ce1zzes@prism.gatech.EDU (Eric Sheppard) (08/13/90)
My department seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. Six months ago we were encouraged to purchase Ungermann-Bass ethernet cards for PCs and PS/2s. What we didn't know was that this company's cards are so proprietary, only PCs containing UB cards can access a server that also contains an UB card. This means that we are locked into relatively high-priced UB hardware, while other departments are investing in lower-cost and better-supported generic cards (3Com, WD). My question is this: Does any software exist out there that will support a UB server, while allowing the same services to non-UB ethernet cards? Other areas of interest: Could the server's card be replaced with a non-UB card, new network software installed, and have the UB-based PCs use its services? In this manner, we could make the network more flexible and useful. Eric
nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) (08/13/90)
In article <12466@hydra.gatech.EDU> ce1zzes@prism.gatech.EDU (Eric Sheppard) writes:
My department seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. Six
months ago we were encouraged to purchase Ungermann-Bass ethernet
cards for PCs and PS/2s.
NIU or NIC?
Other areas of interest: Could the server's card be replaced with a
non-UB card, new network software installed, and have the UB-based
PCs use its services? In this manner, we could make the network
more flexible and useful.
Perhaps, but it will take some work on your part. You could use
packet drivers and install a Novell or PC-NFS network. There already
exists a packet driver for the UB NIC/PC. You could write a packet
driver for the PS/2 machines. Then, not only could you run Novell,
but you could also run TCP/IP at the same time on the same machines.
If the UB software also used the packet drivers, you could also use
*their* software at the same time, too.
--
--russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]) Russ.Nelson@$315.268.6667
We won the cold war. The Russians spent trillions defending their stuff,
then they found that they didn't have any stuff. Will we avoid the same trap?ung@felix.UUCP (Bill Ung) (08/15/90)
In article <12466@hydra.gatech.EDU> ce1zzes@prism.gatech.EDU (Eric Sheppard) writes: >My department seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. Six months ago >we were encouraged to purchase Ungermann-Bass ethernet cards for PCs and PS/2s >What we didn't know was that this company's cards are so proprietary, only PCs >containing UB cards can access a server that also contains an UB card. This >means that we are locked into relatively high-priced UB hardware, while other >departments are investing in lower-cost and better-supported generic cards >(3Com, WD). My question is this: Does any software exist out there that will >support a UB server, while allowing the same services to non-UB ethernet cards Yes, there is. Novell, maker of the 3Com ethernet cards, has written several drivers for use with the UB NIUPC, NIUPS and NICPS/2 ethernet cards. These drivers allow the UB cards to connect to a Novell server and to communicate with other 3com/UB cards. You will need to see Novell about obtaining such drivers, however. >Other areas of interest: Could the server's card be replaced with a non-UB >card, new network software installed, and have the UB-based PCs use its >services? In this manner, we could make the network more flexible and useful. Essentially the same as above. We use NetWare 2.15 from Novell. >Eric Bill Ung ung@felix.UUCP