bae@ati.tis.llnl.gov (02/20/88)
WARNING The Excelan 205T ethernet board and EXOS 8014-01 software problems: I am running Microport System V/386 and DOSmerge on an Zenith 386 with Excelan ethernet board and their TCP/IP software. I expected to run TCP/IP software to allow remote users to rlogin to my machine and run DOS or UNIX programs via DOSmerge. FLAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WORDS OF CAUTION: The advertisements that claim Berkeley UNIX compatible socket library, etc. are untrue and misleading. The EXOS software does come with an assortment of "r" utilities and "ftp" and "telnet" - that's great. The problem is that their networking library - sockets, etc. - are NOT compatible with the BSD UNIX socket library functions. Sure, they provide "socket" call, but it takes different arguements. In fact, they are not providing calls such as "bind", "listen", insisting on that you use their "socket" call with parameters to indicate "bind" address and "listen" request. Their "connect" also takes different arguments (one less). They don't have calls like "gethostby*()", "getservby*()", and they don't even support /etc/services file. The whole point is this: If you claim that you support Berkeley compatible socket library, your software should be able to handle all Berekeley socket related programs without source code modifications. For instance, I EXPECT to copy over "sendmail" and compile it with DAEMON flag on without ANY problem related to the socket calls. Excelan software definitely is NOT compatible with the semantics of socket based networking programs in Berkeley UNIX. Porting to their lib. can be done - but only after irritating conversion of function calls and source code modifications and after writing your own /etc/services interfaces calls like "getservbyname()", etc.... DISGUSTING!!!! Another major problem with their stuff is that, unlike their earlier claim that everything works perfectly fine with my above mentioned configuration (I verified this with their representatives before purchase), when I go to init state 3 to run the TCP/IP and put machine on the network here, DOS merge is disabled!!! No DOS availble while networking!!! This defeats the purpose of my purchase!!! What's more? The virtual console screens are no longer active; you can only use one virtual console - the real one, and no other ones work - they just freeze!!!! Even in the documentation (release note), they mention that the package works with Merge/386 from LOCUS. My microport DOSmerge is the same !*&%$ software, and it doesn't work with the package. Another problem with Excelan is their lack of consistency. Before I purchased my ethernet board I specifically asked them if they offer STREAMS based device driver for their board that work with generic AT&T networking extension stuff like TLI library and their TP4 or TCP/IP STREAMS protocol modules, RFS, and so on.... They said YES. Even more, they said I should get a copy of such software (device driver) along with my package of board/ TCP/IP software. I didn't. And now they're telling me that they are currently developing such software and I am not to expect such a thing. ^&%$%$#@ that! FLAME OFF I hope that somebody at Excelan reads this. Hwa Jin Bae Control Data Corp. bae@{ati,aftac}.tis.llnl.gov (Internet) 4234 Hacienda Drive {ames,ihnp4,lll-crg}!lll-tis!bae (UUCP) Pleasanton, CA 94566 hbae@plseca (smail)