IBM 5120 (was Re: My First S-100 System)

On 13 Oct 2002 at 10:14, vassilip(a)dsl.cis.upenn.edu wrote: I've got most of the components gathered and ready for assembly. My first choice for this is still MINIX. I need to check the FAQ to determine whether or not this 3COM EtherLink II TP (8 Bit ISA Ethernet adapter) is one of the few NICs supported by MINIX. Then I have to check and see if Token Ring and 3270 are supported. If just one of those is a no go, then I will be using FreeDOS; an open source MS-DOS compatible OS (think of it as to MS-DOS as Linux is to Unix). The system thus far will consist of a 486/DX-33 in a MB with 8 16-BIT ISA slots and 8 MB of RAM, VGA adapter, 16 bit IO card with one floppy controller, one IDE controller, 2 serial ports, and 1 parallel port, a 2nd IO card with 2 serial and 1 parallel port, then an Ethernet adapter and a 3270 adapter (don't have an ISA Token Ring card yet), 3.5" and 5.25" floppies, and dual IDE hard drives (43MB and 84MB respectively). If I end up going with FreeDOS instead of MINIX, the EtherLink II will be replaced with either an EtherLink III or EtherExpress and the II will be used in the PS/2 Model 30, since its slots are all 8 bit ISA. The reason this system will have four COM ports is because in addition to serving as the console for the Cromemco System Two, she will also be the bridge between our various other classics (TI-99/4a, Apple II systems of various models, TRS-80s, KayPros, etc) and the LAN, as those old beasts don't have Ethernet capability and will connect via serial connection. I'm really looking forward to getting this little project started soon. It should make for a few experience points, much like building a FreeSCO router did. :) -- Scarletdown