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From: dll@sirius.cc.utexas.edu (Don Loflin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.novell
Subject: Re: ARCNET/ETHERNET routing
Keywords: arcnet,ethernet
Message-ID: <49979@ut-emx.uucp>
Date: 4 Jun 91 17:52:10 GMT
References: <1991May31.060428.1643@unibase.uucp> <1991Jun01.134058.20164@Daisy.EE.UND.AC.ZA>
Sender: news@ut-emx.uucp
Reply-To: dll@sirius.cc.utexas.edu.UUCP (Don Loflin)
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 51

>> I've got an arcnet novell 2.20 setup;  is there some way to
>> set up the dedicated server to route incoming arcnet ip-in-arcnet
>> packets as ip packets over an ethernet?

If you upgrade to Netware 386 3.11, you can use it as a router for IP
from ARCnet to ethernet.  Alternatively, but not as reliable, you could
use PCroute or KA9Q.

>Not much software supports ip-over-arcnet (ka9q is the only one I know
>of, though there are probably others).

Novell's LAN Workplace supports ip-over-arcnet, which works with the IP
router in 3.11 NetWare.  It includes telnet, ftp, etc, and there is
an NFS implementation available. (Beame & Whiteside).   If ODIPKT
becomes available with support for ARCNET framing, packet driver apps
can be used with a 3.11 router.

You could use PCroute or KA9Q with either scheme (ip over arcnet, or
ip inside of ipx), but with the Netware server, you can only use ip-over
arcnet.  We've had problems with KA9Q crashing/locking up a lot, and
thus opted for the NetWare router.  

>Many people are using ip-over-(ipxpkt)ethernet-over-ipx, and this is
>what I would recommend.  It works well, and has the advantage that
>software can treat it just like any other ethernet packet driver.  In
>particular, PC Route or KA9Q can be set up to route between it and
>ip-over-(genuine)ethernet, and all the popular packet driver
>applications work with it.

>> The goal is to permit telnet (etc) to access a unix ethernet without
>> buying ethercards for all the servers.
>
>With recent versions of IPXPKT, a single PC-based IP router (PC Route or
>KA9Q) can be used to link your Novell net to your TCP/IP ethernet, even
>if your Novell net is actually composed of several networks joined by
>Novell "bridges" (which are really IPX routers).

That is the advantage in using IPX-encapsulation: it's transparent to the
ipx network topology;  however, as I said, then you're depending on 
software which is likely less reliable, and certainly slower.  You
also have to dedicate a machine (& ethernet card) to the task of routing, 
which is O.K if you have the extra resources, but may not be an option
for some.  If you've already got a 3.11 server, it makes more sense to
use it for IP routing.

- - - - - - -
 Don Loflin
 Univ. of Texas at Austin
 Computation Center
 dll@emx.utexas.edu   (512) 471-3241
"A little birdie whispered it to me. Honestly! It made me say it!"