[comp.dcom.lans] Help connecting DOS based LANtastic and UNIX tcp/ip

craig@scicom.alphacdc.com (Craig Anderson) (01/31/89)

We have a mixture of DOS pc-clones and UNIX pc-clones.

DOS: ARTISoft LANtastic, NOS software
UNIX: 386/ix, tcp/ip, nfs

LANtastic is a NETBIOS based network.  "LANtastic NOS has been designed
to run on any network adapter that has a NETBIOS interface", from the
User's Manual.  We would like to connect the two networks.

1) Any advice on what is posssible, and how to go about it?
2) What NETBIOS products support ethernet - tcp/ip.

Craig H. Anderson
UUCP    (ncar,isis,boulder,nbires)!scicom!craig
DOMAIN  craig@scicom.alphacdc.com

jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (02/03/89)

In article <1273@scicom.alphacdc.com>, craig@scicom.alphacdc.com (Craig Anderson) writes:
> LANtastic is a NETBIOS based network.  "LANtastic NOS has been designed
> to run on any network adapter that has a NETBIOS interface", from the
> User's Manual.  We would like to connect the two networks.
> 
> 1) Any advice on what is posssible, and how to go about it?

If it uses the SMB protocol over NETBIOS (implies it is based on MS/Net),
then, if the NETBIOS in uses conforms to RFC 1001/1002, then it might be
able to talk to a Syntax SMB server.  I don't know if they run on 386/ix,
though.  If it uses its own private protocol, this could be implemented
on top of Unix tcp/sockets, but there would be a lot of work required.

> 2) What NETBIOS products support ethernet - tcp/ip.

I know the following to support RFC 1001/1002, and interoperate:

Syntax Unix-based SMB fileservers.
FTP's PC/TCP NETBIOS.
Excelan's LAN Workplace for DOS.
Bridge/3Com's PCS-1 NETBIOS.

In addition, I am aware of a product from Ungermann-Bass, which is supposed
to be compatible, but I have no experience with it, except that an early
version insisted on the wrong (old) IP broadcast address of 0.0.0.0.

I have heard it claimed that SCO's Xenix-Net can work with some Xenix TCP/IP,
and that this is RFC 1001/1002 compatible.  At the time, it wasn't working
with our stuff, and since the testing was taking place elsewhere, I don't
know if they ever got it to run.

James B. VanBokkelen		We're moving.  After 2/26, the new number
FTP Software Inc.		will be (617) 246-0900.-- 
James B. VanBokkelen		We're moving.  After 2/26, the new number
FTP Software Inc.		will be (617) 246-0900.