From owner-freebsd-hardware Wed Oct 1 21:57:40 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id VAA02723 for hardware-outgoing; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 21:57:40 -0700 (PDT) Received: from sabre.goldsword.com (sabre.goldsword.com [199.170.202.32]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id VAA02718 for ; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 21:57:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from jfarmer@localhost) by sabre.goldsword.com (8.8.7/8.7.3) id BAA01869; Thu, 2 Oct 1997 01:00:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 2 Oct 1997 01:00:06 -0400 (EDT) From: "John T. Farmer" Message-Id: <199710020500.BAA01869@sabre.goldsword.com> To: daniel@jimi.danodom.com, richard@pegasus.com Subject: Re: Multiple serial ports Cc: freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Sender: owner-freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk 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