From: garyrich@qdeck.com (Gary Rich)
Subject: Re: NDIS and 3com's 3Plus/Share
Organization: Quarterdeck Office Systems, Santa Monica CA
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1992 21:41:11 GMT

In article <9211042208.AA21591@ftp.com> backman@FTP.COM (Larry Backman) writes:
>
> >> I'm trying to set up an older 3Plus/share network up using
> >> an NDIS stack so that I use FTP Software's DIS_PKT.GUP and
> >> ETHDRV to create a dual stack.  I've managed to do this with
> >> 3com's DPA (Demand Protocol Architecture) just fine, but DPA
> >> itself does not seem to work very well so I'd like to lose it.
> >> 
> >> I've contacted FTP Software.  Their only response so far has been
> >> that this is not supported for 3Plus/Share, only for 3Plus/Open.
> >> This is clearly hogwash, since it worked fine with the DPA stuff.
> >> One of those "We didn't say it doesn't work, only that we don't
> >> support it".
> >> 
> >> I've also contacted people at 3Com.  Not much specific help 
> >> from the phone call, and no response at all from the FAX
> >> I sent last week.
>
> I'm not sure how you jump to the "hogwash" conclusion but...


I certainly don't mean to bash the folks at FTP.  Pardon the crankiness of
someone who had to fly half way across the country on short notice to try
to make "something" work.  My only grump with FTP was getting a "that's
not supported" response trying to use dis_pkt.gup (a lovely piece of code)
with 3coms "DPA" stack, which _does_ support NDIS.  Turns out in the long
run that it works fine at first, but 3com's shell layer will eventually
stomp all over the ethdrv layer and bring down the house of cards.  I thought
the idea of things like NDIS/ packet drivers/ ODI was so this wouldn't 
happen, but I infer that DPA was one of the first things to implement
NDIS and may not have done everything in the most optimal manner...

>
> A long time ago there was a networking company that sold a MS-Net based
> file server called 3+Share.  They were sold, eh. convinced, that
> the best thing for their future would be to abandon such server
> and move onto the new and bright Lanman platform.  Thus was born 3+Open.
>
> Well, 3+Open was not a rousing success to say the least, and knocked
> such networking company right out of the file server business.  Thus
> not only were 3+Share owners SOL; but also 3+Open owners.
>
> As to any help....its been a while but I recall that 3+Share ran over
> something called <minses> which ran over Netbios, ala Int5C.

This makes me feel better about the fact that I'm woefully ignorant of
3com networks.  I miss my former complete ignorance of 3plus.  Geez,
I thought LanMan was a pain...

>
>Perhaps; if you were brave and had time to spare, you'd experiment with
>dropping your existing NDIS dual protocol stack into a 3+Share
>environment and let her rip.  Run <redir>, maybe you win...maybe not..

Brave I've got.  Time...my kids don't recognize me now.  This unfortunatly
looks like a lose.  The last tech I spoke to at 3com told me that Share
could support NDIS, but didn't know how (thanks).  If there's a way, nobody
else knows how either :-[

>
>Alternatively; you run PCTCP & our Netbios; fire up <redir> run 3+Share
>over TCP Netbios.

I LOVE this idea!  I could get rid of #$^*&$@ PROTMAN completely.  I was
informed (by someone who may or may not be correct) that there was some
problem with the RFC 1001/1002 flavor of netbios and the "minses" flavor
of netbios but I didn't acually try it myself.

>
>Seriously; we support NDIS, Packet Driver & ODI interfaces.  If you can
>force them into 3+Share we'll help you out; but we can't support
>an architecture that doesn't permit dual stacks...
>
>
>Larry Backman
>FTP Software
>

thanks Larry,

Garyrich@qdeck.com        <also "not the mommy">
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc