rn/nntp on unixpc?

[Andrew Poling]

I gotta coupla questions about running rn on this here miniature 3b20 :-).
How much disk space do you need to install rn for the unixpc (I mean, not
counting the gigabytes you need for the actual news)?

Has anyone ever tried nntp(Network News Transfer Protocol) on this box?
Believe it or not, I have the unixpc in my office hitched to the Internet
and I'd really rather use the "free" network than long-distance calls.  I
just don't know if I'm up to the task of trying to get nntp working on it if
it's a real pain.

BTW- a tip for anyone putting a unixpc on ethernet: don't put it on a DELNI.
I can only testify for the DEC variety, but any multi-port-transciever-type
box will probably give you headaches.  The ethernet card for the unixpc
doesn't seem to handle collisions well, and that's how a DELNI-type box
keeps all the devices from talking at once.  Every time someone on the DELNI
sends a packet, the DELNI sends a collision to the other devices - thus the
problem if your device doesn't like collisions.  The symptoms are
short-packets on the cable, and terrible performance from the ethernet
interface (telnet, for instance, is no longer preferable to that 1200-baud
modem).  I also had problems with connections that didn't die becauses the
final packets were short, and therefore never received properly.  Really
shows the potential shortcomings of datagrams.  'Nuff said.


Andy
     
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