Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 2 Oct 1997 01:00:06 -0400 (EDT)
From:      "John T. Farmer" <jfarmer@sabre.goldsword.com>
To:        daniel@jimi.danodom.com, richard@pegasus.com
Cc:        freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Multiple serial ports
Message-ID:  <199710020500.BAA01869@sabre.goldsword.com>

next in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help

On Tue, 30 Sep 1997 11:27:38 -1000 (Richard Foulk) said:
>} Thanks for your  help guys,  you've been great.  I think, however,
>} that I'll spend the extra $500 or so and just buy a terminal server.
>} It's easier. :-)
>
>Yikes.  I doubt you'll find a decent terminal server for that cheap.
>Try four times that.

Actually, there are several vendors of terminal servers that will do 
4 to 16 serial ports in the <$1500 range (some much less than that!).
The downside is the number of control lines available, sometimes the 
maximin port speed, and some of the "routing" type features.  Check out
Lantronix, Equinox, Chase, Stallion, some of the cheaper DEC boxes, etc.

Remember, to handle terminals, printers, or to act as front ends for 
machines doesn't require modem control lines, 900kbps ports, RIP, 
radius, ppp, and all the neat features we need/want to handle modem
banks.

I once designed & installed a distributed system that tied 300+ serial
devices at four plants 10 miles apart using "dumb" terminal servers,
and T-1 bridges to tie the sites together.  Lots of telnet packets
flying around...

John

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
John T. Farmer			Proprietor, GoldSword Systems
jfarmer@goldsword.com		Public Internet Access in East Tennessee
dial-in (423)470-9953		for info, e-mail to info@goldsword.com
	Network Design, Internet Services & Servers, Consulting



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199710020500.BAA01869>