[comp.protocols.tcp-ip] SUMMARY: SLIP/Ethernet conversion help

templon@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (jeffrey templon) (11/20/90)

Hi net.folk:

	Here is a summary of what I found out.  I am posting since several
people asked for the summary.  Thanks to all who responded.

					Jeff

From <@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca:kieffer@uncanet> Sun Nov 18 02:37:27 1990
From: kieffer%uncanet.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca (Rom Kieffer, TransCanada PipeLines)
Subject: slip routing

> Someone suggested that there
> might be some way to have a program running on one of the ethernet-connected
> computers which captured the incoming SLIP stuff from the serial (terminal)
> line and spewed it out onto the ethernet.
>


if you can dig up an old PC, then you can build your own bridge with PCRoute.
Its is a pd package that can route between SLIP and TCP/IP ethernets.
I cannot remember where it is housed for ftp, but a query to the ip community
would be propbably get you an address.
 rom


From vthrc%uqvax.cc.uq.oz.au@brolga.cc.uq.oz.au Sat Nov 17 22:19:01 1990
From: Danny Thomas <vthrc@uqvax.cc.uq.oz.au>
Subject: Re: WANTED: SLIP/Ethernet conversion help
Organization: VTHRC, University of Queensland


I think you could use Vance Morrison's PC-ROUTE or PC_BRIDGE from 
acns.nwu.edu, running on a PC with an ethernet card.
"What about SLIP Speeds?
PCRoute also supports up to 2 serial lines in addition to the other 
interfaces. These lines can operate at all the common baud rates up to 
19.2K. In PCRoute with a faster processor (10MHz XT or AT clone) can 
handle 38.4K or even 57.6K. Akll of this using the standard 8250 serial 
ports"
You'll need a copy of Borland's Turbo Assembler to compile the source 
after you specified the configuration, but I was very happy with the ease 
of installation (network novice speaking). Ours is used to link two (Mac) 
LocalTalk nets onto the university ethernet. It only handles TCP/IP but 
I've been very happy with it, but there may better solutions to you 
problem, I don't know.


From calford%psych.psy.uq.oz.au@vthrcmac.vthrc.uq.oz.au Sun Nov 18 15:55:44 1990
From: calford@psych.psy.uq.oz.au

Hmm, I think I forgot to mention PC-ROUTE takes over the machine and is 
intended to run as a dedicated router. It is a good use for any old PC you may 
have sitting around unused; it only needs a single floppy to boot from and 
128K RAM (certainly less than 256K), no hard disk, keyboard or video card. If 
you have to buy a PC, one from Jameco is recommended. I suppose if you only 
wanted occasional access you could run the software on one of the nearby PCs. 
You'd boot from a floppy with DOS and the configured PC-ROUTE, I don't think 
you'd have any problems with the ethernet also hosting the 3COM network as 
well as the machines you want to connect to with TCP/IP. Suggestion is to talk 
about it with your local network experts, perhaps after downloading the 
PC-ROUTE docs.

Let us know how you get on,
Danny Thomas.


From calford%psych.psy.uq.oz.au@vthrcmac.vthrc.uq.oz.au Sun Nov 18 16:35:39 1990
From: calford@psych.psy.uq.oz.au

Oops, another point I forgot to mention is PC-ROUTE only comes with drivers 
for Western Digital ethernet cards, i.e. WD8003E ethercard plus and 
corresponding starlan cards WD8003S & WD8003SH. This info is particularly 
significant if you're considering part-time use of an existing ethernetted PC, 
but still necessary if you're buying a card.


From nickless@elrond.cs.andrews.edu Sun Nov 18 21:19:54 1990
From: nickless@elrond.cs.andrews.edu (Bill Nickless)

If you have a terminal server connecting to the 3b1, you might check to
see if it will talk SLIP.  That's how we hooked up our 3b1, and in fact
one of the graduate students is working on integrating sendmail with ka9q.

If you have an el-cheapo IBM PC box floating around, you could put an 
inexpensive ethernet card into it for the network.

Many BSD-derived systems provide SLIP support.  Sometimes it's documented,
sometimes not.  If you have a Sun computer on your Ethernet it should
handle the application properly.  Various ftp sites have SLIP for the suns.

Hope this helps.
---
Bill Nickless     nickless@peter.cs.andrews.edu or nickless@flash.ras.anl.gov
                  (708) 972-7390 or (616) 927-0982

From: Mr. Antonio Querubin  <querubin@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Organization: University of Hawaii



Yes it should be possible to connect your 3b1 to the network via SLIP.  You'll
need to setup a SLIP port on one of your other machines (I believe Ultrix has
built-in SLIP capability and Ultrix-Connections for VMS does too) that is also
on your ethernet LAN.  The gateway host MAY need to have it's routing tables 
adjusted depeding on what you're running on it.  



From gjc@mitech.com Mon Nov 19 11:09:19 1990
Status: OR

> From: templon@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (jeffrey templon)
> Subject:WANTED: SLIP/Ethernet conversion help
> Date: 17 Nov 90 21:46:49 GMT
> Message-ID:<72608@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>

> Hello,
> 
> I have the problem of trying to use SLIP in an 'unsupported' environment.
> The specific SLIP speaker is an AT&T 3b1 running the ka9q package, and
> the network to which I'd like to connect is an ethernet full of machines
> running various flavors of tcp/ip.  Purchasing some sort of bridge is not
> an option unless it is VERY inexpensive. 

You will probably get a few responses from people telling you about SLIP
drivers for SUN microsystems machines. I use one of those myself on
RILIAN.PARADIGM.COM (not yet registered).

But you should know that KA9Q also runs on IBM-PC clone machines. So
that would be one way to put together an inexpensive dedicated bridge
(there being reliability and flexibility advantages to dedicated bridges).

Northeastern University here in Boston MA runs KA9Q in this way.

-gjc