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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!qantel!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!seismo!rochester!ritcv!spw2562
From: spw2562@ritcv.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news,net.unix
Subject: Re: Network differences
Message-ID: <9079@ritcv.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 13:14:45 EST
Article-I.D.: ritcv.9079
Posted: Wed Nov 27 13:14:45 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Nov-85 06:58:04 EST
References: <2301@sdcc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: spw2562@ritcv.UUCP (Snoopy)
Distribution: net
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
Lines: 37
Xref: watmath net.news:4446 net.unix:6452

In article <2301@sdcc6.UUCP> ir320@sdcc6.UUCP (ir320) writes:
>     o What hardware is required for UUCP,ARPA,BITNET,DECNET,MAILNET,CSNET?
>
>      o If anythig other than UUCP can be used, what are the advantages to
>        these other netowrks (forgot to include micnet what ever that is.)
>
>John Antypas
>UC San Diego

BITNET uses leased lines, but I don't know what hardware is neccesary.
Because it has leased lines, communication between any two nodes is
(nearly) instantaneous, or more accurately, you seldom have to wait more
than several seconds for a message to get to it's destination.  In real
extreme cases, you may have to wait several minutes, or if a node is down,
you could wait indefinetely.  Routing is done automatically, you just specify
a destination node, and user, if necessary.  However, there is no organized
news network like Usenet's.  There is (usually) only one allowable path
between any two nodes.  The method of routing is a table at each node
which basically consists of two entries: the destination node, and the
adjacent node which messeges for that destination are passed through.
The problem with this is that when a new node is added, it may take quite
a while for updates to permeate(sp?) the net.  I've had at least one instance
where I could send messages to one node on bitnet, but they could not send
back to my, because a node between us had a routing for them, but not for
the node I was on.  It was a royal pain because there were some files I
desperately wanted at that node.
Hope this helps..

==============================================================================
        Steve Wall [Snoopy] @ Rochester Institute of Technology
        USnail: 6675 Crosby Rd, Lockport, NY 14094, USA
        Usenet: ...!ritcv!spw2562                       Unix 4.2 BSD
        BITNET: SPW2562@RITVAXC                         VAX/VMS 4.2
        Voice:  Yell "Hey Steve!"

    Disclaimer:  What I just said may or may not have anything to do
                 with what I was actually thinking...