UF749@cc.usu.edu (12/04/89)
Has anyone used EtherGate from Shiva. They have ads at the back of every Macweek, suggesting that this is and alternative to the Kinetics Fastpath or the Gatorbox, with the ability to hook two Appletalk networks to one Ethernet Would really like to know of experiences using this box with CAP, NCSA telnet, printing to printers hooked to Macs from UNIX hosts and vice-versa. Experiences with Sun NFS or DEC NFS through SPARCS or DEcstations would also be of interest. From what I've read in this group so far it appears that the Fastpath is more commonly used and does "basic" things better and faster than the Gatorbox. The Gatorbox has more features, higher cost and slower throughput. Is this an accurate assessment of the discussion ? How does the EtherGate fit into the picture. We are currently evaluating what to use to hook Macs into Unix stations at three labs on campus. Ability to print across the network, provide a file server capability, ability to run printer use checking software (a la UT Austin PD ? program discussed in Macworld), and to mix macs with and without Ethercards, but all with Appletalk, with a box going to the UNIx machine Ether net are important. Info from Kinetics, Cayman or Shiva people is also welcome. Thanks in advance Upmanu Lall Utah Water Research laboratory Utah State University UMC 82 Logan UT 84322-8200 (801)-750-3184 uf749@cc.usu.edu
billkatt@mondo.engin.umich.edu (billkatt) (12/06/89)
In article <14850@cc.usu.edu> UF749@cc.usu.edu writes: >Has anyone used EtherGate from Shiva. ? Yes, we have one here right now, and we couldn't be happier. They won't replace a FastPath, though. They currently don't do IPTalk (which is what unix machines speak) I would say right now to anyone who wants a LocalTalk to EtherTalk gateway, use an Apple Router, if that isn't feasible, use an EtherGate. If you want to speak AppleTalk to Unix machines or use IP on localtalk machines, you are going to need a FastPath or Gator Box somewhere along the line. What you need to decide is how many you need. I can suggest a few guidelines on those ratios, too. It is a good idea to use one FastPath per two heavily used unix hosts or 10-15 lightly used unix hosts. I can't even guess with gatox boxes, because I don't have enough experience with them. You also cannot have more than 60 LocalTalk macs speaking IP simultaneously though one FastPath. I have used up to 45, and it seems reasonable, probably due to the fact that LocalTalk is slow. -Steve