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From: bobh@pedsgd.UUCP (Bob Halloran)
Newsgroups: net.dcom
Subject: Re: FASTLINK (tm) "10,000 bps or faster" modem
Message-ID: <357@pedsgd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Nov-85 11:14:00 EST
Article-I.D.: pedsgd.357
Posted: Thu Nov 14 11:14:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Nov-85 01:05:07 EST
References: <720@ecsvax.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: CONCURRENT Computer Corp, Tinton Falls, NJ
Lines: 65

Organization : CONCURRENT Computer Corp, Tinton Falls NJ

In article <720@ecsvax.UUCP> hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer) writes:
>  I got the glossy 4 page brochure from Digital Communications Associates,
>Inc. (the IRMA people) about their FASTLINK (tm) 10,000 bps modem.  It 
>also has 300 and 1200 compatibility, but I thought people might be 
>interested in some of the "fast" features.
	
	PC Week reviewed this beastie this week (12 November).  Excerpts 
and comments follow.

>
>  "Data transmission at 10,000 bps or faster."  N1
>  "Asynchronous dial-up connection."  
>  "Automatic error detection and correction."  N2
>
>N1- inside it says "Poor quality lines may result in lower transmisssion
>     speeds."

	'In our tests, we achieved error-free transmission at speeds
of more than 7000 bps on long-distance lines (between two small towns
outside of Atlanta and Boston), and 8500 bps over local lines.
	Considering that the average throughput with a 1200 bps modem
is something like 800 bps...' -- PC Week, 12 Nov 85

>...  Also, while this modem is full duplex, it adaptively varies
>how much of the transmission capacity is allocated to each direction.  (So
>I imagine that the "10,000 bps or faster" speed is reached with nearly all
>the data going in one direction.)

	While most connections are in principle full-duplex, in practice
the back-and-forth nature of most sessions, and the frequent occurance
of a short entry from a user causing a large response from the host, lends 
itself to such a scheme.

>.....   No mention is made of performance in
>a character echo environment.  All this fancy stuff is done by "multi-
>processor power, capable of handling over 7" MIPS.

	'Neither DCA or Telebit, their partners, view it as a replacement
for the ubiquitous Hayes-compatible 1200 or 2400 bps modem in the Source/
Dow Jones/MCI world.  Fastlink and its near twin, the Telebit Trailblazer,
are intended primarily as high-speed file-transfer devices for moving files
to computer systems across the office or across the company.' -- PC Week.

	The smarts of this thing are apparently a 68000 and the newest TI
signal processing chip set. (Any specifics, you analog types?)

>  The company is at 1000 Alderman Dr., Alpharetta, GA  30201  (404)442-4000
>and the list price of the stand-alone version is $2395.  (The PC card version
>is $400 less.)
>
>--henry schaffer  n c state univ


					Bob Halloran
					Sr MTS, CONCURRENT Computer Corp
					(Formerly Perkin-Elmer DSG)
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