networking MacIIx and Sun-4

[news%glimmer%twitch at att.att.com]

I am also interested in networking Mac II's and SUN4's along with PC/AT's
and a Microvax II.  Right now I am planning on using TOPS for the Mac's,
Suns and PC's since (as I have been told by the TOPS people) I will be
able to get transparent disk access to any disk on any machine, from any
machine.  In other words I hope to be able to access PC disk files from
the SUNs using SUN OS, or access the SUN's files from the Mac IIs using
the icon oriented Mac OS.  I plan on using a TCP/IP + NFS product
(probably either Wollengong or NRC Fusion) on the Microvax then using the
SUNs as a gateway to link it into the network.

One of the goals of all this is to have a single heterogeneous network
which can maintain multiple 'servers' and where any of the machines (Mac,
PC, SUN) can be connected or exchanged at any point on the network [NO SUB
NETS].  I am planning on running branches of thin ethernet coax to a
series of dual coax wall plates, all five branches converging on a
multiport repeater (acting as a hub).  In this configuration it should be
possible to connect any type of machine into any of the wall sockets and
rearrange equipment easily as necessary.

All this is just talk right now, but I plan on implementing it in mid
April and would appreciate any comments from anyone.

Thanks,

Jeff Shaw				E-mail:	jeffs at vuse.vanderbilt.edu
Dept. of Radiology			Talk:	(615) 322-3190
Vanderbilt University			FAX:	(615) 343-6531