Sean Fahey wrote:
Paul Schlyter wrote:I have something which looks like an adapter plug from Ethernet to Centronics parallell printer connector. But how on Earth do one wire Ethernet to a parallell printer? Well, inside that "plug" there's a printer server, with a web interface for configuration purposes....That's probably a serial console adapter. For example, adapters like that come with most professional routers so you can attach a modem or laptop to the console port on the device to administer it in the event the broadband connection is lost, config problem or something happens to the ethernet port.My Cisco adapters and cable are always in my bag ready to go.
I think what he means is something like a D-Link Pocket Print Server (DP-301P or similar); it's basically a big plug (about the size of the old Xircom Pocket Ethernet dongles, ~3 in. long) with an Ethernet port (and power) on one side, and a 25-pin Centronics plug on the other. We have one at work, and it has a 80186 in it, some flash ROM, a parallel port driver and a D-Link glue chip (which probably also has an NE2000-ish Ethernet MAC inside it).
-lee