nolet@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM (Jason Nolet) (03/01/91)
Netters: Has anyone out there implemented the TCP/IP protocols over a Token Ring LAN? If so, is there an RFC is can turn to (1042 maybe)? I would be very interested in the names of any vendors which offer such as product. Thanks for your help! /******************************************************/ /* Jason Nolet */ /* Network Products Div. - San Diego, NCR Corporation */ /* email: Jason.Nolet@SanDiego.NCR.COM */ /* Phone: (619) 578-9000 Fax: (619) 963-5705 */ /******************************************************/
romkey@ASYLUM.SF.CA.US (John Romkey) (03/06/91)
Yes, a number of companies support TCP/IP over token ring. I think you'll find most of the PC vendors do; in fact, there's even a token ring packet driver. Some of the router vendors, like Proteon, cisco and probably Wellfleet do as well. Whether non-router and non-PC vendors support IP over token ring is as problematic as finding a token ring card for something that's not a PC... RFC 1042 will do the trick. - john romkey Epilogue Technology USENET/UUCP/Internet: romkey@asylum.sf.ca.us FAX: 415 594-1141
ghelmer@dsuvax.uucp (Guy Helmer) (03/08/91)
In <9103060059.AA06214@asylum.sf.ca.us> romkey@ASYLUM.SF.CA.US (John Romkey) writes: >Yes, a number of companies support TCP/IP over token ring. I think >you'll find most of the PC vendors do; in fact, there's even a token >ring packet driver. Yes, but the Token Ring driver I looked at in the version 8 packet driver distribution seems to want the IBM PC LAN Support Program loaded. I don't want to load it, and would much rather have a token ring packet driver that either loads with or coexists with Novell's IPX that speaks directly to the Token Ring adapter. Is there a freely available way to do this? > - john romkey Epilogue Technology -- Guy Helmer--helmer@sdnet.bitnet, wuarchive!dsuvax!ghelmer, uunet!dsuvax!ghelmer Dakota State University Computing Services ------------------- (605) 256-5264 MidIX -- networks, databases, DOS, UNIX, & MINIX ------------- (605) 256-2788 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
keith@ca.excelan.com (Keith Brown) (03/08/91)
The News Manager) Nntp-Posting-Host: ca Reply-To: keith@ca.excelan.com (Keith Brown) Organization: Novell, Inc. San Jose, California References: <860@cns.SanDiego.NCR.COM> <9103060059.AA06214@asylum.sf.ca.us> <1991Mar7.193647.9815@dsuvax.uucp> Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1991 22:43:37 GMT In article <1991Mar7.193647.9815@dsuvax.uucp> ghelmer@dsuvax.uucp (Guy Helmer) writes: >Yes, but the Token Ring driver I looked at in the version 8 packet >driver distribution seems to want the IBM PC LAN Support Program >loaded. I don't want to load it, and would much rather have a token >ring packet driver that either loads with or coexists with >Novell's IPX that speaks directly to the Token Ring adapter. Is there >a freely available way to do this? > In our ODI workstation software we support both ways. There is an ODI driver for LANSUP and another that talks directly to the IBM Token Ring card. The reason for having two is that some folks actually want to load the IBM LAN support program. They tell me it allows them to run other bits and pieces of software that use LANSUP concurrently. I believe them, although I'd be interested to hear from folks that have done something along these lines and can give me specifics. I tend to use the "straight to the metal" driver myself. As for the part about freely available..... Alas we have to pay the salaries of some 2500 people every day, so we need money! Sorry..... Keith - Keith Brown Phone: (408) 473 8308 Novell San Jose Development Centre Fax: (408) 433 0775 2180 Fortune Dr, San Jose, California 95131 Net: keith@novell.COM
jbvb@FTP.COM (James B. Van Bokkelen) (03/08/91)
Some history: Long ago (1986 or so), when IBM first shipped 802.5 cards for the PC, they defined a standard software driver (very much like the Packet Driver in concept) which all protocol stacks and applications could use, and thus be hardware-independent. The spec was entitled "Adapter Support Interface", and was initially implemented in TOKREUI.COM (various versions for the different IBM 802.5 adapters). In order to work with IBM's applications, all the other 802.5 board vendors implemented ASI drivers, too (PRO4EUI, 3COMREUI, etc.). So, there is very little software out there which has board-specific drivers for 802.5 (our LANWatch uses direct-to-the-board interfacing with Proteon hardware, because ASI doesn't support "match all" as a security measure). PC/TCP, Netware, Vines and pretty much everything else prefers to use the ASI driver (normally IBM's LAN Support Program, which replaced TOKREUI a few years ago). Because it is ubiquitous, we could ship one part for 802.5 where we ship 20 for different Ethernet boards, and this is very attractive... The IBMTOKEN Packet Driver uses ASI to talk to many vendors' hardware, but keep in mind that it is a Class 1 (DIX Ethernet) driver, which adds the necessary RFC 1042 framing so the protocol stack doesn't have to be 802.5-aware. This is good for limited use of DOS TCP/IP stacks that don't happen to be available in 802.5-aware versions (the free ones). However, it breaks down under heavy use (ARP cache in the stack conflicts with RIF cache in IBMTOKEN) or when you're trying to use protocols that don't use the same Ether -> 802.5 transform as TCP/IP. Recently (1990), IBM introduced NDIS drivers as an alternative to the LAN Support Program, but not many DOS products can use an NDIS driver for 802.5 yet. Some of the board vendors have followed suit, but what I've heard about IBM's own statements of direction indicate that both ASI and NDIS will continue to be supported in parallel for a while. James B. VanBokkelen 26 Princess St., Wakefield, MA 01880 FTP Software Inc. voice: (617) 246-0900 fax: (617) 246-0901