Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!rlgvax!dennis From: dennis@rlgvax.UUCP (Dennis.Bednar) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc Subject: Re: TCP/IP on IBM-PC's - Excelan package Message-ID: <705@rlgvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 13-Nov-87 02:42:55 EST Article-I.D.: rlgvax.705 Posted: Fri Nov 13 02:42:55 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 15-Nov-87 06:02:40 EST References: <509@interlan.UUCP> Organization: Computer Consoles Inc, Reston VA Lines: 34 This might be of some interest to you all. Excelan has a co-processor ethernet board to run TCP/IP for the IBM-PC. It implements TCP/IP on a front-end processor board, known as the EXOS 205 board, under control of an operating system kernel. The PC downloads the front-end software into the front-end board (also called the Ethernet controller card). The board does IP, ARP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP. This is just a theory, but I bet they started with 4.2 BSD kernel code, and hacked on it to make it work. I also suspect the interface is simple: open, read, write, close; and the 205 board does all the nitty-gritty protocol. We have it on an IBM-PC-AT, also with the (OPUS NS32K cpu) board running UNIX. Ftp and telnet are invokable from UNIX, plus we wrote a library package to allow other applications to interface into TCP/IP on the UNIX side. The library was linked into other programs which we use for OfficePower (tm) E-mail transfers over TCP/IP/ethernet. As I understand the package, there is *not* a way to support TCP/IP server daemons on the MS-DOS side, but there *is* a way to support daemons when the Excelan board is accessed from UNIX on the OPUS card. Maybe this is related to the lack of true multi-tasking on the PC. -- FullName: Dennis Bednar UUCP: {uunet|sundc}!rlgvax!dennis USMail: CCI; 11490 Commerce Park Dr.; Reston VA 22091 Telephone: +1 703 648 3300