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From: tkevans@fallst.UUCP (Tim Evans)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Packet or NDIS Driver for 3C505 and PC/TCP and CUTCP
Message-ID: <559@fallst.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jun 91 10:31:53 GMT
Organization: Tim Evans, Fallston, MD
Lines: 51


I have been happily running CUTCP with the packet drivers on a
true-blue IBM AT with a 3Com 3C505 board for more than a year.
Recently, we came into some money and bought ftp Software's
PC/TCP, with Interdrive.  Thinking that we'd soon want to integrate
Novell into the network, we ordered the packet driver version
of PC/TCP, along with the 3C505 version, just to be safe.
We have a couple of hundred identical machines and bought a
PC/TCP site license.

Well, when I started messing with PC/TCP *with* version 9 packet
drivers, I began having mysterious lockups of my AT during open
telnet (actually, 'tn') and ftp sessions.  The machine required
a physical reboot to release the lockup.  Sometimes, after such
a lockup and reboot, the machine would complain of a keyboard
failure (the keyboard was replaced, just to be sure, and this
had no effect).

During all the time I ran CUTCP on the same machine, I *never*
had a lockup of any kind.

ftp Software Tech Support recommended use of the NDIS driver
instead of the packet driver.  They wouldn't exactly come right
out and say there is a problem with the 3C505 and their software
with the packet driver, but did insist that performance and
throughput would be better with the NDIS driver for the 3C505.

At their recommendation, I did install an NDIS driver, and this
did seem to solve the lockup problem.

All's well that ends well, I know, and I have to hand it to
ftp Software for sticking with this problem over the course
of a couple of weeks, but I nevertheless wanted to go over
this with this newsgroup to see what you might want to
say.  (I'd even like to hear more from ftp Software.)

Let me say that I don't have any personal commitment
to either the packet driver or the NDIS driver (and don't
want to start a religious war on the subject); I don't
care what the ultimate solution to this problem is.  Nonetheless,
having used CUTCP with the packet driver and having had no trouble
for such a long time, it seems, uh, curious that PC/TCP would have
this problem--given the fact that ftp Software is the keeper of
the standards flame for the packet driver.

Any and all comments welcome.

-- 
UUCP:		{rutgers|ames|uunet}!mimsy!woodb!fallst!tkevans
INTERNET:	tkevans%fallst@wb3ffv.ampr.org
Tim Evans	2201 Brookhaven Ct, Fallston, MD 21047