Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!barmar From: barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) Subject: Re: idea on easy wide-area networking. Message-ID: <1991May15.055929.28344@Think.COM> Sender: news@Think.COM Reply-To: barmar@think.com Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA References: Distribution: comp Date: Wed, 15 May 91 05:59:29 GMT In article eric@picard.sbi.com (Eric Ho) writes: >Just wondering if there're ethernet/modem vendors out there that are >planning to make boxes that would take ip packets off a regular phone line - >e.g. it'll be nice if telebit modem have thick ethernet connectors in >addition to RS232 connectors. This also means that the modem will need to >handle SLIP/PPP well between what is flowing on the phone line and what is >going on in its builtin ethernet card. I've never seen a device with an ethernet port that doesn't also have a serial port, so why do you need the modem to do this when the workstation can do it by itself? >Alternatively, a Cabletron box for instance can take RJ11's in addition >to regular thick ethernet connectors. This also means that the cabletron >will have modem cards built into the box and they'll be able to handle >SLIP/PPP. That's asking alot of a 3x3-inch box, when a modem (e.g. my T1600) normally takes up a 12x6-inch box. -- Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp. barmar@think.com {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar