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Date:      Sun, 30 Jun 1996 13:08:30 -0400
From:      "Jacob M. Parnas" <jparnas@jparnas.cybercom.net>
To:        Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
Cc:        henry@zoo.toronto.edu, hardware@freebsd.org, bsdi-users@bsdi.com
Subject:   Re: muliport boards - building a PPP dialup server 
Message-ID:  <199606301708.NAA11248@jparnas.cybercom.net>
In-Reply-To: Your message of Sat, 29 Jun 1996 17:12:46 %2B0930. <199606290742.RAA20768@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> 

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In message <199606290742.RAA20768@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au>you write:
>Jacob M. Parnas stands accused of saying:
>> 
>> The TI 17550 can go up to 900kbaud/second, which is a new UART.
>
>Compatible with the 16550?  Appropriately clocked, the 16550 will run at
>1.5Mbps.
>
>> Why connect at high speeds with a UART: money.  Most ethernet solutions
>> cost well over $1000 not counting the ethernet hardware which may not be at
>> home.  (card, tranceiver or hub, cables, etc).  I've seen a PC Card that
>
>This is total bollocks.  An NE2000 clone ethernet card and cables will cost
>you about $30 all up.

As I said other places, I never said it would cost $1000 for the etherneting.
Just the card costs at least $50.

>> costs $199-$319 depending on who you are, and it does everything
>> with a UART on top (the software driver for BSDI will be $95.  So,
>> how does $400 sound to you compared to the ethernet solution,
>> considering that the $400 non-ethernet solution compare to an
>> ethernet one.
>
>But it doesn't.  You have zero flexibility, a driver with no source, and
>from what you're saying, a UART-style interface with the associated high
>interrupt and CPU overheads.  

I'm not sure about the status of the source.  Hopefully BSDI will have them
include the source.  I wouldn't be surprised, but I have no information on 
that.

>> You can get up to 512 Kbaud/second with it, it has 3
>> types of compression and header compression (Stac, Ascend and
>> Microsoft) and can change from two BRI channels down to one and vice
>> versa as the other channel is used for voice fax, analog modem,
>> phone, etc.  Pretty good in my opinion.
>
>Thanks, but I'd go for an Ascend P50 or something similar any day.
>Particularly since this card is unlikely to pass the Austel tests
>anytime soon.

If you have unlimited funds, and don't mind wasting money for equal performance
and features, go for it.  I'd personally like to save $700+.

Jacob

>-- 
>]] Mike Smith, Software Engineer        msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au    [[
>]] Genesis Software                     genesis@atrad.adelaide.edu.au   [[
>]] High-speed data acquisition and      (GSM mobile) 0411-222-496       [[
>]] realtime instrument control          (ph/fax)  +61-8-267-3039        [[
>]] Collector of old Unix hardware.      "Where are your PEZ?" The Tick  [[
>



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