Using Hardware Accessories

This chapter describes how to use the various accessories that you can add to your base unit. Topics include:

Using the Floppy Drive (for HP ENVIZEX II Netstations)
Using Audio
Using a Flash DIMM
Using a Networking Card.

If you have not yet installed your accessories, you can find installation instructions in the box for each accessory kit.

Using the Floppy Drive

If you have an HP ENVIZEX II Netstation, you can install a floppy drive that allows you to transfer files between DOS and UNIX. The floppy system currently supports DOS versions up to and including DOS 6.0.

Topics in this section include:

Formatting a Floppy Disk

You can format a floppy disk from the configuration screens, or from the command line as described below.

Note: Be sure to use the correct density of disk corresponding to the formatting used. High-density disks have holes in two corners. Low-density disks have only one write-protect hole.

Formatting from the Command Line

To format a high-density (1.44 MB) disk, type:
remsh terminalname format -h
(On Sun systems, use rsh instead of remsh.)

To format a low-density (720 K) disk, type:
remsh terminalname format -l

Refer to the man page for hpxt.format for more information.

Formatting from the Configuration Screens

To format a floppy disk, follow these steps:

Insert the floppy disk into the drive.
Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal], then [Floppy].
Select the density.
Select [Format Floppy].

Note: When you format the floppy drive, make sure that you are not working in the $HOME/floppy directory. This causes the floppy to unmount. If the floppy unmounts, you have to reboot your Netstation to remount it.

Reading and Writing to a Floppy Disk

The floppy drive is automatically mounted and accessible as $HOME/floppy (or if you prefer, $HOME/a:). By default, the floppy drive is accessible only from the login server (the host that is running an X session manager such as XDM, HP VUE, or dtlogin).

You can proceed to read from and write to the floppy drive as if it were a directory on your UNIX system, with one exception: if you are working within an application program, you must save the file to the UNIX filesystem before you copy it to the floppy.

For example, to save a file from a spreadsheet program, the user Smith first needs to save the file to the UNIX filesystem. To write the file data.tmp to the floppy drive, Smith types:

cp data.tmp $HOME/floppy/data.tmp
or
cp data.tmp ~/a:

The floppy's DOS-based file system does not support UNIX hard links. If your application tries to perform a hard link operation on the floppy drive, you will see an error message.

File Naming Conventions

When you transfer files back and forth between DOS and UNIX, select file names that suit DOS naming conventions. With DOS, a file name can be eight characters with a three-character extension (for example, acctdata.wrk) If your file name is too long, the system uses the last eight characters of the name and the first three characters of the extension.

Logging Out When You Have a Floppy Drive

If you use a session mount, which is the default, you need only to log out from your X session before you switch off the Netstation.

If instead you use the optional mounting methods described in Changing How the Floppy Drive Is Mounted, you need to unmount the floppy before switching off the Netstation. Failure to do so may result in "hung" mounts until the floppy is remounted.

Troubleshooting the Floppy Drive

If you have problems with the floppy drive, confirm that the drive has been installed properly and that the Netstation has loaded the "Floppy" module.

To Confirm that the Floppy Drive Is Properly Installed

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal]. A [Floppy] option should appear in the middle column. If this option does not appear, the floppy has probably not been installed correctly. Follow these steps:
1. Power off the Netstation.
2. Open the chassis.
3. Confirm that the connector is oriented correctly and seated properly.

The following diagram illustrates the connection:

Connecting the Floppy

To Confirm that the Netstation Loaded the Floppy Module

When you switch on the Netstation, it automatically detects the floppy drive and attempts to download the "Floppy" module, which contains the NFS Server and DOS File System extensions.

To confirm that the Netstation loaded the Floppy module:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Diagnostic], then [Configuration].

Under Extensions, you should see:

NFS Server
DOS File System

You should also check the /opt/hpxt/enware2/xthome/bin/directives file to make sure the Floppy module is set to Auto.

If these lines do not appear in both the configuration screens and the directives file, you or your system administrator needs to reinstall the HPXT-FLOPPY fileset.

Changing How the Floppy Drive Is Mounted

When you log into an HP or Sun host computer that has HP Netstation Software installed, lines added to Xstartup and Xreset by the HP Netstation Software installation scripts automatically NFS-mount the floppy drive and create a symbolic link to $HOME/floppy. If you are using CDE, use the instructions in Using an Automount Daemon as an example.

On an AIX host computer, the floppy drive is not automounted. Refer to the sample files provided in the /opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm directory for more information.

With this mount and symbolic link in place, you can use the floppy drive as if it were a directory on your UNIX system.

To change the way NFS mounts the drive, refer to the following sections:

Changing the Automatic NFS Mounting

In a default environment, the Netstation floppy drive is automatically NFS-mounted when you log in through XDM, dtlogin, or vuelogin. If you want to change this behavior, you can set an option so that:

The Netstation never NFS-mounts the floppy drive, or
The Netstation always prompts you when you log in (through XDM, dtlogin, or vuelogin).

If you prefer to use either of these options, follow these steps:

Copy the sample file /opt/hpxt/enware2/share
/examples/hpxt_floppy to your home directory.
Uncomment the option you wish to activate (remove the comment character). The options are:

MOUNT
Always auto-mount floppy
NOMOUNT
Never auto-mount floppy
PROMPT
Prompt user at login
Save your changes as $HOME/.hpxt_floppy. The next time you log in, the floppy mount behavior will be changed accordingly.

Using a Session Mount

By default, with XDM, dtlogin, and vuelogin, the Netstation uses session mounts set up in:

path/Xstartup, and
path/Xreset

where path is:

/opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm: with XDM
/usr/vue/config: with HP VUE
/etc/vue/config: with HP VUE (HP-UX 10.x)
/etc/dt/config: with dtlogin

These files mount the floppy drive and create a symbolic link to $HOME/floppy when users log in and unmount the drive when users log out.

Using an Automount Daemon

If you use applications that require access to the floppy drive, you may want to set up automount daemons so that your application servers can mount the floppy as required.

For example, if you use an application that runs on a server other than your login server, you can use an automount daemon to enable that host to access your floppy drive.

Once you have set up the automount daemons, whenever you access one of these servers, the daemon:

Mounts the floppy drive
Creates a symbolic link to $HOME/floppy.
Unmounts the floppy drive when it has not been accessed for the timeout period (by default, this is 5 minutes).

To set up an automount daemon, perform the following steps on each computer you access:

Remove the lines from Xstartup and Xreset that mount and unmount the floppy.
As superuser, create the file /etc/auto.hpxtfd and put the following line in it:
```
*       -soft,retrans=6,timeo=50  &:/hpxtfd
```
Note: The NFS timeout needs to be set to allow the floppy drive sufficient time to mount and operate. We recommend a minimum timeout of 50 seconds.
Tell the automounter to run the file that you just created.
- For HP-UX 9.x systems, do the following:
  1. Edit the file /etc/netnfsrc2 and find the two occurrences of the line that starts the automounter. By default, it is:
    /usr/etc/automount
    If you have HP MPower installed, it is:
    /usr/etc/automount /nfs -hosts
  2. To both occurrences of the line, add
    /hpxtfd /etc/auto.hpxtfd
    immediately after the automount command. For example:
```
/usr/etc/automount /hpxtfd /etc/auto.hpxtfd /nfs -hosts
```
- For HP-UX 10.x systems, do the following:
  1. Edit the file /etc/rc.config.d/nfsconf and set variables to reasonable values such as:
```
AUTOMOUNT=1
AUTO_MASTER="/etc/auto_master"
AUTO_OPTIONS="-f $AUTO_MASTER"
```
  2. Edit the file /etc/auto_master and add a line like:
```
/hpxtfd /etc/auto.hpxtfd
```
- For Solaris 1 systems, do the following:
  1. Edit the file /etc/rc.local and add the following line:
```
automount -f /etc/auto.hpxtfd
```
Create the link between the user's /floppy directory and the automounter's mount point. Type:
ln -s /hpxtfd/terminalname $HOME/floppy
Restart the automount daemon.

Mounting from the Command Line

If you have superuser privileges, you can mount and unmount the floppy as required:

Remove the lines from Xstartup and Xreset that mount and unmount the floppy.

To mount the floppy, use the command:

/etc/mount terminalname:/hpxtfd /users/username/floppy -o soft,timeo=50

For HP-UX 10.x systems, mount the floppy with the command:

/sbin/mount -o soft,timeo=50 terminalname:/hpxtfd /users/username/floppy

To unmount the floppy, type:
```
/etc/umount /users/username/floppy
```
For HP-UX 10.x systems, unmount the floppy by typing:
```
/sbin/umount /users/username/floppy
```

Note: If you encounter difficulties on Sun or IBM systems, refer to /opt/hpxt/enware2/bin/admin/mountfloppy.

Using Floppy Drives in a Single-Account, Multi-User Environment

When you log in from a Netstation that has a floppy drive, a line in the Xstartup file automatically NFS-mounts your floppy drive. To enable other Netstation users to log into the same account and access their floppy drives, modify Xstartup as follows:

Log into the account and create the directory: $HOME/floppy
As superuser, edit the X session manager's Xstartup file:
- For XDM users, this is: /opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm/Xstartup
- For HP VUE users, this is: /usr/vue/config/Xstartup
  On HP-UX 10.x systems, this file is: /etc/vue/config/Xstartup
Find the line that mounts the floppy:
```
.../mountfloppy $DISPLAY $USER $HOME/floppy
```
and add /$DISPLAY to the end.
Save the changed file.
Again as superuser, edit the X session manager's Xreset file.
Find the line that unmounts the floppy:
```
.../unmountfloppy $DISPLAY $USER $HOME/floppy
```
and add /$DISPLAY to the end.
Save the changed file.

At log in, users can access their floppy drive as $HOME/floppy/$DISPLAY

For example, the user of the Netstation called xterm12 accesses the floppy drive as:

$HOME/floppy/xterm12

Mounting using Your Own XDM

If you use an HP version of XDM (including dtlogin or vuelogin), the floppy drive is mounted automatically. If you choose to use your own version of XDM, you will need to modify some files so that the floppy can be mounted automatically.

For an example of how to mount and unmount the floppy drive automatically, refer to the following files:

/opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm/Xstartup
/opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm/Xreset

For AIX (If You Use IBM's XDM):

You can make similar modifications to your own XDM files. Sample Xstartup and Xreset files have been provided in the /opt/hpxt/enware2/xdm directory. You can modify these files and replace your XDM files accordingly. Under some versions of AIX, these files have been renamed to GiveConsole and TakeConsole.

Using Audio

If you order the audio accessory kit, you can build or use multi-media applications that incorporate audio components. You can use either or both of the following:

The Netstation's audio support functions. These functions are available to all Netstation users through the configuration screens. You can mix input from various sources, and play back or record the result.
The HP Audio Editor, running on an HP workstation. This does not include support for telephone input or output.

Because both of these methods set the same variables, you may experience conflicts if you try to use both methods (especially if you try to use both at the same time).

For more information, see:

Using the Netstation Audio Support

On any Netstation with the audio card installed, you can use the configuration screens to work with audio input and output. This is described in the following sections:

Playing Back an Audio File

To play an audio file, do the following:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal].
Select [Audio Control].
Set the volume in the Speaker field and Playback field.
Select [Audio Player].
Type the name of the file, and press [Play]. If you have HP-UX, you can find sample audio files in /usr/audio/sounds (/opt/audio/sounds for HP-UX 10.x).

The Audio Control Configuration Screen

Mixing Audio Input from Various Sources

You can mix various audio sources and send the result to an output device. For example, you can mix audio from the telephone and a file that you are playing back.

To mix audio input, do the following:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal].
Select [Audio Control].
Use the slider bars to control the level of input and output for each device. Typically, you would start by moving the sliders to the middle (for devices that you are using) and move other sliders all the way to the left.

Example: Playing an Audio File

To play an audio file, complete the following steps:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal].
Select [Audio Control].
Move the Playback slider bar to the right.
Move the Speaker slider bar to the right.
Select [Audio Player].
Type the name of the file, and press [Play].

Example: Using a Telephone, with File Playback

If you have plugged your telephone into your Netstation, you can use File Playback:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal].
Select [Audio Control].
Move the Phone and Playback slider bars to the right.
Move the Speaker and Headset slider bars to the right.
Select [Audio Player].
Type the name of the file, and press [Play].

Recording an Audio File

To record an audio file, do the following:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal].
Select [Audio Control].
Set the levels of the appropriate recording devices by moving the slider bars to the right.
Move the Record slider bar to the right.
Select the appropriate Record Device:
- Line In & Monitor Microphone
- Phone
- Headset Microphone
- Playback Output (select this device if you want to record a mix of different audio sources).
Select [Audio Player].
Type the name of the file.
When you are ready to start recording, select [Record].
Select this button again when you are ready to stop.

Using the HP Audio Editor

The full functionality of the HP Audio Editor is available if you have access to an HP audio server running on an HP 9000 Series 700 or Series 800 workstation. The host must be running HP-UX 9.03 (or greater) or HP MPower 1.2 (or greater).

If you do not have access to such a server, you can still play files but you may prefer using the Netstation audio functions (described in Using the Netstation Audio Support).

Topics in this section include:

Starting Audio

Before you begin:

Ensure that the microphone is plugged into the microphone connector. Supported microphones include the microphone that is shipped with the Audio Kit (For ENVIZEX II Netstations HP Part Number C5204A; for ENTRIA II Netstations, HP Part Number C5853A).
Ensure the headphones are plugged into the headphones connector.

Connect the audio jacks into the front of the Netstation from left to right as follows:

Microphone
Headphones
Line in
Line out.

Audio Jacks for the ENVIZEX II Netstation

If you have external speakers, ensure they are plugged into the line out connector. Note that external speakers must be amplified.

If you are connecting to a telephone, ensure that the telephone cable is plugged in to the bottom of the Netstation as follows:

Telephony Jacks for the ENVIZEX II Netstation

At power up, the Netstation automatically detects that you have installed an audio card and configures the Netstation accordingly. The audio data goes to the device specified by the DISPLAY environment variable or to the device specified by the AUDIO environment variable. If the audio server cannot find these values, the audio data goes to the workstation, not the Netstation.

If your audio plays on the host instead of your Netstation, you need to set your AUDIO environment variable as described in Directing the Audio Data to the Netstation. If your audio plays on the Netstation but you need to change where it plays (the internal speaker or your headphones), refer to Directing the Audio Data within the Netstation.

Directing the Audio Data to the Netstation

If your audio plays on the host instead of your Netstation, you need to set your AUDIO environment variable. To do this, put the following line in your $HOME/.xsession file or, for HP VUE users, in your $HOME/.vueprofile file:

For Bourne or Korn shell:
AUDIO=terminalname:0
export AUDIO
For C shell: setenv AUDIO terminalname:0

Directing the Audio Data within the Netstation

You may need to control whether your audio plays to the internal speaker or to your headphones. You can do this by setting the SPEAKER environment variable or by using the audio control panel, as described in the following two sections.

Setting the SPEAKER Environment Variable

To set the SPEAKER environment variable, put the following lines in your $HOME/.xsession file or, for HP VUE users, in your $HOME/.vueprofile file:

To send the audio to your headphones, use:
- For Bourne or Korn shell:
```
SPEAKER=EXTERNAL
export SPEAKER
```
- For C shell: setenv SPEAKER external
To send the audio to the Netstation's internal speaker (which is the default), use:
- For Bourne or Korn shell:
```
SPEAKER=INTERNAL
export SPEAKER
```
- For C shell: setenv SPEAKER internal

Using the Audio Editor's Control Panel

To access the audio editor's control panel, type the following from a terminal emulator window:
/usr/audio/bin/AudioCP &
For HP-UX 10.x systems, type: /opt/audio/bin/AudioCP &

You control where the audio goes by selecting the "Output" pulldown, then choosing "Speaker" and/or "Headphones."

Playing a Sample Audio File

To load a sample audio file:

Invoke the audio editor
(/usr/audio/bin/audio_editor or /opt/audio/bin/audio_editor)
Click on the audio editor's "File" pulldown
Choose "Load File...".

The "Select File to Load" window appears. You can find sample audio files in /usr/audio/sounds (/opt/audio/sounds for HP-UX 10.x). To choose one of these samples, do the following:

In the "Select File to Load" window, set the filter to /usr/audio/sounds/* or /opt/audio/sounds/*
Click on [Filter].
Click on a sample file.
Click on [OK].

To play the sample file, click on [Play]. You can control the volume of the sound by using the audio editor's control panel.

Troubleshooting the Audio Card

To confirm that the audio card was installed correctly and its software loaded, follow these steps:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal], then [Extensions].
- For Netstation audio, you should see the following:
```
 Audio hardware driver  Auto Active  -Audio
```
- For HP workstation audio with the HP Audio Editor, you should see the following:
```
 Audio hardware driver  Auto Active  -Audio
 HP Audio Server        Auto Active  -AServer
```
If you do not see any references to the audio board, check that it was installed correctly:
1. Power off the Netstation
2. Open the chassis
3. Confirm that the connector is aligned properly and pushed down so that no pins are visible:
  
  Connecting the ENVIZEX II Audio Card
4. Important: Ensure that the grounding screws were replaced:
  
  Grounding the ENVIZEX II Audio Card
Check the /opt/hpxt/enware2/xthome
/bin/directives file to make sure the Audio module is set to Auto.
If the audio board is installed correctly but you do not see the Audio extension (and Aserver extension for HP Audio Netstations) in both the configuration screens and the directives file, reinstall the HPXT-AUDIO fileset.

Using a Flash DIMM

By installing a flash DIMM in your HP Netstation, you can:

Boot the Netstation locally and connect to a remote host over a serial line (using SLIP or PPP)
Operate the Netstation without downloading any files from the host
Boot one Netstation from another, as described in Booting One HP Netstation from Another.

Booting One HP Netstation from Another

When you switch on a Netstation it downloads its X server file, rgb.txt file, and fonts from a file server. In most cases, the Netstation receives these files from a host computer (the file server) or from a flash DIMM installed in the Netstation. However, you can also set up an HP Netstation with a flash DIMM to boot any number of similar Netstations. In this case, the Netstation with the flash DIMM functions as the file server.

Step 1: Program the Flash DIMM

Use the Flash File Manager to program the flash DIMM with a fileset. The fileset must match the Netstation you are attempting to boot, not necessarily the Netstation with the flash DIMM. For instructions, refer to Using Flash File Manager.

Step 2: On the Netstation with the Flash DIMM

Install the flash DIMM in the Netstation you will be booting from.
Power on the Netstation.
Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select the [Terminal] configuration screen.
Click on [Extensions].
If the NFS Server line says "Active", exit the configuration screens and proceed to Step 3: On the Netstation You Want to Boot. If the NFS Server line says anything else, follow these steps:
1. Click on the NFS Server line.
2. Click on [Load Next Boot]. "Userload" appears on the NFS Server line.
3. Click on [Apply].
4. Reboot your Netstation.
  Note: The Netstation must be completely up and running before you attempt to boot the other Netstations. You may wish to discourage users from turning off this Netstation since it may affect other users.

Step 3: On the Netstation You Want to Boot

Power on the Netstation
Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Network], then [File Server].
In the File Server 1 field, type the IP address of the other Netstation (the one with the flash DIMM installed).
Set the access method to NFS.
Select [Terminal], then [Paths].
Make sure that the [Base Path] field is set to:
/opt/hpxt/enware2/xthome.
Exit the configuration screens.
Reboot the Netstation. It should boot from the Netstation that has a flash DIMM installed.

Troubleshooting the Flash DIMM

If the Netstation does not boot from the flash DIMM, you can try the following:

Check that the flash DIMM was installed correctly
Check that the flash DIMM software was loaded
Boot from the host (if connected to a LAN), and
Reprogram the flash DIMM with the Flash File Manager.

Checking the Installation of the Flash DIMM

To confirm that the flash DIMM was installed correctly, follow these steps:

Press and hold [F12] to access the configuration screens.
Select [Terminal], then [Extensions].
You should see the following:
```
 NFS Server            Auto Active  -NFSServer
```
If the NFS Server says anything else, check that the flash DIMM was installed correctly:
1. Power off the Netstation.
2. Remove the cover.
3. Confirm that the flash DIMM is aligned properly and pushed down so that the clips are in an upright position:
  
  Inserting a Flash DIMM
Replace the cover and turn the Netstation on.

To make sure that the configuration parameters are correct for booting from the flash DIMM, follow these steps:

At the boot screen, click on the [Setup] icon. The configuration screen appears.
Select [Network], the [File Server].
If there is any information in the File Server fields, delete it.
Select [Ethernet (n)].
Select User Input for the Parameters From field.
Select [Apply].
Reboot your Netstation.

Checking that the Flash DIMM Software was Loaded

You can use the remsh command to list the contents of the flash DIMM. Enter the following command:
remsh terminalname ls /dev/ffs1

If you have two or three DIMMs, enter /dev/ffs2 and /dev/ffs3 respectively as the directory you want to list.

If all the software was not loaded, you can try rebooting your Netstation, or you can use the Flash File Manager to reprogram the flash DIMM. Refer to Using Flash File Manager for more information on using the Flash File Manager.

Booting from the Host

If you are connected to a LAN (through serial, SLIP, or PPP), you can boot from the host. Refer to Adding HP Netstations to Your Network and Configuring Your Netstations for more information.

Once you have successfully booted from the host, you can use the Flash File Manager to reprogram the flash DIMM. Refer to Using Flash File Manager for more information on using the Flash File Manager.

Using a Networking Card

You can also install:

A 100BaseT card (for HP ENVIZEX II Netstations only)
One of the following:
- A 100VG card (for HP ENVIZEX II Netstations only)
- A combined ThinLAN and AUI card

If you do not install a 100VG card or a ThinLAN/AUI card, you can install a second 100BaseT card.

For network troubleshooting information, refer to: Solving Problems Related to the Networking Card.