1# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
2#
3# Parallel Line Internet Protocol (PLIP) network device configuration
4#
5
6config PLIP
7	tristate "PLIP (parallel port) support"
8	depends on PARPORT
9	help
10	  PLIP (Parallel Line Internet Protocol) is used to create a
11	  reasonably fast mini network consisting of two (or, rarely, more)
12	  local machines.  A PLIP link from a Linux box is a popular means to
13	  install a Linux distribution on a machine which doesn't have a
14	  CD-ROM drive (a minimal system has to be transferred with floppies
15	  first). The kernels on both machines need to have this PLIP option
16	  enabled for this to work.
17
18	  The PLIP driver has two modes, mode 0 and mode 1.  The parallel
19	  ports (the connectors at the computers with 25 holes) are connected
20	  with "null printer" or "Turbo Laplink" cables which can transmit 4
21	  bits at a time (mode 0) or with special PLIP cables, to be used on
22	  bidirectional parallel ports only, which can transmit 8 bits at a
23	  time (mode 1); you can find the wiring of these cables in
24	  <file:Documentation/networking/plip.rst>.  The cables can be up to
25	  15m long.  Mode 0 works also if one of the machines runs DOS/Windows
26	  and has some PLIP software installed, e.g. the Crynwr PLIP packet
27	  driver (<http://oak.oakland.edu/simtel.net/msdos/pktdrvr-pre.html>)
28	  and winsock or NCSA's telnet.
29
30	  If you want to use PLIP, say Y and read the PLIP mini-HOWTO as well
31	  as the NET-3-HOWTO, both available from
32	  <http://www.tldp.org/docs.html#howto>.  Note that the PLIP
33	  protocol has been changed and this PLIP driver won't work together
34	  with the PLIP support in Linux versions 1.0.x.  This option enlarges
35	  your kernel by about 8 KB.
36
37	  To compile this driver as a module, choose M here. The module
38	  will be called plip. If unsure, say Y or M, in case you buy
39	  a laptop later.
40