Return to BSD News archive
Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!feed1.news.erols.com!howland.erols.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!news1.best.com!nntp1.best.com!usenet
From: dillon@flea.best.net (Matt Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.admin,comp.protocols.ppp,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc
Subject: Re: Best Unix for SLIP/PPP Server- Best Reliability/Cost?
Date: 17 Nov 1996 08:23:17 GMT
Organization: BEST Internet Communications, Inc.
Lines: 44
Message-ID: <56mi1l$6pa@nntp1.best.com>
References: <56cfhc$h8b@access5.digex.net> <56igd8$if@anorak.coverform.lan> <56le6q$2c6@panix2.panix.com> <56m2q9$k1c@cynic.portal.ca>
NNTP-Posting-Host: flea.best.net
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.admin:50522 comp.protocols.ppp:15919 comp.unix.questions:91398 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:31137 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:4872
:In article <56m2q9$k1c@cynic.portal.ca>,
:Curt Sampson <cjs@cynic.portal.ca> wrote:
:>In article <56le6q$2c6@panix2.panix.com>,
:>Thor Lancelot Simon <tls@rek.tjls.com> wrote:
:>
:>>Curt pointed out that much of the larger multi-port serial-port hardware for
:>>PCs is polled. I'm interested in the impact of this on throughput on those
:>>serial ports; Curt, can you tell me more?
:>
:>As far as I know, thoughput is just fine. I don't know all the
:>details of the Digiboards and whatnot, but I assume they work pretty
:>much like the ones they used to use on the VAX. Each port has an
:...
:>
:>>I still think those Cirrus PPP-UARTS are way cool; I wish someone would build
:>>cards for PCs that used them, other than the Cirrus demonstrator. I've got
:>>programming specs, too.
:>
:>Well, I can't see any reason you couldn't make these intelligent
:>serial boards just a bit more intelligent and teach them about SLIP
:>and PPP framing. Then for ports you know you're running SLIP or
:>PPP on, you delay the copy until you've got a full packet available
:>in the silo.
:>
:>cjs
:>--
:>Curt Sampson cjs@portal.ca Info at http://www.portal.ca/
:>Internet Portal Services, Inc.
:>Vancouver, BC (604) 257-9400 De gustibus, aut bene aut nihil.
It's probably overkill, but 68302's (motorola) make GREAT serial ports.
Not only can you run async to 600 Kbps or better on all three ports, but
you can program the ports to recognize SLIP/PPP/other escaped packets,
plus the ports do DMA, plus you have a 68000 cpu to play with to
do further smart processing. There are some real cheap versions of
the '302 available now, some as low as $12 -- or $4 per port.
In general, the only reason multi-port turnkey (black box) solutions
are more expensive then PC solutions is that it's a seller's market.
It actually costs a whole lot less to make a black box with a whole
slew of serial ports and an ethernet interface then it is to run them
on a PC.
-Matt