[comp.dcom.lans] STARLAN-10 with UNIX on a 6383

cwf@cbnews.ATT.COM (Cary W. FitzGerald) (01/17/89)

My organization is about to purchase STARLAN-10 equipment for a medium to large
sized LAN (50-80 nodes).  Most of the nodes on the network will b 6383's running
UNIX.

Some of the literature I've gotten talks about "file transfer" and "remote
login" software.  My question is:  what form do these capabilities take?
Are there "r" commands (rcp, rlogin), or are these just versions of cu and
uucp?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Cary FitzGerald		voice:  (614) 860 5021

norm@cfctech.UUCP (Norm Meluch) (01/18/89)

In article <3148@cbnews.ATT.COM> cwf@cbnews.ATT.COM (Cary W. FitzGerald) writes:
>
>My organization is about to purchase STARLAN-10 equipment....
>Most of the nodes on the network will b 6383's running UNIX.
>
> "file transfer"? "remote login" ?.
>  My question is:  what form do these capabilities take?
>
>Cary FitzGerald		voice:  (614) 860 5021

Here's a summary of the connection of UNIX and DOS over STARLAN as I know it.

	DOS -> DOS :
		File Xfer - must use the copy command to transfer file
			to some shared directory on a UNIX or DOS server
			and have second machine pick up the file from there.
			An exception might be PMX STARmail.
			This might allow direct mailing of
			files between PC's via a server.  Haven't played with
			that program yet.

		Remote login - There is a "message service" that allows a DOS
			client to send a one liner to another client on the
			network (assuming you know their client name).  No real
			login though.  Message appears on client screen in a
			window overriding *most* software.

	DOS -> UNIX :
		File Xfer -  As long as a DOS PC is allowed to attatch a
			virtual drive to a shared directory on the UNIX
			machine (running DOS server software) the file 
			transfer is as simple as the DOS copy command.

		Remote Login - STARLAN 10 comes with a terminal emulator 
			called (MS)KERMIT.  This program if given the command
			to "set port net <remote host>" will use a properly
			installed network adapter as a communications port
			for "asynch" communication on the network.  The remote
			host is any UNIX server running the STARLAN network 
			software.  Not sure if kermit upload and download
			is possible with this program.  Copy is much easier.
			Guess i should RTFM (*.DOC file).

	UNIX -> UNIX :
		File Xfer -  RFS is the suggested solution to this problem.
			This allows local mounting of network advertised 
			file systems/resources and use of them as locally 
			available.
		Remote Login - via cu command.  Again "asynch" communication.

	UNIX -> DOS :
		Walk over to PC and see above under DOS -> UNIX.

I'm sure that some of the above descriptions can be improved upon. I should
add that the capabilities all work *quite* well, and there is a great deal
of features that I have left off for the sake of brevity.
	Administration, Remote printing, Mainframe communication, etc...


|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Norman J. Meluch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Mail:uunet!umix!sharkey!cfctech!norm                 Voice: (313) 244-1809   |
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Note: The opinions expressed here are in no way to be confused with valid    |
|_______ideas or corporate policy._____________________________________________|

les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (01/18/89)

In article <3148@cbnews.ATT.COM> cwf@cbnews.ATT.COM (Cary W. FitzGerald) writes:

>My organization is about to purchase STARLAN-10 equipment for a medium to large
>sized LAN (50-80 nodes).  Most of the nodes on the network will b 6383's running
>UNIX.

Some of the literature I've gotten talks about "file transfer" and "remote
>login" software.  My question is:  what form do these capabilities take?
>Are there "r" commands (rcp, rlogin), or are these just versions of cu and
>uucp?

I only have experience with the 1Mb starlan, but the AT&T software will
provide cu & uucp access over the net, and RFS for mounting remote directories.

You should also have a library for compiling programs that use direct
TLI or streams connections across the network if you are so inclined.

Les Mikesell

les@chinet.chi.il.us (Leslie Mikesell) (01/18/89)

In article <2251@cfctech.UUCP> norm@cfctech.UUCP (Norm Meluch) writes:
>Here's a summary of the connection of UNIX and DOS over STARLAN as I know it.
>			An exception might be PMX STARmail.
>			This might allow direct mailing of
>			files between PC's via a server.  Haven't played with
>			that program yet.

Yes, you can attach files to a mail message.  If you use a unix server, the
mail is passed over the network to the normal unix transport (an enhanced
/bin/mail is provided to allow binary file handling - too bad everyone doesn't
have this).  Inbound mail stays in the unix mailbox until the PMX client
asks for it so you can read it either way.

                        [MSKERMIT] 
>			Not sure if kermit upload and download
>			is possible with this program.  Copy is much easier.
>			Guess i should RTFM (*.DOC file).
>
Yes, mskermit 2.31 and up will do file transfers over the net with the
unix host.  Also, you can go between 2 dos machines (this should work on
any netbios compatible net) by putting one in server mode and connecting
to it from another machine.  This is handy where you don't have a common
server.

Les Mikesell

pag@tcsc3b2.UUCP (Philip A. Gross) (01/19/89)

In article <3148@cbnews.ATT.COM>, cwf@cbnews.ATT.COM (Cary W. FitzGerald) writes:
> 
> My organization is about to purchase STARLAN-10 equipment for a medium to large
> sized LAN (50-80 nodes).  Most of the nodes on the network will b 6383's running
> UNIX.
> 
> Some of the literature I've gotten talks about "file transfer" and "remote
> login" software.  My question is:  what form do these capabilities take?
> Are there "r" commands (rcp, rlogin), or are these just versions of cu and
> uucp?
> 

We recently installed STARLAN-10 at one of our clients running a 3B2/400
and several PC's on it.  Files could be transfered by either using the
network version of kermit or by simply copying the file to a drive.  In
the later instance, a directory on the 3B2 is "mounted" to a drive on the
PC.  For instance, after you have successfully completed the installation
of the client software on the PC and have properly defined the name of
the server (it is important that you enter '.serve' on the end of the
server's nodename) you then reboot the PC so that it can link to the
server.  Once the PC has linked to the server, you can look at drive N:
on the PC, this drive will be automatically linked to a directory on the
3B2.  On this 'logical' drive, you will find certain DOS programs such
as kermit (a network version) which is used not only for file transfer,
but also for performing remote login.  Other programs available will allow
you to display a DOS directory in a format similar to the 'ls -al' command
in UNIX.

In the case of having several UNIX boxes linked together using STARLAN-10,
you can use cu and uucp to connect to the other machines and transfer
files to them.  There are special entries which are made in the Systems,
Devices, and Dialers files under uucp to establish these capabilities.
If you have purchased the Remote File Sharing software for your 6386's,
then you will also be able to "mount" directories on your server to
directories on the client systems.  This will provide you with a easy
means of transfering files from one system to another, simply use the
UNIX 'cp' command.  Some other interesting ways to share directories
is to mount the '/dev' directory on your server onto a client's system.
Then, say, if the server has a tape drive and the client doesn't you
could perform a backup of the client onto tapes on the server.  Ie, the
backup is done over the STARLAN network.

Good luck with your installation, your installation will probably go
more easily than our own did.  We didn't have any documentation.  The
documentation didn't arrive for another THREE weeks.  But since I had
worked with Bell Labs a couple of years ago with their introduction of
the 1Mb STARLAN, I had some idea of what I was doing.

========================================+======================================
Philip A. Gross				|
The Computer Solution Co., Inc.  	|  I haven't heard what I have
1009 Sycamore Square, P.O. Box 716	|  to say about that yet.
Midlothian, VA  23113-0716	   	|
Voice: (804)794-3491		   	|
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	The opinions expressed here are strictly mine and nobody elses.
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