Saturn and Netlink Info - Help Needed

[Warp2063]

I'm looking for any technical information I can get on how the Saturn and the Netlink communicate with each other. Also, if any information or code is left over from when the last person attempted to transmit the Netlink modem's output over the internet, it would be very interesting to look over. The most important thing I'm looking for at the moment would be an actual ASCII dump of the data going to and from a Netlink modem.

Also, if anyone knows how to get in contact with the people who were trying to do this before... that would be very helpful.

Thanks!


Disclaimer: Yes, I have an idea on how to run the Netlink over the internet. However, I know that it's currently outside of my ability (well, more my knowledge level) to pull off. I'm researching and learning as much as I can at the moment, but there's a lot more I need to know. Ultimately, I guess I'm saying don't get your hopes up too high. I have no idea if this will work... I'm running mostly on theories and intuition at the moment. I don't have the equipment or knowledge to actually test my ideas yet.

[XL2K5]

Good! If you can manage to do something about it, you would become my god, lol!
I already tried Saturn-PC server, but it didn't work at all for me!
I have no idea why, I did exactly the same thing as on Dreamcast.
I guess the connection procedure is different from Dreamcast.
So I guess maybe it's possible if you mess with your pc's modem to have a different answering procedure.
So you could start with that, then if you manage to make it work you could log the packets and look at them, and make your pc answer the appropriate thing (if you have the knowledge for it).
Good luck!

[Xranger60]

If anything comes of this, it would be great. Wish you the best on it. Being able to get that NetLink-PC connection down would mean not having to go through the rigors of finding a free ISP and that nonsense before being able to check out the planetWeb browswer.

[Warp2063]

Do you have any info on the previous guy who was working on this?

I've found another possible info lead today on how to get the dump that I need. I've also been talking to one of my professors out here at school, but I don't think he understood what I was asking, and I don't think I understood him. Still, what he told me gave me the idea that helped me find this lead: an emulator that I've heard has Netlink support. If it's true (I've already posted on their boards asking for more information), maybe I can capture the data from the emulator before it ever goes to their virtual Netlink. What I'm trying to discover: I'm trying to find out what the two Saturns are saying to each other, when they are saying it, and why. Once I know that, I think I'll have a better idea as to whether or not my idea will work, and a better idea about how modems work in general.

[XL2K5]

As far as I know, no emulators have real NetLink support. Maybe some have the Japanese NetLink support, but I'm almost 100% sure none of them have actual NetLink support, and the easiest thing to do is try to load NetLink games : They all crash. I hope I'm wrong, but you can still try to see.

[HoboJoe]

I think more then trying to find a free ISP would come out of this....howabout not having to pay for long distance....this would also eliminate the whole digital analog thing.
If you need anything from me (like somebody to test stuff) I got plenty of crap available to test stuff on.

[Warp2063]

I'll need testers eventually, but I'm having trouble coming up with a test that will get the results that I need at the moment.

And I don't necessarily need the virtual Netlink to work... I just need to be able to get the information that it would have transmitted.

[Warp2063]

It's been a while, so I wouldn't count this as a double post.

Does anyone have any information about the old methods that people tried in order to get a Netlink to play over the internet rather than a phone line? I seem to remember someone mentioned connecting a Saturn to a computer, the computer to the internet, and then a second computer to the internet, and a second Saturn to that.

Saturn -> Computer -> Internet -> Computer_2 -> Saturn_2

I remember hearing that this method did not work, but I still want more information on it. Does anyone know anything about the process that was tried? The software or protocols that were used? Almost anything would be helpful. Thanks!

If there's any way to get in contact with anyone who tried this method, that would be useful information as well. I wasn't here long enough ago to have known some of the people who were working on this project.

And if you don't think you know anything helpful, even knowing that would be useful too. Right now I haven't been able to get a clear answer from anyone either way. If posting questions here isn't going to help me get the info I need to pull this off, I'd like to know that.

[XL2K5]

I tried a Saturn-PC server (like just to browse internet) and it didn't work at all, while it worked on Dreamcast.
You could start by trying that first as well, because if we can't even manage to browse internet, it's unlikely that we'll be able to play online using that way.
Anyway, good luck about that!
I bought my NetLink a few months ago and still never played a game, but it almost worked twice, but crashed after the rebooting

[Warp2063]

I tried a Saturn-PC server (like just to browse internet) and it didn't work at all, while it worked on Dreamcast.
You could start by trying that first as well, because if we can't even manage to browse internet, it's unlikely that we'll be able to play online using that way.

This is what I've been working on getting set up for several weeks now, but I keep running into issues, one of them being that for whatever reason, my computer will no longer install Windows 98. I've formatted everything, have used different install CD's... but... nothing. I'm working on a method that doesn't use Linux or Windows 98.

I think that having that set up will help to teach me about modems and the overall setup I'm going to be using, but I don't know how much it will tell me about multiplayer games. I won't know that until I get a logfile of a game to compare it with.

Anyone else? I'm especially curious about previous attempts that people made to play the Netlink games over the internet...

[Xranger60]

I don't think that connecting modem to modem over the internet has ever been attempted before. I suppose you're going to have to ascertain the modem commands being sent from the saturn to the modem first. Then, you'll have to simulate the dialing/ringing on both ends. From there, find a way to alleviate the effects of the lag that will inevitably happen if traffic is being routed over the internet- communication is supposed to be instantaneous on direct dial systems.

[Warp2063]

I thought it had been attempted already... I might have been mistaken.

Well, I do have ideas on how to accomplish each of those tasks, but I have to research and test to see if they're all possible. I'm hopeful, but I still have a lot that I need to learn.

[HoboJoe]

Well if you need anyone to test anything I can do it.

Edit: I just realized i posted like the same thing 2 months ago.

[Warp2063]

Well, there's a lot of hurdles I have to get past before I can do any testing with anyone else. I just built a line voltage inducer, but I don't even know if it works yet. Onto the next step: attempting to use one of my computers as a dial-up server.

[XL2K5]

Well, good luck for it.
It didn't work for me with my Saturn while it works with my Dreamcast, I guess it's a similar problem with the European Dreamcast owners who can't make the dial-up server works with their 33k modem.
Maybe the netlink has the same problem and it's just impossible to make it work.
Having an ethernet adapter for Saturn would be very cool, but then no games could work with it, so sadly I don't think we can play using internet.