The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.
[previous article] [next article]Several offices and laboratories served by the ECN have, over the past two or three years, acquired IBM PCs and requested that they be connected to the network. In the past, this has only been possible via serial lines, which allow the PC user to connect to the ECN and transfer files using programs such as TeleTalker, blockr and kermit. Although this is usually satisfactory when using the PC as a terminal, it leaves a lot to be desired when transferring large amounts of data to and from the PC.
It is possible to connect your IBM PC to the ECN via an ethernet using the TCP/IP protocols. This type of connection allows file transfer rates of 6 to 10 kilobytes per second, as opposed to a rate of 150 to 200 bytes per second using kermit. There are drawbacks however. First, the cost is much higher than connection via a serial line. In general, the cost will range from $750-1000 per computer connected to the network. Second, connecting your computer to the network in this way is less secure. Because it opens your computer up for possible attack, the ECN does not recommend the connection of computers storing sensitive information (e.g. payroll or accounting) to the network in this fashion.
The ECN does not recommend or support any single software package to connect PCs via an ethernet. We are, however, aware of the following three packages, and are fairly confident that any one of them would be satisfactory.
PC/IP Stanford/MIT This package is in the public domain, and can be obtained free of charge from Stanford University. It supports the FTP file transfer protocol, and the TELNET remote terminal protocol. It is not clear whether this package will allow you to connect directly to any ECN host or only a subset of them (for you technical types, this means we don't know if the package supports subnets). The Purdue Computer Sciences Department is currently using this software on about 25 PCs in their teaching facility.
Although the software is available free of charge, the user must purchase an ethernet card for the PC. The recommended card is the 3-Com 3C500/3C501 Etherlink interface, available for $300-400.
TCPTerm Bridge Corporation This package operates under MS-DOS 2.0 or later versions and makes the personal computer a directly attached network host with a VT100 terminal emulator using the TELNET protocol and supplies file transfer using the FTP protocol. The Agricultural Engineering department is currently using this package on some of their PCs; contact Stan Harlow (AgEn Site Specialist) for more information about it.
The software is available from Bridge Corp. for approximately $300 per machine. The ethernet card for this package is also the 3-Com 3C500/3C501 Etherlink interface. It is available from Bridge for about $600; it may be possible to purchase it for less elsewhere.
PC/TCP FTP Software, Inc. This is the most robust version of TCP/IP we have seen for the PC, however, we have no direct experience with it. The company is owned by the person who originally wrote the PC/IP software mentioned above, and after speaking with the people at the company we are fairly confident that this software will work at least as well as the other packages. The package operates on PCs and compatibles under both PC-DOS and MS-DOS. In addition to the FTP file transfer protocol and the TELNET remote login protocol, this package supports SMTP (electronic mail), FINGER (user verification), WHOIS (ARPAnet user directory), LPR (Berkeley line printer spooling), and the Berkeley UNIX protocols rlogin, rexec, rsh, and rcp .
The basic software package is available for $400 per machine. Additionally, programming libraries enabling the user to write his own network programs are available for $500, and some unsupported network software (which may or may not be useful) is available for $40. Discounts and site licenses are available. This package supports many different ethernet interfaces, including the 3-Com 3C500/3C501. Additionally, support for the Proteon ProNET-10 Ring, Proteon ProNET-4 Ring, and IBM Token Ring networks is available or planned. The most interesting aspect of PC/TCP is its capability to support the asynchronous port on the PC instead of an ethernet interface. Although this method of connection is slower than an ethernet, the ECN has had experience with it and it could be used for computers in locations too remote for ethernet connection.
With all three products mentioned in addition to the cost of the software and the cost of an ethernet board for each PC, you will need an ethernet transceiver and transceiver cable. You do not need to purchase one of these for each PC, however. If you network all the PCs together, you can connect them all through one PC to the ECN. The cost for an ethernet transceiver and 50 feet of cable is approximately $500; extra cable runs approximately $3/foot.
Connection to the ECN via an ethernet must be discussed with the ECN first. Due to ethernet and other limitations it may not even be possible to connect your machine. You should contact your site specialist before you purchase any hardware or software. Even if it is possible to connect your machine, we will have to register your host on the network by assigning it a network name and number. This process takes from two to three weeks. "DO NOT" assume that we can make a connection "right away", even after your machine has been registered. Lead time for connection to the ethernet after all the hardware has been acquired and the machine has been registered is two weeks. By planning ahead with us, you can avoid unnecessary delays.
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