Networking PCs, MACs, Apples, etc.
SECRIST%OAK....@lll-mfe.arpa
Date: Wed, 5-NOV-1986 20:44 EST
To: INFO-...@BRL-VGR.ARPA
Message-ID: <[OAK.SAINET.MFENET].649279C0.008F7858.SECRIST>
Header-Disclaimer: I don't like my headers either !
X-VMS-Mail-To: MICRO
1) Recently DEC announced a thinwire Ethernet <--> real Ethernet box.
(DEMPR or something like that.)
2) Like someone said, the Apple ][ class machines can jump onto Appletalk
with the Macs and hence onto Ethernet. But perhaps that's thinwire
Ethernet - but that's no problem for a DEMPR/VAX.
3) I have seen PCs use DEC's DECnet-DOS product to talk over 3Com thinwire
Ethernet boards - through the DEC box - and into a MicroVAX II doing
virtual terminal services.
Sounds like you've got a network to me if the software is any good. I can
vouch for DECnet DOS - it's wonderful (if you know DECnet you'll feel
right at home !). I dunno about the Appletalk stuff, particularly for a
///... but if you can run the ///'s in ][ emulation mode when you need to
do net-stuff you ought to be able to do something. Remember that Apple ///
SOS is compatable with ProDOS-8, so you can always walk a disk over to a
][-class machine. Maybe another approach is if Apple made a card for
their (now defunct ?!) "school bus" for the /// ?! Then again, if all
you're looking for is file transfer there's always Kermit - and that's a
good bit cheaper than all of this Ethernet hardware.
Other things aside - if you live on a PC and play with VAXen DECnet DOS
is a MUST even if you don't net yourself to everything else.
Alternatively you can use DECnet DOS through a serial port (abiet much
slower) and without any PC-hardware investment -- besides DECnet DOS is
comparitively cheap (~$300). [Flame: pity that you can buy DECnet for a
wimpy processor like the 8088 so inexpensively when you can't get it on
one of the 68K-class machines.]
rcs
SECRIST%OAK.SAIn...@LLL-MFE.Arpa