Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ukma!husc6!rice!sun-spots-request
From: ut-emx!bud@cs.utexas.edu (C. E. "Bud" Spurgeon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: Why are new Suns thick Ethernet only
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <13115@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 17 May 89 18:32:26 GMT
References: <10217@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> <13779@steinmetz.ge.com>
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X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 298, message 1 of 18

In article <13779@steinmetz.ge.com> steinmetz!dawn!stpeters@uunet.uu.net writes:
>X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 290, message 5 of 13
>
>In article <10217@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> rudolf@oce.orst.edu (Jim Rudolf) writes:
>>I was surprised
>>to find that all new CPUs will only have thick Ethernet connectors.  OK, I
>>agree with going with only 1 port.  It means not having to mess with
>>jumper cables.  But why thick?!?

Going from thick interface (transceiver cable or "Attachment Unit
Interface" (AUI) port) to thin network coax cable is easy enough.  You get
a thin net transceiver, attach it into your thin net coax with the usual
BNC T connector, and attach an AUI cable from the transceiver to your
workstation.

Going from thin net interface (BNC only, transceiver electronics internal
to workstation) to a thick coax network isn't as straightforward.  You
have to get off the thick coax onto the thin coax so that you'll have thin
coax to attach to your workstation.  That takes a repeater/bridge to do
the job cleanly, or loops of thin Ethernet spliced into your thick net to
do the job as a hack.  Given the choice, a thick net interface on the
wokstation is the more general one to have.

>>  Everybody seems to have problems with
>>the thick connectors coming off ...
>
>It's long past time to put this to rest (again).  For years, we've
>been converting our Enet connections to holddown connectors similar to
>RS232 connectors.  

If the SPARC station we had for a demo is any indication, Sun has finally
gotten around to building the transceiver connector with the correct
number and placement of washers on the posts.  The sliding lock hardware
on the transceiver cable we used attached firmly to this machine and held
very well.  Rather than modify all of your machines to be non standard you
might want to try the sliding lock connector first, since it appears to be
much improved.