Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!jrd
From: JRD@cc.usu.edu (Joe Doupnik)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Anyone heard of ECONFIG?
Message-ID: <15266@cc.usu.edu>
Date: 13 Dec 89 03:08:57 GMT
Lines: 26


	ECONFIG is a Novell NetWare utility, only for NetWare, which patches
their Ethernet drivers to deal with "regular/Blue Book" Ethernet packets used
by just about everyone from the IEEE 802.3 packets.
	ECONFIG can be run on both shell (workstation) and server comms files.
	Here's the root of the other wild rumors. ECONFIG does nothing whatso
ever about TCP or other non-NetWare protocols. But...
	There is a specification by FTP Software Inc. named Packet Drivers.
That has taken life explosively in the form of real programs. With a Packet
Driver owning the Ethernet board (currently, could be done on other stuff)
it hands out packets to applications which have registered for certain Types
(a number within regular/B.B. Ethernet packets). It's a demux-er. The upshot
is that one can run say a TCP/IP package (configured for P.D.) at the same
time as a Novell NetWare shell (also configured for P.D.) and so on. It's
better than sliced bread, believe me. P.D. things are hot stuff and many
many vendors are now offering such drivers with their boards.
	So, with NetWare in hand one needs the NetWare files to support P.D.
rather than a particular board. The place to look these days is on Clarkson's
servers and spy out the BYU contribution to P.D. support of Novell.
	The Clarkson files change frequently, and I'll be adding a set of
my own to the list shortly.
	Packet Drivers really work! (but the code in many is in need of
repair).
	I use P.D.'s and TCP and Novell all over this campus with good
success.
	Joe D.