Message-Id: Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 11:02:26 +0000 From: Matthias Paul To: opendos AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: FileLink/Interserver Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Disposition: inline Precedence: bulk On 97/12/16 Mark Aitchison wrote: >As far as INTERSVR and serial links are concerned: PPP isn't as >efficient as a well-designed system optimised for the medium, so it >isn't an ideal alternative (yet it is very attractive for its >flexibility). For that matter FILELINK isn't perfect either, but I >wonder if there could be a replacement that gives the best of both >worlds - and gets us InterSvr compatibility at the same time! If InterSvr APIs were documented, there might be a chance. At least, it s a very good idea, indeed! Though in the following I m not describing the same model as you did, it might still be interesting in this context, that for example FASTLYNX 2.xx+ and current versions of LAPLINK not only support serial/parallel connections, but can also tunnel through an IPX stack. Hence it is possible, to use these programs originally designed for serial connections) to perform their tasks over an actual network. In terms of PNW/VLM/ODI, you only need to load the ODI portion of the networking software (that is IPXODI, "NE2000", and LSL). It should be able to replace "NE2000" by Novell s PPP_SLIP, or Caldera s COMx driver (personally not tested!) to establish the connection via serial/parallel cable. If someone actually needs "LOGIN" capabilities, he/she only needs to run VLM on top of these drivers (and I think some of the VLMs usually loaded by default are not needed for this purpose, so there is a possiblity to save memory)... Matthias ------------------------------------------------------------ Matthias Paul eMail: Web: http://www.rhrz.uni-bonn.de/~uzs180/mpdokeng.html