[comp.sys.ibm.pc] NFS Support for DOS

DKRUGER@UALTAVM.BITNET (Dwight Kruger) (07/27/89)

I am looking for a package that supports NFS for IBM PC's running DOS using
the 4 or 16 Mbit token-ring card.  I has anyone seen commerical or public-
domain packages which provide this capability?

smb@datran2.uunet (Steven M. Boker) (07/29/89)

In article <606@UALTAVM.BITNET>, DKRUGER@UALTAVM.BITNET (Dwight Kruger) writes:
> I am looking for a package that supports NFS for IBM PC's running DOS using
> the 4 or 16 Mbit token-ring card.  I has anyone seen commerical or public-
> domain packages which provide this capability?

We have been using PC-NFS from SUN microsystems to connect our DOS
machines to an Ethernet NFS system.  PC-NFS provides us with client
capability for the DOS machines.  We can remote mount on our NFS server
in DOS and also use TELNET FTP etc.  I have found installation to be
straightforward and the utilities to be adequate.  I think the price
was around $300.  I don't know if they support token ring, but its
a place to start.

Steve Boker
smb@datran2.uunet.uu.net

jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (08/01/89)

In article <409@datran2.uunet>, smb@datran2.uunet (Steven M. Boker) writes:
> In article <606@UALTAVM.BITNET>, DKRUGER@UALTAVM.BITNET (Dwight Kruger) writes:
> > I am looking for a package that supports NFS for IBM PC's running DOS using
> > the 4 or 16 Mbit token-ring card.  I has anyone seen commerical or public-
> > domain packages which provide this capability?
> 
> We have been using PC-NFS from SUN microsystems to connect our DOS
> machines to an Ethernet NFS system.  PC-NFS provides us with client
> capability for the DOS machines.  We can remote mount on our NFS server
> in DOS and also use TELNET FTP etc.

In the current release, Sun's "PC/NFS" only supports Ethernet and SLIP.

We sell an NFS client product named "Interdrive" as an add-on to our
DOS TCP/IP package "PC/TCP".  We support about 20 different network
interfaces, including any 802.5 card with a software driver compatible
with IBM's "ASI" (TOKREUI) specification.  The IBM LAN Support program
does this and is available for both 4Mb and 16Mb cards.

Beame & Whiteside also has a DOS NFS, but I think it only has Ethernet drivers.
-- 
James B. VanBokkelen		26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA  01880
FTP Software Inc.		voice: (617) 246-0900  fax: (617) 246-0901

phil@diablo.amd.com (Phil Ngai) (08/01/89)

In article <409@datran2.uunet> smb@datran2.uunet (Steven M. Boker) writes:
|We have been using PC-NFS from SUN microsystems to connect our DOS
|...
|straightforward and the utilities to be adequate. 

I would add to this that the utilities are only barely adequate and
the printer support is lousy. You only get one telnet session and ftp
has a ridiculously low limit on the number of files you can ask it
for. Telnet doesn't know how to use VGA or Super-VGA so you're stuck
with the 24x80 terminal model. 

The printer support is almost useless if you plan to use it with real
applications like Microsoft Word (unless you customize it) or
Microsoft Windows. There's a disagreement about end of job (MS uses
^D, Sun gets confused by it) that makes me wish I had a Macintosh
every time I print with PC-NFS. 

I think some people in my group got bit by group permission problems
using NFS but I don't know the details. 
--
Phil Ngai, phil@diablo.amd.com		{uunet,decwrl,ucbvax}!amdcad!phil
"The government is not your mother."

geoff@hinode.East.Sun.COM (Geoff Arnold @ Sun BOS - R.H. coast near the top) (08/02/89)

In article <26558@amdcad.AMD.COM> phil@diablo.AMD.COM (Phil Ngai) writes:
>In article <409@datran2.uunet> smb@datran2.uunet (Steven M. Boker) writes:
>|We have been using PC-NFS from SUN microsystems to connect our DOS
>|...
>|straightforward and the utilities to be adequate. 
>
>I would add to this that the utilities are only barely adequate and
>the printer support is lousy. You only get one telnet session and ftp
>has a ridiculously low limit on the number of files you can ask it
>for.

Fixed in PC-NFS 3.0.1.

>  Telnet doesn't know how to use VGA or Super-VGA so you're stuck
>with the 24x80 terminal model. 

True, but there's a problem here. Several companies are marketing
enhanced terminal emulation products which run with PC-NFS, and
it's tough to persuade people to do that if you're going to
do a lot of enhancement in that area. So we've been focussing on the
NFS and printing side of things.

>The printer support is almost useless if you plan to use it with real
>applications like Microsoft Word (unless you customize it) or
>Microsoft Windows. There's a disagreement about end of job (MS uses
>^D, Sun gets confused by it) that makes me wish I had a Macintosh
>every time I print with PC-NFS. 

As of 3.0.1 printing with Windows, Word and most other apps is pretty solid.
Windows is a brutally unfriendly environment in which to work, and
most of the issues are undocumented, so each release breaks something new.
What we found is that in a timer-based TSR it is no good relying on
the InDos flag to see if it's safe to issue DOS calls, because if the
call comes at an "inconvenient" time for Windows you can crash the PC.
(The workaround is left as an exercise to the reader.) 

>I think some people in my group got bit by group permission problems
>using NFS but I don't know the details. 

Pre-3.0.1, PC-NFS users were only members of their primary (/etc/passwd)
group. In 3.0.1 we added code to check the "groups" YP map to identify
additional group membership. Long-term, we need to spin the "pcnfsd"
protocol to include additional user info, including group memberships
and resource profiles.

>--
>Phil Ngai, phil@diablo.amd.com		{uunet,decwrl,ucbvax}!amdcad!phil
>"The government is not your mother."


Geoff Arnold,                              Internet: garnold@East.Sun.COM
Manager, PC-NFS Engineering                UUCP: ....!sun!East!garnold
PCDS Group, Sun Microsystems Inc.

richard@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu (Richard Foulk) (08/12/89)

In article <653@east.East.Sun.COM> geoff@hinode.East.Sun.COM (Geoff Arnold @ Sun BOS - R.H. coast near the top) writes:
[...]
} 
} Fixed in PC-NFS 3.0.1.
} 
} >  Telnet doesn't know how to use VGA or Super-VGA so you're stuck
} >with the 24x80 terminal model. 
} 
} True, but there's a problem here. Several companies are marketing
} enhanced terminal emulation products which run with PC-NFS, and
} it's tough to persuade people to do that if you're going to
} do a lot of enhancement in that area. So we've been focussing on the
} NFS and printing side of things.

Right.  So this must mean that you guys are now supporting the industry
standard packet-driver interface so that things like NCSA-Telnet and
FTP Software's stuff will run alongside PC-NFS.  Right?


Richard Foulk		richard@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu

epsilon@wet.UUCP (Eric P. Scott) (08/20/89)

In article <4554@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> richard@uhccux.UUCP (Richard Foulk)
writes:
>Right.  So this must mean that you guys are now supporting the industry
>standard packet-driver interface so that things like NCSA-Telnet and
>FTP Software's stuff will run alongside PC-NFS.  Right?

I'd like to run PC-NFS and Clarkson's TN3270 on a PC/AT with a
3C503 (not at the same time).   Clarkson's Packet Driver requires
the dip-switches set to enable shared memory.  PC-NFS's 3C503
driver will not run when I do this; it wants shared memory
disabled.  I have Geoff Arnold's PC-NFS+Packet Driver Version 2,
but I'd rather not run it if I don't have to, since it's
officially unsupported.  Does enabling shared memory force it to
be used, or just set a power-on default that a driver could
disable?  Why does PC-NFS insist on an inefficient operating mode?
According to the documentation, it doesn't do this on the WD8003!

					-=EPS=-