Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!decwrl!shelby!portia.stanford.edu!news
From: patrick@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Patrick Goebel)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Telnet/FTP and PC-NFS
Keywords: telnet,ftp,pc-nfs,NCSA,Wollongong,Sun
Message-ID: <1991Feb11.222828.1566@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 11 Feb 91 22:28:28 GMT
Sender: news@portia.Stanford.EDU (Mr News)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Lines: 68



G'day Fellow Netlanders--

Lately there has been some discussion concerning the simultaneous use
of Telnet/FTP and NFS on networked PC's.  As the network administrator
of a 90-node ethernet TCP/IP LAN, I am eager to make both services
available to our users.

To date I have been using NCSA Telnet (version 2.2D) and the consensus
amongst our users is that they love it.  I am now in search of an NFS
program that they can also live with.

As I understand the issue, there is a problem of maintaining control
over the "IP stack" when two or more "application layer" programs
attempt to simultaneously access the same ethernet card.  Two
commercial products that apparently integrated Telnet/FTP and NFS
services are Sun's PC-NFS and Wollongong's WIN/TCP (are there others?
see Q2 below).

Some authors have implied that Sun's Telnet program leaves much to be
desired.  They therefore seek to use NCSA Telnet (version 2.2D/NFS-A)
in conjunction with Sun's PC-NFS.

I myself have just finished a week or so of setting up Wollongong's
WIN/TCP on a handful of PC's connected to a Sun server (4/330 running
SunOS 4.0.3).  I have found that the NFS service runs great but that
the Telnet program (using vt100 emulation) is very slow and possesses
little potential for customization (e.g. screen colors; key bindings).

I tried running NCSA Telnet 2.2D/NFS-A in conjunction with
Wollongong's NFS module and received the error:

NFS000F : PC-NFS is not installed or has been disabled.

My guess is that NCSA Telnet 2.2D/NFS-A is designed for use with
_Sun's_ PC-NFS.

All of this had engendered a number of questions that I'm hoping the
Network Gurus out there can answer:



Q1: Does the term "PC-NFS" always mean "Sun PC-NFS" unless otherwise
specified?

Q2: What other commercial packages are available (besides Wollongong
and Sun) that integrate Telnet/FTP and NFS?  Are they any good?

Q3: Is Sun's Telnet program really all that bad?  Does it allow
customization of screen colors and/or key bindings?  How is its scroll
rate?

Q4: Hats off to the makers of NCSA Telnet/FTP.  Dare I ask, are there
plans to develop a companion NFS program to complement it?  Or does
one already exist?

Many thanks for any responses.  I'll be happy to post a summary of the
results.

Cheers,
patrick

--
R. Patrick Goebel                 E-MAIL: patrick@casbs.Stanford.EDU
Network Administrator             VOICE:  (415) 321-2052
CASBS, 202 Junipero Serra Blvd.   FAX:    (415) 321-1192
Stanford, CA 94305                BEEPER: Temporarily Out of Order...