[bit.listserv.novell] TCP/IP gateways

SYPETER@CUGSBVM.BITNET (Peter Bombace) (01/10/90)

Does nayone have experience with the TCP/IP gateways that run inside
the server? I'm investigating ways of connecting our LAN's to our IP
backbone, and it looks as though we will go that route rather than the
packet driver. Experiences and prices would be extremely helpful.

Thanks,
Peter Bombace
Columbia B-School
Computing Activities
SYPETER@CUGSBVM.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU
Bitnet: SYPETER@CUGSBVM

LARRY.H.BRADLEY@NRC.CA (01/11/90)

Peter, a solution that we are playing with here (not in production
yet) is the WIN/ROUTE and WIN/TCP packages from Wollongong. WIN/TCP
is a standard TCP/IP package that runs on the workstation, EXCEPT
that it has a TCP/IP driver for Novell's IPX ... it sends TCP/IP
packets over whatever network cabling system you have ... Ethernet,
ARCnet, Token-Ring.

WIN/ROUTE is a router (gteway) that runs not in the file server but
in a gateway PC (preferable, in my opinion, to running in the server
... the server has enough to worry about!). It connects to both your
TCP/IP network and your Novell network (e.g. ARCnet), and acts as
the gateway. It works!

The current version of the router has one problem ... it does not
support a default route (i.e. you can't just point it to another
router in your system to handle things that are not in the
WIN/ROUTE tables. The next release (which is in beta, I am awaiting
copy) solves this problem.

So far, I am pleased with the Wollongong solution.


*------------------------------------+----------------------*
|Larry Bradley                       |    LARRY@VM.NRC.CA   |
|Communications Manager              | Larry.Bradley@NRC.CA |
|National Research Council of Canada |    LARRY@NRCVM01     |
|Networks Branch                     |                      |
|M60, Montreal Road                  | (613)993-0240        |
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wittmann@ENGR.WISC.EDU (art wittmann) (01/11/90)

>
> Peter, a solution that we are playing with here (not in production
> yet) is the WIN/ROUTE and WIN/TCP packages from Wollongong. WIN/TCP
> is a standard TCP/IP package that runs on the workstation, EXCEPT
> that it has a TCP/IP driver for Novell's IPX ... it sends TCP/IP
> packets over whatever network cabling system you have ... Ethernet,
> ARCnet, Token-Ring.
>
> WIN/ROUTE is a router (gteway) that runs not in the file server but
> in a gateway PC (preferable, in my opinion, to running in the server
> ... the server has enough to worry about!). It connects to both your
> TCP/IP network and your Novell network (e.g. ARCnet), and acts as
> the gateway. It works!
>
> The current version of the router has one problem ... it does not
> support a default route (i.e. you can't just point it to another
> router in your system to handle things that are not in the
> WIN/ROUTE tables. The next release (which is in beta, I am awaiting
> copy) solves this problem.
>
> So far, I am pleased with the Wollongong solution.
>
This sounds like a pretty interesting solution.  I'd love more details
like what tcp/ip apps are support (FTP, Telnet, SMTP, rlogin - whatever)
and of course, what the cost is.

For what it's worth, we use the Racal/Interlan TCP/IP gateway.  It is buggy
and has been buggy since it was introduced.  The current version of the
software it 1.3 and it does have significant bugs in it's management software
and SMTP mail facility.

Art

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Art Wittmann                                  Phone: (608) 263-1748
Network Manager                               Email: wittmann@engr.wisc.edu
Computer Aided Engineering Center                or: wittmann@cae.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin, Madison

bdahlen@ZEPHYR.CAIR.DU.EDU (Robert L. Dahlen @ U. of Denver USA=) (01/11/90)

> Does nayone have experience with the TCP/IP gateways that run inside
> the server? I'm investigating ways of connecting our LAN's to our IP
> backbone, and it looks as though we will go that route rather than the
> packet driver. Experiences and prices would be extremely helpful.
>
>
According to our research, we are going to use Wollongong's
TCP/IP Gateway.  (We just haven't found the money to do the
whole deal as we want to yet.)  For our purposes it seems more
reliable and more expandable.  (The MICOM/INTERLAN NP-600 keeps
getting bad reports, and since our servers stay up for months
at a time we'd like to keep them that way.)  I have not seen the
Wollongong solution work in real life, I assume it does, but no
one is using it in Colorado that I know of.  I`ll be interested
in your findings.

Good luck.
Bob

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Robert L. Dahlen - Director, Information Systems & Technology
University of Denver - Denver, Colorado 80208 (303) 871-4385
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LARRY.H.BRADLEY@NRC.CA (01/12/90)

Art, the best source of info on this is from Wollongong directly;
contact LJM@TCM.COM bia Email. Leo McLaughlin is the chap who told
me all about the wonders of the Wollongon products, and sent me an
advertising package. Cost is not bad ... about $180 for the router
and $400 (?) for the TCP/IP package. The "newest" version came out
just after I got my package, and it has more bells and whistles.


*------------------------------------+----------------------*
|Larry Bradley                       |    LARRY@VM.NRC.CA   |
|Communications Manager              | Larry.Bradley@NRC.CA |
|National Research Council of Canada |    LARRY@NRCVM01     |
|Networks Branch                     |                      |
|M60, Montreal Road                  | (613)993-0240        |
|Ottawa, Canada  K1A 0R6             | FAX:(613) 954-2561   |
*------------------------------------+----------------------*