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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!ariel.ucs.unimelb.EDU.AU!werple.apana.org.au!news From: andrew@werple.apana.org.au (Andrew Herbert) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Subject: Re: BSD386/NetBSD for a public access internet site Date: 16 Jun 1993 17:49:35 +1000 Organization: werple public-access unix, Melbourne Lines: 56 Message-ID: <1vmjaf$q99@werple.apana.org.au> References: <WAYNE.93Jun15093642@backbone.uucp> NNTP-Posting-Host: werple.apana.org.au wayne@backbone.uucp (Wayne Schlitt) writes: >There is a group of people around here that is looking into creating a >public access internet site. We are considering using a PC with >BSD386 or NetBSD for our system. We have a few questions that I >haven't been able to answer from reading the FAQ's and such. [I assume you mean 386BSD when you say "BSD386".] >1) How many modem ports can BSD386 support? > a) Does BSD386 allow you to share interrupts for those 4-port 16550 > serial cards that are out there? Yes, if you use cgd's com driver mods, which available from agate.berkeley.edu. > b) Does BSD386 support the any "intelligent" multi-port cards? Not that I've seen. However, I'll likely be writing a driver for Cyclades' Cyclom-8Y 'fairly intelligent' 8 port board, as soon as their development kit arrives. The board is based on a pair of Cirrus Logic CD-1400 communication controllers - these chips look mighty fine, going on the specs I've seen to-date. Anyhow, I will post more information if & when I have a working driver to release, so please don't hassle me right now! Hassle Cyclades instead, if you like - ph. + 1 510 770 9727, fax + 1 510 770 0355. >2) How hard (and what needs to be done) to hook BSD386 up to the > Internet? > a) via a slip connection to a netblazer relatively easy > b) via a ethernet card to a net that is on the internet? very easy > c) via a FDDI card to a net that is on the internet? a device-driver for the card would first need to be written, unless it emulates one of the supported ethernet boards. >3) Since BSD is where all the internet stuff originally came from, I > assume that things like SLIP and such should work, right? yes >4) Does INN/nntp work well on BSD386? Very. werple, my 386BSD box (and NetBSD Real Soon Now), is doing just that. I use a 286 box running the freely available pcroute software to do slip - werple talks to the pcrouter over ethernet. I hope this helps... Andrew