jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor) (02/01/91)
Does anyone know right off hand if Synoptics (also sold under the Western Digital name) Lattisnet twisted-pair ethernet products are compatible with 10base-T? We have several WD TP ethernet boards and I wonder what our chances of connecting to a new 10base-T concentrator would be. Thanks. ------------- James B. O'Connor jim@tiamat.fsc.com Ahlstrom Filtration, Inc. 615/821-4022 x. 651
henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (02/01/91)
In article <787@tiamat.fsc.com> jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor) writes: >Does anyone know right off hand if Synoptics (also sold under the Western >Digital name) Lattisnet twisted-pair ethernet products are compatible >with 10base-T? ... As I understand it, the old ones are not. Synoptics now makes 10BaseT parts, but those differ in both part numbers and details of appearance, and I believe they are electrically incompatible. -- If the Space Shuttle was the answer, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology what was the question? | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry
johnston@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Jon Johnston) (02/04/91)
Whoa...... You must make sure, though, that the Synoptics stuff is the
newer equipment that IS compatible iwth 10BaseT, however, since Synoptics was
in the game before 10BaseT became a standard, there is also another standard
wiring/cabling scheme that is a Synoptics type of cabling.
The newer cabling/wiring is 10BaseT, but the older Synoptics stuff is
going to be different......
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INET: johnston@pnet51.orb.mn.orgoberman@rogue.llnl.gov (02/05/91)
In article <3995@orbit.cts.com>, johnston@pnet51.orb.mn.org (Jon Johnston) writes: > > Whoa...... You must make sure, though, that the Synoptics stuff is the > newer equipment that IS compatible iwth 10BaseT, however, since Synoptics was > in the game before 10BaseT became a standard, there is also another standard > wiring/cabling scheme that is a Synoptics type of cabling. > > The newer cabling/wiring is 10BaseT, but the older Synoptics stuff is > going to be different...... To give you a bit more information, 3xxx equipment is 10baseT. 2xxx is not. 1xxx may be depending on the module involved. If 505 transceivers are used, it's not 10baseT. If 508s are used, then it is 10baseT. I believe that LattisNet refers to the proprietary technology and that it is not applied to the 10baseT stuff, but I'm not sure about that. R. Kevin Oberman Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Internet: oberman@icdc.llnl.gov (415) 422-6955 Disclaimer: Don't take this too seriously. I just like to improve my typing and probably don't really know anything useful about anything.
karl@lvs.Eng.Sun.COM (Karl Auerbach) (02/05/91)
>To give you a bit more information, 3xxx equipment is 10baseT. 2xxx is not. >1xxx may be depending on the module involved. If 505 transceivers are used, >it's not 10baseT. If 508s are used, then it is 10baseT. The above is only partially correct. Synoptics, like many of the companies who make concentrator boxes, builds a chassis in which a customer may place a variety of different cards. The Synoptics 3000 series concentrator can hold boards which are 10-Base-T complient, older Synoptics proprietary Ethernet over UTP complient, token ring complient, act as a remote bridge, etc. So simply specifying the concentrator model (e.g. S3xxx) is not sufficient. --karl--
sblair@upurbmw.dell.com (Steve Blair) (02/05/91)
[I used to work at SynOptics...] If you're trying to deal with questions like the ones recently being discussed with regards to 10BaseT, and can't tell for "sure" if you're right, simply contact: support@synoptics.com For support, question, and the like. I should know -- I setup the alias(used to be HOSTMASTER/POSTMASTER), and am still a stockholder regards, -- Steve Blair DELL UNIX DIVISION sblair@upurbmw.dell.com ================================================================
phil@shl.com (Phil Trubey) (02/05/91)
In article <627@newave.UUCP> john@newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III) writes: >In article <787@tiamat.fsc.com> jim@tiamat.fsc.com (Jim O'Connor) writes: >> Does anyone know right off hand if Synoptics (also sold under the Western >> Digital name) Lattisnet twisted-pair ethernet products are compatible >> with 10base-T? > >According to the manual for the Synoptics 3000 system, it is totally >compatible with the draft 10BaseT standard. Whoa. Be careful here. Synoptics makes two products. One is their older LattisNet product that is *not* compatible with 10BaseT - it is a pre-standard form of Ethernet over UTP (very similar to 10BaseT, but not compatible). Their new products *are* 10BaseT compatible. To make things confusing, both products are available in the 3000 series product line. The 3000 series product line uses one of two concentrator chassis (a 3 slot and a twelve slot) into which card modules are pluged. You can buy either LattisNet or 10BaseT modules for 3000 series concentrators. The only product that I know of sold under Western Digital's name is a clone of Synoptics' 2500 series line. This line was only ever produced using LattisNet technology, not 10BaseT. I don't know if Western Digital has since brought out a 10BaseT concentrator. I know that Synoptics has *not* ungraded the 2500 series to 10BaseT and probably never will. I suspect that Synoptics will be phasing out LattisNet sometime soon for new accounts. Anyone know for sure? BTW, 10BaseT is no longer draft... -- Phil Trubey SHL Systemhouse Inc. (Internet: phil@shl.com UUCP: ...!uunet!shl!phil)
remaker@icarus.amd.com (Phillip Remaker) (02/07/91)
NOW, to end the Synoptics Lattisnet confusion once and for all: With the introduction of the 3000 series concentrators, Synoptics combined all of their available technologies on one bus. Lattisnet is a "catch all" phrase for all of these products. They have some modules that do proprietary twisted pair ethernet, and some that so 10BaseT ethernet. They have other products doing ethernet over fiber and shielded twisted pair. Caveat Emptor! The marketing yoyos at Synoptics should really take more care to dfferentiate their products. NEVERTHELESS! The wary customer can simply look at THE LAST DIGIT of the model number of any module to know what it does. HOW TO TELL WHAT YOUR SYSTEM 3000 module does. If it ends in 7 or 8, that means it is 10 BaseT compatible: >>> 3308 host module, 3307 host module, 408 module, 508 transciever. If it ends in 5, it is the pre-standard propritetary twisted pair ethernet: >>> 3305 host module, 505 tansceiver. If it ends in 4 means it is an FOIRL (fiber optic inter repeater link) cabling: >>> 3304 fiber module. If it ends in 2 it is Ethernet over IBM type II cabling: (also used for their Token Ring related products) >>> 3302 shielded twisted pair host module, 502 transceiver. If it ends in 3, that means it is a non-station related module: (also used to indicate modules with the 10Base5 AUI connection) >>> 3313 network management, 3333 retiming, 3323 bridge, 3383 router, etc. If it ends in 1, that means it is a power supply 8-). There will probably be a new designator for the FDDI modules when they are released. I think the prototypes at interop ended in a "9". And you can mix and match all card types in the chassis. Does THAT clear things up any? -- Phillip A. Remaker A.M.D. M/S 167 P.O. Box 3453 Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3000 TCP/IP internetworking from hell. DoD #185 remaker@amd.com 408-749-2552 Things to do today: 1) Get a clue. 2) Get a job. 3) Get a life.
vasu@ESD.3Com.COM (Swaminatha Vasudevan x1141) (02/08/91)
In article <1991Feb6.202058.3700@amd.com> remaker@icarus.amd.com (Phillip Remaker) writes: >NOW, to end the Synoptics Lattisnet confusion once and for all: > >With the introduction of the 3000 series concentrators, Synoptics >combined all of their available technologies on one bus. Lattisnet >is a "catch all" phrase for all of these products. They have >some modules that do proprietary twisted pair ethernet, and some that >so 10BaseT ethernet. They have other products doing ethernet over >fiber and shielded twisted pair. Caveat Emptor! The marketing yoyos at >Synoptics should really take more care to dfferentiate their products. > This seems like a good opportunity to toss in a plug for my company(and division). 3Com manufactures and sells the Etherlink II TP and the Etherlink/MC TP for PC and Microchannel machines. These boards offer twisted-pair compatibility to IEEE 10BaseT AND Pre-standard Lattisnet. This is the ONLY adapter I know of that supports pre-standard and standard twisted pair. Both boards are software-compatible with their counterparts, the Etherlink II and the Etherlink/MC. --------------------------------------------------------------- S. Vasudevan 3Com Corporation, Santa Clara, Ca All opinions are mine mine mine.