Ethernet LAN ==> SCSI devices

[omicron]

I have 2 computers (the new one running XP, the old one running Windows Millenium) connected in a simple ethernet LAN (crossover cable).

The old computer is equipped with a SCSI card to connect to an even older scanner.

Is it possible to "share" the SCSI device (the scanner) over the LAN ? How ?

Thanks all.

[vitualis]

I don't think so.

Regards.

[rallynavvie]

It can be done but it's going to be horribly difficult and only works with certain scanners. It involves turning the PC that's connected to the scanner into what amounts to a TWAIN terminal. Obviously this would only work with TWAIN-compatable scanners.

Trust me, just go get yourself one of the little USB-powered ones for $50 instead, the software alone for the TWAIN terminal will cost 5 times as much as that.

It's not an Epson 636 is it?

[kschang]

I second rallynavvie's recommendation. A "decent" scanner can be had for under $100.

[omicron]

Thank you all.

My (very) old scanner being TWAIN compliant, and even though you seem to promise me a hard time, I am going to look into the "TWAIN terminal" lead and try and identify software. Just for the fun of it.

If I ever get to something I will let you know.

Thanks again

[omicron]

I forgot - the scanner is a Canon Canoscan 300. Must be about 10 years old. Came together with one of those "pre PCI" interface cards (don't remember how they were called, looked like a PCI card, but for a much shorter slot). When I got a new PC, I had to get a new SCSI card, which I bought in Singapore for a few dollars.

I think it just shows I just like tinkering... Why be happy with a stupid USB cable, when with a screwdriver and one hour free time, you can open your PC, connect cards and cables, install drivers, get nothing working, start all over again, blood sweat and tears, swear words etc. and finally get the darn thing to worl (more or less) ? Along the way learned about such poetic things as daisy chains, and cruel things such as terminators....

[rallynavvie]

..."pre PCI" interface cards (don't remember how they were called, looked like a PCI card, but for a much shorter slot)

ISA? That'll take you back

SCSI is still around, in fact I had to cut a chunk out of the HDD cage on my pretty new ATX case in order to fit the terminator in on the end of that cable. I guess I don't understand why the cable itself has the terminator built in within half an inch of the last connector. They should put another few inches on it at least so you can move it off somewhere instead of trying to jam it in between the other SCSI and IDE connectors

[kschang]

Yeah, probably ISA. Way back when they were quite fond of putting scanners on SCSI. Had a ScanJet IIc that was on a TINY SCSI card... Only good for scanning, nothing else. But then, I'm like a little museum. My HP Deskjet 500c (the first color consumer inkjet they made) is still working and on my desk.

[omicron]

ISA it is. I still have it somewhere. We were young then.

[edDV]

It's not an Epson 636 is it?

I have an Epson 636U gathering dust. Did anyone ever make a XP driver for it?

[rallynavvie]

I dunno about XP but we were still using a few at work on Win2k.

[ofbarea]

I still have a very old ARTEC ViewStation AT´3. It is an SCSI I scanner that I managed to use in WXP through a firewire to SCSI converter. There are no drivers for WXP. I use W2K drivers and they are just fine.

[jimmalenko]

Why not set up a share and just save the scanned image to the newer computer's hard drive from the old PC ?

You could even use something like TightVNC and do it all from the comfort of your new PC

[omicron]

Jimmalenko:

not sure I understand your suggestion.
The 2 PC's are in an ethernet LAN sharing drives and printes, so I can of course use the scanner from the "old" PC and save on the new PC's drive. But that is not real fun....

Talking about this, I noticed something rather annoying - sharing an internet connection as I do (in Windows XP Home edition) makes it impossible to implement my FTP site. Apparently, proxy servers would allow me to bypass this, but I read in the documentation for my ADSL modem (Thomson Speedtouch 530) that it does not support proxies.

I am slowly but surely getting out of my depth; I hope sharing my internet connection through a router will be the solution, but it will be a couple of months before I am visiting a low cost country where computer gear is affordable (not like here in Belgium, where it easily costs double of what it costs in the US). In the meantime, only one PC will connect to the Internet so that my FTP site can be active.

Unless you guys have alternatives to suggest.

Regards to all.

[rallynavvie]

Well for an FTP you do need to be running an IP for each computer and not sharing the connection through one machine. Any decent router will allow you to set up the proper port forwarding for your FTP. The only trick is your IP address. Many ISPs here in the States don't assign IP addresses unless you ask for it, and most of the time they charge for this. However a good alternative is to use a redirect, or dynamic DNS, so that your IP can change but as long as you have the service to update your IP with the redirect it won't matter. I use DynDNS.org for my FTP and VPN redirects. You can use their free service or couple it with an application like 3D that runs as a service on XP and detects when your global IP changes and updates with DynDNS. You only need to pay for the software then, the free service on DynDNS will work OK. Then set up the FTP port to forward to the machine you're setting up with your FTP.

I've been doing it this way for 4 years and it works well. I could pay to have a static IP with my ISP but I actually don't want a static IP and it's sometimes easier to remember a text-based URL for my FTP than a numeric one.

[jimmalenko]

Jimmalenko:

not sure I understand your suggestion.
The 2 PC's are in an ethernet LAN sharing drives and printes, so I can of course use the scanner from the "old" PC and save on the new PC's drive. But that is not real fun....

TightVNC is a remote desktop type of program. So you'd be sitting on your new computer, but be able to port to the desktop of your old computer and take control of it as if you were in front of it ...... only you're not.

[omicron]

Rallynavvie:

here is the frustration: on my "old" PC, I have a TV card (Pinnacle PCTV Pro) that I used to capture sports broadcasts, that I would put on my FTP site. Using a similar service to the one you mention (www.no-ip.com), my FTP site would have a permanent address. My son (who lives in Japan) would connect and upload, mainly Formula 1 racing.

This worked very well.

So I buy a new computer, hoping that everything will run even better and faster, but:
- sofar, have been unable to use my "classic" capture software (that is, unable to capture sound with AVI_IO, K!TV, Virtualdub, you name it. Picture OK but no sound...
- unable to get my new DSL Modem / Router (Thomson Speedtouch 530) to forward ports to mt FTP server (GuildFTP) (my old DSL modem gave up 2 weeks ago, and I thought I was doing the right thing buying a sophisticated one this time. You bet !)

All this because I am, I think, totally newbie with XP and with networks. Will get there, for sure, but this is real hard !

OK, let me try all over again...