Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: WEBER@harvarda.bitnet
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: ISDN and TCP/IP
Message-ID: <1842@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 6 Dec 89 06:44:09 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 553, message 2 of 9

Harvard University is installing a 5ESS running version 5 of the
software. We also have a fiber optic ethernet backbone network whose
configuration was chosen to permit easy upgrade to FDDI when such
bandwidth is required and when the upgrade is cost effective. The
environment is mostly Unix and VMS machines on the ether, running
TCP/IP with some DECNet. There is some LAT on local ethernets, but
only TCP/IP and DECNet will be supported on the backbone. The backbone
is implemented at present with cisco routers and subnets for various
faculties and departments. THere are a few IBM hosts that are or will
be running TCP/IP, including the server for the library catalog
application.
 
The is some confusion here about the utility of ISDN in the short
run and in long run. The following questions have arisen:
 
1. How do we create a gateway between ISDN and TCP/IP so that
the following common cases can get access to TCP (and the world):
 
   a. Dumb terminals with an rs232 connection to circuit switched
      d or b channels (i.e., 9.6 kbs or 64kbs).
 
   b. Intelligent peronal computers such as msdos and macintosh
      machines. These machines would ordinarily have ethernet
      cards and run something like FTP Software's TCP implementation,
      or NCSA Telnet on the macs. There might be a stray Unix box
      somewhere (no one wants to run slip). THe ISDN connection is
      BRI, not PRI.
 
   c. Local area networks in buildings which are nt yet connected
      to the fiber ethernet network. These networks are typically
      Appletalk or TCP/IP itself, with a few Novell networks
      here and there. Again, the ISDN connection is BRI, not
      PRI.
 
Thanks for any information you can offer.


Robert Philip Weber, Ph.D.       | Phone: (617) 495-3744
Senior Consultant                | Fax:   (617) 495-0750
Academic and Planning Services   |
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Office For Information Technology| Internet: weber@popvax.harvard.edu
Harvard University               | Bitnet:   Weber@Harvarda
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Cambridge MA 02138               |