Linux - DOS - hybrid?
 

I have small network of three machines, two running Win XP Pro, and one running Dr DOS 703. All of them are connected to a Netgear DG834 ADSL Router.

Im trying to connect to the DOS box from the XP machines, so that I can transfer large files to its hard drive, which I want to do regularly. But I cant seem to get it to work. I can see the DOS box, but cant actually connect to it from the XP machines.

You may be wondering why Im posting this on a Linux forum.

I was wondering if there is a distro of Linux which is very small and which will run all DOS based programs? But is easy to setup on my network, so I can trasfer files to the machine its running on.

Basically a distro which has all the qualities of DOS (such as fast booting, and being able to just switch the machine off), but with the better networking support of Linux.

Maybe you just need a networking stack for the DOS box. I don't know where to look, but there might be such an animal still lurking somewhere (perhaps Trumpet or Novell...)

Oooh! Or LANtastic!



*ducks*


;)

Dont you have to pay for Lantastic?

I need something freeware.

I'm not very familiar with freedos but it may have what your looking for, check it out at http://www.freedos.org

"I was wondering if there is a distro of Linux which is very small and which will run all DOS based programs? But is easy to setup on my network, so I can trasfer files to the machine its running on."

You can run DOS programs on Linux using DOSEMU:

http://www.dosemu.org/

I have been using DOSEMU for over three years to run some C programs I wrote on DOS about 10 years ago. On top of DOSEMU you have to run a real DOS OS. I currently use FreeDOS, which is the DOS recommended by DOSEMU. When I first began using DOSEMU I used Novell DOS 7, which works OK on DOSEMU. When you mentioned DR.DOS 703 I was curious if that is the same thing as Novell DOS 7 because Novell bought DR. DOS (I think from Digital Research) and renamed it Novell DOS.

As to setting up Linux, any Linux distribution will do as a platform to run DOSEMU. Linux is highly configurable and you would want to set up a Linux box with no GUI, just the Command Line Interface. Every distribution comes with the CLI.

The make or break question is whether or not a DOS application program running on DOSEMU can communicate with the network. I simply do not know. Perhaps the DOSEMU documentation can tell you.

___________________________________
Be prepared. Create a LifeBoat CD.
http://users.rcn.com/srstites/LifeBo...home.page.html

Steve Stites

Thanks for the help :)

I dont need a DOS program to communicate with the network. The programs I will have running are MPXT (front-end for MPXPLAY) and MPXPLAY (which is a DOS based MP3 player).

I need to transfer my music files to the PC, once I have ripped them from my albums, which I cant seem to get working in DOS on its own. But I thought I may in Linux as its more up to date.

I will have a look at DOSEMU. Perhaps I could find a really minimalist distro of Linux, and then run DOSEMU on that.

Or skip DOS and rip with Linux...

A small question about DOSEMU, does it accept CDROMs? I've been trying to install (a game actually), and I can install from the CDROM (as it's just another dir), but it doesn't see a CDROM drive. Is there any way this can be fixed?

"A small question about DOSEMU, does it accept CDROMs? I've been trying to install (a game actually), and I can install from the CDROM (as it's just another dir), but it doesn't see a CDROM drive. Is there any way this can be fixed?"

I have never tried it but there is CD-ROM support for DOSEMU:

http://dosemu.sourceforge.net/docs/R.../README-8.html

___________________________________
Be prepared. Create a LifeBoat CD.
http://users.rcn.com/srstites/LifeBo...home.page.html

Steve Stites

Couple options.

First like was mentioned use a dos emulator under linux
Second find linux programs do do the same as the doc programs
third find an od NT4 server cd and use the dos network client (its called a client but will allow you to share files)

I've got it saying there's a CDROM drive (and a CDROM in it), but whenever I try to dir D: (the cdrom drive) I get
" Volume in drive D has no label
File not found."
and when I try to run ls I got "c:/gnu/ls.exe: .: Unknown error"

Is there any way to get this to work? Thanks.

I discovered it needs MSCDEX to run. I only have SHSUCDX. Where can I get MSCDEX?

"I discovered it needs MSCDEX to run. I only have SHSUCDX. Where can I get MSCDEX?"

If you have any of the Microsoft software listed in this link then you have a copy of MSCDEX on hand:

http://www.computerhope.com/mscdex.htm

You also might be able to make things work by creating a symbolic link from mscdex to shsucdx.

___________________________________
Be prepared. Create a LifeBoat CD.
http://users.rcn.com/srstites/LifeBo...home.page.html

Steve Stites

I really have to ask....

Why in the world are you using DOS for anything?

It's the year 2004 and there are TONS of other options out there.

Why use DOS to play MP3's?



Peace,
Whitehat

Because I can turn the DOS machine off, with out having to shut it down.