Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!decwrl!petunia!polyslo!rnicovic
From: rnicovic@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ralph Nicovich)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Ethernet *WAN* (can it be done?)
Message-ID: <26066865.6596@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 20 Mar 90 17:29:09 GMT
References: <173@mnopltd.UUCP>
Reply-To: rnicovic@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ralph Nicovich)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 29


In article <173@mnopltd.UUCP> gatech!stiatl!mnopltd!neal writes:
>Dear Abby,
>
>Is it possible to run 10Mbps Ethernet over a star topology of offices up to 80
>miles apart connected via 9.6 dedicated voice grade lines? 
You are correct in being concerned.
There are two types of connections you might make.
One is a Data Link Bridge. This is protocol independent, and might seem the
best, but... Just a small amount of Broadcast traffic would Swamp the 9.6
lines. Also the delays caused bu retransmitting the packets with such a
slow line might cause most packages that "think" you are on a local ENET
to retransmit because of that delay.
I would not do this unless you are extreemly careful of your aplication.

The other aproach is some type of router.
This is of course protocol dependent. Mail, FTP and TELNET would work
well in a IP enviornment, but you did not say what your aplication was.

A third aproach might be to pick a machine on each network
to work as a communication processor of some sort, but this is not
connecting the "networks" per say..

9.6 is suprisingly fast, we connect many things over one line...But
keep up to a 10Mbs Ethernet....Thats some compression alogrithim!!!

Ralph Nicovich
Network Engineering
Cal Poly State University