Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!ogicse!ucsd!ucsdhub!celit!dave
From: dave@fps.com (Dave Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Ethernet *WAN* (can it be done?)
Message-ID: <7435@celit.fps.com>
Date: 20 Mar 90 20:04:38 GMT
References: <173@mnopltd.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@fps.com
Reply-To: dave@fps.com (Dave Smith)
Organization: FPS Computing Inc., San Diego CA
Lines: 38

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? 

Nope.  You will have 9.6 Kb/sec Ethernet running between your offices.
>
>The wiring experts say "no problem... we'll just run ethernet over the whole 
>region."   As a result, I am pushed into a single big server configuration. 
>
>Which is fine except if the wiring won't work, the whole schmutz is wrong.  
>And something about this smells fishy... what about propagation times?...

Propogation would only come into play if you were running it as one big
(electrically) Ethernet.  This is not possible and if they think it is
you should 1) fire them and 2) have them committed.

If they think they are going to run large amounts of data through bridge
boxes connected at 9.6 Kb/sec you should 1) fire them and 2) have them
committed.

If the kind of traffic you are talking about is 1 to 4 users at the remote
sites running rlogin sessions to the main site with additional traffic
running locally only this could be acceptable.  If it's just going to
be 1 to 4 users with terminal hooked to a 386 running rlogin with no other
network traffic it will probably be cheaper to get a stat mux to hook the
terminals directly to and run them across the line.  

56Kbp/sec lines are probably more feasible.  You really need to figure out how
much data needs to go across the line in time X and make decisions on
what kind of speed you need.  Be sure to leave room for growth.

--
David L. Smith
FPS Computing, San Diego
ucsd!celerity!dave or dave@fps.com
"We are a bigger musical genius than any Bob Dylan" - Milli Vanilli