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From: ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>)
Newsgroups: net.dcom,net.lan,net.wanted
Subject: Re: Looking for improved ways to connect terminals to system
Message-ID: <3215@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 12-Jul-84 12:47:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.3215
Posted: Thu Jul 12 12:47:17 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Jul-84 01:07:01 EDT
References: <116@oliveb.UUCP>
Organization: Ballistics Research Lab
Lines: 37

Here at BRL we haven't been overly impressed by the network methods of
hooking terminals up to local computers.  I mean using things like
ethernet or RF cable with little multiplexors strewn about all over the
place.  I don't think that the technology has been moved along sufficiently
yet.

Originally we were going to have a real slick PBX that would integrate
terminals with our regular phone systems but the government managed to get
that screwed up.  This is probably real nice.

What we have now is a rather simple Gandalf PACX without any of their
disgusting attempts at networking.  It just takes RS-232 lines 
in and allows the use to switch to which port he is using out.  A special
daemon reads the logging port on the switch and snarfs up which physical
terminal is connecting to which machine.  This isn't really necessary, but
it is nice since it allows getty to set the speed without autobaud and filling
in TERM and the terminal location for finger appropriately.  The nice thing
about the GANDALF over other similar PABX's is that the statistics port has
all the right informationa and that once the connection is established, the
thing is mostly transparent.  You can stty your speed, parity, etc...without
doing anything to the Gandalf.  MICOMs on the other hand are speed specific.

To handle the wiring we just use what we call Kermit cable (named after the
guy who bought it).  This just thirty conductor wire which we wire from the
PACX cabinet to about every other office.  You only use 3 or 4 wires per
terminal so you can get 7-10 terminals on one run.  This greatly simplifies
the one cable for terminal problem.

In our environment, users tend to have their home computer (the one they
spend the most time on) in the building they work in.  Hence, we have one
PACX per building typically for local machine access.  Since they do need
to access machines in other buildings frequently they can either use TELNET
from their home machine or TAC's (stupid little computers that only do user
TELNET) over our Campus network.

-Ron