Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!UICVM.BITNET!U12570 From: U12570@UICVM.BITNET (Ed Garay) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.ibm Subject: Re: Hanging an HP IIISi off a TCP/IP Network Message-ID: <9106081032.AA22344@lilac.berkeley.edu> Date: 7 Jun 91 16:17:09 GMT References: Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: BITNIC IBM-NETS List Organization: The Internet Lines: 41 On Tue, 4 Jun 1991 09:09:59 PDT said: >A: We have very little money (what else is new). >B: The HP Ethernet card for the IIISi does not support TCP/IP. I have been told repeatedly that HP is indeed working on a direct TCP/IP connection for the LaserJet IIISi. Perhaps, it will be available at the end of the year. Who knows. Fortunately, there are, at least, two offerings from third-party companies: XYplex (from Forsboro, MA 1-800-338-5316) and Microplex (from Vancouver, Canada, 604-875-1461, eMail: fff@microplex.com (Fred Fierling)). Both products: the XYplex MX1400 and the Microplex NetPrint M200 sound good, but we don't have either of them yet. The XYplex MX1400 is a print server that lists for under $2K. It has a BNC Ethernet port, four printer ports (2 serial and 2 parallel), and one "management" port. It comes with some software that needs to be downloaded to their 18" x 24" x 2" box. The Microplex NetPrint M200 lists for $995, and will be going in beta test this month. I was told it should hit the market by the end of July. It has two Ethernet ports, one high speed parallel port capable of handling 50 kilobyte-per-second throughputs (:-), and two serial ports. They provide some software (host spooler) that is required to drive their 8" x 6" x 2" box. Their software currently runs on SCO Unix, Xenix and SunOS, but they are interested in porting it to VM (;-) Naturally, these two products are not specific to the HP LaserJet IIISi, or to the LaserJet family at all. You can pretty much connect any ASCII printers to these TCP/IP interface products. Hope this helps. --- Ed Garay University of Illinois at Chicago, Computer Center P.S. -- Btw, IMHO, the HP LaserJet IIISi has the best 300dpi laser print quality to date, and makes an excellent PCL/PostScript/Duplex/17ppm/fast distributed printer, all for under $5K (;-)