----------
> From: Jonah Yokubaitis <barron@texas.net>
>
> On Wed, 30 Jul 1997, Gene Chesser wrote:
>
> This is probably the WORST advice I have heard _ever_. As any
> engineer that works at an ISP will tell you. Making NT route is the
> _worst_ idea in the history of bad ideas. Support nightmare. Don't be
> cheap, buy a router.
>
I wouldn't dare defend NT against other operating systems. There's
hundreds of news groups into that. I'm also not against routers.
> Gene, are you getting kickbacks from these companies or something?
> Your advice is so far from the basis of reality I just have to wonder.
>
Not at all. This is just the best low end solution that I've seen. Bus
cards have the ability to adapt to changing software and are typically very
dependent on the host processor and memory. However, with the advent of $
1,400.00 200 mhz systems it makes sence to get the full use of ISDN with
inexpensive passive cards. It is truly a entry point and volume users
should always consider there complete network architecture before applying
servers or routers.
> Jonah
>
>
>
> |
> |If your willing to consider an ISDN bus card rather than a stand alone
> |router, you can let Microsoft MLPPP stack handel the bonding and
> |authentication. Windows 95 can be used as a dial-up server but NT is a
> |much better platform.
> |
> |I know both Teles and Eicon make cards that are ISA or PCI Bus. At
least 3
> |ISDN cards can reside in a single PC. There are even 3X and 4X BRI
cards
> |that could yield you 9 to 12 BRI's per system. Both Eicon and Teles load
> |low level drivers into NT that treat the ISDN cards as network adapters
and
> |you can make the individual B-Channels available as Wan-mini-ports with
all
> |Microsoft services available. For most dial-in/dial-out situations
Windows
> |RAS (Remote Access Server) will handle all your needs.
> |
> |Another neat thing that both Teles and Eicon do is load a set of Virtual
> |Modems. These appear as installed devices and can be used as V.120,
V.110,
> |FAX, 56K, and even V.32. This enables you to choose how each
> |dial-up-networking-icon will connect to the remote user. The V.32
> |emulation even lets you call from an ISDN line to a plane old analog
modem
> |(still about 14.4 but higher speeds are coming).
> |
> |Finally the Eicon and Teles cards load a protocol stack known as CAPI
2.0.
> |This is a very powerful tool that allows you to run a number of software
> |packages that talk to the CAPI. You can use voice applications that are
> |integrated into your sound card and speakers. A number of EDI software
> |packages use CAPI for automated file transfers between automotive
> |manufacturers with sophisticated tracking and record keeping functions.
> |You can get very elegant and write your own applications in C++ that let
> |you do advanced Networking functions like Bandwidth on demand and AO/DI.
> |CAPI has been an open standard in Europe for years and a lot of
development
> |was even done in the public domain with shareware and freeware programs
> |available all over the internet and BBS communities.
> |
> |In your simple model you could run NT server with two Teles or Eicon
single
> |BRI cards.
> |Teles has their low end cards onsale for $ 99.00 each and Eicon has a
> |special for TIUG members in the low hundreds. With both manufacturers
you
> |can go through several upgraded cards that add pots or additional
features
> |but most of these cards are under $ 300.00. Some have built in U
> |interfaces as well as S/T so you can pretty much choose what you want.
> |
> |This is tuly the tip of the iceberg. If you have a large network or are
an
> |ISP you can jump from the lower end cards to vendors like Xircom
(Formerly
> |PRI) or Promptus. These manufacturers have single BRI cards but they
> |specialize in multiple BRI cards and PRI/T1/E1 cards in single and
multiple
> |flavors. These guys have low level drivers for most every UNIX system
as
> |well as OS/2, NT and they cover all busses even VME.
> |They can break the limit barriers of conventional PC systems and I've
even
> |seen a setup with 50 dual T1 cards residing in a single machine. They
also
> |supply a complete API so developers can take full controll of all the
> |layers and services available in ISDN.
> |
> |There is a link for "MORE INFORMATION" on the TIUG web page
(www.tiug.org)
> |that will lead you to Dan Kegal's excelent web page on ISDN vendors and
> |equipment. You can find the vendors I mentioned and many more from
there.
> |I'm certainly not limiting the possible vendors to Eicon or Teles, I'm
just
> |using them as an example.
> |
> |
> |> TIA,
> |>
> |> Butch
> |>
> |> Butch Kemper | Free sound advice available
> |> Brazos Internet Consulting Group | "95% sound and 5% advice"
> |> 409-361-2324 | Refunds cheerfully provided
> |>
> |
> |Good luck and let us know how your poroject proceeds.
> |
> |Gene
> |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> |J. E. "Gene" Chesser chesser@tiug.org
> |http://home1.gte.net/gchesser/ 915-646-2116
> |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> |Texas ISDN Users Group http://www.tiug.org/
> |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> |
> |
>
> Jonah Barron Yokubaitis | Austin|San Antonio|Houston
> President | Dallas|Fort Worth|Boerne
> Texas.Net | Georgetown|Dripping Springs
> http://www.texas.net | Making 56k affordable
>
Gene
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. E. "Gene" Chesser chesser@tiug.org
http://home1.gte.net/gchesser/ 915-646-2116
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Texas ISDN Users Group http://www.tiug.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~