Networking DOS to Unix (Know about commercial products...)

[Dave Fenske]

In article <833 at tiamat.fsc.com> jim at tiamat.fsc.com ( IT Manager) writes:
>In article <24479 at well.sf.ca.us>, nlane at well.sf.ca.us (Nathan D. Lane) writes:
>> 
>> I would like to know if anyone knows anything about making a Unix machine
>> a file server for a DOS-based network.  I'm trying to hide Unix boxes
>> as network file servers until the world realizes how great Unix is :)!
>> I know about PC-Interface and PC-NFS, but the licensing fees are very, very
>> stiff - why would anyone want Unix at $300.00 a pop if they could have
>> Novell for less?  Any PD products on the net?  They just need to provide

How strange it seems.  A Unix-based product makes it in LAN Magazine as
product of the year, and yet it seems such a well-kept secret.

Atlantix Corporation, in Boca Raton, Florida, makes software that does just
what was asked about.  That is, it uses a PC running Unix (or Xenix) as
a file server.  A real, live file server for DOS files.  The kind you map
to a network drive (F:, G: or whatever).  You can also share devices, such
as printers, modems, plotters and whatnot.

In short, it behaves like a real live network solution, EXCEPT, you also get
a server that can do more than serve files.  It can run Unix programs too.  If
you're running Windows, you can have DOS and Unix programs going at the same
time.

Is it expensive?  The previous message seemed to suggest that it would be.
Well, no it isn't.  At a list price of $2,595 for their low-end package,
you also get an Ethernet card.  You can also get it with Arcnet, Twisted Pair,
Token Ring, etc.  If you add the $2,595 to the cost of Unix run-time (about
$900, you get a total which is somewhat less than the cost of Netware 386
plus a network card.  In fact, the total is less than half!

On the DOS side, the drivers are smaller than Novell's, which means you also
save memory in your DOS machines.  

If you already have Novell, this package (CocoNet) will integrate smoothly
with it.