From: lee.matheson@synapse.org (Lee Matheson) 
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.novell
Subject: Re: Novell to Pathworks Link
Date: 7 Nov 92 15:59:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: SYNAPSE BBS - GATINEAU, QUEBEC - 819-561-4321
Reply-To: lee.matheson@synapse.org (Lee Matheson) 

To:  bit.listserv.novell (Zeus Mailbox)
From:  lee.matheson@synapse.org (Lee Matheson)
ZM>> To: MAILBOX@ZEUS.ICE.NL (Zeus Mailbox)

Heno,

Thanks for the response.

ZM>> I'm looking for some advice/comments on the method we are considering
ZM>> to utilize to connect our Novell-3.11 network to a DEC Pathworks (VAX
ZM>> based) Network.
ZM>>
ZM>> Our Novell network is about 5miles from the DEC Pathworks site.  The
ZM>> option being considered is to utilize a Cisco Router at the DEC site
ZM>> to connect to a 486/33 router at the Novell network site, through a
ZM>> dedicated 56Kbaud line.  We believe it is necessary to run the Novell
ZM>> Multi-Protocol Router v2.0 and the Novell WAN/LAN Links v2.0 programs
ZM>> (on the 486/33 router) in order to route TCP/IP packets from the
ZM>> DEC system to our Novell system.
ZM>>
ZM>>   ____________    _______            ________     Novell-3.11 Network
ZM>>  | Vax        |  |Cisco  | 56Kbaud  | 486/33 |    ______________
ZM>>  |(Pathworks )|--|Router |----------| Router |---| Concentrator |
ZM>>  |____________|  |_______| 5-miles  |________|   |______________|
ZM>>     |                                              |          |
ZM>>   __|_______                                  _____|___   ____|_____
ZM>>  | many PCs |                                | File    | | many PCs |
ZM>>  |__________|                                | Server  | |__________|
ZM>>                                              |_________|
ZM>>

ZM>Don't use a 486/33 as a router. Combine the concentrator with the
ZM>router. By a Synoptics 3000 concentrator with 10BaseT modules and the
ZM>routing module. This is Cisco engineered and supportes all you need
ZM>with good performance. Allso buy the network management module from
ZM>Synoptics. It will let you (with windows software) change and
ZM>maintain/check the concentrator via snmtp from the dec site.

I suspect I may have ommitted some information that may (?) make the
Synoptic concentrator approach unworkable.  The Vax (Pathworks) system
is running Pathworks for DECnet.  I don't think DECnet packets running
over the Novell network would be recognized (?) by the Novell PCs which
are accessing IPX packets.  Hence we considered
the TCP/IP approach.  I work at the Novell site, hence controlling the
setup from the VAX site doesn't really appeal to me.

ZM>> In order to access the TCP/IP packets
ZM>> that will now be routed on our Novell Network, we plan to utilize
ZM>> Novell LAN Work Place for DOS.  Presumably, as a minimum, this will
ZM>> give us FTP capability (to/from the VAX) and Terminal emulation to the
ZM>> VAX. We will utilize the terminal emulation in order to run an
ZM>> Oracle application on the VAX.

ZM>You might consider (as a temp solution) a few terminals on the other
ZM>site using Synoptics terminal servers in the 3000 cabinet, they
ZM>support lat aswell.

I saw an article in PC Magazine on the Synoptic concentrator 3000 cabinet.
Its rather expensive, ... perhaps too expensive for our needs.

ZM>> There are times when we like to be able to print from the Oracle
ZM>> application on the Vax, to one of our local printers; hence we are also
ZM>> considering utilizing the Novell Flex/IP package (on our Novell file
ZM>> server), so that when we run the Oracle VAX based program (from a
ZM>> Novell workstation), we can print from the VAX, over our 56Kbaud line,
ZM>> back to our Novell network printer.  Supposedly the Flex/IP package
ZM>> makes our Novell network printer look like another printer resource
ZM>> tied in to the VAX system.
ZM>>
ZM>> While this gives us a minimal capability, ideally we would like to be
ZM>> able to send e-mail (with ascii/binary file attachment capability) from
ZM>> our Novell workstation PC's, through the routers, to the VAX Pathworks
ZM>> mail system (VMS mail based?).  (I would prefer utilizing
ZM>> CC::Mail, but I don't know if that package can exchange E-mail with
ZM>> a VAX).  I would prefer not to utilize Terminal emulation to get
ZM>> to the VAX mail prompt (from our Novell Network workstations).
ZM>> All our Novell workstations are Windows-3.1 based, ... hence a
ZM>> seemless e-mail integration into Windows (running on our Workstations)
ZM>> would be real nice (if possible).

ZM>If you support tcp/ip on the Vax then you might take a look at the
ZM>Pegasus mail/charon combination. It works great with a novell network
ZM>with ip/smtp hosts.

Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll take a look at the Pegasus/Charon combo.

ZM>> It has also been suggested to us that (rather than utilize Novell
ZM>> Workplace for DOS and a separate e-mail package) we run the DEC
ZM>> Pathworks on our Novell Network!  Apparently DEC market Pathworks for
ZM>> DOS (Netware Coexistence) and Pathworks for DOS (TCP/IP), in addition
ZM>> to the regular Pathworks for DOS and in addition to Pathworks for
ZM>> Windows.  However after much time talking to many different DEC
ZM>> representatives, we have had no success in getting any real technical
ZM>> information out of DEC as to its feasibility.  I'm not even certain
ZM>> if I understand the concept, although presumably it means TCP/IP
ZM>> packets are routed from the VAX to our Novell Network, with
ZM>> Pathworks related data inside the TCP/IP packets.  When we want
ZM>> to access our file server, we would utilize IPX/NETX (through a
ZM>> multi-protocol stack concept).

ZM>Mmmm sounds like 150K of software on each pc.

Hmmm, .... you are probably correct, ... this consumes too much RAM.


ZM>Feel free to get back at me, or at mailbox or at henno@zeus.ice.nl


Thanks,
Lee Matheson, Ottawa
---
 . OLX 2.1 TD . ... Open mouth, insert foot, echo internationally.
                 
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