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From: hayes@Apple.COM (Jim Hayes)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.appletalk
Subject: Re: ATP2 bridging (was Phase 1 vs. Phase 2)
Message-ID: <48425@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 24 Jan 91 08:35:03 GMT
References: <1991Jan23.192010.12634@ns.uoregon.edu>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., ECO Networking Group
Lines: 52

JQ Johnson and Ben Schmidt (along with others) say the Apple should fix 
the Phase II AARP problem, not bridge manufacturers.

Ben Schmidt writes:
>BEEEEEEP!!!  Wrong answer!  Next contestant, please!    :^)
>I'd rather Apple fix this AARP kludge.  Even if it means swallowing
>another set of router upgrades!

JQ writes:
>I agree with Ben, of course.  After all, I think I was the first poster to
>say on the net that we'd actually tried it and that Phase II Appletalk was
>*broken* through FDDI bridges :-).  But it isn't as easy as just changing
>routers.  

JQ Then goes on to explain how Apple could upgrade the EtherTalk
drivers to do AARP properly, etc.  And in fact it is a reasonable
solution to the problem as it applies to Apple equipment.

But what about Shiva? Cisco? NRC? The MultiGate folks? NetWay?
Wellfleet?  AT&T? Northern Telecom? Cayman? IPT? Sony? Sequent? GO? etc.?

If Apple updates its AARP code, the above folks (plus many many more)
must also update their code.   At this point your might as well call it
Phase II++ or Phase II.1.

Since this whole issue really started with the advent of FDDI bridges
(relatively new) and the problem can be corrected in the bridges by
testing two bytes for zero, why don't FDDI bridge vendors implement the
correction?  To me this is a selling point.  As a network manager, I
perform a few FCO's to my bridges in the form of a ROM change or some
new PALs or microcode and I'm done.

I'm not trying to defend Apple (sometimes an uphill battle) and my
views really don't reflect Apple's (because they have not taken a stand
on this issue), but this solution is a win for people wanting to bridge
Phase II over FDDI:

	* Little down time fully under the control of network mangement.
	* No user software changes. 
	* $$$ Savings in terms of all the user upgrades that didn't have to
	  be done and the down time that didn't occur because of it.

I dunno, maybe I have been kidnapped by Marketing-- but don't let that
stop the discussion.  I am feeding the *problem* back into product
developement/marketing and not my personal views regarding the solution.


-- 
Jim Hayes, Network Manager (I manage the hardware, not the network group)
Engineering Network Services, Apple Computer Inc.

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