dpz@convex.com (David Paul Zimmerman) (08/11/89)
I'm trying to put together a diagnostic tool. It's not going to be of a "Sniffer" complexity or price, but it will let me check out the up/down state of terminal lines and Ethernet connections. My criteria are: portable, Ethernet-able, and PC/IP-able. It could have an 8088 CPU for all I care, but I need at least a half-PC-slot for an Ethernet board that many of (Clarkson, Cornell, CMU, KA9Q, MIT, NCSA, Stanford) support. After looking at the propaganda from various leading portable computer vendors (Toshiba, Compaq, NEC, IBM, Zenith, Mitsubishi), I've settled on the Toshiba 3100e, which has one half-PC-slot and various frills. Now the problem. A local sales-dude says that all of (3C501, NI5210, WD8003) draw too much power for the 3100e to handle. He does recommend two Ethernet boards from vendors I've never heard of: PeureData (sp?) and Megahertz. PeureData's board only supports thin Ethernet, so that's right out. Megahertz has drivers only for Novell, Banyan, etc. I don't remember if they have a packet driver, but I doubt it -- they're aimed at some market other than me. In any case, neither is firmware compatible with (3C501, NI5210, WD8003). Sigh. So: Has anyone tried putting a (3C501, NI5210, WD8003) in a 3100e and made it work, despite the power caveats? Would the Compaq Portable III w/slot cage fare better on the power? I'm guessing so; at the least, if you've got power for two Toshiba-type low-power cards, you've got power for one real one. Any alternative ideas along this train of thought? David Paul Zimmerman dpz@convex.com CONVEX Computer Corp convex!dpz
jbvb@VAX.FTP.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (08/11/89)
We don't have experience with the T3100e, but we have several T3200s, and they work fine with every lan card we've tried in them. We also have NEC lunchboxes, and they had trouble with some cards that needed to use DMA. We have Compaq Portable IIIs, which did 8 bit and 16 bit memory reads to memory mapped cards a little different than some other machines. The PureData cards that I've heard about are aimed at the dedicated modem slot on various portables, and I've heard some hints that they are WD8003 compatible (the vendor wouldn't give me one to test). I didn't know they made a card for a normal slot. Megahertz I haven't heard of. jbvb
dpz@convex.UUCP (David Paul Zimmerman) (08/12/89)
I wish I had the resources available for a T3200, but it seems that the T3100e is as high as I can go (which also rules out the Compaq III). I'm having a hard enough time justifying that. I'm planning to hit a local store that sells a pretty low priced T3100e and a high priced 3C501. If they want my business, they'll take the chance of blowing a demo T3100e's power supply :-) Then I'll go to another store and buy the 3C501 at half their price :-) Another sales-dude says that the T3100e's card slot won't even accept the normal net cards, much less run them. I think it's time for that store visit, 'cause I'm hearing too much that doesn't jive with the sales propaganda. David
geoff@hinode.East.Sun.COM (Geoff Arnold @ Sun BOS - R.H. coast near the top) (08/13/89)
In article <CMM.0.88.618886658.dpz@> dpz@convex.UUCP (David Paul Zimmerman) writes: >.... I'm planning to hit a local store that >sells a pretty low priced T3100e and a high priced 3C501. If you're serious about this project, buy ANYTHING except a 3C501. That puppy will drop packets with little or no provocation. I'd suggest a Western Digital or Tiara.... Geoff Arnold, Internet: geoff@East.Sun.COM PCDS Group, Sun Microsystems Inc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just think: If Unix had been developed in England, we'd all be using BCPL...
kent@sun.ufnet.ufl.edu (Kent Phelps) (08/16/89)
There is a new gadget out on the market that got a good review in the latest
infoworld. It is an Ethernet adapter that hooks up to your parallel port.
It would be nice for situations where you needed ethernet on a laptop.
It's made by Xircom:
Xircom
22231 Mulholland Highway
Suite 114
Woosdland Hills CA 91364
818-884-8755
This info is FYI only. I have not tested or used the device.
--
Kent Phelps | Internet: kent@sun.ufnet.ufl.edu
University of Florida | UUCP: ... ????
Digital Design Facility| Phone: 904-335-8322jbvb@VAX.FTP.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (08/16/89)
As Geoff Arnold said, don't buy a 3C501 if you have any alternative. It is by a large margin the worst Ethernet interface available today. Particularly when run in promiscuous mode, it will lose *lots* of packets, because it has only one receiver buffer, and that has to be emptied before another packet can be accepted. jbvb
dpz@convex.UUCP (David Paul Zimmerman) (08/22/89)
Hmm. That's not good. I'm not into losing packets. I'll be sure to be wary of that card from now on. David