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From: sob@cortex.neuro.bcm.tmc.edu (Stan Barber)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: pclans RFC
Keywords: novell,tops,nfs,pc,apple,macintosh,parodox
Message-ID: <1179@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>
Date: 22 Jul 88 08:02:26 GMT
References: <6064@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu>
Sender: usenet@bcm.tmc.edu
Reply-To: sob@cortex.neuro.bcm.tmc.edu
Organization: Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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In article <6064@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu> peiffer@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu (Tim J. Peiffer) writes:
>What are the various networks that are available
>to combine these; are Tops, Paradox, Novell, and Sun PCNFS the only ones to
>really consider?  How do these networks differ in concept and how do they 
>appear to the user?  How are they from an administrators point of view?

Paradox is NOT a network. It is a PC-database product that allows
con-current database access (after a fashion) from multiple PCs. It will
work on top of PC/NFS and TOPS. I don't know, but assume that it will work
on top of Novell and 3+ as well. If you are looking for a TCP/IP-based
solution, only PC/NFS (of the ones you mentioned) will do. TOPS and Novell
are both based on vendor-specific protocols. Novell has available a
TCP/IP gateway that allows ftp and telnet (no SMTP, though). TOPS has
a SUN implementation that allows a SUN to "bridge the gap", but it
not a gateway.

Novell has "accounts" that an administrator has to set up. TOPS
publishes directories that certain other TOPS users can mount ( it
is probably the most relaxed of the ones you mentioned). It does 
prompt for passwords and such in the SUN version. PC/NFS uses
all the standard TCP/IP-type administrative details to make things
happen plus a password authentication on the server before remote
disks can be mounted (if you set it up that way). PC/NFS requires
a NFS SERVER to work (such as a SUN). Novell requires a dedicated
PC server. All Tops clients cans be servers as well.

Stan Barber, Baylor College of Medicine
sob@tmc.edu
Stan	     uucp:{shell,rice,seismo}!soma!sob        Opinions expressed here
Olan         domain:sob@rice.edu or sob@soma.bcm.tmc.edu   are ONLY mine &
Barber       CIS:71565,623   BBS:(713)790-9004               noone else's.