Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!spool.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!roundup.crhc.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!news.iastate.edu!sharkey!ramsay.UUCP!gavin
From: gavin@ramsay.UUCP (Gavin Eadie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Re: Repost: SLIP on MacTCP
Message-ID: <0101003C.e9fxxu@ramsay.UUCP>
Date: 11 Feb 91 21:34:41 GMT
Reply-To: gavin@ramsay.UUCP
Organization: Ramsay Consulting
Lines: 37
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.0.3


In article <1991Feb11.182843.13618@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, eer36024@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Erik Reuter) writes:
> There seem to be a lot of people interested in getting a MacTCP/SLIP driver
> going (I am one of them). However, there don't seem to be any people 
> interested in writing such a thing. (I mean, writing a separate program
> that appears like MacTCP, but supports SLIP, since it is apparently not
> possible at this time to write a SLIP module for MacTCP itself).

		In fact MacTCP does support a mechanism for SLIP to work. The problem
		is that it was not engineered for slow links.  This causes a problem
		with SLIP because packets requesting an internet address are fired off
		by MacTCP faster than a 9600 bps line can get rid of the bits ...

		Note that a less popular variation on SLIP (called SLFP, developed at
		MIT) doesn't poll for an internet address and so works fine over 2400
		bps links using MacTCP.  I can you from personal experience that IP
		at 2400 bps is more painful than most people could cope with ...

> Therefore, a question: how difficult would it be to hack together a
> MacTCP/SLIP from the source code to the SLIP modified version of NCSA Telnet?

		Apple, in the form of the MacTCP engineer at least, is aware of the
		need for alternate LAPs and of the deficiency in the current one. MacTCP
		is being enhanced, even as we speak, for System 7.0 compatibility and
		to improve various other characteristics and capabilities.  You might
		reasonably suppose that an enhancement in the IP/LAP interface is also
		in the works.

		As a result of this, presumed, improvement to MacTCP being available
		in the same general timeframe as System 7.0, I think it reasonable to
		also presume solutions to the SLIP and PPP dilemmas to be available
		shortly thereafter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Gavin Eadie                                        Ramsay Consulting
                                                   507 Second Street
(313) 665-2819                                   Ann Arbor, MI 48103