DECnet product for Suns (SUMMARY)

From: Anne Bennett (anne@maxwell.concordia.ca)
Date: Fri Apr 03 1992 - 22:57:27 CST


Hello Colleagues. On March 31 I wrote:

> I need to know whether any of you have experience with DECnet
> protocol on Sun machines. If so, did you have any problems
> with it, and how much did it cost?
>
> My department is upgrading its mail relay machine, and we were
> planning to go with DEC (Ultrix) because of the requirement
> that the machine speak both TCP/IP and DECnet. Then I started
> comparing performance figures and costs, and Sun comes out way
> ahead. I'm supposed to make my recommendation by tomorrow
> morning, so information is need urgently.

--------------- SUMMARY OF RESPONSES

Most respondents are running SunLink DNI, which is Sun's implementation
of the DECnet protocol. They report that it is easy to install and
fairly problem-free once running, but is not a *full* implementation of
DECnet. It has remote rlogin capability, a terminal emulator, remote
file copy, and a "mail11" mail interface, but is basically an end node,
and does not do routing. Many parts of NCP are not implemented, and
there is no LAT. It is possible to print on the VAX's printers (with a
little help from some software available on the net). Note that the
product changes the effective ethernet address of the ethernet board.
I was given list prices as follows:
  SunLink/DNI 7.0 DNI-7.0-4.1-4-21 $1820 Discount category A
  TE320 (VT320 emulator) TE3-7.0-4.1.1-4-21 $ 930 Discount category A

There was some mention of KI Research product KI Net, which provides
LAT, DECnet, and a DEC terminal emulator. I am told that the telephone
support is pleasant and prompt, and the software is reliable.

Two people mentioned DECnet from
            Thursby Software Systems
            5840 W. Interstate 20,Suite 100
            Arlington, TX 76017
            Phone: 817-478-5070
which includes DECnet, LAT, and DECnet programmer's library, and
costs $1000 per node.

A few respondents suggested that the "real" answer is to make the
Vaxes speak TCP/IP, and several products were suggested for that
purpose:
  - CMU TCP/IP $150
  - CMU/TEK $300
  - Multinet
  - Wollongong's WIN/TCP
  - DEC/UCX (NFS/Telnet/FTP, not LPD and Sendmail, but there
           are PD implementations)

--------------- end of SUMMARY

I received, believe it or not, 23 responses. Many thanks to:

  Anthony A. Datri <datri@concave.convex.com>
  arossite <arossite@us.oracle.com>
  Benny Yih <yih@atom.cs.utah.edu >
  Brian White <brw@hertz.njit.edu >
  darrell hodge <hodged@tsc.cxo.dec.com >
  David Grootwassink <GROOTWASS@tawc1.eglin.af.mil>
  David N. Edwards <davee@lightning.mitre.org >
  Hal Stern <stern@sunne.East.Sun.COM >
  Ian MacPhedran <macphed@dvinci.usask.ca >
  Karl-Jose Filler <pla_jfi@pki-nbg.philips.de >
  kbw@HERMES
  Kevin B. Weinrich <kbw@hermes>
  Marcel Bernards <bernards@ECN.NL >
  Mark Prior <mrp@itd.adelaide.edu.au>
  Mathew BM LIM <M.Lim@anu.edu.au>
  Mike Jipping <jipping@cs.hope.edu>
  Milt Ratcliff <milt@PE-Nelson.COM >
  Peter Kaldis <peter@Civil.concordia.ca>
  Ray Brownrigg <Ray.Brownrigg@isor.vuw.ac.nz>
  Richard Bogusz <rich_b@oldham.gpsemi.COM >
  Rick Nelson <rik@farside.den.mmc.com >
  Steve Hanson <hanson@pogo.fnal.gov>

For those people who are curious to know what I decided... We are
indeed already running Multinet or UCX on several of our Vaxes.
However, the new server machine will not only be a news and mail
relay and nameserver in the short run, but may be expected to support
various client/server applications in the future, and it is very
important to us that it speak both TCP/IP and DECnet completely
reliably. Therefore, with great reluctance, I chose a DEC machine.

Sigh.

Anne. (Administrator for Concordia mail relay, news transfer, and DNS)

Ms. Anne Bennett, Computing Services, Concordia University, Montreal H3G 1M8
anne@maxwell.concordia.ca (514) 848-7606



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