Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!fcom.cc.utah.edu!cc.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!jrd
From: jrd@cc.usu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.novell
Subject: Re: Packet Driver (or NDIS) for Excelan 205 NICs
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.164657.47182@cc.usu.edu>
Date: 28 Mar 91 22:46:56 GMT
References: <91084.155749RBYAML@ROHVM1.BITNET>
Lines: 40

In article <91084.155749RBYAML@ROHVM1.BITNET>, Aengus Lawlor <RBYAML@ROHVM1.BITNET> writes:
> Is there a packet driver for the Excelan 205 card, (it's not in the version
> 8.0 collection from Clarkson).
> 
> There are only a handful of these cards here, and I would be a lot more
> comfortable if they were configured the same way as all the other 3C503s.
> 
> In a similiar vein, I have heard it said that the BYU code doesn't work
> with FTPs packet driver to NDIS converter. In fact (rummaging about on my desk)
> the readme from FTP says that as of 1-15-90, it didn't work, but the problem
> was being investigated. There is no indication that it was ever resolved.
> 
> Anyone know the current status of this?
> (the same doc mentions an NDIS driver from excelan, which could provide a
> work-around to the non-existence of an excelan packet driver.)
> 
> --
> rbyaml@rohmhaas.com (preferred)       Aengus Lawlor
> rbyaml@rohvm1.bitnet                  (who used to be alawlor@dit.ie)


	Maybe I can add a little clarification here. The EXOS205 board is
a "smart" Ethernet board which wants to hold most of the protocol stacks,
plural, on the board. It has a builtin cpu etc, and it runs both TCP/IP
and NetWare stacks simultaneously. It also can speak either Ethernet_II
or NetWare style 802.3, depending on how you configure the Excelan software.
A Packet Driver is pretty much out of the question because of all the 
proprietary code loaded into the board's cpu.
	Second, I have improved FTP's shim program, dis_pkt, so that it
does support BYU style NetWare shells over NDIS. The program provides a
Packet Driver interface on top and talks to NDIS below. The program is
back in the hands of the real owners, FTP Software Inc. I have run NetWare
in parallel with FTP's PC/TCP package, both organized for Packet Drivers,
together with the NDIS version of Lan Manager; no problem. The program is
not in the shape for general distribution, but it might be made so if FTP
wishes.
	I have an EXOS205 board and I run Novell/Excelan's LAN WorkPlace
for DOS with it, to provide both Windows 3 compatible NetWare and TCP/IP
functions. It's pretty good this time so have a look at that software.
	Joe D.