From: pozar@kumr.lns.com (Tim Pozar)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sys5.r4,comp.unix.questions,biz.comp.telebit.netblazer,comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: Netblazer
Date: 8 Jan 93 16:37:18 GMT
Organization: Late Night Software (San Francisco)

mlewis@telebit.com (Mark S. Lewis) writes:
>> I currently attach via SLIP over a leased line using v.32bis/v.42bis
>> modems from a Dell machine (on my end) into a smartport on a Telebit Netblazer.
>
>> Would I see any significant increase in throughput using this same
>> physical connection (v.32bis/v.42bis) but replacing the Dell SLIP
>> with a Netblazer on my end -- and connecting my machines via ethernet
>> to the Netblazer?
>> [...] 
>> Larry Snyder                                    internet: larry@gator.rn.com
>
>No I don't think you would get a significant performance increase by
>putting a NetBlazer at both ends.  You are using relatively slow
>serial lines limited by V.32bis modulation with whatever compression
>you get with V.42bis.
>
>Mark S. Lewis  inet: mlewis@telebit.com  

I disagree.  I think you will get some increase in preformance, depending 
on how loaded your box that is doing the routing is.  Routing IP packets 
takes a certain amount of CPU over head as well as servicing the serial 
line interupts that happen every time you get a packet in.  Using 16500 
helps.

BTW there are other soultions to netblazers...

We have been playing with a number of router soulutions for our coopertive 
network, "The Little Garden".  Currently we are running KA9Q/NOS for our 
dial-up routers.  The other day I brought up 386BSD as a router and found 
that ping times went down by about 10 to 20%.  With a '386DX-16 running 
KA9Q tied via v.32bis/v.42bis Forval modems to a '386SX-25 runing KA9Q 
our 56byte ping times were about 200 to 240mS on an unloaded circuit.  
With 386BSD on just one side the ping times were about 190 to 210 mS.  
Same hardware, just one side had different router software.

After experimenting with 386BSD a bit, I am going to put more of an effort 
into getting something ship shape to run off a floppy and try to replace 
a couple of our links with it.

A side note.  Netblazer software was based on the KA9Q software.  Enough 
work has gone into it by now that I imagine that it doesn't look like KA9Q 
any more, but I wonder if it still has the same problems that KA9Q has, 
like memory leakage and high latency. Perhaps Mark could comment on the
Netblazer software.

Our cost per KA9Q box is about $600 as it is only a fast '386 mother
board with 1Meg of memory, 1.4 meg floppy drive and controller, case/power 
supply, keyboard, ethercard(SMC), 16550 stuffed async card, monitor and 
video card.  

Phil Karn asks for about $50 for commercial installation of the KA9Q 
software.  386BSD is currently availible for free off of the net from 
agate.berkeley.edu.  Bill Joliz does ask for a contribuition of $50 for 
the binaries and $100 for the source.

At the last ONEBBS con in Denver, there was a demonstration of a device 
called "Slip-on-a-Stick".  It was a box that was about 10"x6"x2" tall, and 
would do slip.  I don't know if it will do the right thing with subnetting
as I only saw it work with one device on it.  The price was less than a
grand.

                            Tim

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Newsgroups: comp.unix.sys5.r4,comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.sysv386