Ethernet Network Card for all Amigas with Zorro-Slots
Features:
For all Amigas with Zorro slots
Compatible with A1200 Zorro boards: Winner Z4, Mikronik, RBM
Auto-negotiation acc. to IEEE 802.3, 10Base2 and 10Base-T supported
BNC and Twisted-pair (RJ-45) connectors
Automatic choice of the used connector
20 MBit transfer rate (full duplex, twisted-pair only)
16 KByte buffer mem for maximum performance
Auto prefetch for another increase of performance
Automatic polarity correction for 10Base-T
Realtek chipset
Noise Filter Bus Interface ensures proper function in heavy-loaded Zorro systems
Compatible with Miami, Genesis, AmiTCP and all TCP/IP Stacks that can access a Sana-2 driver
Sana-2 driver included, NetBSD driver available in the latest distribution
Nordic Global has announced an MNI driver for X-Surf in Miami
All programming docs open (for Linux-drivers)
Multiple expansion options:
Two clockports for A1200 expansions such as Silversurfer and Hypercom
26-pin expansion port just like Buddha/Catweasel Z-II controllers
Two IDE ports 3,5" and 2,5" for harddisks and CD-Roms can be activated by the IDE-fix Software package
All expansion ports are independant from each other and can also be used at the same time
X-Surf ("Cross-surf") is the cheapest network card you can find for
Zorro-Amiga computers, but looking at the functionality, it does not have to hide
behind it's competitors. Although the included software is
reduced to a minimum, the full performance that you expect
from a network card can be reached with OS 3.5. Since the
TCP/IP stack is already included in the operating system,
you don't have to pay for it again with the network card.
Everything you need is the X-Surf's Sana-2 driver to make
the TCP/IP stack of your choice work with it.
Once you installed the TCP/IP stack, you can use all
programs that need a network on your Amiga: An IRC-client, a
web browser or a network filesystem that lets you access
files of a computer that's in the same network. The
Samba-package (available freely on the Aminet) for example
lets you exchange files between Amigas and even between a
Windows PC and an Amiga!
The large variety of expansion possibilities is an
unparalleled added value for most Amiga users. Most users
are short of Zorro slots, so the possibility to connect a
serial interface like the Silversurfer
or the Hypercom 3 module can solve most space problems in your
Amiga. Since there's two clock-ports on the X-Surf, you can
connect two Silversurfer boards at a time. Both can be accessed
with the same silversurfer.device, just use the next unit
number. The clock-ports are two fully-featured ports that
are hardware-compatible with the pin header in A1200
computers. The driver software for A1200 expansions only
has to be modified in some details in order to make the
add-ons work with the X-Surf. There are no conflicts
between the ports already present in the system (A1200,
the four clock-ports of the Z4 board or the
Buddha Flash port) and the new clock-ports
of the X-Surf - they all can be used at the same time.
The two IDE ports should be considered as a free add-on. The
necessary drivers are not included, because we don't want you to
pay for an IDE controller if you only intend to get
an Ethernet card. If you want to use IDE devices, you'll
have to buy the IDE-fix software package. Anyway, the ports
should not be considered as full IDE ports, because you
can't boot from them, and the timing is not configurable. If
you want these functions, we recommend a Buddha Flash
controller. The IDE ports are to be considered as temporary
solutions if you want to connect a 2,5" harddrive to an
A2000, A3000 or A4000 without buying further equipment such as
a 3,5" -> 2,5" adapter.
Owners of an A3000 for example can boot off an SCSI
harddisk, and activate a cheap IDE harddrive and an ATAPI CD-ROM
with the IDE-fix software. You shouldn't use a CD-writer on
these ports, because only one IO-request at a time can be
issued by the X-Surf controller. That means a pre-emptive
use of IDE devices - necessary for CD-writers - is
impossible on the X-Surf. For this purpose we recommend a
Buddha Flash controller.
Finally there is to emphasize that all expansion ports can
be used at the same time. For going to extremes, you
can use a Hypercom 3 module, a Silversurfer
on one, a Catweasel MK2 on the other clock-port, and four IDE/Atapi
devices at the same time while the network functions are not
affected. All this occupies only one of your precious
zorro-slots!
Ethernet Network Card for all Amigas with Zorro-Slots
Mister Wong
Digg
LinkArena
