Ethernet boards info requested.

[Hwa Jin Bae]

In article <21933 at abcom.ATT.COM> brr at abcom.ATT.COM (Rao) writes:
	   1) What kind of Ethernet do I need to run TCP/IP and NFS?

An inexpensive but excellent board is WD8003E (western digital).
You can pick one up at Wyle, Santa Clara, CA.  The price varies
every day.  If you're good at negotiating you can get one for
$230.

	   2) Do I need Intelligent Ethernet or Dumb Ethernet?
	      Please suggest some boards/ Manufacturers.

Unless you're going to run the entire protocol statck on the ethernet
board and interface to the socket software running on the board, it
is not necessary to purchase an "intelligent" board.  This is the case
with boards like EXOS-205 for which an older version of TCP/IP software
that runs on the ethernet board itself is available from Excelan.
Most of the time this is not such a good idea due to the sheer lack of
horse power on slow 80186 (or some such) cpu on the ethernet board
which has to actually run the TCP/IP and sockets (you basically download
the TCP/IP/sockets kernel onto the ethernet board that has its own
slow cpu, after which the board starts running on its own.  The Unix
side socket library is merely a collection of hooks that talk to the
program running on that board).  If you're buying TCP/IP software
from your Unix vendor that runs as part of your Unix, all you need
is the dumb ethernet board.  This actually works much better due to
the increased processing power provided by the 386 machines.  Therefore,
unless the board is really "intelligent" it is not worth the money.
Beside, a lot of these TCP/IP download software implementations are old
and not up-to-date and buggy so beware.


--
hwajin at wrs.com
Wind River Systems
415/428-2623