From: dlowe@world.std.com (Miller Lowe)
Subject: HELP: VAX to PC Communications questions?
Summary: I have question sin talking to a VAX from PC's on Ethernet
Keywords: VAX VMS BRIDGE ROUTER
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 07:44:19 GMT

In our office we have Three Netware Servers, A couple
of VAX and tens of PCs.  We want to connect the PCs to the VAX
systems using a LAT terminal emulator such as SmartTerm 340.

Here is the current cabeling picture;

   /-----\          /-----\                     /-----\
   | VAX |          |MICRO|                     |MICRO|
   |     |12.1      | VAX | 12.2                | VAX | 12.3
   \--+--/          \--+--/                     \--+--/
      |                |         LAN 'A'           |
  ----+-------+--------+---------------------+-----+--------
              |                  DECNET      |
              |                          /---+---\
           /--+---------\                | PC #1 |
           | PC Running |                \-------/
           | PCBRIDGE   |
           \-------+----/
                   |             LAN 'B'  IPX, TCP/IP & DECNET
  <-------+--------+------------------------+----------------->
          |                                 |IPX = FEEDBFOO
      /---+---\                       /-----+------\
      | PC #2 |                       |  NetWare   |
      \-------/                       |v3.11 Server| "MOTHRA"
                                      \-----+------/
                  IPX & TCP/IP              | IPX = FEEDBOFF
   <-----------+----------------------------+------------------>
               |           LAN 'C'                     Other Netware
           /---+---\                                   Servers  -->
           | PC #3 |                                   & LANs
           \-------/

I have connected PC #1 and logged into the NetWare Server MOTHRA
with no problem and according to the terminal program (which has a
LAT driver) documentatiom I should have no problem logging onto the
VAX systems from PC#1 or PC#2.  I haven't installed the terminal
program yet.

BIG QUESTION #1:
----------------
How do I get PC #3 to process DECNET packets through the NetWare
server MOTHRA.  While MOTHRA will pass TCP/IP or IPX I do not think
that it will pass DECNET even though it uses 802.3 Ethernet.

Must I put some sort of router attaching LAN 'B' and LAN 'C' that will
route DECNET packets and keep the LANs withe their respective IPX names?
I have put a PCbridge between them but as expected I get Router errors
off of the MOTHRA internal router.

BIG QUESTION #2:
----------------
Is there a public domain routing program that will perform this with
a PC like PCROUTE.  Speed is not really an issue at this time and I
have lots of spare Western Digital/SMC 8003 family NICs.

I would like to make the VAXen an available resource to all PC's on
the network.  There are a couple more servers and Netware Routers off
of the page that I did not bother to draw.


UNFORTUNATE QUESTION #3
-----------------------
If commercial software/hardware is the only answer, what do you
suggest and how would it apply to our situation.  I really don't
want to re-configure the whole system with a big expensive router
in the middle.  I have a hard enough time attempting to justify
additional PCs.


Any comments would be greatly appricated.  I am very new to DECNET
requirements and still being a neophyte with TCP/IP and IPX I am stuck!


Thanks in advance!

D. Miller Lowe
Email: dlowe@world.std.com




Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans.ethernet
From: rob@sound.demon.co.uk (Robert J Barth)