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From: vjs@rhyolite.wpd.sgi.com (Vernon Schryver)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: FDDI Hardware and TCP/IP Software
Summary: everyone is doing it
Message-ID: <68369@sgi.sgi.com>
Date: 1 Sep 90 19:51:21 GMT
References: <520@pico.oz> <1990Aug31.021317.18187@actrix.co.nz>
Sender: guest@sgi.sgi.com
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
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In article <1990Aug31.021317.18187@actrix.co.nz>, paul@actrix.co.nz (Paul Gillingwater) writes:
> 
> It's not cheap, but I believe HP Apollo make a workstation with a
> direct FDDI connection, and all the standard TCP/IP software.


If there is a workstation vendor who is NOT working on FDDI, please say
who.  The Sun product has been available for about a year.  I was not aware
that the HP/Apollo product had finally been announced.  I think DEC
announced prices recently.  And so on and on and on.  To see how big the
cast is, get copies of the X3T9.5 FDDI documents, and look at the addresses
of the participants.

VME FDDI cards have been announced from at least 2 third party vendors, and
I know of others in progress.  At least one model has been shipped from for
many months from each of the first two vendors.

There are zillion vendors working on cards for all kinds of PC buses, using
chipsets from at least half a dozen silicon vendors.  Some of these boards,
with varying amounts of upper layer software, are available off the shelf.
At least one, the AMD Fastcard, has been available for literally years,
although without any TCP/IP to my knowledge.


This is not a good forum to search for a vendor.  You won't get a balanced
sample, whether you prefer to balance based on product volume, maturity,
price, performance, or any combination of any metrics.  Instead, you'll
just get rumors of rumors.  If I were looking for FDDI hardware today, I
would call the chip makers, and ask which of their customers have announced
products.  Don't ask me which chip vendors, because I don't know what is
still under non-disclosure.  Instead, call all of your favorite silicon
vendors and ask if they have an FDDI product.

There will be a bazillion FDDI vendors at INTEROP 90 in Oct in San Jose.
Interop Inc. would doubtless say it will be a good place to look for vendors.


Vernon Schryver,   vjs@sgi.com