[H-GEN] need to rescue a print server with only ipx configured

[Tony Nugent]

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Oh dearme, it really has been a season for hardware headaches... :)

I need some help with doing some quick'n'dirty ipx networking.

I have inherited a Lantech "Fast Print Server", a neat little box
with a serial and two parallel ports, and an RJ45.  It used to work
but it became broke, now useless, nanaa not workin mate.  Which is a
pity since it could otherwise be put to very good use back where it
came from.

I managed to retrieve the original manuals (not much help btw), find
a suitable 12vDC/500mA power supply, then plug a crossover into it
with a little laptop running linux (rh71) on the other end.

And lo! - it still breathes life! ...  tcpdump showed that it is
wanting to talk ipx -- but only ipx/spx.  (I see its hardware
address, an all-ones broadcast, "8137" for etherII, then "64:".  The
only readable sting I see is "rWriter", and only in the one packet
that differs from the dozen or so it sends when it boots up).

It is also capable of talking tcp/ip (telnet, tftp, ftp, lpd, bootp
etc), netbeui and appletalk, but all these seem to be turned off in
its internal configuration.

Normally it is possible to telnet and login to the print server
(after giving it a static or dhcp'ed IP), then go through text menus
to examine and reconfigure it.  But with no icp/ip, there's no way
to do that.  There is no "cmos reset" jumper on its m'board, nor any
other indication in its printed manual (or web site) of how this
could be done.

On the laptop I have ipxutils, ncpfs, ncptools, mars-nwe etc, in the
hope of having some way to getting into the print server to
reconfigure it.  (Also has dhcpd etc running, I live in hope).  So
far I seem to have something happening with ipx on the linux side,
but no response from the print server, they happily ignore each
other.  And in all truth at this point I really don't know what I'm
doing here :-))   [well if nothing else I am having fun learning a
little about ipx:]

Is it possible to talk to and recofigure this thing with ipx?
Unlike icp/ip, there is very little info about ipx on the web, and
nothing about doing this sort of thing with it.

I've even stooped to configuring a w98 box with ipx and then praying
I could do something with it from there.  Oops, I shooda known betta :-)

Can anyone point me in the right direction?  Or is this in the
too-hard or lost-cause basket?

Many thanks.

Cheers
Tony

PS: thanks for the responses about the isdn card, got it nicely
sorted out.

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