 🤟🏻♥️😊

"NetDrive is a DOS device driver that allows you to access a remote disk image hosted by another machine as though it was a local device with an assigned drive letter. The remote disk image can be a floppy disk image or a hard drive image."

https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP_NetDrive.html

#itsalive #dos #msdos #TCPIP #mTCP #netdrive

How cool! 🤟🏻♥️😊

"NetDrive is a DOS device driver that allows you to access a remote disk image hosted by another machine as though it was a local device with an assigned drive letter. The remote disk image can be a floppy disk image or a hard drive image."

https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP_NetDrive.html

#itsalive #dos #msdos #TCPIP #mTCP #netdrive

How cool! 🤟🏻♥️😊

"NetDrive is a DOS device driver that allows you to access a remote disk image hosted by another machine as though it was a local device with an assigned drive letter. The remote disk image can be a floppy disk image or a hard drive image."

https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/mTCP_NetDrive.html

#itsalive #dos #msdos #TCPIP #mTCP #netdrive

Using the #RunCPM-#ESP32-#Telnet version via my
MS-#DOS-PC (DELL FX160) with Telnet -Client from #MTCP connected
via serial-#SLIP-protocol over a #ESP8266-SLIP-Router ;)

@peron

Is it as good as #MTCP?

PCjr WebServer hits 2500 Hours Uptime - When [Mike] fired up his PCjr webserver back in March, he probably wasn’t expectin... - https://hackaday.com/2023/07/20/pcjr-webserver-hits-2500-hours-uptime/ #retrocomputing #networkhacks #webserver #ibmpcjr #peanut #mtcp

@ne1for23 If you want to get your old #DOS machine online, look for #mTCP from brutmanlabs.org. It comes with a couple of programs to get you started (eg IRC, FTP, webserver, Netcat, ...)

I find it very appropriate to have this site hosted on a retro machine using the mTCP software 👌

As autoexec.bat and config.sys are configured on the Toshiba T1000SE Laptop, I'm focusing on the internet connection. So I can find out what the big deal with this #bbs thing is 😎

My approach is to use a linux machine as a bridge to the network. The Toshiba is connected to it with a null modem cable.

On the software side #mTcp is handling the connectivity using a virtual ethernet card (etherslip). But more on that later...

At this time the serial connection is not set up correctly, so I have some debugging to do 🔍

#retrocomputing #toshiba #T1000SE

@digikitty_x86 Cross-posting my answer from twitter. While I would love to say my Altair is mine, honestly my favourite would have to be my Turbo XT system. Something about a slow #DOS machine.

10MHz NEC v20, 640k of RAM + 2MB EMS, dual #CGA/#MDA video, a #SnarkBarker sound card, and ethernet. The XT is one of the oldest platforms with a native TCP stack #mTCP which makes it quite usable even if single tasking.

TONIGHT at 8pm EST on HACK + ALT + NCOMMANDR, #DEFCON201 Member NCimmander is going to write a data recovery tool that can preform a sector by sector dump for the #486 using #C and either #WatTCP or #mTCP using #OpenWatcom on the #DC201 LIVE Stream!

#twitch : https://twitch.tv/defcon201live​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

#dlive: https://dlive.tv/defcon201​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

@YouTube : https://youtube.com/c/defcon201​​​​​​​​​​

@torproject : http://c7hqkpkpemu6e7emz5b4vyz7idjgdvgaaa3dyimmeojqbgpea3xqjoid.onion/c/defcon201​​​​​​​​​​

#programming #cprogramming #retrocomputing #devops @gitea_blog_bot #datarecovery