toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) (04/11/91)
We're running a BBS under SCO Unix. Right now, we have two lines, but in the near future we'd like to expand to three or four. The tough question is whether to go with the cheap non-intelligent multi-port card or the more expensive intelligent version. We are running HST dual-standard modems exclusively, so we expect to always communicate with the modems at 38,400 baud. Beyond the BBS users and news processing, there is little activity on the system. Of course, we can visualize a situation where 4 people are all downloading at 14,400 baud; but would there be a noticeable difference with the intelligent I/O? Any hints would be *greatly* appreciated. Thanks in advance! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Tony Shepps toad@cellar.UUCP (...uunet!cellar!toad) - - The Cellar BBS; since late 1990. Reliable hardware, responsible sysops, - - and line noise is neve~ a prob&~Jq@#}.}a\[>~~~ NO CARRIER
grant@bluemoon.uucp (Grant DeLorean) (04/13/91)
toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) writes: >The tough question is whether to go with the cheap non-intelligent multi-port >card or the more expensive intelligent version. IMHO, you will be extremely pleased if you get an intelligent board. Just with the CPU not having to service every character coming in makes it worth buying the intelligent board. Make sure you put DigiBoard at the top of your list to check out. They have superb tech support if you need it (free, too), their boards work extremely well, they always have the current drivers available for download if you want to update the driver (another free service), they have drivers for darn near everything on an ISA, EISA or MCA type machine, the boards and cables are very well made, they support hardware as well as software handshaking, up to 56kbps on each port sustained... I switched to them from another intelligent board and am now completely sold on them. -- \ Grant DeLorean (grant@bluemoon) {n8emr|nstar}!bluemoon!grant / "You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence."-C.A. Beard
gemini@geminix.in-berlin.de (Uwe Doering) (04/13/91)
toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) writes: >We're running a BBS under SCO Unix. Right now, we have two lines, but in the >near future we'd like to expand to three or four. > >The tough question is whether to go with the cheap non-intelligent multi-port >card or the more expensive intelligent version. > >We are running HST dual-standard modems exclusively, so we expect to always >communicate with the modems at 38,400 baud. Beyond the BBS users and news >processing, there is little activity on the system. Of course, we can >visualize a situation where 4 people are all downloading at 14,400 baud; but >would there be a noticeable difference with the intelligent I/O? > >Any hints would be *greatly* appreciated. Thanks in advance! You could install the FAS 2.08 serial driver for dumb ports (posted to the net some months ago, it's freeware). If you use it together with NS16550A UART chips, even four full speed downloads at the same time are no problem with that combination. And, most important, it _won't_ bring your machine down to it's knees during the downloads. FAS 2.08 has full-duplex RTS/CTS hardware flow control and other nice features not found in conventional dumb port drivers. It runs unter SCO UNIX and most other 286/386 UNIX or XENIX flavors. Uwe -- Uwe Doering | INET : gemini@geminix.in-berlin.de Berlin |---------------------------------------------------------------- Germany | UUCP : ...!unido!fub!geminix.in-berlin.de!gemini
davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr) (04/14/91)
In article <9Xw8Z2w164w@cellar.UUCP> toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) writes: | We're running a BBS under SCO Unix. Right now, we have two lines, but in the | near future we'd like to expand to three or four. | | The tough question is whether to go with the cheap non-intelligent multi-port | card or the more expensive intelligent version. I would get an AST 4 port (someone was closing them out for $99) and try it. If it drops chars or eats too much CPU install FAS. If it still has problems convert the USARTs to 16550s so FAS can use the fifo. Minimal price, minimal non-SCO software. Stop enhancing when you get the performance you want. -- bill davidsen - davidsen@sixhub.uucp (uunet!crdgw1!sixhub!davidsen) sysop *IX BBS and Public Access UNIX moderator of comp.binaries.ibm.pc and 80386 mailing list "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me
larry@nstar.rn.com (Larry Snyder) (04/16/91)
toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) writes: >processing, there is little activity on the system. Of course, we can >visualize a situation where 4 people are all downloading at 14,400 baud; but >would there be a noticeable difference with the intelligent I/O? yes - 4 high speed lines all locked at 38400 on a dumb multiport board will load the system - we at one time used all dumb serial ports - but about a year ago we installed intelligent boards - along with more high speed modems - and will all the modems going wide open (with zmodem transfers at high speeds) the system is so fast it can't be noticed! -- Larry Snyder, NSTAR Public Access Unix 219-289-0287 (HST/PEP/V.32/v.42bis) regional UUCP mapping coordinator {larry@nstar.rn.com, ..!uunet!nstar.rn.com!larry}
root@equinox.UUCP (Super user) (04/18/91)
In article <9Xw8Z2w164w@cellar.UUCP> toad@cellar.UUCP (Tony Shepps) writes: >We're running a BBS under SCO Unix. Right now, we have two lines, but in the >near future we'd like to expand to three or four. > >The tough question is whether to go with the cheap non-intelligent multi-port >card or the more expensive intelligent version. > >We are running HST dual-standard modems exclusively, so we expect to always >communicate with the modems at 38,400 baud. Beyond the BBS users and news >processing, there is little activity on the system. Of course, we can >visualize a situation where 4 people are all downloading at 14,400 baud; but >would there be a noticeable difference with the intelligent I/O? > IMHO, with the number of lines you have (two with plans to expand to four), a dumb serial card should fit your needs. Of course, if money isn't an object, get a smart card (suchas the...oh skip it...). In November 1989 a friend of mine, Terry Neu, benchmarked several intelligent cards. He also included a dumb 8-port card. What was kinda surprising at the time was that the dumb card did better than about half of the "intelligent" cards all the way up to 19.2K baud. Benchmark tests don't favor dumb cards, they output continously. For an dumb card to outperform an intelligent card at 19.2K baud over 8 ports is a surprise. In the real world, where users wouldn't press the card as heavy as the benchmark, the dumb board should even work better. The smart card will make a difference in buffering (giving users 'snappy' screen refreshes) under the light load. Now, the serial drivers for the intelligent cards have probably improved their efficiency since then too. Still, it's something to think about.... _________________________________________________________________ Arf, Yipe, Grrrrrrrr Equinox Systems (305) 255-3500 x289 Death to the Shah! 14260 SW 119th Ave, Miami FL 33186 WolF Kozel : Hobbies...Unix,kali,chess & beer
larry@nstar.rn.com (Larry Snyder) (05/12/91)
root@equinox.UUCP (Super user) writes: >IMHO, with the number of lines you have (two with plans to expand to four), >a dumb serial card should fit your needs. Of course, if money isn't an >object, get a smart card (suchas the...oh skip it...). not if the ports are all locked at 38400 - plus - the overhead associated with those speeds will slow the system down.. We did run multiple dumb ports - and throughput was reasonable - but the system seemed sluggush - and throughput for console IO tasks under X were quite slow. After adding a smartboard, the throughput on the serial lines increased around 15% but the console IO was real fast. The sluggush response problems also ceased. -- Larry Snyder, NSTAR Public Access Unix 219-289-0287/317-251-7391 HST/PEP/V.32/v.32bis/v.42bis regional UUCP mapping coordinator {larry@nstar.rn.com, ..!uunet!nstar.rn.com!larry}