Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site gatech.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!clyde!akgua!emory!gatech!skip
From: skip@gatech.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Network Virtual Disk Query
Message-ID: <1616@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Oct-83 22:00:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: gatech.1616
Posted: Mon Oct 17 22:00:37 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Oct-83 20:53:18 EDT
References: <12511@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: Georgia Tech School of ICS, Atlanta
Lines: 31

I think this is of general interest so I'll go ahead and bother everyone
about it.  I recently used an IBM PC with the 3Com Ethernet boards plugged
in and a file server (Altos) attached to the Ethernet as well.  While it
didn't work as smoothly as, say, a Xerox Star workstation; it did what
it was supposed to do with very little fuss.  An example:

	A>es logon skip pword   /* optionally you can specify which of
	                            several file servers to logon to     */
	A>es link c: general    /* make virtual drive labelled "general"
	                            respond as device c:                 */
	A>c:
	C>es link f: inbox      /* "inbox" is where your mail resides    */
	C>lotus
	...
	C>a:
	A>es logoff             /* disconnect from the disk server       */

I am waiting however, to buy a board from Ungermann-Bass when they come
out at the first of next year.  The boards will not only have at least the
capability of the 3Com, but also the ability to make use of the other 
network services we're providing around the Georgia Tech campus, such as
X.25 gateways, access into almost every host on campus, electronic mail,
etc.

One note about your particular application.  With only three PC's, you
might very well find that's it's cheaper to put a hard disk at every
workstation unless there is a lot of sharing of files, etc.

-- Skip Addison, Georgia Tech Office of Telecommunications and Networking
   {allegra,emory}!gatech!skip  <- I've got to find a more robust path!