pag@hao.UUCP (Peter Gross) (02/14/85)
We currently have an installed Ethernet with numerous (mostly 4.2)
machines attached. With the exception of one Masscomp, all machines
are using "dumb" Ethernet interfaces. We would like to connect a v7
PDP-11/70 to the Ethernet using one of the TCP/IP-on-a-board Ethernet
interfaces. There appear to be only two choices at this time: Excelan
Exos 204 amd Communication Machinery Corporation ENP-44. There have
been rumors that Interlan will also have something soon, but one of
their salesman recently told us that TCP/IP support would not be
forthcoming soon.
Since the prices for these two are very close (but CMC's software package
is only $500, while Excelan's is $2000), we are surveying the rest of
the Unix Ethernet community to help us determine the best choice.
One consideration is the amount of time it will take to get the host
software running. Our version of Unix on the 11/70 looks like V7, but
is actually a much hacked local high performance version. We do not
plan to go to 2.9 at this time. Therefore, question #1:
1. Has anyone gotten either an Excelan Exos 204 or CMC ENP-44 Ethernet
board to work on a V7 11/70?
The second area of concern is performance and reliability. Our experience
with the 8086-based Excelan Multibus board was not overwhelmingly great.
Their new products, however, are 80186-based, and the comments in net.lan
have been pretty favorable about performance.
2. What level of performance do you see (say with the "ttcp" test program)
for these products?
3. How is the reliability?
Please mail me your responses. I will summarize for the net once responses
die down.
--peter gross
{ihnp4!noao,seismo,hplabs}!hao!pag