bbs00068@uafcseg.uucp (Joel Kolstad) (09/30/90)
Our office just got a new wiring job, and a dreaded new word has come into my life: Ethernet. Currently, to get our PCs to talk to anything else, we plug a serial cable into the back of the PC, run a nice terminal program such as Procomm Plus, and login to a bigger machine (almost exclusively Unix workstations, right now. Before you actually get to login to a Unix box, there's another machine that you talk to that let's you tell it just WHICH machine you want to use...) Now that the wiring is done, they say we'll be switching over to Ethernet. I need to learn something about Ethernet... specifically what cards we need to buy for the PCs, and how Ethernet cards on PC let you "talk" to other machines. First off, just what is Ethernet? I assume it's just another protocol like RS-232, and you can basically feed the Ethernet card anything you want, right? If so, instead of using a terminal program like we have been, how does one access the data coming in on the Ethernet? Overall, I guess I'm really just very confused. I'd be very happy if someone could tell me the basics of how a PC on an Ethernet network works! Thanks for any help that you people can give me. I really appreciate it! ---Joel Kolstad Reply to: kolstad@cae.wisc.edu
nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (09/30/90)
In article <5324@uafhp.uark.edu> bbs00068@uafcseg.uucp (Joel Kolstad) writes:
Our office just got a new wiring job, and a dreaded new word has come into
my life: Ethernet.
"Dreaded"? Nawwww, I give you two days of 10 Mbit access to your Unix host
before you're spoiled. :-)
Now that the wiring is done, they say we'll be switching over to Ethernet.
I need to learn something about Ethernet... specifically what cards we need
to buy for the PCs, and how Ethernet cards on PC let you "talk" to other
machines.
Ethernet cards are just like any other cards. You makes your choice, and you
pays your money. The cheapest Ethernet cards I've seen are NE1000 clones,
for $79. You're the beneficiary of a pretty heated price war between
Ethernet card vendors.
First off, just what is Ethernet? I assume it's just another
protocol like RS-232, and you can basically feed the Ethernet card
anything you want, right?
Yeah, sort of, except that Ethernet cards have addresses, and you can't
(efficiently) send just a single character.
If so, instead of using a terminal program like we have been, how
does one access the data coming in on the Ethernet?
You run a program that implements the TCP/IP suite, and includes a telnet
client. Basically, it makes your PC into a terminal, except it's much
faster and you can connect to multiple hosts. Some telnet programs also
let you transfer files at the same time. Take my word for it, it's
all neat and nifty, and the speed and power will boggle your mind.
Overall, I guess I'm really just very confused. I'd be very happy
if someone could tell me the basics of how a PC on an Ethernet
network works!
Get our packet drivers (see below). Also get our telnet client program,
CUTE (Clarkson University Terminal Emulator). It's
omnigate.clarkson.edu:/pub/cutcp/v2.2-C/tc.cutcp.zoo. The file extractor is
pub/cutcp/zoo201.exe. It's not available for downloading from our BBS --
ask rcb@clutx.clarkson.edu why not. If you can't FTP it, and you're not
a UUNET customer (they'll FTP it for you), I can pack it up on floppies
for you.
The Clarkson packet driver collection
Availability
The Clarkson collection of packet drivers is available by FTP, by
archive-server, and by modem. They come in two flavors -- executables
only (drivers.arc), and source+executables (driverss.arc). All of the
following instructions apply to both drivers.arc and driverss.arc.
Mail:
I distribute the packet drivers on a 1.2 MB 5.25" disk, or a 720K 3.5"
disk. You can send me a check for $20, or you can send me a purchse
order and I will bill you for $22. NY residents add 7% sales tax,
overseas orders add $3 for shipping. If you send a check, please be
sure it is in US dollars -- the bank charges me $15 to convert checks
drawn in foreign currencies.
Russell Nelson
11 Grant St.
Potsdam, NY 13676
FTP:
sun.soe.clarkson.edu:/pub/ka9q/drivers.arc
grape.ecs.clarkson.edu:/e/tcpip/drivers.arc
Archive-server:
Send mail to archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu and put the following
command as the body of your message:
help
This will send you a help message. Reading this help message will tell
you how to fetch the packet drivers.
Modem:
Call the Clarkson Heath User's Group's BBS: (315)268-6667, 8N1,
1200/2400 Baud, 24 hours. Change to file area 24 and download drivers.arc.
--
--russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]) Russ.Nelson@$315.268.6667
It's better to get mugged than to live a life of fear -- Freeman Dyson