🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1186@isi-hobgoblin.ARPA> Dan Lynch writes:
>There now exists an implementation of the Netbios interface
>that runs on top of TCP/IP for the IBM PC family...

The world grows ever richer with choice:

Ungermann-Bass has an Intel 80186-based intelligent card, for the
PC, which provides TCP/IP and Netbios, simultaneously.  It can perform
the sort of FTP-to-shared-remote-disk (say that quickly, 5 times) trick
that Dan describes.  The Netbios interface is faithful to the IBM
specification AND will permit partial use of DDN domain names.  Making
this work turns out to be something of a game, since IBM limits names to
16 characters.

To avoid complaints of inappropriate use of the medium for sales purposes,
I will cut short this exposition, except to note that the card's
performance is superb and the user also has access to data link, IP,
and UDP interfaces.
Dave

> There now exists an implementation of the Netbios interface
> that runs on top of TCP/IP for the IBM PC family.  It comes from 
> Excelan...

Do you, or does anybody, know if they support any cards other than their
own? I don't see why the would want to, but we have 3Com cards which we
use in another application and would like them to run double-duty.

-- 
Daniel T. Senie                          TEL.: (617) 329-7700 x3168
Cullinet Software, Inc.                  UUCP: seismo!mit-eddie!cullvax!dts
400 Blue Hill Drive                      ARPA: cullvax!dts@eddie.mit.edu
Westwood, MA 02090-2198

In article <471@ubvax.UUCP>, dcrocker@ubvax.UUCP (Dave Crocker) writes:
> 
> Ungermann-Bass has an Intel 80186-based intelligent card, for the
> PC, which provides TCP/IP and Netbios, simultaneously.

On a completely non-technical level, but pretty important to a potential
customer, is the kind of response you get when you call a company for
information on a product which turns out to be in beta-test.  I called
both Excelan and Ungermann-Bass for information on their TCP/IP/netbios
products for the PC.  I was referred to the Boston office for U-B, but
spoke to the folks on the west coast at Excelan directly.

When I called the Boston U-B office and asked the sales woman about this card,
there was a long pause...
	"Where...did...you...hear...about...this...?"
I explained USENET news briefly.
	"Well, I can't give you any information on this; it's in beta test,
	 and won't be available for sale for a while."
I asked her if she had any idea when that would be.
	"Summer at the earliest."
No offer to send more information, no more detailed schedule of delivery.
Very abrupt.  Who needs it?

In contrast, the folks at Excelan were a marvel of helpfulness.  I spoke
to sales people who eventually routed me to a technical marketing rep
who knew her networking issues inside-out, and provided me with all sorts
of information on their product, pricing and when it would be available
(like the U-B card, it's in beta-test right now.)  Frankly, this kind of
response makes all the difference in deciding between two options, especially
if there isn't a substantive difference between the two in performance or
reliability.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
dyer@harvard.harvard.edu
harvard!dyer