Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!XLNVAX!RONC
From: ronc@XLNVAX.EXCELAN.COM (Ron Cully)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.novell
Subject: Re:  best way to connect novell lan to Tcp/ip net
Message-ID: <9002051931.AA09729@la.excelan.com>
Date: 5 Feb 90 19:31:27 GMT
Sender: Novell LAN Interest Group <NOVELL@SUVM>
Reply-To: Novell LAN Interest Group <NOVELL@SUVM>
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X-To:         NOVELL%SUVM@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU


  > Situation:
  >         One room Lab with about 18 computers (AT class or less) as
  >                 workstations. (thinnet)
  >         Server is 386SX based running SFT (I don't remember the
  >                 version, but it's very recent)
  >         The ethernet backbone cable (to tcp/ip hosts) is running down
  >                 the hall right outside the lab.
  >
  > Question: what's the best way and/or least expensive way to get to
  >         the tcp/ip hosts:
  >
The "best" and the "least expensive" are not necessarily the same if
you define "best" as the best functional implementation.

  >         1.  use a bridge from thinnet to thicknet and packet drivers
  >                 at the workstations. ??
  >         2.  use another nic in the server to tie to the backbone, and
  >                 some gateway software (which software?) ??
  >         3.  some other method ??
  >
If you are looking for full function TCP/IP access, I would recommend
a TCP/IP package for the workstations which runs concurrently with
the NetWare shell.  There are several packages which can do this
very well.  Novell currently has a package (acquired with the
Excelan merger) called LAN Workplace for DOS.  This is a TCP/IP
implementation which runs on an EXOS intelligent ethernet controller
(also available from Novell).  If you have existing 3Com or WD
cards, you can get TCP/IP implementations from FTP Software and
Wollongong which use non-intelligent controllers.  To my knowledge,
all of these run concurrently with the NetWare shell.  Therefore
you can FTP files from the TCP/IP host to a NetWare drive.  These
also come with Telnet and r-utilities as well.  For LAN Workplace,
you can also place the PC into FTP-daemon mode.  This allows another
TCP/IP host to get and put files to the PC.  If the PC has a
NetWare drive connection, then a TCP/IP host can get and put files
on the NetWare drive (as long as the PC is in FTPD mode).

Besides being full featured implementations of TCP/IP (which
I personally find better), they also will have much better
performance than existing server based gateway implementations.
Considering that you are looking at 18 clients which likely have
cards already, it would be much better (functionality-performance/price)
to go with a TCP/IP implmentation on the PCs (about $400 per box).

To connect thin and thick ethernet together, you have a couple
of options.  One option is a multiport repeater. Although these
are a little expensive, they will prevent collision problems
if your network is approaching the length limitations of ethernet.
If your network is going to violate the max repeater hops, then
you need to use a TCP/IP router (see cisco or Proteon etc..).  If
you have no distance considerations involved, you can use a
thin-to-thick transceiver (available from Black Box etc..); these
run about $180 as opposed to thousands of $ for the other solutions.