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Conference 7.286::fddi

Title:FDDI - The Next Generation
Moderator:NETCAD::STEFANI
Created:Thu Apr 27 1989
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2259
Total number of notes:8590

9.0. "What do customers expect from FDDI and from DEC?" by CVG::PETTENGILL (mulp) Thu Oct 05 1989 22:37

Are you getting beat up by customers because we don't already have FDDI products
yet?  Or are customers still trying to justify Ethernet?

Do customers expect DEC to be a leader, or a follower?

Are your customers having problems with their _systems_ that you think that
FDDI will solve?  What are the problems?

Are customers telling you things about FDDI which cause your tongue to bleed?
(You'd like to say `you're all wrong' but you bite your tongue instead)

Are customers talking about how they're going to run FDDI to every workstation?
Or are they talking about setting up 10km diameter backbone rings?

Do they expect to buy, or are they buying, from someone other than DEC?

Do they expect FDDI to be easy to install and use, or hard?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
9.1What do they NEED? FDDI or Ethernet?DACT19::PDORNANPatrick Dornan, NWSS 8-339-7169Tue Nov 28 1989 15:5811
    Something I saw while a Sales Rep, and now even more since I
    transferred to NWSS is that many customers with no network, or very
    small Ethernets with little bandwidth utilization, are DYING for
    FDDI.  When? How Much? How?  They don't NEED it.  But they think
    they HAVE to HAVE it!
    
    They come to DEC, expecting us to be the leader, and rightly so.
    I tell them to wait for standards, and to take a hard look at their
    needs.
    
    Patrick
9.2KONING::KONINGNI1D @FN42eqWed Nov 29 1989 18:098
"Look at your needs" sounds like a good message.  "Wait for standards" may
not be, it depends on what you and they think that means.  The FDDI standard
is not yet fully complete, yet producs from other vendors are available
today, and ours will definitely be on the market before the standard is
"officially done".  Be careful you don't make the customer think our products
are farther off than they really are!

	paul
9.3and IBM ?NCEIS1::CHEVAUXPatrick Chevaux, Nice, 828-6995Fri Dec 01 1989 05:478
    One thing I'm trying to find out is how much FDDI info are customers
    getting from the industry. I'm aware of Fibronics. 
    
    Now, what about IBM ? are they "selling" FDDI to their customers,
    prospects, ... ? 
    
    This question tends to be an important one since most customers
    have DEC and IBM (and ...) systems installed.
9.4What one large customer wants!DWOVAX::LICAUSEAl LicauseTue Jan 09 1990 09:4812
    Please take a look at note 24 in this conference to see some of what
    one of our large customers wants to do with FDDI!
    
    They are looking to us to help with suggestions and design; also to
    make sure they don't do anything radically wrong.
    
    In addition, this customer will be looking at FDDI to link scientific
    graphic work stations directly to their Cray to receive higher speed
    displays, if that is possible.
    
    Al
9.5Faster is normally better.CUJO::MEIERSystems Engineering Resident...Sat Feb 03 1990 22:1719
    
    	Here's one customers ideas of what FDDI will bring to there
        systems.
    
    	1) High Speed Network Backbone, to connect 40+ Ethernet segments
           to prevent BACKBONE overload.
    
    	2) High speed network that will allow workstations to view data
    	   at many times Ethernet rates
    
    	3) Better / more control over where packets go and who is sending 
    	   them.
    
    	4) Added redundancy in the network backbone.
    
    	5) A possible replacement to NSC Hyperchannel.
    
    	AL
9.6KONING::KONINGNI1D @FN42eqMon Feb 05 1990 12:483
Could you elaborate on (3)?

	paul
9.7where should the packets go.CUJO::MEIERSystems Engineering Resident...Tue Feb 06 1990 07:447
    
    	Able to limit where packets are sent, and which protocols are
    	encapulated and transmitted to other stations.
    
    	With many segments, only some data needs global distribution.
9.8KONING::KONINGNI1D @FN42eqTue Feb 06 1990 11:103
Ok... that's a bridge function, perhaps.  It certainly isn't tied to FDDI.

	paul