Help please for a 3b2 neophyte...

[John_Robert_Breeden at cup.portal.com]

>>I have a chance to pick up a 3b2-300 with a very dead hard disk drive for
>>very little money.
>>Does anybody supply aftermarket cards (memory or otherwise) for this machine?
>
>Congruent Technology makes a 2Meg memory card and an adapter that lets you
>>use it with the 2 1Meg cards you might already have.  Don't expect it to
>be priced anything like '386 memory...
>

Good Company, they also sell controllers and disks.

AT&T also sells a single ended SCSI controller that will work with the 300.

>>The disk is (was, really) a full-height 5.25" CDC Wren.  Knowing a little
>>about how AT&T designed hardware, I'm wondering if this is a standard 
>>ST-506 interface, or do I need to look for a specific flavor of hard drive?
>
>It is a standard ST-506 interface, but only certain sizes are supported
>and you need something called "idtools" to format it.  This may only
>be available to VARS.
>

Two other sources. AT&T Data Services Organization (DSO) and the Tech.
Support people in the indirect sales branch of the Data Sytems Group (DSG).

>>Also, if my source can't turn up the docs/floppies, how available
>>is the needed software?
>
>You can still get the unix system software, development tools, etc.

Documentation too. Get it from what AT&T the Customer Information Center 
(CIC).

>
>>How about a starlan card for it?
>>If I can turn a starlan card for my XT will they talk?  Can the 3b2 be a
>>file server & a print server?
>
>Yes, that's all available and works pretty well.  Not cheap, though.
>

If you want 10baseT (Starlan 10), you need the AT&T NIC card (thicknet
with AUI port) and a Starlan10 AUI (make sure it's the Release 2 AUI).
the AUI goes from AUI port to 10baseT TP.

AT&T supports Woolongong's IP with this card, along withe their own
NOS StarGROUP/OSI.

They also make a 10baseT PC card (called Starlan10 NAU) and 10baseT hubs.
Supported NOSs for the PC card are IP (both FTP and Wollongong), Vines,
Novell, Clarkson Packet Driver, StarGROUP and soon PCSA.

The 3b can give file and print services under either IP (lp and NFS) or
StarGROUP.

>>Am I getting in over my head?
>>Is there something I should be asking and am not? 
>
>Unless something is wrong besides the disk, making the machine run should
>just be a matter of finding a replacement and the formatting program.  However
,
>if you have to add memory or networking, it's going to be pretty expensive.
>If the machine doesn't come with 4Megs of memory, I'd say forget it and go
>for a '386.  All the same software is available for the '386 (starlan included
)
>and it is much more expandable in terms of memory, disk types, tape drives,
>etc., and can be repaired with generic parts.  I've used both, and a 386
>will run circles around the 3b2/300 (or 310/400) if it has a fast disk.
>
The '386 is also richer in supported NOSs too, not to mention faster -
(I still like the 3b though - sentimental reasons).

john_robert_breeden at cup.portal.com