Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!mcrware!mwca!bill
From: bill@mwca.UUCP (Bill Sheppard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.os9
Subject: Re: Network options for os/9
Message-ID: <1862@mwca.UUCP>
Date: 17 May 91 18:32:52 GMT
References: <1991May16.003019.25620@unhd.unh.edu> <1991May16.114206.6477@cs.utk.edu>
Organization: Microware Systems Corp., Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 56

In article <1991May16.114206.6477@cs.utk.edu> abg@mars.epm.ornl.gov (Alex Bangs -- bangsal@ornl.gov) writes:
>In article <1991May16.003019.25620@unhd.unh.edu> pss610@unhd.unh.edu (Paul S Secinaro) writes:
>>I don't know much about os/9, so could someone tell me what kind of
>>networking packages exist for the system?
>
>The two basic packages Microware has are the Ethernet Support Package
>(ESP) for CMC Ethernet boards. They also have a more generic Internet
>Support Package which assumes that the Ether stuff is handled by
>something else (like the on-board Ether on a 147). I don't know much
>about the ISP package, but we have numerous copies of ESP.

Actually, ISP now includes support for the CMC 10i/l and 100i/l boards.  You
will only need ESP if you are using a CMC 10+ (quite an old board).  Please
note that your performance with ISP will typically be three-or-more times
greater than with ESP.

>Call Microware for prices (Microware sells S/W for Motorola systems
>directly; for other CPUs, I believe you purchase direct from the CPU
>vendor).

Basically this is correct.  For actual development software (Professional OS-9)
we sell the Motorola Development Paks, other board manufacturers have licensed
Professional OS-9 from us and will resell it to you.  We sell other tools
(Source Level Debugger, compilers, NFS, Polytron PVCS/PolyMake/PolyShell, etc.)
or you can often buy them from your board manufacturer.

>>I am especially interested
>>in being able to run this machine over Ethernet as an NFS client.

>[various references to difficulty using NFS 1.0 deleted]

Version 1.1 NFS is scheduled for June release; substantial performance
improvements, feature enhancements, and bug fixes have been implemented.

>Note NFS cost is $1000 per box.

NFS/RPC server is $995/CPU - NFS client is $250/CPU (these are single copy
end-user prices - licenses are subject to standard discounts).

>>Even better would be the ability to, for example, have a setup where you
>>could pop up live video windows on other machines on the net, perhaps
>>running X11 or something of that nature.  Does this sound reasonable?

>Well, Microware sez they are working on X11 for the future.

X-Windows Client Development Pak for OS-9/680x0 has been released (X11R4).
Server software will follow shortly.

>...feel free to respond with questions.

Ditto.
-- 
 ##############################################################################
 # Bill Sheppard  --  bills@microware.com  --  {uunet,sun}!mcrware!mwca!bill  #
 # Microware Systems Corporation  ---  OS-9: Seven generations beyond OS/2!!  #
 ######Opinions expressed are my own, though you'd be wise to adopt them!######