crosson@cam.nist.gov (Bob Crosson) (05/19/89)
Please forgive this reposting of a previous message, but there was *NO* response and I know there must be somebody out there who's done this. I have a friend who has a Novell Netware LAN that can be connected to the rest of the world through a TCP/IP gateway. He wants to be able to use TCP/IP to talk to the rest of the world while still using Netware. In what ways is it possible to do this? Is the rumor I've heard true that NCSA Telnet can be used in some way? Thanks in advance. Bob Crosson crosson@cam.nist.gov
jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (05/22/89)
In article <247@fs1.cam.nist.gov>, crosson@cam.nist.gov (Bob Crosson) writes: > I have a friend who has a Novell Netware LAN that can be connected > to the rest of the world through a TCP/IP gateway. He wants to be > able to use TCP/IP to talk to the rest of the world while still using > Netware. In what ways is it possible to do this? Is the rumor I've > heard true that NCSA Telnet can be used in some way? There are three ways you can make Netware and TCP/IP usable from the same PC while using only one network interface card. Each has advantages and disadvantages, I sell one, but I'll list them in order of introduction: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. You can modify the IPX module so that it is possible to share the hardware interface, and use a TCP/IP protocol stack side-by-side with Netware. BICC Data networks did this first, initially with PC-IP and later with our PC/TCP product, but they didn't make their interface sharing spec public. Proteon did the same thing, but with a different, P1300-specific interface and our PC/TCP. We didn't want to write drivers for a dozen private interfaces, so John Romkey came up with the Packet Driver spec (which isn't specific to Netware, but has been most widely used with it) and published it. Later, Excelan did the same thing using a private interface and their ethernet board's on-board TCP/IP. You can build your Packet Driver into IPX.COM (Interlan, Gateway, Schneider & Koch, IMC Networks, Sytek, Univation and others), in which case you can stick with the normal, illegal, Netware encapsulation. Alternatively, you can require that your users run ECONFIG, to make Netware use a legal 'Bluebook' packet, and build an IPX.COM which uses a separate Packet Driver to do its network I/O (Kelly McDonald's freeware SHELLDRV.OBJ from BYU does it this way). Advantages: Faster, no load on the server because the IP traffic goes direct to the other IP host. If the interface is Packet Driver and not proprietary, you can use either commercial or freeware TCP/IP stacks, as well as the freeware Packet Drivers from Clarkson. The exact TCP/IP features you get with this approach vary, depending on which TCP/IP package you use (PC/TCP, NCSA, PC-IP or KA9Q at the moment), but in general, this choice gives you the widest variety of applications (TN3270, RCP, TFTP etc.) to choose from. Disadvantages: The LAN you're connected to has to be one on which TCP/IP is widely used on (Ethernet, Starlan, ProNET-10, 802.5). The PC has to have an IP address, and the software has to be installed on it. NOTE: You get the same effect as if a Packet Driver was in use on 802.5 interfaces which support IBM's ASI software driver spec (TOKREUI or LAN Support Program). It is different in structure, but it serves the same purpose, of letting many protocol stacks use the same card at the same time. PC/TCP and IBM's DOS TCP/IP both support 802.5 via this interface. NOTE: Banyan VINES has supported this scheme of interface sharing on Ethernet since v2.10, with a private interface. 3Com 3+/Open supports the same scheme via the published NDIS interface. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. You can get the Interlan "gateway" product, and install it in your Netware server. This is an NP600 intelligent Ethernet card and software which acts as a high-level translating gateway between IPX protocols on one side and TCP/IP on the other. It supports Telnet and FTP from the workstation, and incoming FTP to the server. The Telnet user interface is via a user-supplied terminal emulation program on the PC. I am told that it supports 16 connections via a single server. Advantages: PC can use any Netware-supported media (Ethernet, Arcnet, Omninet, etc.) without consideration of whether or not IP is used on it. PCs don't have to have IP address (but some software must be installed on them). Disadvantages: Can only use protocols the gateway understands (it can do normal Telnet, but not 3270-mode Telnet, for instance). Each active connection loads the gateway some, and this approach will probably be the slowest of the 3 even when only one person is using it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Wollongong has a version of WIN/PC which uses NETBIOS datagrams to transport IP packets over Netware. They have published an RFC describing the protocol, but I don't know of anyone else who has yet implemented it. There have also been academic developments which I understand used different mechanisms to do roughly the same thing. Either requires a separate, dedicated router to forward the IP packets onto an Ethernet or other TCP/IP media. Wollongong supplies a PC-based router which accomplishes this. Advantages: Can run any TCP/IP application which supports the interface, don't care what media the PC is using. Server is not loaded. Disadvantages: Must install software on individual PCs. A dedicated router is required, which may be a throughput bottleneck. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, there it is, as I understand it, today, May 22, 1989. James B. VanBokkelen 26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA 01880 FTP Software Inc. voice: (617) 246-0900 fax: (617) 246-0901 -- James B. VanBokkelen 26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA 01880 FTP Software Inc. voice: (617) 246-0900 fax: (617) 246-0901