[escher]

Has anybody used FireWire Target Disk mode to connect a PowerBook with a FW PC Card to a desktop Mac? Or does FWTDM only work with built-in FireWire?

I assume that you can run the desktop in FWTDM and use it as an external HD on the FW PC Card-equipped PowerBook. But does it work the other way around?

Escher

PS: I have a CardBus enabled 2400c with a FireWire2Go PC Card on the way from Outpost and am hoping that I will be able to run my 'Book as a slave drive when I upgrade my desktop system.

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!

[Potatoswatter]

Technical answer:
FireWire target disk mode requires quite a bit of firmware. It's basically a self-contained simple operating system contained in NVRAM. The 2400 doesn't have this firmware, so it can't operate in Target Disk Mode. Apple can't easily port the software over, either, because it assumes that FireWire is being controlled by specific chips on the motherboard.

Simple answer:
You can put an iMac or G4 (if it's a G4, it must be an AGP model) in Target Disk Mode by holding down the 'T' key. This is actually more convenient because the battery runs down faster if the laptop is being run in TDM. If you've updated your desktop with a FireWire card, you're out of luck.

Actually, I'm not sure if TDM would work properly between a third-party PC card and a desktop. Apple says that TDM requires the only two devices on the bus to be the two computers. Does this mean that it's a specific feature to Apple chips? Post your results!

BTW, I don't think that anyone could make a 3-lb book w/ 5 hours life. The battery in the Pismo alone weighs over a pound. I don't think power consumption can be cut much further with UMA - a new subnotebook would require a special chipset, which Apple would not make.

Congrats on having a 2400, tho. It's the greatest Apple's ever made, IMHO.

[This message has been edited by Potatoswatter (edited 12-03-2000).]

[escher]

Thanks for the elaborate explanation, Potatoswatter . It will be a few more moths until I can get a desktop with built-in FireWire, but I'll definitely get back to the board at that point. I think that I'll be able to use my desktop as a slave drive, because I suspect that only the computer in FWTDM needs to have the special firmware and chips. We'll see...

Also, thanks for the compliments on the 2400. I love it very much and use it a lot, but the rising cost of replacement parts (especially batteries) means that I won't be able to keep it running for much longer. Hopefully, I will be able to replace it with a new Apple subnotebook by MWNY in July 2001.

As for a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with 5 hour battery life, I think it would be possible with some smart power conservation and a fairly high capacity but light battery (I am thinking about Lithium polymer technology). Obviously, the processor would have to be a 750cx G3 and not a G4 (not even the 7410), at least for now. Presumably, 5 hours would be the absolute maximum (used in the official specs) and 3 hours would be more typical.

Escher

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!

[This message has been edited by escher (edited 12-04-2000).]