Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!proteon.com!jas
From: jas@proteon.com ("John A. Shriver")
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Info needed on DECPA ( DEC Ethernet Card).
Message-ID: <8909121429.AA04249@monk.proteon.com>
Date: 12 Sep 89 14:29:11 GMT
References: <6442@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 16

The DEPCA is DEC's own PC Ethernet card.  It uses a LANCE Ethernet
chip, which is (by far) DEC's preferred Ethernet chip.  The packet
buffer is accessed via dual-port memory in the BIOS ROM area.  It is a
good board.

Software support for the DEPCA is offered by DECnet-DOS and by
"VAX/VMS Services for MS-DOS" (a/k/a PCSA).  The former is a
reasonably complete DECnet implementation for MS-DOS.  The latter is
the DECnet-DOS kernel, along with an implmentation of MS-NETWORKS
(SMB) on top of the Session level.  Most DEPCA's are sold bundled with
the VAX/VMS Services software.  (The server software is bundled with
VAX/VMS.)

Both of these packages provide a side door to share the interface with
other protocols.  It is documented in the VAXmate technical manuals.
(The DEPCA is based on the design used in the VAXmate).