The PORT connection through the parallel port allows to transfer
data between two computers in the same room over a special parallel cable. This
cable can be found in most computer shops under the name "Interlink/Laplink
parallel cable" or "parallel cable for direct cable connection". It allows a
transfer rate of about 50-80kB/sec. The function therefore cannot be used as a
network, but is meant to synchronize data between two machines (e.g. a desktop
and a notebook). If both PCs use Windows XP or newer, you can use the much
faster USB cable connection.
Alternatively, you can use a pair of network cards for a permanent
connection.
Important safety instructions - please read:
1. You need a special cable for the
parallel port cable connection! This cable has crossed data lines! Normal
parallel extension cables may damage the parallel port(s) if you connect them to
your computers! You need a 4 bit (not 8 bit cable). See below for the
connections.
2. Only connect the computers when they
are turned off! Contrary to USB, the parallel port is not suited for
hot-plugging!
3. There is always a danger of the
destruction of the port by static electricity. Therefore please touch the
PC case before connecting the cable. Avoid rubber soles on a carpet floor.
4. Only connect two parallel ports, not a
parallel with a serial! The parallel port on the PC has 25 holes (not pins). The
cable must have two plugs with 25 pins each.
5. You should not use the parallel port
connection with other devices on the same line, like a dongle, ZIP drive (TM) or
an external harddisk. Total Commander blocks all port access for the whole
duration of the connection!
Starting the parallel port connection
1. Turn off both machines, connect them by
parallel cable, and turn them back on.
2. Start Total Commander on both machines.
You only need 1 licence if you are the only user.
3. On both machines, select 'Net' - 'PORT
connection to other PC'.
4. One machine will act as a server, and
one as a client. You will be working on the client, while Total Commander cannot
be used on the server during the connection. Therefore select 'Server' on one
machine, and 'Client' on the other.
5. If your computer has multiple parallel
ports, Total Commander will ask for the port which you want to use. Choose the
port to which the parallel cable is connected.
6. The connection is now established. It
works similar to an FTP connection, i.e. you can now upload, download, delete,
rename, view, and edit files, but not execute programs. Furthermore, you can use
'synchronize dirs'.
7. Close the connection on the client
(Disconnect) and server (Abort).
You can also start a port connection using a command in the
button bar, start menu, or Ctrl+D menu (client only):
The command would be
cd port://lpt1/c:/subdir1/subdir2
Important: Subdirectories must be separated by forward slashes
"/"! The reason is that Total Commander internally uses the FTP functions for
the connection.
If you want to transfer data from a Windows machine to a machine
without Windows (only plain DOS), e.g. to copy a system, you can use the
standalone server for DOS. You can find it on our homepage, www.ghisler.com, on the
'addons' page. Although this server runs on Windows 95/98 and Windows 3.1 in a
DOS box, you shouldn't use it there because it accesses the port without any
protection from other programs. Furthermore, it's slower and doesn't support
long file names.
Usage of the drivers for the parallel port
Total Commander uses the driver cglpt9x.vxd for the
parallel port connection under Windows 95/98/ME. It is loaded automatically when
the connection is started, and removed at the end. Under Windows
NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, the driver cglptnt.sys is used. On 64-bit Windows,
cglpt64.sys is used. To load this driver dynamically, you need
administrator privileges on that machine! If you don't have these, or
want to work under a user account for security reasons (recommended), you can
have the driver loaded automatically at system start. To achieve this, you or
your administrator have to call Total Commander from an administrator account
like this:
Totalcmd.exe /installdriver
To remove the driver, use the command
Totalcmd.exe /removedriver
This will only work on Windows NT based systems! The driver
implements a so-called 'Parallel port class driver'. It was developed by us, and
contains functions to block/unblock access to the parallel port, and functions
to send individual characters and even whole blocks. It allows user mode
programs to gain exclusive access to the parallel ports, but not to other
ports.
Under Windows 3.1, Total Commander accesses the port without a
driver. This means that other applications are not blocked from accessing the
same port! Therefore don't try to print to that port during the connection, or
to access devices on that port.
Troubleshooting
If the port connection fails, try the 'test' mode. To use
it, select 'test' (instead of 'client' or 'server') on both sides! Total
Commander will then send a test pattern over the parallel port, which can be
used by the receiving end to detect if the cable is OK or not. Both ends need to
report that the cable is good, because each end can only test its side!
You may get one of the following results:
1. Both sides say 'the cable is good', but the
connection still fails. Solution: Your cable is probably too long or the
shielding isn't good enough. You probably need a shorter or better cable. Cables
up to 5-10 m/yards should be OK.
2. Error 'could not load driver'. Solution: Make sure you
have the cglpt9x.vxd in the Total Commander directory (Win95/98/ME), or you have
the cglptnt.sys/cglpt64.sys installed (Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista or 7).
Another possible reason: You have tried to create a shortcut to Totalcmd.exe on
the desktop, but have copied the program instead! To fix this, delete the false
shortcut and create a new one by right clicking on the desktop
(new->link).
3. No reply at all. This can have several reasons: The
wrong cable (not with crossed lines, but 1:1 connection), connected to wrong
port, or non-standard ports. Solution: Make sure you have connected the cable to
the correct ports (parallel, not serial), and you have chosen the right port
number (LPTx). If this doesn't help, try a different cable!
4. Total Commander detects that data is received, but
shows a receive error. Reason: Wrong cable (wrong lines are connected),
or a pin may be broken. Total Commander will show which connections do not
work.
Unfortunately we cannot offer any support for non-functioning
parallel port connections.
The cable needs to have at least the following pins
connected:
2 <----> 15
3 <----> 13
4 <----> 12
5 <----> 10
6 <----> 11
15 <----> 2
13 <----> 3
12 <----> 4
10 <----> 5
11 <----> 6
25 <----> 25 (Ground)
