ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (02/27/90)
Hello Netland, I am in the process of installing a building-wide AppleTalk network. I have decided that a star controller is the way to go. I had originally been planning on using the controller from Farallon, but have discovered that Nuvotech has a 16 port controller for only a slightly higher price than Farallon's 12 port box. So, what I want to know is, does anyone out there have experience with both controllers that can give a comparison? If not, do you have anything good or bad to say about either of the controllers? Is there another controller I should be looking at? Any and all info. would be appreciated. I have not seen any discussion of this topic on the net so it may be to the advantage of others to post. Or if you prefer E-mail will work just as well for me. Thanks in advance. Dave Dunlap Manager of Systems Services Krannert Center for the Performing Arts University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu
mdc@spt.entity.com (Marty Connor) (02/28/90)
In article <88500008@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu> ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: >Hello Netland, Hi hi. >I am in the process of installing a building-wide AppleTalk network. I have >decided that a star controller is the way to go. I had originally been >planning on using the controller from Farallon, but have discovered that >Nuvotech has a 16 port controller for only a slightly higher price than >Farallon's 12 port box. >So, what I want to know is, does anyone out there have experience with both >controllers that can give a comparison? If not, do you have anything good >or bad to say about either of the controllers? Is there another controller >I should be looking at? I have used both boxes. My SO is waiting so this'll have to be quick. Both boxes seem to work well. The Farallon StarController has 12 ports, and basically lets you connect up to 12 branches with lots of machines on each branch to each other. Gives a potential net of up to 36,000 feet of cable. The fox itself is about 9" sqaure, and has an external 12V transformer. You have to buy a phoneblock or adapter for hooking to the outside world. You can get it at a VERY competitive price from MacConnection. They also sell the phone block and cable. There is manager software for the box but only from one Mac, and it requires you to connect that Mac to the StarController with a special cable. No biggie, but read on... The NuvoTech TurboStar is a sexier and more expensive box. It is a little larger (about 12" square), but mounts easily. It also needs a wiring kit. (The one for the StarController works fine, though (smile), and can be had for $64 from MacConnection overnight (smile)). The nice things about the TUrboSTar are that it has LEDs on the box telling you what branches are active, and it comes with software that lets anyone (who knows the password and has the DA) to check out the TurboStar and see what's happening (load, port activity, name ports). You can even turn on and off ports (though I wouldn't recommend turning off your own...). The box seems solid enough, though, and I can recommend it (assuming the first ammendment is worth ANYTHING these days). Also the LEDs tell you if a port is jamming, and turn it off until it is fixed. Nice touch, though I haven't had a problem with this. In anycase, if you have the extra few hundred dollars, spring for the TurboStar. If you just need more length, and need a brick that works fine, and don't add users a lot, get the StarController. Need supplies, try MacConnection. Now who's your pal, who's your buddy? >Dave Dunlap >Manager of Systems Services >Krannert Center for the Performing Arts >University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign >ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that... (just kidding, but always wanted to use that line...) Marty -- Marty Connor, Marty's Computer Workshop, "Specializing in Macintosh Training" 126 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA 02139; (617) 491-6935 mdc@entity.com, or ...{harvard|uunet}!mit-eddie!spt!mdc
evelyn@uts.amdahl.com (Evelyn Mast) (02/28/90)
In article <88500008@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu> ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: > >Hello Netland, > >I am in the process of installing a building-wide AppleTalk network. I have >decided that a star controller is the way to go. I had originally been >planning on using the controller from Farallon, but have discovered that >Nuvotech has a 16 port controller for only a slightly higher price than >Farallon's 12 port box. > >So, what I want to know is, does anyone out there have experience with both >controllers that can give a comparison? If not, do you have anything good >or bad to say about either of the controllers? Is there another controller >I should be looking at? > >Thanks in advance. > >Dave Dunlap >Manager of Systems Services >Krannert Center for the Performing Arts >University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign >ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu We currently have the Farallon StarController, and when I expand our network I will get a Nuvotech TurboStar. The Farallon is a fine box, but the reasons I will go for the TurboStar are: 1) 4 more ports on the TurboStar 2) the star management software for the TurboStar is much better than for the StarController. For one thing, to set up a Mac to manage the Farallon you have to use a special "management connection" on the side of the box. And there are distance limitations and special wiring considerations for this management connection. The Nuvotech has software which will allow one to manage the ports from anywhere on the network (I believe), anyway you don't have to use any special connections. Evelyn Mast amdahl!key!evelyn
roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) (02/28/90)
In article <314@spt.entity.com> mdc@spt.UUCP (Marty Connor) writes: > The Farallon StarController has 12 ports, and basically lets you connect > up to 12 branches with lots of machines on each branch to each other. > Gives a potential net of up to 36,000 feet of cable. We have the Farallon SC box and are happy with it. A few comments, though. I think you only get 3000 feet per port if you are using #22 wire. The more common #24 only allows you 2000 feet per port, which can be 1 2000 foot branch, or 2 x 1000, 3 x 670, or 4 x 500. I suspect the Nuvotech box has the same limits. You can interconnect SCs in various ways to get even bigger nets (either direct connectons, or via AppleTalk/Ethernet bridges, like a Kbox). Again, the same is probably true of the Nuvobox. As for the control connection being direct on the Farallon and over the net on the Nuvo, I'm not sure which is better. Granted, network access is more convenient, but I could imagine a situation where the net is so completely hosed that with the Nuvobox, you couldn't even talk to the box to run diagnostics. Now, a question. When I run new PhoneNet runs, I start by plugging a standard tone generator into the modular jack where I want to end up, and trace the line back through the various levels of punchdown blocks in wiring closets until I get back to the central panel where our SC is. Then, I go back to the jack and unplug the tone generator before going back to the SC and making the last punchdown connection to the SC's distribution block. My question is whether that extra trip to another floor to unplug the tone generator is really necessary. My best guess is that the audio frequency tone won't get through the high frequency transformers that PhoneNet uses and I shouldn't worry about it, but I'm not sure enough to risk it. Anybody know? -- Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy "My karma ran over my dogma"
ajq@mace.cc.purdue.edu (John O'Malley) (03/03/90)
In article <88500008@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu> ddunlap@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu writes: >I had originally been planning on using the controller from Farallon, but >have discovered that Nuvotech has a 16 port controller for only a slightly >higher price than Farallon's 12 port box. > >... does anyone out there have experience with both >controllers that can give a comparison? Check out the 13 February issue of MacWEEK, page 52. It has a review of the Nuvotech box that compares it with the Farallon StarController. -John --- John O'Malley / Macintosh / Purdue University / (317) ajq@mace.cc.purdue.edu / Specialist / Computing Center / 494-1787
ajq@mace.cc.purdue.edu (John O'Malley) (03/03/90)
In article <314@spt.entity.com> mdc@spt.UUCP (Marty Connor) writes: >The Farallon StarController has 12 ports, and basically lets you connect >up to 12 branches with lots of machines on each branch to each other. Actually, the Farallon StarController has 12 ports, and each port can have 4 branches. So, if you limited your network to one device per branch, one StarController could handle 48 devices. (We have a Macintosh SE lab with 42 computers and three LaserWriters hooked up in this manner.) Here's what the StarController manual says about cable length (page 36): # branches on a port Max cable length per branch 1 3000 feet 2 1500 feet 3 1000 feet 4 750 feet Theoretically, each of those 48 branches could have 32 devices on it, which is the AppleTalk limit, right? Assuming that the branch didn't exceed 750 feet in length. Our "main" AppleTalk network (the one our staff uses), by the way, has a Farallon StarController. Branch 1 on each of Ports 1 thru 8 is in use. Some branches have 2 or 3 devices on them. We've had no problems. -John --- John O'Malley / Macintosh / Purdue University / (317) ajq@mace.cc.purdue.edu / Specialist / Computing Center / 494-1787