CompuServe Messages

As I see it, the best rull of thumb for network bandwidth in a graphical development LAN is "the higher the better". Your consultant was right in trying to point you at the 100Mb/s cards. They exceed what you will need in the short term, but provide a longterm solution. You can buy them now or upgrade later. 3Com is a nice brand, but pricey. Ask him what his return rate is on the generic network cards. The Generics usually work fine, but if there is one thing that holds true in this industry, you get what you pay for. 10-BT is a type of network cableing. Ethernet looks like cable TV cable, while 10-bT looks like phone wire. More commonly know as "Twisted-Pair". Also, If you use 10bt, you'll need a "concentrator" or hub. This device handles network collisions and packet routing. If your WFW server is dedicated, yes. It will work even if it's not, but I would use a P100 instead. Also, give him a PCI based network server card. Remember all that stuff about the "Render Jungle" and "Render Farm" and "Render Garden"? When I built the prototype, I used WFW for the server. It worked for 4 to 8 slaves, but when you crank up the network traffic, keep an eye on it. You might want to use '95 as a server. It's got better network support.