Networking Amiga

Introduction

I never had a modem and I was born in a small town in deep forests in Finland. Even though I have used computers as long as I can remember, my networked life really begun only in 1999. My exposure to networks, and the Internet, was very limited starting from 1995. Anyway. This is how I got the set up networking with Amiga in July, 2007, (“Juhannus”) when everyone else in Finland was boozing.

Ingredients

Setting up

Preparing to install AmiTCP

  1. Acquire distribution package for AmiTCP. You can use double density floppies to transfer the file to Amiga. If the file won’t fit on a single floppy, use split -b 880000 amitcp.lha to split the file on GNU/Linux, copy files one by one to Amiga, and merge then with join file1 file2 file3 TO amitcp.lha
  2. Extract the package
    1. Open Shell
    2. Type makedir Work:t
    3. Type cd Work:t
    4. Type mount PC0:
    5. Type `lhA x PC0:amitcp.lha

Installing and configuring AmiTCP

  1. Launch the installer from `Work:AmiTCP-4.0/Install_AmiTCP`
  2. Choose `Intermediate User` and click `Proceed With Install`
  3. Choose `Install for Real` and optionally `Log File` and click `Proceed`
  4. Please remember during this installation:
    click `Proceed`
  5. Install to `SYS:Expansion/AmiTCP`. Click `Show Drives`, click on `<ASN> SYS:`, then `<DRW> Expansion`, click `Make New Drawer...`, add `/AmiTCP` to the directory name, and click `Proceed` twice.
  6. You will be shown the readme file. Some some reason this fails occasionally. Press `q` to close the window and proceed.
  7. AmiTCP/IP is a copyrighted...
    Click `Proceed`
  8. (Installed copies files)
  9. Do you want to install Napsaterm fonts, napsa?:
    Click `Yes`
  10. Select directory where to install Napsaterm fonts.:
    Make sure the field reads `fonts:`, then click `Proceed`
  11. Enter the default user name:
    Type `wnd` and click `Proceed`
  12. Enter the login name of the new user:
    Make sure the field reads `wnd` and click `Proceed`
  13. Enter the user ID of the user wnd:
    The field should read `100`. Click `Proceed`.
  14. Enter the primary group ID of the user wnd:
    The field should read `100`. Click `Proceed`.
  15. Enter the real name of the user wnd:
    Enter your name, then click `Proceed`
  16. Give the home directory of the user wnd:
    Pretty much anything will do here. Default value `HOME:` should be ok. Click `Proceed`.
  17. Enter the name of command interpreter for the user wnd:
    Default value `shell` should be fine. Click `Proceed`.
  18. Are you sure you want to add following user ...:
    Check the values and click `Add wnd`
  19. A new window will open, `Changing password for wnd`.
    Enter password twice.
  20. Is your network connection dynamic?:
    Click `No`
  21. Enter the host name of your computer (not including domain):
    Type `amy` and click `Proceed`
  22. Enter the domain part of your host name:
    Type `katei.fi` and click `Proceed`
  23. Give aliases to your computer amy.katei.fi one at a time:
    Leave the field empty and click `Proceed`
  24. Select the network interface type to be used:
    Choose `SLIP/CSLIP` and click `Proceed`
  25. Select the network interface to be used:
    Choose `rhslip` and click `Proceed`
  26. IP address for the interface slip0:
    Enter `172.16.180.2` and click `Proceed`
  27. Give the destination address for the point-to-point interface slip0:
    Enter `172.16.180.1` and click `Proceed`
  28. Give netmask of the network on the interface slip0:
    `255.255.255.0`
  29. This in the information you gave for this interface ... Is this correct?
    Click `Yes`
  30. Select the SERIAL device driver to be used with slip0:
    Choose `serial.device` and click `Proceed`
  31. Select unit numner for the serial.device:
    Check default value `0` and click `Proceed`
  32. Give the baud rate for the serial.device unit 0:
    Enter `19200` and click `Proceed`
  33. Give the Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) for the slip0:
    Check default value `1006` and click `Proceed`
  34. Select additional options to be used with the slip0:
    Select `Hardware-handshake (CTS/RTS)` and click `Proceed`
  35. This in the information you gave for the configuration for the slip0 ... Is this correct?
    Click `Yes`
  36. Enter the IP address of the default gateway:
    Check the field reads `172.16.202.1` and click `Proceed`
  37. Enter the IP addresses of the name servers:
    Enter `172.16.1.1` and click `Proceed`
  38. Enter the IP addresses of the name servers:
    Leave the field empty and click `Proceed`
  39. Give domain names (one at a time) to search:
    Check the field `katei.fi` and click `Proceed`
  40. Give domain names (one at a time) to search:
    Leave the field empty and click `Proceed`
  41. Do you want the AmiTCP/IP to be started at the system startup?:
    Click `No`
  42. Do you want Installer to make the required changes to your s:user-startup script?:
    Click `Yes`
  43. Do you want the Inetd to be started at the AmiTCP/IP startup?:
    Click `Yes`
  44. You will be shown anothe text file to read. Some some reason this fails occasionally. Press `q` to close the window and proceed.
  45. Installation complete!
    Click `Proceed`
  46. Reboot

Setting up traffic forwarding on Linux

  1. Load module for slip: 
    sudo modprobe slip
  2. Start `slattach`: 
    sudo slattach -v -d -p slip -s 19200 /dev/ttyS0
  3. Create network interface: 
    sudo ifconfig sl0 172.16.180.1 pointopoint 172.16.180.2 up
  4. Set up network forwarding: 
    iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o sl0 -j ACCEPT
iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
echo "1" >/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

Changing AmiTCP configuration

If you need to change AmiTCP configuration, run the installer in install-location (`SYS:Expansion/AmiTCP/Install_AmiTCP` and go through most of the qustions again.

Accessing the Internet from Amiga

Before you have Internet connectivity on Amiga, you'll have to start AmiTCP. To do that, run `startnet` on command line (such as `Shell`), and type your password as requested. After this you should have fully TCP/IP connectivity. You try this by pinging a remote host: `ping www.google.com` (interrupt with Ctrl-C).

Troubleshooting

I can't access the Internet on Amiga!
Try pinging `172.16.180.2` on the Linux box, or `172.16.180.1` on the Amiga. If this doesn't work, check your configuration and read My connection drops. This this does work, you have the network interface properly set on Amiga. On Amiga, try pinging a known host on the Internet to respond to ping, such as `www.google.com`. If this doesn't work, there is probably something wrong with traffic forwarding on your Linux box. Go figure it out yourself.
My connection on Amiga drops every now and then.
So does mine. I don't know why this happens, but it does. When this happens, try restarting `slattach` and bringing up the network interface on Linux back up again. (See Setting traffic forwarding.)
My network connection from or to Amiga is slow.
It's 19200-baud connection. I know it's slow. Live with it.