Subject: Re: Hardware questions
To: Julian C. Dunn <jdunn@aquezada.com>
From: Don Yuniskis <auryn@gci-net.com>
List: port-sparc
Date: 11/25/2001 22:12:27
>Julian Dunn said:
>
>On 25-Nov-2001 Don Yuniskis wrote:
>>> Julian C Dunn proclaimed:
>> 
>> (hmmm... I had a "Tom Dunn" as a boss many years ago...
>> though I suspect the name to *probably* be a bit more
>> commonplace than, say, "Yuniskis"... :>)
>
>Probably. In fact, there is another "Julian Dunn" out in 
>England somewhere, who, coincidentally to me, wrote an 
>academic paper about FireWire (IEEE 1394).

Ha!  Too funny!  Not likely to happen with *my* moniker!

[ASCII art of disk bracket]

>> Presumably, the disk itself occupies the "XXXXXXX" portion
>> that I have added?
>
>Correct. The link that someone else provided to an ordering page for these
>brackets provides a better picture.


I had problems trying to access the site earlier.  I will
try again later.  Undoubtedly it will make more sense
once "seen"...

>> One machine had a double slot CG6 (NFG).  I've also figured out
>> that one of the modules is a third party (ikon?) centronics
>> interface.  Yet another is a "bi-pro" adapter for sparcprinter?
>> I have removed most as I don't see much use for them (though
>> the CG^ would be useful -- as well as plugging two holes! -- if
>> I can figure out what's wrong with it...)
>
>Do you have a Sun monitor with which to test it?


Yes.  A type 449 (?) if that means anything.  :>  Works
well with the internal fb's in the IPC, Classic and LX.
So, I suspect the problem on the CG6 is truly a hardware
problem and not just a fluke...

>> I intend to run the boxes headless so that's not a big issue.
>> What I *would* like are NICs and a Pertec I/F...
>
>There are single slot sbus NICs out there aplenty; I do not know 
>if there are ones with 10BaseT ports, but I own one with AUI and 
>10Base2.

I will continue my search...  but, I need to rethink whether to
look for 10baseT/AUI or 10base2/AUI.  (sigh)  Far easier if
the NIC had all *three* options!  :>

>> The house is wired with CAT5.  All feed *one* centrally located
>> (not particularly accessible!) hub.  Within any particular
>> *room* (office, workshop, etc.), I use 10Base2 to tie machines
>> together.  This eliminates the need for additional hubs.  Any
>> added hubs mean more things to find a place for, etc.  And, the
>> wiring is much cleaner than having N lengths of CAT5 running
>> around the room to tie the boxes to the hub.
>
>This is similar to what I have running using my Sparc 2 as the 
>gateway. The internal AUI has a 10BaseT transceiver to talk to 
>the cable modem, and the rest of the network talks to the Sparc 
>through its SBus ethernet card, which is using 10Base2.

OK.  I want to do that on two levels... put a router between
each 10base2 network and the CAT5 line to the "central hub".
Then, put another box off of that hub to act as real
firewall/router to tie to ISP.  As a fallback position, hang
a modem on each of the "first level" (10base2 <-> 10baseT)
routers so that if the main ISP connection dies (hub failure,
firewall failure, etc.) I can  use these second level routers
to give me similar functionality until I can fix whatever is 
broke...

I am hoping it will also let me have more machines
"available" for release testing -- since I am sure
there is always a shortage of that type of "labor"  :>
I figure with one or two external drives, I can test
releases without fear of trashing *my* configurations...
(or, are these "famous last words"??)

>Point being: The cards you are looking for (with 10Base2 
>ethernet) DO exist.  There also exist, if you need one, 
>AUI --> 10Base2 transceivers, although I
>suspect these are much harder to find nowadays.


Yes, I have several of these.  I currently use them to tie
the various boxes to the coax *within* a particular room.
Though I suspect I will need to pick up a few more.

(sigh)  Sort of like stamp collecting -- you're never "done"!
:-/

Thanks!
--don