Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84; site hao.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!hao!ward From: ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward) Newsgroups: net.lan Subject: Ethernet query Message-ID: <1286@hao.UUCP> Date: Sat, 1-Dec-84 18:33:20 EST Article-I.D.: hao.1286 Posted: Sat Dec 1 18:33:20 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 05:29:14 EST Distribution: net Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO Lines: 40 We are about to embark on a journey into the deepest jungles of Ethernet, and we have a few questions. Hopefully the explorers who have been there before us will provide us with the benefit of their knowlege. 1. We have been told that it is "Better" to install a single length of cable, rather than join several smaller lengths with barrel connectors. The benefits of using many smaller lengths are obvious. The dangers of doing so are not so obvious. Why is it better to use a single cable, and what kinds of problems will we encounter if we use several smaller lengths? 2. Has anybody tried to install "zero impedance bump" connectors? Is this something that might help? If not, why not? 3. We will be joining together machines running Unix with machines running VMS (and possibly machines running VM/CMS). We hope to have systems using Decnet co-existing on the same cable as systems using TCP/IP. Are these things feasable? Are there traps lying in wait for us? 4. Does the bit error rate increase as the cable length approaches the specification maximum? Is there some problem other than collision time that constrains the length? 5. Do repeaters work? Are they available? Do the board makers suppy them? Are they expensive? -- "The number of arguments is unimportant unless some of them are correct." Michael Ward, NCAR/SCD UUCP: {hplabs,nbires,brl-bmd,seismo,menlo70,stcvax}!hao!ward ARPA: hplabs!hao!sa!ward@Berkeley BELL: 303-497-1252 USPS: POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307