From: mike@gordian.com (Michael A. Thomas)
Subject: Re: Datability update
Organization: Gordian; Costa Mesa, CA
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:36:00 GMT

In article <396@mje99.UUCP>, mje@mje99.UUCP (Mark J Elkins) writes:
> Like many terminal servers - they seemed to have been developed from
> the LAT side of the ethernet.  As I understand - they are indeed a
> wonderful LAT product.  The Unix/TCP side appears to have been added
> as an afterthought...  almost.

  Actually I know of one for certain which was not centered around either
LAT or TCP: Lantronix. The development for both protocols was done
similtaneously with neither particularly favored. The fact that it
uses the DEC command set was really only a convinience since it
was something easily duplicatable, and both easy and widely used --
nobody else had enough leadership in servers to be called "standard"
from the TCP side.

> Like if you do a remote connection to the console port - it will only
> talk properly to an ansi screen (where ansi reads 'DEC Terminal')...
> Almost all terminal servers seem to come from this same background.

  ??? I don't think even the DECservers default the terminal type
of the remote console (or any of the ports) to type ANSI. I won't
swear to it, but I don't think that DEC uses any of it's private
use sequence in ANSI mode -- just standard off the shelf stuff that
any ANSI emulator should be able to handle (if it can't it's your
emulators fault). 
  Would you rather the default be a Beehive?
 
> If I can boot a server from a Unix machine via bootp/tftp - then why
> can't I take a configuration dump from the terminal server back on to
> the Unix box - in an ascii/editable form, perhaps modify it - and send
> it back to the Terminal server again?  No terminal server seems to
> have this ability.

  Lantronix and Xyplex solve this problem in a somewhat differnt
way. With both of these you can have the server request a file
which it down loads into the servers active/permanent database.
The functionality you desire is actually available through DEC's
TSM (terminal server manager) which has some scripts which parse
through various SHOW XX screens (Ick!) and produces a script which
you can edit. I don't think that it is available for Ultrix though.
  With the introduction of the various SNMP MIB's all servers are getting
closer to being able to fully control the servers remotely. Personally,
I think this going to be method of choice in the future as it accomidates
far more than just terminal servers.

> Oh...  and if my Terminal server does boot from a BOOTP Server - it
> promptly forgets everything it learnt from the bootp server such as
> its given name and IP number, Nameservers, routers - etc...  as soon
> as it boots... (Can any TS's do this?)

  The Lantronix box does.

> I hardly remember hearing about terminal servers 5 years ago - now they are
> everywere. Maybe we have to wait a bit longer for them to come of age in
> the TCP world - and already the LAN folk are changing protocols to
> OSI/ISO..

  I wonder where these stealth OSI sites are :-)
-- 

		Michael Thomas	(mike@gordian.com)
	"I don't think Bambi Eyes will get you that flame thrower..."  
		-- Hobbes to Calvin
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