[comp.unix.sysv386] Ethernet vendors

djs@nimbus3.uucp (Doug) (12/01/90)

We currently use Racal-Interlan NP-600 ethernet cards and drivers.  We've
found them to be quite buggy.  Machines often lock up and require a reboot
to get going.  We run AT&T System V Release 3.2.2 on AT&T 6386 PCs.  If
you know of other vendors who might have a better product, I'd really like
to know.  It would be nice if the product was fairly high performace (i.e.
does not load down the 386 much).

Thanks for any help.

-- 
Doug Scofea   Email: nimbus3!djs@cis.ohio-state.edu    Phone:+1 614 459-1889

djs@nimbus3.uucp (Doug) (01/08/91)

We currently use Micom-Interlan NP600A thin Ethernet cards and software with
an AT&T 6386 running System V release 3.2.2.  Sometimes the network hangs,
sometimes the machine and network hang.  In either case the machine requires
rebooting.  If you can recommend any vendors of Ethernet hardware and
software I would appreciate it.  Thanks.

-- 
Doug Scofea   Email: nimbus3!djs@cis.ohio-state.edu    Phone:+1 614 459-1889

aland@informix.com (Colonel Panic) (01/16/91)

In article <14163@ulysses.att.com> lee@ulysses.att.com (Lee Begeja[cwc]) writes:
>In article <1991Jan7.222015.2417@nimbus3.uucp>, djs@nimbus3.uucp (Doug) writes:
>> We currently use Micom-Interlan NP600A thin Ethernet cards and software with
>> an AT&T 6386 running System V release 3.2.2.  Sometimes the network hangs,
>> sometimes the machine and network hang.  In either case the machine requires
>> rebooting.  If you can recommend any vendors of Ethernet hardware and
>> software I would appreciate it.  Thanks.
>> Doug Scofea   Email: nimbus3!djs@cis.ohio-state.edu    Phone:+1 614 459-1889
>We were having the same types of problems with our MICOM stuff
>particularly when we tried to use the socket libraries.
>We got burned and frustrated enough that we switched to the
>AT&T NAU boards and the tcp/ip WIN software.
>Not only does it work faster and better
>but they are a lot cheaper than the MICOM set up and
>the support is superior (it exists).
>
>We use AT&T 6386's and thin ethernet and it has worked well for us.
>Lee Begeja att!ulysses!lee 201/582-5777

The AT&T version of WIN/TCP for 386 STREAMS appears to be the
following:
      1) they take the now-old 3.0 version of WIN/TCP as their base
      2) they add drivers for their StarLAN cards
      3) they strip out the drivers for the 3rd-party cards    (grrrrrr...)

If you'd rather use a 3rd party card, you can get Wollongong's direct
version.  Their current version is 3.1.0, and it runs with the major
ethernet cards (3Com, WD, Intel, etc.).  In my case, I really wanted to
be able to run PC-NFS under DOS and TCP/IP under UNIX on the same
hardware, and the only easy way to do this was to use Wollongong's own
version with WD8003E cards.  (As an alternative, I guess there may be
a way to work PC-NFS on top of Clarkson packet drivers on top of the
StarLAN boards, but I was behind enough as it was.  Also, the only
interrupt I had left was interrupt 2/9; WIN/TCP 3.0 gags badly if
interrupt 2/9 is used.)

The WIN/TCP - WD8003E solution was also substantially cheaper, though
I'd expect that the 10BaseT StarLAN boards run lots faster...

--
Alan Denney  #  aland@informix.com  #  {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland

 "Now they'll have this "Chunnel" thing, parallel tunnels running 
  between England and France.  Let's see.  The English drive on the
  left side, and the French drive on the right side.   Hmmmmm.
  That's going to be one wild lane!"
                                     - John Mendoza