[comp.sys.next] Extra serial ports

liemandt@lindy.stanford.edu (Joe Liemandt) (11/01/90)

I need to add a bunch of modems to my next to support dial-in users.
What do I need to do? What is the max that the NeXT can support?

Thanks,

Joe Liemandt
liemandt@lindy.stanford.edu

stan@toaster.SFSU.EDU (Stan Osborne) (11/01/90)

In article <1990Nov1.073012.29302@portia.Stanford.EDU> liemandt@lindy.stanford.edu (Joe Liemandt) writes:
>I need to add a bunch of modems to my next to support dial-in users.
>What do I need to do? What is the max that the NeXT can support?
>

Give serious consideration to buying a TCP/IP terminal server that
supports "telnet" connections over an ethernet.   There are advantages
to this, besides lots of users on one NeXT system.  It becomes possible 
for dial-in users to connect with any system in the network.   Most
telnet servers also support multiple sessions simultaneously.

Many of our NeXTs on Campus are used by students for class work that
does not require access to the console (program development, MacLayers, etc.).  
Students dial-in from home to the Campus telnet server and then connect with
the Unix (or NeXT, etc.) system with their account.   As a result some
of our NeXT systems have been observed with 8 or 9 active users.  This
telnet support also makes it possible for local users to dial-in and then 
connect with any of the accounts they have anywhere on the Internet.  (eg. 
Knowledgeable people in San Francisco can make a local call to access a 
guest account in Hamilton, New Zealand, at the University of Waikato.)

Even if you currently have only one system that is not connect with any
network, a telnet server is still the way to do this (lots of dial-in).
You start out with dial-up support for one machine.   As soon as you
get additional machines and expand the local network,  these new machines
have dial-up access the moment they are connected with the local network. 
Here at SFSU the CS Department buys computer systems and connects them
to the building LAN.   The University Network Support group maintains a pool 
of terminal servers (and modems) that are a "University" resource
shared by everyone.

General purpose computer systems with lots of serial ports are a thing
of the past.   Terminal servers are here to stay.

Stan
-- 
Stan Osborne, Computer Science Department, San Francisco State University
Internet: stan@cs.sfsu.edu    Usenet: cshub!stan    Voice: (415) 338-2168

dennisg@kgw2.bwi.WEC.COM (Dennis Glatting) (11/03/90)

i bought and installed terminal servers.

cmc TransServer 
cisco (don't remember the type.  it is the same hardware, YES the same
hardware, as the cmc.
 

--
 ..!uunet!kgw2!dennisg      | Dennis P. Glatting
 dennisg@kgw2.bwi.WEC.COM   | X2NeXT developer