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From: SYSRUTH@UTORPHYS.BITNET
Newsgroups: mod.computers.vax
Subject: non-DEC Ethernet terminal servers - information needed
Message-ID: <8609200418.AA27653@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Mon, 15-Sep-86 12:19:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8609200418.AA27653
Posted: Mon Sep 15 12:19:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Sep-86 05:21:00 EDT
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Approved: info-vax@sri-kl.arpa

Hello everybody,

We have an 8600 and 6 MicroVAX-II's running on our Ethernet.
Due to high demand for Ethernet lines, we are considering
using non-DEC 16-line terminal servers (their own 16-line
servers are outrageous and we don't have enough places on
the coax to keep using 8-line servers). However, we are having
difficulty finding out what is available, i.e. who makes them,
what the cost is, software/firmware features, and how reliable
they are. Our terminals are mostly DEC (VT100,101,220,240, and
Gigi) but there are also some emulators around. We would like
to be very sure that a third-party server would be able to
handle all these different types. We have noticed that some
of the emulators/clones don't like various hardware/microcode
revs. in the DECserver 100's, and that others don't like particular
ports on a particular server (where a DEC terminal will work
fine - apparently less sensitive to voltage output levels).

If anyone has any suggestions/experience in this regard, I would
appreciate hearing from you (directly so as not to clog up the
network lines - the eternal optimist). If any answers are particularly
useful to me, I will put them on the info-vax list since others
may also find them useful. Unless, of course, there are restrictions
about "publicity" for third-party vendors (any information on this
would also be welcome).

Thanks in advance.

Ruth Milner
VAX Systems Manager
Physics/Astronomy/CITA VAX Consortium
University of Toronto

network address:        SYSRUTH@UTORPHYS    (BITNET)

P.S. Our other alternative, of course, is putting another DELNI on the
Ethernet and connecting 8-line servers to that. However there are some
floors that won't be reachable in this manner (cumulative cable lengths
too great).