The Aurora Linux 2.4.* software package for the Siemens/Infineon 8253X
based PCI adapter card product line (2520, 4520, 4020, 8520, WMS and LMS
communications controllers) provides the following benefits to the user.

 

1.        A Linux Asynchronous TTY driver that supports serial
connections to asynchronous TTYs with the standard Linux/Unix terminal
capabilities as well as custom baud rates.  The asynchronous TTY driver
can also support connections to computers that support standard
asynchronous terminal emulation programs, such as cu, tip, kermit or
hyperterm.  The asynchronous TTY driver can also support file transfer
via standard asynchronous file transfer programs like kermit.  In
addition, the asynchronous TTY driver can be used by asynchronous SLIP
or PPP to provide network connectivity.

2.        A Linux Synchronous TTY driver that supports all of the above
for synchronous TTY connections.  Because one cannot generally purchase
synchronous TTYs, this functionality is most useful with software
terminal emulators and with synchronous PPP implementations that assume
an underlying synchronous terminal driver.

3.        A Linux Synchronous Network driver that provides a synchronous
serial ethernet interface.  This interface provides a simple
straightforward method of synchronous wide-area interconnection that
works via the standard Linux Ethernet network and bridging interfaces. 
Some routers and bridges support this interface.

4.        A Linux Synchronous Character driver that provides a standard
read/write interface to the network driver functionality (i.e., packet
read and packet write capability) and that can emulate the Solaris
putmsg/getmsg interface.  This driver is useful for users that wish to
implement their own protocol software within user applications.

5.        The Aurora Linux software provides the capability of dial-up
connection set-up for any of the previous drivers.  This dial-up
capability follows the /dev/cua convention of Linux 2.2* and Linux 2.4.*
kernels.

6.        Source is provided so that users may make custom modifications
to drivers.  Adding BISYNC or cHDLC support would be fairly
straightforward and may become available in later releases.  This source
could provide a starting point for implementing drivers for other
operating systems.  The source is partitioned by functionality and comes
with functional and design specifications as well as other documentation
useful to users and implementers.