[news.groups] UUCP over SunLink X.25

jejw@onion.cs.reading.ac.uk (Jerry West) (04/30/88)

Larry Kluger works for Sun EHQ, he used to be their DataComms guru.  I
believe he still maintains some of that function.  The UUCP over X.25
was indeed developed in Sun Germany, however, by Lupe Christophe.

Here is the blurb :-

Sun Germany Consulting proudly announces the availability of
a new Consulting Special Product, a variant of uucp supporting
X.25 connections.

The product consists of a new transfer program, uucico, that
supports SunLink X.25 sockets for outgoing connections and
implements the 'f'-protocol.

The 'f'-protocol has been invented by Piet Beertema, CWI, Amsterdam
in 1984 to be used over X.25 PDNs with hardware PADs. The version
incorporated in uucico is the one distributed with 4.3 BSD.

The 'f'-protocol features a 7 Bit data path as opposed to an 8 Bit
data path required by the older 'g'-protocol, relies on implicit
flow control (XON/XOFF between PAD and host), and will only check
correct transmission when the whole file has been transmitted.
It can thus only be used over very reliable links, like X.25 networks.
Since there are no per-packet acknowledgements, throughput over
PDNs is greatly enhanced while cost is much reduced.

The new version of uucico prefers this protocol when available on
both sides. It will fall back to the standard 'g'-protocol, implemented
in all versions of uucp since it's inception, if the 'f'-protocol is
not available.

This version of uucico has been tested with a direct, asynchronous
line between the two systems, a PAD with one system connecting with
SunLink X.25, and both systems connected via X.25.

The other new feature of uucico, support for SunLink X.25, affects
only outgoing calls (master mode). Incoming calls connect via the
X.29 server process and are treated like connections over asynchronous
lines. Outgoing calls use X.25 domain sockets to access the slave
system. It is not necessary to install SunLink X.25 when only the
'f'-protocol is the feature to be used.

The standard version of uucico delivered with the respective SunOS
release *can* be used with the new uucico, both over asynchronous
lines and X.25 links. In the latter case, the system with the old
uucico must be the slave system.

I suggest you contact your local Sun office for pricing and availability.

Rgds,
Jerry West

bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (05/03/88)

In article <766@onion.cs.reading.ac.uk> jejw@onion.cs.reading.ac.uk (Jerry West) writes:
|Here is the blurb :-
|
|Sun Germany Consulting proudly announces the availability of
|a new Consulting Special Product...

Doesn't this sound like it belongs in comp.newprod?  Other vendors
with similar products didn't announce them in these newsgroups.
------
 Bob Sutterfield, Department of Computer and Information Science
 The Ohio State University; 2036 Neil Ave. Columbus OH USA 43210-1277
 bob@cis.ohio-state.edu or ...!att!osu-cis!bob

rick@seismo.CSS.GOV (Rick Adams) (05/04/88)

It's pretty pitiful that Sun makes this a seperate product (read extra cost
to the customer) instead of making it part of the standard uucp they
provide.

It's especially sad when you realize how little effort it takes
to add the 'f' protocol to uucp.

---rick

joe@tekbspa.UUCP (Joe Angelo) (05/06/88)

Hope this isn't a stupid question -- but just how can you tell what
protocols *your* uucico supports -and- can you force a particular
protocol to be used (read: requested) with a specific connection?

-- 
"I'm trying             Joe Angelo -- Senior Systems Engineer/Systems Manager
 to think               at Teknekron Software Systems, Palo Alto 415-325-1025
 but nothing
 happens!"              uunet!tekbspa!joe -OR- tekbspa!joe@uunet.uu.net

bob@cloud9.UUCP (Bob Toxen) (05/20/88)

In article <196@tekbspa.UUCP>, joe@tekbspa.UUCP (Joe Angelo) writes:
> Hope this isn't a stupid question -- but just how can you tell what
> protocols *your* uucico supports -and- can you force a particular
> protocol to be used (read: requested) with a specific connection?
> 
> Joe Angelo -- Senior Systems Engineer/Systems Manager
> Teknekron Software Systems, Palo Alto 415-325-1025
> uunet!tekbspa!joe -OR- tekbspa!joe@uunet.uu.net

Just have someone do "/usr/lib/uucp/uucico -r1 -x9 -syursys" and
see what protocols your system announces that it has.  I believe
the diagnostic message (of the caller) will say "Pgx", for example
for Protocols g and x.  The caller will then say I'll take the g
with the incantation "Ug" (use g).

I tested this with one Virgin System V uucico calling another.  I suspect
any uucico will yield the same info.

I believe the default algorithm is that the caller will request the first
protocol that is in both the callers and called system's list of protocols.
This can be overriden by putting a fourth field in the caller's USERFILE entry
that specifies the protocol to use.

I may eventually create a protocol that sends chunks larger than 64 bytes
for better efficiency with high speed modems with data compression as well.
-- 

Bob Toxen	{ucbvax!ihnp4,harvard,cloud9!es}!anvil!cavu!bob
Stratus Computer, Marlboro, MA
Pilot to Copilot: What's a mountain goat doing way up here in a cloud bank?