Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!shelby!claman@isl.Stanford.EDU
From: claman@isl.Stanford.EDU (Larry Claman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Novell and WANs
Message-ID: <27@isl.stanford.edu>
Date: 19 Mar 90 20:43:08 GMT
Sender: claman@isl.Stanford.EDU (Larry Claman)
Reply-To: claman@isl.Stanford.EDU (Larry Claman)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 34

I am currently researching the design and implementation of a global WAN
to interconnect Macs and PCs.  I am considering a number of solutions,
one of which is bridging Novell lans.   However, a number of people
have expressed skepticism that Novell can support a global WAN, namely
due to the limitations of IPX.

For example, suppose you have four nodes connected in the following manner:


    Boston     	  T1   	     London
       X-----------------------X
       |       	       	       |
       | Leased	       	       | Leased
       |  Line 	       	       |  Line
       |       	       	       |
       X       	       	       X
    New York                 Paris

Now suppose most of your traffic was from New York to Paris.  From
what I understand, Novell has no way of monitoring traffic so you
can figure out that you should move the T1 link to bridge NY to Paris.

Novell's global naming service is coming in a few months.  This will
supposedly allow better wide area connectivity, but as far as I know
it will not solve the problem described above.

I would like to know if anyone has experience with implementing a
global Novell WAN or if anyone has any opinions on why it would or
would not work.  War stories are appreciated.
I will summarize & post responses.

	Thanks,
		Larry Claman
		claman@isl.stanford.edu