eric@picard.sbi.com (Eric Ho) (05/14/91)
Just wondering if there're ethernet/modem vendors out there that are planning to make boxes that would take ip packets off a regular phone line - e.g. it'll be nice if telebit modem have thick ethernet connectors in addition to RS232 connectors. This also means that the modem will need to handle SLIP/PPP well between what is flowing on the phone line and what is going on in its builtin ethernet card. Alternatively, a Cabletron box for instance can take RJ11's in addition to regular thick ethernet connectors. This also means that the cabletron will have modem cards built into the box and they'll be able to handle SLIP/PPP. If this is possible, this'll really make wide-area networking easy and hopefully more affordable (e.g. you just buy this modem and hook it to your Sun's ethernet connector at home or your X terminal at home and when your home's phone line eventually turns fiber-optic one day, all you need to change is 1 or 2 cards in your modem). It'll be nice if these new modems can also handle signals on cable-tv in addition to regular phone line signals - this means that you can subscribe to an "ethernet" channel with your local cable-tv company and you'll have a high-bandwidth local area network at some $20 a month - i.e. instead of getting signals of your favorite movie on HBO, you get signals for your IP packets from your neighbors. I guess that this latter feature will be a bit far off for current modem vendors. Oh well... -- ========================================== + Eric Ho Email: eric@sbi.com + Salomon Brothers, Inc. [SISS] Phone: (201) 896-4356 ==========================================
gordon@FTP.COM (Gordon Lee) (05/15/91)
From: sbi!zeuswtc!aristotle!picard.sbi.com!eric@uunet.uu.net (Eric Ho)
Subject: idea on easy wide-area networking.
Just wondering if there're ethernet/modem vendors out there that are
planning to make boxes that would take ip packets off a regular phone line
e.g. it'll be nice if telebit modem have thick ethernet connectors in
addition to RS232 connectors. This also means that the modem will need to
handle SLIP/PPP well between what is flowing on the phone line and what is
going on in its builtin ethernet card.
Telebit just so happens to be moving in the direction you suggest, but
they are taking it one step at a time. They recently developed and
released a product called NetBlazer which routes ethernet/SLIP/PPP,
(supports MULTIPLE ports and also incoming/outgoing terminal service).
For now the modems are outboard, I would project that it is only a
matter of time before they release a version with internal modems,
and then onward to further refinements, towards the ideal "black box"
you propose. They have a sensible product strategy worth looking into.
Hope this helps,
== Gordon Lee FTP Software Inc
== voice: (617) 246-0900 26 Princess St
== fax: (617) 245-7943 Wakefield, MA 01880