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From: phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai)
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: rack mount DELNIs
Message-ID: <8609050317.AA03035@amdcad.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 4-Sep-86 23:17:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: amdcad.8609050317.AA03035
Posted: Thu Sep  4 23:17:52 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 5-Sep-86 22:00:46 EDT
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I was cleaning out some old files and thought I would respond to this.
Sorry if you've already resolved it but perhaps others would be
interested.

>     We just got our third DELNI in today, and on p. 6 of the "DELNI
> Installation/Owner's Manual" there's a reference to an "optional
> rack mount assembly" called a DEXRM that's supposedly available in
> the DECdirect catalog.  We can't find it in DECdirect, in the GSA
> catalog, in the Networking Catalog, or get any info from our DEC
> salesman.  (Anyone surprised?)
> 
>      The DELNI manual is dated June 1984.  I thought I saw lots of
> rack-mounted DELNIs at DEC-world.
> 
>      Does the DEXRM really exist, and what is its real name?  Oh,
> and details like price would be interesting, too.
> 
> Thanks,
> Dick Dramstad
> rad@mitre-bedford.arpa

I have been in contact with a person at DEC about this. Apparently the
DEXRM got quite far along the productization process before getting
killed. No reason for killing it was given. He said he was trying to
get the rack mounts added to the DELNI's parts list so that it would
just come with the DELNI. This would be nice if it happened.

I got five DELNIs yesterday and none of them had rack mounts. I think
I'll write to my contact and ask if he's making any progress on this.
Incidentally I'm getting tired of taking the plastic skins off every
piece of DEC Ethernet equipment so I can put them in a rack. I wish
DEC would offer a skinless version of their products.

In case you feel the same way I do, you can write to Graham Slieker,
who is some kind of former engineer turned product marketing manager.
He seemed pretty reasonable although probably hampered by trying to
get a company as large as DEC to change.  His Internet address is:

	dec-derep!slieker@decwrl.dec.com

If you're fully domainized I imagine this would work too:

	slieker@derep.dec.com

On the uucp side of things, try

	decwrl!dec-derep!slieker

I suppose you could address some other issues with him too.
Things like:

1) How about a DELNI that acts like real transceivers? The current
DELNI sends back heartbeat to everybody. Real transceivers would only
send heartbeat to the node that was transmitting.

2) How about DEREPs that work with DELNIs?

3) How about a rack mount DEREP? I can take the skin off the DEREP but
it's incredibly ugly and I have to put it on a shelf instead of doing
a true rack mount.

4) How about fiber optic equipment that works well with other fiber
sizes than 100 micron? DEC's equipment only supports 10 dB of loss.
(with 2.5 dB aging margin, 12.5 dB at installation) Other vendors can
handle as much as 16 dB. Could we get data on distance limitations
when foreign fiber sizes are used?

5) Why did they turn the DEBET's transceiver cable connector upside
down with respect to the DEREP? Did they think customers wanted
variety? Our cables are stiff enough that turning the cable 180
degrees is not easy. It's not hard but I see no benefit for this
change.

6) Bigger DELNIs? We have several places where we could use a 16 port
DELNI. And since you can't cascade CONNECTED DELNIs, we have to use
two transceivers.

7) Is the H4005 real? Do I have to wait for the Easter bunny?

	Phil Ngai