Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!mailrus!hellgate.utah.edu!cs.utah.edu!haas
From: haas@cs.utah.edu (Walt Haas)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: Broadband Ethernet: What's out there?
Keywords: V2, Chipcom
Message-ID: <1989Dec22.143000.26371@hellgate.utah.edu>
Date: 22 Dec 89 21:30:00 GMT
References: <2389@morticia.cme.nbs.gov>
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 24

In article <2389@morticia.cme.nbs.gov> wallace@cme.nbs.gov (Evan Wallace) writes:
>I am interested in what products exist to provide ethernet service
>over broadband (midsplit).  We are mostly a sun shop and would like
>this to support diskless nodes, which means coping with 8KB data
>bursts.  

We use the Sytek (now Hughes LAN Systems) model 8200 on our high-split system.
I imagine they make a mid-split version.  This product is a learning bridge
that interfaces an Ethernet to a broadband.  It uses 802.4 token bus as the
broadband protocol, which makes it possible to go much longer distances than
would be possible using 802.3 as the Ethermodem does.  The 8200 is a generally
good product and the vendor has been quite responsive to any gripes we have
had.  There is enough internal buffering in the 8200 to permit it to absorb
a burst of packets from a Sun server, holding on to them until the token comes
around and the packets can be forwarded.  We have been running six of these
boxes for most of 1989 and are getting quite good performance from them.
They work by encapsulating the Ethernet frame in an 802.4 frame, rather than
attempting a conversion.  Since we don't have any other 802.4 anywhere on
our campus we don't find this approach limiting.

I have no connection with Sytek other than being a generally satisfied
customer.

Cheers  -- Walt Haas    haas@cs.utah.edu    utah-cs!haas