[net.periphs] Vadic 3451PA review

pag@sri-unix (05/13/82)

We also just got our 3451PA, and after a few annoyances, got the thing
working ok.  Having previously used a Hayes Smartmodem in its place,
I'm afraid the Vadic cannot come close as far as engineering is concerned.
The Hayes is a beautifully designed piece of equipment with excellent
documentation and features out the wazoo.  The Vadic, on the other hand,
has the feel of a hastily assembled hack, with few features and scanty
documentation.  But of course it is a triple modem, and that is where
Hayes stumbles.  So if you are looking for a $750 1200/300 autodialer
for uucp, Vadic is your answer.  If you can't cut the $750, the Hayes
is only $275!

Re: the carrier problem.  I modified the dh driver to have certain lines
set to ignore CARRIER on open, but heed it afterward.  Thus things like
the Vadic and Hayes can be opened without having a carrier, but then
will detect loss of carrier once the connection is made.

utzoo!henry appears to have changed the L.sys entry for a site to think it
is a direct connect with a complicated login sequence.  I used a different
approach, and modified conn.c to work with the Vadic instead of a
standard Bell autodialer.  Thus you can continue to use your existing
L.sys, plus get a better idea of where things are possibly going wrong
(via the "-xN" option).  Contact me if you'd like a copy (I've also got
one for the Hayes).

--peter gross
ucbvax!menlo70!hao!pag

PS. Do not use the 'r' option of readnews to send me mail -- it will never
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