From: lee.matheson@synapse.org (Lee Matheson) 
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
Subject: Novell & TCP/IP Network Interconnection
Date: 21 Nov 92 23:50:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: SYNAPSE BBS - GATINEAU, QUEBEC - 819-561-4321
Reply-To: lee.matheson@synapse.org (Lee Matheson) 

To: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc
From: lee.matheson@synapse.org (lee matheson)

I'm looking for some advice/comments on the method we are considering
to utilize to connect our Novell-3.11 network to a DEC Pathworks (VAX
based) Network.  I've posted this on the Novell nets, but since the
approach we are taking is TCP/IP based, I suspect this may be a better
conference in which to get some good feedback.

Our Novell network is about 5miles from a DEC Pathworks site, which
belongs to an external organization.  Our primary requirement is:
   a.  Run Vax applications from our Novell site (hence, VT-220
       emmulation is required.
   b.  Transfer files (ASCII & binary) between sites
   c.  Exchange E-Mail between sites (with ASCII & binary attachments)
   d.  Print from the Vax site to our Novell site

Secondary (nice to have) requirements are:
   a.  Exchange E-Mail and files (ascii & binary) with other sites
       tied in to the VAX site
   b.  Exchange E-Mail and files (ascii & binary) from our Novell site
       to our Head Office Novell site (which utilizes cc:Mail) over a
       phone line.

Our plan is to use TCP/IP as a common protocol between the VAX site
and our Novell site (see below).

                                                   Company Head Office
                 To other                          Novell-3.11 System
                facilities                         (running cc:Mail)
                (across                                        |(phone)
                US & Canada)                                   |(line)
               (Datapac X25?)           cc:Mail gateway? ______|_______
                    |                           &/or    |  mail        |
            TCP/IP  |                      cc:Mail Link |server/gateway|
           (mix of) |                        to SMTP ?  |______________|
       (SMTP & X400)|                        to X400 ?         |
  ___________    ___|___                  ________       TCP/IP|IPX
 | Vax       |  |Cisco  | 56Kbaud line   | 486/33 |TCP/IP _____|_______
 |(Pathworks)|--|Router |<-------------->| Router |------|Concentrator |
 |___________|  |_______| 5-miles        |________|      |_____________|
    |VMS-Mail              (TCP/IP)    -Multi-Prot Rtr    |Novell-3.11|
  __|_______               (SMTP or)   -WAN/LAN Link _____|___IPX_____|____
 | many PCs |              (X400)                   | File    | | many PCs |
 |__________|                                       | Server  | |__________|
                                                    |_________|  cc:Mail &
                                                    -Flex/IP     LWP4DOS

TCP/IP Approach:
Our selected approach to achieve this is to utilize an existing
Cisco Router at the DEC VAX site to connect to a 486/33 router at our
Novell network site, through a dedicated 56Kbaud line.  We plan to run
the Novell Multi-Protocol Router v2.0 and the Novell WAN/LAN Links v2.0
programs (on the 486/33 router) in order to route TCP/IP packets from the
DEC system on to our Novell network.  I believe both TCP/IP and IPX
would now be on our Novell network (Ethernet - 10BaseT).

In order to access the TCP/IP packets that will now be routed on our
Novell Network, we plan to utilize Novell LAN Work Place for DOS
(LWP4DOS).  We plan on this giving us file transfer (FTP) to/from
the Vax, and terminal emmulation to the VAX.

Printing:
To print from the VAX (when we are using VAX terminal emmulation
from our Novell workstations), we are considering utilizing the
Novell Flex/IP package (on our Novell file server).  We would like
this to permit printing from the VAX, over the 56Kbaud line,
back to our Novell network printer.  The marketting brochures from
Novell tell me Flex/IP will make a Novell printer look like another
Unix printer resource, when the Novell network is connected to a
Unix system.  I am concerned that this may not work smoothly with
a VAX running VMS (however the VAX may have, with its TCP/IP package
some other UNIX type features).  I believe LPD (line printer daemon?)
may be supported by this VAX, and by Novell Flex/IP.

Comments on the Printing approach?  What is LPR/LPD?

E-Mail:
The VAX uses Pathworks VMS mail to exchange mail internally, and
SMTP and X400 to exchange mail externally.  From our Novell site,
I would like to be able to exchange mail with our Head Office site,
which uses cc:Mail.

Hence, as depicted above, we are considering running cc:Mail, with
some sort of "gateway" conversion package to convert cc:Mail to
either X400 or SMTP.  Lotus do have a "cc:Mail Link to SMTP" package.
I'm not certain we can afford a conversion to both X400 & SMTP, ...
we may have to select only one.

To exchange mail with our head office I believe Lotus have a cc:Mail
Gateway package.  I've been considering running both "cc:Mail Link to
SMTP" and "cc:Mail - Gateway" under Desqview, and multi-process both
of them in the same PC (see above sketch).

Comments?

I've also heard Novell have their own MHS protocol, which makes
communications between different protocols (such as SMTP/X400) possible.
A solution based upon this sounds like it would be elegant, but I
don't know enough about this to come up with an alternate systems
approach with Novell MHS.

Comments? Suggestions?

Pathworks:
We have also considered running DEC Pathworks on our Novell network!
(rather than use LWP4DOS).  DEC apparently market:
   a. Pathworks for DOS
   b. Pathworks for Windows,
   c. Pathworks for DOS (TCP/IP)
   d. Pathworks for DOS (Netware Coexistance)
However DEC technical marketting support has been miserable, ...
The off-site nature of our plan has puzzled everyone we have talked
to, ... no two DEC technical marketting staff have agreed upon the
same thing, ... hence this option has faded fast.

Comments?

I apologize for the length of this message, any comments/suggestions
on any part of the above would be most welcome.
   ---

Thanks in advance,

Lee Matheson, Ottawa

---
 . OLX 2.1 TD . ... Open mouth, insert foot, echo internationally.
                                       
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc