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From: ELIEL@brownvm.brown.edu ("Eliel Mamousette, II")
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Re: DOS/ftp/multi-process
Message-ID: <9002261629.aa22274@louie.udel.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 90 21:16:45 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 45


> "Daniel G. Aliaga" <brunix!dga@UUNET.UU.NET> writes:
>
>I am working on a project that uses TCP/IP to send 4k packets across an
>Ethernet from a IBM PC/AT to a SPARC. I'm trying to send as many packets as
>possible per second (i.e. speed is very important). Our server (the AT), due
>various factors, can only run DOS. We are using FTP Software TCP libraries in
>our implementation. We also have multiple clients (SPARC) to send packets to.
>
>Does any one know if it would be to our advantage to use something like
>DESQview (that allows simulated multi-processes in DOS) to keep all clients
>in sync by simulatenously transfering packets to each client instead of one
>packet per client, then a packet to the next client etc ... We would like to
>keep the clients as much in sync as possible ...... ???
>
>Thanks,
>
>dga@cs.brown.edu

Given that DESQView on a 286 machine won't _really_ be multi-tasking as much
as task switching, and that you might run race conditions if the task switching
isn't done cleanly, it makes more sense to write the client switching yourself.

Advantages of this:
  1) The sender can prioritize based on round trip time (if your application
   needs/requires this) so that througput can be optimized....
  2) Since you know your application best, you can determine what should be
   in memory and what shouldn't better than desqviews' algorithms would....

I don't know what kind of data it is that you're working with, but you might
consider getting a "smart" ethernet card so that the AT processor is freed up
to process your packets ASAP.

These of course are suggestions based on knowing very little about your app
or the kind of throughput you're looking for....
Let me know if you have any more questions
         eliel

Eliel Mamousette
Sr. Systems Programmer (Workstations)
Brown University Computer & Information Services
CIS, BOX 1885 115 Waterman Street Providence, RI 02912 (Postal)
ELIEL@BROWNVM (BitNET)
ELIEL@BROWNVM.brown.edu (InterNET)
Acknowledge-To: <ELIEL@BROWNVM>