Xref: utzoo comp.dcom.lans:6303 comp.protocols.tcp-ip:13504
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!lth.se!tts.lth.se!xjeldc
From: xjeldc@ldc.lu.se (Jan Engvald)
Newsgroups: swnet.lans,comp.dcom.lans,comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: LANtastic on the backbone
Message-ID: <1990Oct25.114300.10385@lth.se>
Date: 25 Oct 90 11:43:00 GMT
Sender: newsuser@lth.se (LTH network news server)
Organization: Lund University Computing Center, Sweden
Lines: 38

I have earlier reported that we had problem with Lantastic networks when
they were connected to the backbone. Their ISO-like protocol caused
interference to other ISO protocols ("HP-IP" in our case, most probably
also AppleTalk Phase 2, Decnet Phase 5 and ISO-IP). This because they had
no ISO headers following the length field.

For quite a while we have now been running a new Lantastic version, the
"Xerox" version. It is an Ethernet-2 protocol, they have changed the length
field to have Ethernet type 81d6 instead. They are also using the following
multicast addresses (in our case, they may differ in your case):

  ffff00600004
  ffff00400001
  ffff01e00004

The multicast traffic is about the same as for an Ethernet based VAX-cluster.

Thanks to the Ethernet type we have had no problems what so ever with
this Xerox version of Lantastic. If you want to filter it in a bridge,
it can now also easily be done with just a type filter.

The Lantastic users report the Xerox Lantastic to be stable. And all
the previous features are retained, like very small memory consumption
and easy installation and maintenance.

If Lantastic is what you want, ensure you get the Xerox version and you
don't any longer have to fear any interference with other traffic.

                                             
Jan Engvald, Lund University Computing Center
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