Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!image.soe.clarkson.edu!news From: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: networking query Message-ID: Date: 2 Jun 90 23:21:00 GMT References: <27375@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> Sender: news@sun.soe.clarkson.edu Reply-To: nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam NY Lines: 25 In-reply-to: axaris@acsu.Buffalo.EDU's message of 2 Jun 90 17:12:08 GMT In article <27375@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> axaris@acsu.Buffalo.EDU (vassilios e axaris) writes: I have this system configuration: A 386 running an interactive program, which is to be connected to diskless 286 pcs that will do the I/O for the program. The connection will most likely be via RS-232 ports. My question is: can the 386 initiate a process on the 286's without a network OS like Novell? Shouldn't the 286's be running some sort of program to communicate with the 386? What you want to do *can* be done. It is a major pain in the butt to do over RS-232 links. When the price of Ethernet cards is in the $129 range, and ARCNET cards can be had for $79, there isn't a very good reason to be fiddling with RS-232 for networking more than two machines. Instead, FTP the packet drivers from sun.soe.clarkson.edu:pub/ka9q/drivers.arc. Look through the list of supported drivers, find a cheap card, and run your network that way. You'll have to develop your own method for transferring and starting programs, but that's the fun part. -- --russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]) Russ.Nelson@$315.268.6667 Violence never solves problems, it just changes them into more subtle problems