morgan@JESSICA.STANFORD.EDU (04/04/89)
David Kovar writes: > Kerien Fitzpatrick of CMU FRC writes: > >My general curiosity is why there aren't direct competitors > >to Kinetics FastPath. Well, making a FastPath clone may not be as easy as it looks (just ask Cayman), and if I were a startup doing such a thing I'd be afraid that at any minute Apple could squash me like a bug (er, excuse me, "validate the market") with a product of their own. > Cayman started with the benefit of hindsight and thus included KIP > support from the outset Hmm. My impression, as of the version 1.25 software that came into my hands recently, is that a Gatorbox will *not* communicate using UDP-encapsulated AppleTalk (which is what Kboxes use to layer an AppleTalk internet on top of an existing IP internet). This makes it less than useful in our environment, where we have 130 existing boxes that we would like to communicate with in this way. Has this changed? > And, at the moment, we're having an odd problem with a bad interaction > between a FastPath running KIP and a GatorBox that causes a broadcast > storm that, in turn, kills the GatorBox We've observed an unfortunate interaction when a Gatorbox is added to an Ethernet with existing Kboxes that causes Mac/IP to stop working for all LocalTalk users of any of the boxes (the Gatorbox responds to an IPADDRESS lookup that it shouldn't). Have others experienced this, or seen a fix? > Before you run out and buy a GatorBox, keep in mind that I am in the > advantageous position of being right down the street from Cayman. Well, it's curious to think that in this age of megabit national networks and toll-free hotlines that it should matter who you're down the street from, but gosh, I've had just the reverse experience with Kinetics and Cayman (Kinetics helpful, Cayman "interesting" *8^)*. Maybe it's just another EastCoast/WestCoast culture clash . . . Of course, now that Novell has gobbled up Excelan/Kinetics, 3Com will no doubt be obliged to scarf up Cayman, and all hell will break loose. Are you ready for FastPathWare and 3Gators? *8^)* - RL "Bob" Morgan Networking Systems Stanford