[fa.info-vax] information on LAT servers

info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (03/25/85)

From: Charles Hedrick <HEDRICK@RUTGERS.ARPA>

This should really go to INFO-DECNET, but this seems to be the
closest thing...

Our DEC network expert says that the LAT boxes support TCP/IP.  I think
he's spouting hot air.  Anybody know whether it is true? (I realize
that in principle someone could write TCP/IP software for it.  The
question is whether it exists or there are any announced plans to
do it.)

Also, does anyone know what a DSRVA is?  This seems to be a LAT
server for 8 lines at $2600.  This sounds almost too good to be true.
-------

info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (03/26/85)

From: Alex Woo <woo@AMES-NAS.ARPA>

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	From: Charles Hedrick <HEDRICK@RUTGERS.ARPA>
	Subject: information on LAT servers
	To: info-vax@SRI-CSL.ARPA
	
	This should really go to INFO-DECNET, but this seems to be the
	closest thing...
	
	Our DEC network expert says that the LAT boxes support TCP/IP.  I think
	he's spouting hot air.  Anybody know whether it is true? (I realize
	that in principle someone could write TCP/IP software for it.  The
	question is whether it exists or there are any announced plans to
	do it.)
	
	Also, does anyone know what a DSRVA is?  This seems to be a LAT
	server for 8 lines at $2600.  This sounds almost too good to be true.
	-------
	
The LAT server for 8 lines at $2600 is for real.  This is the first
I've heard of LAT boxes supporting TCP/IP.  To add to the confusion
our DEC expert claims that LAT is in the public domain and will not
be a proprietary protocal.  (I have this in writing but I'm not sure
if it is true.)

info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (03/26/85)

From: (Stephen Tihor) <TIHOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA>

I had a discussion with the designer of LAT-11 at the Spring DECUS at which time
he said that LAT-11 will remain "technically proprietary" until it is
stabilized and that then he hoped but others did not that it would be offered
into the public domain and/or standardized.

He also explained how easy it should be to reverse engineer LAT-11 with
appropriate tools or else to pull the protocol out of the source.

 \\   Stephen Tihor / CIMS / NYU / 251 Mercer Street  / New York, NY 10012  //
((  DEC Enet: RHEA::DECWRL::"""TIHOR@NYU-CMCL1.ARPA"""  NYUnet: TIHOR.CMCL1  ))
 // ARPAnet: Tihor@NYU-CMCL1   UUCPnet address: ...!ihnp4!cmcl2!cmcl1!tihor \\

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info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (03/26/85)

From: LEICHTER <Leichter@YALE.ARPA>

    ...

    Our DEC network expert says that the LAT boxes support TCP/IP.  I think
    he's spouting hot air.  Anybody know whether it is true? (I realize
    that in principle someone could write TCP/IP software for it.  The
    question is whether it exists or there are any announced plans to
    do it.)
It's not at all clear what it would mean for a LAT box to "support" TCP/IP;
that's just about equivalent to asking whether a DZ-11 supports TCP/IP.  One
sense your expert MIGHT have in mind is that LAT can be run on the same
Ethernet as TCP/IP; the two protocols will ignore each other.

Just what is it you are trying to accomplish through this "compatibility"?
If I gave you a LAT box, what would you do to determine if it was "TCP/IP
compatible"?
    
    Also, does anyone know what a DSRVA is?  This seems to be a LAT
    server for 8 lines at $2600.  This sounds almost too good to be true.
Yup, that's about it.  A small, cheap box for connecting 8 terminals to an
Ethernet.  I heard it described as $325 per port, which matches your number
exactly.
							-- Jerry
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info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (03/28/85)

From: dual!mordor!seismo!harvard!bu-cs!root@BERKELEY (BostonU SysMgr)

What would it mean for LATs to support TCP/IP?

It would most likely mean they would support the TELNET
remote login protocol. Bridge makes a box exactly like
this. I doubt *very* much LATs support this although in
theory they could (all you need is a CPU and an appropiate
communications [ethernet is good] device and the software
which is non-trivial but mostly exists already).

$325/port? That's hard to believe...

No its not, that's currently competitive, perhaps a
little on the low side. Within the next 12 months we
expect to be spending about $200/port based on vendor's
projections and currently spend almost exactly that
(between $300-$400.)

	-Barry Shein, Boston University