rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) (01/26/89)
In article <8417@dasys1.UUCP> eddjp@dasys1.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes: >We are considering upgrading our 386 XENIX box from an ARNET 4 port 9600 baud >board, to a Bell Technologies ACE 8 port 38,400 baud board. I, too am interested in that card. Please post responses; I think others may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) please clue us in! :-> -- Rob Frye NetExpress Communications, Inc. Phone: (703)749-2234 1953 Gallows Road, Suite 300 uucp: uunet!netxcom!rfrye Vienna, VA 22180
jbayer@ispi.UUCP (Jonathan Bayer) (01/27/89)
In article <1135@netxcom.UUCP> rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) writes: >may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board >on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) >please clue us in! :-> We use the Digiboard series of cards. We have used the digiboard 8, the digiboard 8s, and the digiboard 8i. The 8 and the 8s are essentially the same with difference that the 8s uses 16450s, and the 8 uses 8250s. The 8 will not work in systems which have clock speeds greater than about 8 Mhz (even if the bus speed is 8, if the cpu is at 16 the card will not work). The 8s works fine. The 8 can be upgraded to the 8s by replacing the 8250s with 16450s. The 8i is an intelligent buffering board. It works on all systems. We run all these cards at 9600 baud with no problem (8 users or more). We use the 8i for applications such as several serial printers connected to the system where the io load is heavy. JB -- Jonathan Bayer Beware: The light at the end of the Intelligent Software Products, Inc. tunnel may be an oncoming dragon 19 Virginia Ave. ...uunet!ispi!jbayer Rockville Centre, NY 11570 (516) 766-2867 jbayer@ispi
frank@rsoft.UUCP (Frank I. Reiter) (01/28/89)
I have an AST 8-port XN Turbo (quite a name!) that works just great with
terminals, but does not properly support modem control. As I am tired of
waiting for the "New drivers which will fix everything" I am offering this
card for sale at below dealer cost to anyone who wants it.
Email if interested.
--
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Frank I. Reiter \ / UUCP: {uunet,ubc-cs}!van-bc!rsoft!frank
Langley, British Columbia / \ BBS: Mind Link @ (604)533-2312
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*jim@tiamat.FSC.COM (Jim O'Connor) (01/28/89)
In article <1135@netxcom.UUCP>, rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) writes: > In article <8417@dasys1.UUCP> eddjp@dasys1.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes: > >We are considering upgrading our 386 XENIX box from an ARNET 4 port 9600 baud > >board, to a Bell Technologies ACE 8 port 38,400 baud board. > > I, too am interested in that card. Please post responses; I think others > may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board > on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) > please clue us in! :-> We use the Arnet Multiport board in two separate 386 systems and have very good results using it at 38400 baud. We never have all 8 ports running that fast (perhaps three at a time at most), so your mileage may vary if you plan on using all 8 at one time at 38400. --jim ------------- James B. O'Connor jim@FSC.COM Filtration Sciences Corporation 615/821-4022 x. 651
howardl@wb3ffv.ampr.org ( WB3FFV) (01/29/89)
In article <1135@netxcom.UUCP>, rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) writes: > In article <8417@dasys1.UUCP> eddjp@dasys1.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes: > >We are considering upgrading our 386 XENIX box from an ARNET 4 port 9600 baud > >board, to a Bell Technologies ACE 8 port 38,400 baud board. > > I, too am interested in that card. Please post responses; I think others > may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board > on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) > please clue us in! :-> Well just as a suggestion, I would take a look at the Ultra-186 or the Smart Hostess from Comtrol corperation. I personally own the Smart Hostess and have been using it for sometime without any problems. I have two TB+ modems that I talk to at 19.2K, and run several terminals at 38.4K and it just zooms right along. The card works well and supports full modem control (which I could never get to work right on the Bell ICC cards I used to own), and so far none of my news feeds that use TB+ modems have ever had to wait because of slow throughput from my end. I have heard a lot of horrow stories about many manufactures, and even experienced a few of my own, and am very happy with my choice of the Comtrol board. I do not work for Comtrol, but am a satisfied customer, and would for that reason recomend there product... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Internet : howardl@wb3ffv.ampr.org | Howard D. Leadmon UUCP : wb3ffv!howardl | Fast Computer Service, Inc. TELEX : 152252474 | P. O. Box 171 Telephone : (301)-335-2206 | Chase, MD 21027-0171
bill@bilver.UUCP (bill vermillion) (02/04/89)
In article <823@wb3ffv.ampr.org> howardl@wb3ffv.ampr.org ( WB3FFV) writes: >In article <1135@netxcom.UUCP>, rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) writes: >> In article <8417@dasys1.UUCP> eddjp@dasys1.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes: >>>We are considering upgrading our 386 XENIX box from an ARNET 4 port 9600 baud >>>board, to a Bell Technologies ACE 8 port 38,400 baud board. >> >> I, too am interested in that card. Please post responses; I think others >> may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board >> on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) >> please clue us in! :-> You might want to look at the Anvil Stallion. Board is 8 or 16 in an AT configuration or up to 12 in an AT system. It does most of the kernel functions on the board and is fast. The ONLY drawback I have with it is that sometimes a user would get a print process started and under the old system I could kill the process. Under the Anvil the process is dumped to the board and within about 2 seconds the system thinks the job is done with - and then I can't kill it. I haven't timed it - but Anvil says throughput to the board is in excess of 160kbs - it can sustain 9600 to 16 ports at a time. It also goes up to 38k. The only thing it doesn't have - and is due out shortly - is a driver for transparent print like the Computone board. If you are not familiar with the Computone variant the keyboard does not lock up while you are printing to an attached terminal. -- Bill Vermillion - UUCP: {uiucuxc,hoptoad,petsd}!peora!rtmvax!bilver!bill : bill@bilver.UUCP
karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) (02/06/89)
In article <390@bilver.UUCP> bill@bilver.UUCP (bill vermillion) writes: >In article <823@wb3ffv.ampr.org> howardl@wb3ffv.ampr.org ( WB3FFV) writes: >>In article <1135@netxcom.UUCP>, rfrye@netxcom.UUCP (Rob Frye) writes: >>> In article <8417@dasys1.UUCP> eddjp@dasys1.UUCP (Dewey Paciaffi) writes: >>>>We are considering upgrading our 386 XENIX box from an ARNET 4 port 9600 baud >>>>board, to a Bell Technologies ACE 8 port 38,400 baud board. >>> >>> I, too am interested in that card. Please post responses; I think others >>> may wish to know. Also, if anyone is using any other 8-port serial board >>> on SCO Xenix 386 that you like (particularly that will handle 38.4kbps) >>> please clue us in! :-> > >You might want to look at the Anvil Stallion. Board is 8 or 16 in an AT >configuration or up to 12 in an AT system. > >It does most of the kernel functions on the board and is fast. The ONLY >drawback I have with it is that sometimes a user would get a print process >started and under the old system I could kill the process. Under the Anvil >the process is dumped to the board and within about 2 seconds the system >thinks the job is done with - and then I can't kill it. > >I haven't timed it - but Anvil says throughput to the board is in excess of >160kbs - it can sustain 9600 to 16 ports at a time. It also goes up to 38k. >The only thing it doesn't have - and is due out shortly - is a driver for >transparent print like the Computone board. If you are not familiar with the >Computone variant the keyboard does not lock up while you are printing to an >attached terminal. ARGH! The Anvil board may be fine for 16 terminals, but I wouldn't think of using it with even TWO 19200 baud modems. Why? Because they haven't done the work required to get the board to handle input at that speed. Yes, this is only about 20kbs -- TERRIBLE performance on input. Admittedly, output is much better -- as long as there's no input going on! I don't know if I buy 160kbs though.... When our Telebit comes online, my "19200" baud serial terminals' display rate goes down to under 9600 bps -- because the board is overloaded and giving priority to the input (thank god they did get this right). We've been in contact with Anvil both here in the States and Australia (the place of manufacture) and they were _unaware_ of this being a problem. In fact, their people told us that their boards "aren't normally used in that manner" (!) Anvil advised us that they would be looking into the problem and attempt to fix it, but that they weren't confident of being able to do so (this I don't understand -- we're talking RAW input -- which should be more efficient than "cooked" output, no -- besides there's an 8MHZ 80186 on that board!). This conversation took place about 6 weeks ago -- and we have not heard anything from Anvil yet regarding a possible fix. One more thing -- their latest drivers don't work right (with the transparent print and all). If you must use this card, get the older drivers (2.1.7); the "new improved drivers" not only lost characters on input, but had port and system lockup problems as well! The older drivers don't work with VP/ix or attached printers.... so if you need that, you're out of luck. They also occasionally "forget" to output the last character in the output buffers for anywhere from 5-10 seconds after streaming output stops..... If you're intending to do high speed modem work, choose something else. -- Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, ddsw1!karl) Data: [+1 312 566-8912], Voice: [+1 312 566-8910] Macro Computer Solutions, Inc. "Quality solutions at a fair price"