From: karl@ddsw1.mcs.com (Karl Denninger)
Subject: Re: What are the advantages and disadvantages of B+Wnfs v
Summary: More B&W stuff
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 18:46:10 GMT
Organization: Macro Computer Solutions, Inc., Chicago, IL

In article <717371306snx@aurora.f109f.mil.se> nils@aurora.f109f.mil.se (Nils Hammar) writes:
>
>In article <3789@tiamat.fsc.com> jim@tiamat.fsc.com writes:
>
>  > > o)    Compatibility.  PCNFS supports a few cards, B&W explicitly
>  > >       supports anything you can get a packet driver for, including XIRCOM
>  > >       pocket network adapters, RACAL-INTERLAN cards, etc.  This is important
>  > >       if you have cards that PCNFS doesn't support.  There is, however, an 
>  > >       "unsupported" packet driver "shim" for PCNFS.
>  > 
>  >         The PD interface to a XIRCOM works well here.  The docs could have
>  >         been a little better on this point (actually, they could be alot
>>         better on ALL points), but it all works, and that's what's important.
>
>What about compatibility with MS-Windows? It's a really important part
>nowadays, that I will be able to log in and out and mount/dismount
>various resources on the net without leaving windows

You can mount and dismount drives and printers from inside MS Windows.  The
support for this in the upcoming 3.0 release is better than the existing 2.3
release.

>  > > o)    Support.  B&W hasn't let me down yet; then again, you rarely need
>  > >       to call them.  Sun is, well, Sun -- this has both good and bad
>  > >       points.
>  > 
>  >         Somehow I doubt any pricipal employee from Sun would ever contact
>  >         me directly.  I have, however, received mail from Mr. Whiteside.
>  >         Turned out to be very useful mail, at that.
>
>What about support outside the US?

Beame is in Canada...... :-)

>  > > o)    Printers.  Both support a reasonable set of mapping options for
>  > >       printers and do a reasonable job of handling them.  Neither is as
>  > >       nice as Novell in this fashion (particularly with cantankerous
>  > >       non-network aware applications which take over the keyboard
>  > >       precluding a "hot key" job end definition)
>  > 
> >         My only wish here would be to specify either the entire Unix command
>  >         that gets the print job, at least option to an 'lp' command, at the
>  >         time the "net link lpt1: etc" command is run.  There are several
>  >         features I could offer my users if this flexibility existed.
>
>What I want is a printout that is activated after say ten to twenty seconds
>after the last character transmitted to the printer from the application.

Depending on how the printing is done from the application (there are a LOT
of different possible ways) this will work.  It will not work in all cases.

>  > The only thing I've liked anywhere near as much as B&W NFS was PC-Interface
>  > and at the time I had to make a decision, B&W NFS won hands down.
>
>I don't have any opinion yet, since I am using PC-NFS.

I can't stand PCI frankly.... the interface from the DOS side is too limited
and not really an IP network node at all.  For basic disk service it is ok
however.

--
Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
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