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From: caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: More dongles
Message-ID: <225@omen.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 16:22:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: omen.225
Posted: Thu Aug 22 16:22:15 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Aug-85 04:56:59 EDT
References: <53500017@trsvax>
Reply-To: @.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX)
Organization: Omen Technology, Portland
Lines: 34
Summary: 

In article <53500017@trsvax> gordon@trsvax writes:
>The dongles should be designed so it is possible to cascade a reasonable
>number of them on one serial channel.  If the standard really catches on,
>and most software packages use it, then I guess a "reasonable" limit is 
>between 500 and 5,000 dongles on one serial channel.  Dongles should NOT
>try to derive power from the RS-232 signals:  there won't be enough power
>for lots of dongles.  With the current paranoia on the part of software
>vendors, and lots of unbundling, I fully expect that every UN*X * command
>will need its own unique dongle, and ls, ls -s, ls -i, ls -l, ls -si, 
>ls -il, ls -sl, and ls -sil will require 8 different ones.

If each dongle delays the serial data several character times, cascading
enough of the buggers will make a good serial memory!  At 1200 bps, 500
dongles with 4 characters of storage each (2000 total) would cause a
delay greater than 16 seonds.  This would make the serial port virtually
useless for communications.

And, just think of how much grief a nearby lightning strike (such as the
one that blew out most of the RS232 chips at a campus in Hawaii) will cause.

A better solution would be for ADAPSO to develop a version of the 8088
with a serial number burned in to it.  The software would then be installed
for that particular CPU serial number, with a certain number of invocations
allowed on other machines for emergencies.

Serialized CPU's might also be useful in tracking stolen equipment.



-- 
  Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX   ...!tektronix!reed!omen!caf   CIS:70715,131
Omen Technology Inc     17505-V NW Sauvie Island Road Portland OR 97231
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