Dear managers!
Sorry for being so late with my summary! I had to check out other
possibilities as well.
Thanks to
"Dr. Tom Blinn, 603-884-0646" <tpb_at_doctor.zk3.dec.com>
Peter Reynolds <PReynolds_at_synstar.com>
Joe Fletcher <joe_at_meng.ucl.ac.uk>
Michael Gasperi <michael.gasperi_at_uni-klu.ac.at>
"Sean O'Connell" <sean_at_stat.duke.edu>
for their suggestions.
Now for the details: The MAC address (or hardware address, which is not
necessarily the same as the physical address) is kept in "a small,
socketed ROM chip" for a LANCE interface in a DEC 3000/300LX. This is no
longer true for TULIP interfaces in PWxxx or XP1000 machines, where the
MAC address (among other parameters) is held in a so-called serial ROM
chip (Fairchild 93C46). These chips are SMDs with no socket at all. So,
moving the ROM chip doesn't work. Reprogramming the 93C46 means removing
it from the motherboard by means of a soldering iron. :-( On the other
hand, I have the slight suspicion that in-cicuit reprogramming might be
possible using a special programme. I've seen one on an INTEL web page
but for x86 processors only.
Changing the physical address to the desired value (a la DECnet)
doesn'tc work for me. Sigh!
As a consequence I'm gonna do the paperwork!
Regards
Peter
Original message follows:
I have several software packages running on my ageing DEC 3000/300 LX
machines. They all rely on some mechanism binding the software license
to the machine's MAC address (held in a small removable ROM chip on the
LANCE ethernet interface). Replacing those machines with something on
the order of one or more PW???au's (with TULIP interfaces) is a real
desire but also means a lot of paperwork etc. which I would really like
to avoid.
Now for my question: Is there a way to move the MAC address from a LANCE
interface to a TULIP interface? Or, will I have to do it the hard way
and ask the software vendors for new license keys?
--
Dipl.-Phys. Rolf-Peter Kienzle
Dept. of Remote Sensing and Land Information Systems
University of Freiburg, D-79085 Freiburg, Germany
Tel/Fax +49 761 203 8643/8640 e-mail: kienzlep_at_uni-freiburg.de
Received on Tue Sep 28 1999 - 16:36:56 NZST