# # 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.