Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ll-xn!cit-vax!tybalt.caltech.edu!wetter From: wetter@tybalt.caltech.edu (Pierce T. Wetter) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Faster networks Message-ID: <2752@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> Date: Tue, 19-May-87 21:21:25 EDT Article-I.D.: cit-vax.2752 Posted: Tue May 19 21:21:25 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 23-May-87 04:26:21 EDT References: <347@aucs.UUCP> <5777@eddie.MIT.EDU> <350@aucs.UUCP> <2706@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <354@aucs.UUCP> Sender: news@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu Reply-To: wetter@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Pierce T. Wetter) Distribution: na Organization: Calfornia Institute of Technology Lines: 57 Keywords: Networks, Appletalk, Ethernet, SCSI In article <354@aucs.UUCP> paul@aucs.UUCP (Paul Steele) writes: > >There certainly seems to be a lot of disagreement on the best way to network >Macs and set up a usable lab. In my opinion, individual hard disks are just >not workable in a typical public environment. It removes file safety and >privacy which is essential in a network. Its not quite as easy to say >DEL *.* in a Mac environment, but that doesn't mean that users won't find >something worse to do. With a _fast_ tape backup unit all the lab maintainer has to do is to restore the hard disk once a week. It's not that bad. The PC consultant at Tech does it all the time. Another even faster alternative is a master hard disk which can be connected to each mac in turn and copied. Also, give people credit for not acting like complete a-holes. Most people will not seriously damage a system just because its there. The people who will trash things on accident will not be such a problem that every two days the hard disks need to be reset. Once a week is fine, if not a little high. The ultimate in file safety is your own personal floppy. > >its adequate for sharing printers in a reasonably sized network, but if >you want to share a hard disk, imagewriter, and laser writer among 20 >macs, I think you'd be looking at less than floppy performance. Its >nice to have built-in networking, but I would like to have the option >of popping in my own network card to get better performance. > The set up we have here at tech is 8 SE's, 7 Mac+'s, 3 hard disks and 2 laserwriters. Performance is resonable, besides does "floppy performance" consider disk swap times? Also even if every mac had its own ethernet, token-ring, (insert your favorite network here), card built in, I would still prefer individual disks. The benifits of ind. Disks. as compared with networked disks far outweigh any tampering hassles. (Networked disks have their own set of problems, speciffically giving people accounts, regulating disk usage, etc.) Pierce Wetter A man goes to a tailor to try on a new custom-made suit. The first thing he notices is that the arms are too long. "No problem," says the tailor. "Just bend them at the elbow and hold them out in front of you. See, now it's fine." "But the collar is up around my ears!" "It's nothing. Just hunch your back up a little ... no, a little more ... that's it." "But I'm stepping on my cuffs!" the man cries in desperation. "Nu, bend you knees a little to take up the slack. There you go. Look in the mirror -- the suit fits perfectly." So, twisted like a pretzel, the man lurches out onto the street. Reba and Florence see him go by. "Oh, look," says Reba, "that poor man!" "Yes," says Florence, "but what a beautiful suit." -- Arthur Naiman, "Every Goy's Guide to Yiddish" -------------------------------------------- wetter@tybalt.caltech.edu --------------------------------------------