root%bostonu.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa (BostonU SysMgr) (07/13/85)
From: James Matheson <jmrm%digsys.engineering.cambridge.ac.uk@UCL-CS.ARPA> Message-Id: <8507110834.AA25849@uk.ac.cam.eng-dsl> Subject: Ethernet for IBM machines >Does anyone know of any products or have any experience of connecting an IBM >system (specifically a 4341 running VM/CMS) via Ethernet to VAXen running >4.2 BSD. I have heard that there is IBM Ethernet hardware for the Series 1 >which could be used a front end but know nothing about what software may be >available. > >Please send any info to jmrm%cam.cl@ucl-cs.arpa >Thanks in advance. Yes, we are experimenting with two products at Boston University: WISCNET from University of Wisconsin (available via IBM I believe) which uses a DACU (Device Access Control Unit: attaches together a piece of DD11-CK Unibus backplane and a bus and tag channel into which you plug an interlan board, it has an IBM/PC for 'control'.) We are also playing with another implementation of TCP/IP from Spartacus (Cambridge, MA) which has their own (K200) box for attaching and ethernet to an IBM channel. The WiscNet seems to be quite good, we get a *lot* of use around campus from their SMTP. File transfers seem to be limited in speed by the remote machines (eg. VAX->IBM is about the same or better than VAX->VAX) We haven't enough experience yet with Spartacus to comment tho I hear it's good (glak, for another reason we have a hacked VM and its slowing down installation...our fault.) This is all on an IBM3081, but 43x1's are a more typical configuration. -Barry Shein, Boston University
jbn@wdl1.UUCP (08/05/85)
The package he is referring to is ``VM Interface Program for TCP/IP'', IBM Program 5798-DRG, price $17,000. Contact your IBM rep for further details. We've looked at the product, but haven't actually purchased one pending the conversion of our IBM mainframe from MVS to VM. John Nagle
dob@ihlpa.UUCP (Daniel M. O'Brien) (08/08/85)
> The package he is referring to is ``VM Interface Program for TCP/IP'', > IBM Program 5798-DRG, price $17,000. > John Nagle So much for the Program, what kind of hardware is used to connect the channel to the Ethernet? ETHERNET <--> {what box?} <--> IBM Channel ^^^^^^^^^ --- Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihlpa!dob) AT&T Bell Laboratories IH 4A-258, x 4782 Naperville-Wheaton Road Naperville, IL 60566
jbn@wdl1.UUCP (08/23/85)
You need the following hardware:
IBM Device Access Control Unit (DACU), which provides DEC UNIBUS
slots and connects to an IBM block multiplexer channel.
IBM PC w/128Kb and 1 floppy, which is the brains of the DACU
1 Interlan UNIBUS dumb Ethernet card, plus cables, tranceivers, etc.
Incidentally, the IBM mainframe does all the protocol processing;
the DACU and Interlan cards are unintelligent and the PC is just there
to get the DACU started; the packets don't pass through the PC.
Supposedly this all works OK, but I haven't used it. Contact your IBM
rep for further info. If you get the product announcment info for the program,
all the basic questions are answered there.
John Nagle