Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!ccnysci!alexis
From: alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: What kind of Mac for AS server?
Message-ID: <1576@ccnysci.UUCP>
Date: 14 Apr 89 06:47:41 GMT
References: <9684@bmc.uu.se> <1529@ccnysci.UUCP> <1782@thor.acc.stolaf.edu>
Reply-To: alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen)
Organization: City College of New York
Lines: 42

In article <1782@thor.acc.stolaf.edu> sobiloff@thor.stolaf.edu (Blake Sobiloff) writes:
>In article <1529@ccnysci.UUCP> alexis@ccnysci.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) writes:
>>MacUser has an article on networks in the May issue. While I disagree with
>>most of the article, they are absolutely correct about what kind of machine
>>to get for a server: an SE/30 or II. Except, now the IIcx is out. So it
>>should be, an SE/30 or a IIcx.
>
>Why spend all that extra money on a fully-functional Mac?  Use something like 
>the Jasmine DirectServe!  The DirectServe uses a 68010 @ 10MHz with zero
>wait states, and 1, 2, or 4MB of RAM available, plus it cashes to increase
>response 20-40% more.  The DS doesn't waste time with screen refreshes or bus
>scans- it just plows through network traffic.  True, it doesn't work with
>EtherNet, but if you just want to use it as a server for up to 40 users/
>bridges on LocalTalk and use AppleShare (which is included in firmware), its
>a great deal.  Just add a disk drive and you're set.

Well, at 10Mhz of course it has no waits.
Anyway, there are two answers. First, despite its long and colorful history
(this is probably the oldest networking product for the Mac available today)
the DirectServe is in the "new and untested" category. Second, until someone
tests it heavily, I won't trust it for AFP record-locking stuff (if TOPS can't
get that right, maybe others are playing fast-and-loose too?)

I didn't say you need to dedicate the Mac, by the way. If you're running
TOPS, it won't take away the machine.

But none of this is really relevant. The original poster asked for the most
efficient (=fastest) AppleShare server. An '030 Mac of any flavor will beat
the DirectServe by a country mile. Furthermore, it is Ether/Token/Flash/Arc-
Talk capable, and the DirectServe never will be


***** WATCH FOR A $295 ETHERTALK CARD AT THE MACWORLD EXPO !!!!!

This sounds incredible, but my source has been reliable in the past, and he
was very specific about the card. If this is true (and it will be ready for
shipment at the time it's announced), this will have an incredible impact on
the Mac networking market. It will probably kill FlashTalk, for example.

---
Alexis Rosen
alexis@ccnysci.{uucp,bitnet}