Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!bu.edu!bu-cs!oliveb!pyramid!infmx!aland
From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: DOS & UNIX co-existence on AT&T 6386s: guidelines sought
Summary: PowerPorts: new version
Message-ID: <2933@infmx.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 89 03:10:04 GMT
References: <2892@infmx.UUCP> <4380@cuuxb.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: aland@infmx.UUCP (alan denney)
Distribution: na
Organization: INFORMIX Professional Services ("Peace thru Normalization")
Lines: 65

In article <4380@cuuxb.ATT.COM> fmcgee@cuuxb.UUCP (Frank W. McGee) writes:
>In article <2892@infmx.UUCP> aland@infmx.UUCP (alan denney) writes:
>> <various planned hardware>
>
>You're okay (as far as I know) to here...
>
>>          Consensys PowerPorts 16-terminal serial controller
>
>The last time I checked, these cards require a 512K shared memory area
>that starts on a 512K boundary.  This limits you to a 12 MB of RAM
>configuration, because the 6386/33 supports 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 28, 32
>and 40 MB configurations.  Since you need to have a 512K segment for
>the card between 0 and 16 MB, you need to have the next lowest memory
>configuration; ie, 12 MB.  On the older Olivetti 6386's it was

This is no longer the case with the current versions of the boards.
Now, all they need is an 8K window, which can come out of "high
memory" (640K-1024K).  They claim that this (default) configuration
works fine on the Intel-made 6386s.  (Anybody got a map of memory
usage between 640K and 1024K on the Intel-made 6386s?)

>>          Consensys PowerStor caching ESDI disk controller
>
>Don't know if this will work, we use the Western Digital 1007A-WA2.

Since the machines come with the WD card, I will have those to fall
back on in case the PowerStor doesn't work or doesn't provide enough
benefit to be worth the $.  (Each machine will be running dual 300 MB
drives).

>>          3Com 3C503 Ethernet card (also for use with PC-NFS under DOS)
>
>AT&T doesn't have and doesn't sell Unix drivers for the 3C503.  AT&T
>has two separate and distinct TCP/IP platforms for 386 Unix; we only
>support the AT&T TCP/IP Interface for Unix (ie, Micom/Racal-Interlan
>product) or the Wollongong Integrated Networking (WIN) TCP/IP 386
>over an AT&T StarLAN 10 NAU, EN100, or Fiber NAU card.

That's a shame.  This means that there is no single card which supports
both AT&T TCP/IP and PC-NFS.  I ordered the 3C503 because they were
on everybody else's compatibility lists (SCO, Interactive, ESIX, etc.),
and originally we weren't going for AT&T machines because of ship 
delays on the 33 MHz models.  But, they came around just in time (just
got 'em yesterday, in fact).  

Does anybody know if there is a way to use these cards with AT&T Sys
V/386 (maybe using "foreign" [gasp!] drivers)?  Otherwise, we'll
probably just live without UNIX-UNIX ethernet on these boxes for
the forseeable future (sigh).

>Hope you were already aware of these items.  Hope you have a happy
>holiday season !

Well, thanks for the help in any case.  As the Consensys stuff seems to
be kind of an unknown entity, I'll report back on how they work.

>Frank McGee, AT&T     Tier 3 Complementary Channel Sales Support

--
  Alan S. Denney  @  Informix Software, Inc.    "We're homeward bound
       {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland               ('tis a damn fine sound!)
 --------------------------------------------    with a good ship, taut & free
  Disclaimer:  These opinions are mine alone.    We don't give a damn, 
  If I am caught or killed, the secretary        when we drink our rum
  will disavow any knowledge of my actions.      with the girls of old Maui."