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# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
#
# Parallel Line Internet Protocol (PLIP) network device configuration
#
config PLIP
tristate "PLIP (parallel port) support"
depends on PARPORT
---help---
PLIP (Parallel Line Internet Protocol) is used to create a
reasonably fast mini network consisting of two (or, rarely, more)
local machines. A PLIP link from a Linux box is a popular means to
install a Linux distribution on a machine which doesn't have a
CD-ROM drive (a minimal system has to be transferred with floppies
first). The kernels on both machines need to have this PLIP option
enabled for this to work.
The PLIP driver has two modes, mode 0 and mode 1. The parallel
ports (the connectors at the computers with 25 holes) are connected
with "null printer" or "Turbo Laplink" cables which can transmit 4
bits at a time (mode 0) or with special PLIP cables, to be used on
bidirectional parallel ports only, which can transmit 8 bits at a
time (mode 1); you can find the wiring of these cables in
<file:Documentation/networking/PLIP.txt>. The cables can be up to
15m long. Mode 0 works also if one of the machines runs DOS/Windows
and has some PLIP software installed, e.g. the Crynwr PLIP packet
driver (<http://oak.oakland.edu/simtel.net/msdos/pktdrvr-pre.html>)
and winsock or NCSA's telnet.
If you want to use PLIP, say Y and read the PLIP mini-HOWTO as well
as the NET-3-HOWTO, both available from
<http://www.tldp.org/docs.html#howto>. Note that the PLIP
protocol has been changed and this PLIP driver won't work together
with the PLIP support in Linux versions 1.0.x. This option enlarges
your kernel by about 8 KB.
To compile this driver as a module, choose M here. The module
will be called plip. If unsure, say Y or M, in case you buy
a laptop later.