| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2023.1 | Reformatted to 80 columns | NETCAD::STEFANI | | Wed Apr 24 1996 14:07 | 18 |
| <<< Note 2023.0 by USCTR1::nqsrv530.nqo.dec.com::coxb "Don't drink downstream from the herd" >>>
-< Source Routing FDDI >-
I have a customer that wants to connect a AXP 2100 running Digital UNIX
into an existing network of token ring clients and some FDDI clients.
They have CISCO routers and FDDI switches (not Gigaswitches). They are
asking about the DEFPA PCI FDDI cards capability to do source routing-
understand source routing, more correctly.
I understand that SR is a function of the bridges (they have a
transparent routing environment), but they claim that they have tried
SUN's variation of FDDI cards without sucess because the cards did not
UNDERSTAND/RESPOND to SR even though SUN said that the cards were SR
complient. They want to know if the DEFPA will have the same problem
with Digital UNIX. They want to know BEFORE they BUY/TRY.
Bill
|
| 2023.2 | | NETCAD::STEFANI | | Wed Apr 24 1996 14:14 | 19 |
| Source routing support is typically NOT a function of the adapters or
drivers, it's a function of higher layer software. However, the
Motorola MAC chip used on all of our FDDI adapters supports the ability
to pass up or strip incoming source routing frames (ie, incoming frames
whose source addresses have the multicast bit set).
By default, the firmware on the DEFPA, DEFPZ, and DEFEA products all
set up the MAC chip to PASS up Source Routing frames. That means that
there's nothing hardware-wise that will prevent a DEFPA from supporting
source routing.
Now, source routing on FDDI is about as common as FDDI-Arcnet bridging.
However, there ARE some environments which support it (Novell NetWare
comes to mind) and we have proven that it works.
You'll need an official statement from someone in the Digital UNIX team
to answer your customer's question.
- Larry
|
| 2023.3 | | NETRIX::thomas | The Code Warrior | Wed Apr 24 1996 14:37 | 1 |
| Digital UNIX only supports source routing on Token Ring.
|
| 2023.4 | Why is a router req.? | NQOS01::reslng.sca.dec.com::Workbench | | Wed Jul 17 1996 16:25 | 22 |
| Thought we didn't have a problem but.... it came back to bite us.
The following is the topology with the FDDI interface on a AlphaServer
2100:
-------------------------------------------------
| | |
Alpha Intel Intel
2100 486 486
UNIX MS NT OS/2
(FDDI) (TokenRing) (TokenRing)
All are on a identical subnet. The NT system can ping the Alpha, the OS/2
cannot UNLESS it is forced to go through a router. In a switched
environment you should NOT have to go through a router. Is source
route the problem or is there something on the FDDI card that should be
enabled? I've been told OS/2 does source route and the NT system does source
route transparent by the customer.
Bill
|
| 2023.5 | | 12368::thomas | The Code Warrior | Wed Jul 17 1996 17:20 | 1 |
| What is being used to bridge from FDDI to Token Ring?
|
| 2023.6 | Additional Information From Cust. | USCTR1::tun-40.imc.das.dec.com::coxb | Don't drink downstream from the herd | Tue Aug 20 1996 13:16 | 32 |
| AFTER TALKING WITH THE MCI CUSTOMER HERE IS THE MAIL MESSAGE I GOT IN RESPONSE:
There seems to be a serious problem with source route packets communicating
with the FDDI card on the servers. The problem ONLY occurs with OS2 clients
connected via token ring on a token ring / FDDI Xylan switch. (i.e. not going
through a router). Token Ring clients using Microsoft's WinNT or Win95 do NOT
experience the problem.
The network is configured with several token rings on a Xylan Switch with a
FDDI link to a Cisco FDDI hub. Connected to this FDDI hub are the two Servers
and Cisco Router.
All OS2 token ring clients from the other side of the router (serial or
ethernet) can communicate via TCP/IP normally, but OS2 clients that don't have
to go through the router can not. We have been able to successfully get the
OS2 clients to work, if we configure the OS2 workstations to "bounce" it's IP
packets off the router port (using a "ROUTE ADD" Statement). But doing so,
doubles the number of packets on the wire and adds overhead on the router. This
"cures the symptom but NOT the Disease"
We feel the problem has been identified in the processing of the TR packet
by the server's FDDI interface and the difference between IBM and Microsoft
token ring packets. Microsoft utilizes "transparent" packets while the IBM
OS/2 uses "source route".
We need to update/replace the FDDI NIC's in the servers to allow
source-route transparent packets. This will allow the server to operate with
either transparent (Microsoft) or source-route (IBM) packets.
We have a major application roll out in jeopardy pending resolution to this
problem. Your attention and resolution is greatly appreciated.
|
| 2023.7 | | NETCAD::STEFANI | | Tue Aug 20 1996 14:35 | 18 |
| Uhmm...where does Digital play into this? So far I've heard of OS/2 TR
clients (certainly not ours), Xylan switches, and Cisco routers.
Where's the Digital gear?
>> We feel the problem has been identified in the processing of the TR packet
>>by the server's FDDI interface and the difference between IBM and Microsoft
>>token ring packets. Microsoft utilizes "transparent" packets while the IBM
>>OS/2 uses "source route".
>>
>> We need to update/replace the FDDI NIC's in the servers to allow
>>source-route transparent packets. This will allow the server to operate with
>>either transparent (Microsoft) or source-route (IBM) packets.
Whose FDDI NICs are you using in the server, what operating system is
running in the server, and what version of the driver, OS, and
networking software are you using?
- Larry
|
| 2023.8 | Std. AlphaServer | USCTR1::tun-4.imc.das.dec.com::coxb | Don't drink downstream from the herd | Wed Aug 21 1996 02:17 | 10 |
|
> Whose FDDI NICs are you using in the server, what operating system is
> running in the server, and what version of the driver, OS, and
> networking software are you using?
Ref 2023.4
The TAPE BACKUP servers 2-2100 are Digital's. The FDDI interfaces are std.
Digital cards running on Digital UNIX 3.2C configured with the UNIX
netsetup utility.
|
| 2023.9 | | NETCAD::STEFANI | | Wed Aug 21 1996 10:40 | 12 |
| >>The TAPE BACKUP servers 2-2100 are Digital's. The FDDI interfaces are std.
>>Digital cards running on Digital UNIX 3.2C configured with the UNIX
>>netsetup utility.
Then you'll have to fall back on Matt's note (2023.3) which states that
Digital UNIX does not support source routing over FDDI. You should
present a case to the Digital UNIX engineering group to perhaps have
that feature added to the OS. Otherwise, install a router between the
Token-Ring and FDDI networks that will eliminate the need to have
source routing frames on the FDDI ring.
- Larry
|