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From: patrick@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Patrick Goebel)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: <None>
Message-ID: <1991Apr4.235109.13423@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 5 Apr 91 04:58:47 GMT
References: <1991Apr03.004515.12021@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>
Sender: news@leland.Stanford.EDU (Mr News)
Distribution: usa
Organization: AIR, Stanford University
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 GMT
Message-ID: <1991Apr4.145847@casbs.Stanford.EDU>
Reply-To: patrick@casbs.Stanford.EDU (Patrick Goebel)
Organization: Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Subject: Re: 10Base-T hubs
Keywords: 

In article <1991Apr03.004515.12021@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu>,
ejbehr@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Eric Behr) writes:

We're considering using our twisted pair wires for Ethernet. Hence tons
of
|> questions, some of which are below:
|> 
(Stuff deleted...)

|> - has anyone had any experience with the passive 12-port hub from
Asante?

Nope, but since you are apparently on the verge of possibly purchasing
some 10BaseT equipment, I thought I'd take the opportunity to share one
of the few pleasant experiences I had when installing our own local area
network.

Last June we installed a 96-node 10BaseT LAN using two cascaded David
Systems ExpressNet hubs distributed by Westech Communications Inc.  The
hubs were connected by way of their AUI ports using thinnet transceivers
and coax and so we didn't lose any modular ports.  The 10BaseT ports
come in 12-port modules that slide easily in and out of the hub chasis. 
Each hub also has a "supervisor" module that provides all the network
statistics you'd ever want through an RS-232 port.  If SNMP is your
dream, the module is or will be SNMP-upgradable by way of a simple PROM
swap.

David Systems was the only vendor at the time (pre-10BaseT ratification)
who would guarantee IN WRITING that any modifications necessary to make
their hubs 10BaseT compliant would be implemented on existing equipment
free of charge.

My first experience with David Systems was through Chuck Frey who
hand-delivered a loaner hub and a few tranceivers that I used for a
couple of weeks to try out communications between a couple of PCs and a
Sun.

Once I was satisfied with the performance and interoperability of the
hub (I was using Western Digital 10BaseT cards in the PCs and a
Cabletron 10BaseT transceiver on the Sun), our contact at Westech, Mark
Stockford, personally delivered the equipment and spent two-hours at our
site installing the boxes and verifying that everything was working as
it should.

As for repair service, in the past year I had one 12-port module start
to behave erratically and had a new one delivered within 24 hours of my
call.

As someone who is continually disappointed with the general lack of
compentency in the retail computer industry, the whole David
Systems/Westech experience was extremely refreshing.  Let me assure you
that I have no connection with either company and was not in any way
reimbursed for this note.  If you're still in the market, I would highly
recommend making a couple of phone calls:

Chuck Frey: David Systems/Sunnyvale CA (408) 720-6828
Mark Stockford:     Westech/Hayward CA (415) 887-8773

Good luck!

--
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...