DOS Linux and dsl?

[Martin McCormick]

Karen Lewellen writes:
> Granted before I can work on this I should have a Linux setup outside of 
> my
> shellworld account. Still i am wondering if anyone is using DSL well with
> speech either in DOS Linux or both? Ages ago I saw a script to allow for 
> it
> in DOS, and am wondering if this is done via networking the dos and Linux
> machines together?

	There is no one correct answer to this question.  A
number of us use older computers that can't run Linux by
themselves but will run DOS.  This supports our speech and
whatever communications software we like to use.  That box,
however, doesn't end up doing much else because we connect to a
Linux box either by serial cable to a RS-232 port on the Linux
box or by Ethernet networking.  It's like having a dial-up shell
account without the dial-up.

	You can install a package called roaring penguin which
is a piece of Linux software designed to interface with a DSL
modem.

	Another thing you can do is to buy a network router of
the type used by people who are setting up home networks.  This
usually has a small router that takes care of the details of
logging you in to your DSL connection and also has a number of
ports on it in to which you can plug other Ethernet devices such
as other computers.

	You either have to know a bit about networking or know
somebody who does to make one of these things work, but they are
a good way to get a Linux system on to DSL.  You then just use
your old talking P.C. to access the Linux box.  From there, use
ssh and lynx or the l i n k s browser on your Linux platform to
do all your real communications.

	I hope this isn't too confusing, but it really isn't that
hard.  The old talking P.C. connects to the Linux machine.  The
Linux machine connects to the router/switch and that connects you
to both the world with all its excitement and occasional danger
and your local network.

	If your talking P.C. has a working Ethernet setup and you
have telnet or better yet, SSH, you can use that to access the
Linux system.

	There are also the various access solutions that give you
a direct Linux console that talks or drives a Braille display
right from your Linux computer.  That involves less equipment
than does the use of a talking terminal, but it is a little
harder to get working right in some cases.  Again, you can use
either a home network router and switch or the roaring penguin
package on your Linux system to access the DSL modem.

Martin McCormick WB5AGZ  Stillwater, OK 
Systems Engineer
OSU Information Technology Department Network Operations Group