Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!ftp!jbvb
From: jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: Using PCs as X-Windows clients with HP Workstations
Summary: I've seen PC/X, and it works (with a caevat)
Keywords: X-Windows, PC/X
Message-ID: <520@ftp.COM>
Date: 25 Jan 89 20:19:48 GMT
References: <438@msn015.misemi> <1108@statware.UUCP>
Organization: FTP Software Inc., Cambridge, MA
Lines: 23

In article <1108@statware.UUCP>, scf@statware.UUCP (Steve Fullerton) writes:
> I have heard through the grapevine that HP's PC/X product is in the
> toilet due to performance (or lack of) problems.  If this is true, then
> it is a real shame as I and lots of others were looking forward to this
> product.

I've seen the product (we at FTP worked with HP on its development), and
it appeared to work quite well (we don't use X much in-house, so we haven't
really beaten it to death).  If there is anything to criticize about the
performance, it is probably the fault of the standard HP PC Ethernet
interface, which is an OEM version of the 3Com 3C501.  This card has only
one packet buffer, so it will miss a few when a fast Unix box bombards
it with a stream of short packets.  There is also some variation in the
quality of TCP retransmit algorithms among various versions of HP/UX.
Bad algorithms in an older version of HP/UX could combine with high packet
loss rates to make the product look pretty bad.

I was using it on a much newer/faster PC Ethernet card, so it looked
fine to me.  Of course, we were also using AT-compatibles, so it might
also need more computes than an XT can provide.

James VanBokkelen
FTP Software Inc.