[comp.protocols.tcp-ip] TWG questions

schoff@NIC.NYSER.NET (Martin Lee Schoffstall) (07/17/87)

I have two questions concerning the current (3.X) implementation:

	1) does it still support the async tcp/ip code
		(ttylink in WIN/VX 2.2)
	2) Does anyone have a DECNET async connection where they
		use DBRIDGE, and what is the performance like?

Marty

ron@TOPAZ.RUTGERS.EDU (Ron Natalie) (07/22/87)

Dbridge in Version 2 of the code is abysmal.  I don't know if it is
fixed in 3.0 since I now have a real IP path between the two sites.
It would be nice if Woolongong would take the effort of reversing this
product (allowing DECNET to flow through their IP paths) but it probalby
isn't an easy modification.

-Ron

rick@ut-ngp.UUCP (Rick Watson) (07/23/87)

> Dbridge in Version 2 of the code is abysmal.  I don't know if it is
> fixed in 3.0 since I now have a real IP path between the two sites.
> It would be nice if Woolongong would take the effort of reversing this
> product (allowing DECNET to flow through their IP paths) but it probalby
> isn't an easy modification.
> 
> -Ron

*Flame on*
Saying that "Dbridge [...] is abysmal" is not really very informative.
What specifically did you have problems with?
*Flame off*

We have been using DBRIDGE under v2.x (and now 3.0) with good performance
under light to moderate usage (say 1-4 "active [currently transferring data]"
circuits in/out of each node).  Performance will (of course) be dependent
on DECnet circuit speed and loading.  Our topology looks like:

192.16.73---ether     --+--128.83-----ether-+---------
       |     |...       |                   |      |...
     +---+            +---+               +---+
     |   |            |   | UTADNX        |   |--- 10 (arpanet)
     +---+            +---+               +---+
       |                |
     ---DECnet 192.16.72-----
       |      |      |     |
     +---+  +---+  +---+ +---+        
     |   |  |   |  |   | |   |
     +---+  +---+  +---+ +---+

with DBRIDGE/DECnet making the connections for the network 192.16.72
over serveral leased phone lines that run at 56KB, 230.4KB and ~760KB.
The CPU overhead for the DBRIDGE process on UTADNX can get to be high
if it is having to route too many packets on to 128.83 and beyond.  It
really needs to be a dedicated uVax.  It would be nice if the DBRIDGE
interface could live in the WIN/TCP kernel (like ELINK does now),
instead of a user-mode process, but I have no idea if that is possible.

Rick Watson
University of Texas Computation Center
 arpa:   ccaw001@utadnx.cc.utexas.edu rick@ngp.utexas.edu
 uucp:   ...seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!rick
 bitnet: ccaw001@utadnx
 phone:  512/471-3241

leres@ucbarpa.Berkeley.EDU (Craig Leres) (07/27/87)

Dbridge exists because we wanted internet access from VMS system
that only had a point to point interface which DECnet already had
its claws in. But there were other VMS machines on our DECnet that
did have internet access so we devised a way to take advantage of
them. We knew from the start that dbridge would never be a speed
demon; not only is the overhead for DECnet too great, but it
generates lots of system calls and process context switches.

Of course, the minute we got money to buy a DEUNA, we started
running elink. But dbridge served us well until that happened.

		Craig