Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!timbuk!cs.umn.edu!ux.acs!spexet From: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu (D. Robert Spexet II) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans Subject: Re: LAN bridge for ethernet to token-ring Message-ID: <2974@ux.acs.umn.edu> Date: 1 Jan 91 18:17:21 GMT References: <90361.120751HAT@TRMETU.BITNET> <91001.180102P85025@BARILVM.BITNET> Reply-To: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu (D. Robert Spexet II) Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Lines: 43 In article <91001.180102P85025@BARILVM.BITNET> P85025@BARILVM.BITNET (Doron Shikmoni) writes: >In article <90361.120751HAT@TRMETU.BITNET>, says: >> >> I AM THE MANAGER OF A CYBER 932-11, CONNECTED TO AN IDENTICAL MACHINE >>VIA AN ETHERNET. TO CONNECT THE ETHERNET TO A TOKEN_RING OVER WHICH I >>PLAN TO ACCESS AN IBM 3090 WITH TCP/IP, I REQUIRE A LAN BRIDGE. >> I AM AWARE OF THE IBM 8209 PRODUCT, HOWEVER MY FUNDS AREN'T >>SUFFICIENT FOR THE PURCHASE OF THIS DEVICE. >> DOES ANY DEVICE OF EQUIVALENT FUNCTION EXIST -AT A MORE REASONABLE >>PRICE. > >Also, I believe an RS/6000 station, properly configured, can sit on >both LANs and perform IP routing between them. Obviously the basic >price of an RS/6000 is higher than that of an 8209; but if you already >have one... I might add at this point that if you have a PS/2 sitting around, you could set up IBM's TCP/IP software for OS/2, which includes routing capabilities. We do this at work. On our file server, a PS/2 Model 80 running LAN Manager, we have IBM's TCP/IP software installed, routing packets between the token ring and the ethernet boards that we have installed in it. This way, we can give our token-ring network complete Internet services. Note that you do *not* have to have the LAN Manager software running to do this. The TCP/IP software alone will work just fine. Besides this, you could set up an IBM compatible of some sort with both an ethernet and a token-ring board, and then use a package such as KA9Q to do the IP routing between the ethernet and the token-ring networks. I'm not sure if these solutions would be fast enough for your needs. Obvious- ly, it would be desirable to have a hardware bridge such as an 8209 box, be- cause it works much faster than a software router. However, if your TCP/IP traffic is light to moderate, as it is in our situation, then a software-based router should do the trick, provided, of course, that you have or can obtain the computer and/or the network boards to run it on. I hope this helps. -D. Robert Spexet II, Post Office Box 14909, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414-0909 Internet: spexet@ux.acs.umn.edu BITNET: spexet@umnacux.BITNET UUCP: rutgers!umn-cs!ux.acs.umn.edu!spexet