Amiga Networking
16 messages in this thread
I am currently in the R & D stage of a major project, and would like some
feedback on a couple of thoughts/ideas I have have. Of course, the
AmigaUser Forum is the first place I thought of…
I would like to use Amiga computers in this project, and will start with
that as a given. I don't have to explain the reasons why this is so, at
least not in THIS forum 🙂
Problem 1: What is the current state of NETWORK support for Amigas,
HARDWARE-wise? The project would involve a minimum of two computers, with a
possibility of as many as eight. My current thought here is one Amiga as a
SERVER, with the others as CLIENTS.
Applications will need to access data storage on the SERVER, and perhaps
other clients. Access in this case means load executables, read/write files
load/save various binary images and usage of AmigaOS Release 2's record
locking.
Ideally, the SERVER should appear as an AmigaDOS device (NET: ?) to any and
all CLIENTS that are attached to it.
Comments?
Problem 2: Given a response to Problem 1, what are the SOFTWARE issues
involved? Is there native Amiga software to run the network? Is it
transparent (i.e. the NET: device mentioned above)?
Creating a major project using such software is difficult enough… are
there development tools available? Documentation?
Comments?
If you all can point me in the appropriate direction, thanks a lot! If you
just have some pithy coments and snappy repartee, also thanks!
PS – When can we expect a disk-less, boot-from-network Amiga Work Station?
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
Charles,
Take a look at ENLAN-DFS. There was a thread here in Amigauser about 3
weeks ago talking about it. Sounded great. Uses the Commodore A2065
Ethernet card. It's a peer-to-peer network, not client server.
What's your big project? And what AmigaDOS 2 record locking are you
talking about?
Darin
– via Whap!
Darin:
Thanks for the pointer. If the messages are still there, I'll go and
capture the thread.
I've also received a reply from Nick @ Interworks (the ENLAN-DFS people)
and that seems to be the way to go.
Charles
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
Darin:
About AmigaOS Release 2 record locking…
The AmigaDOS manual describes the function(s) for locking a series of bytes
(record) within a file for exclusive access by an application. This lock
affects only those specified bytes, not the remainder of the file.
Functions are LockRecord(), LockRecords(), UnLockRecord() and
UnLockRecords().
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
A Superbase techie isn't aware of record-locking??
OUCH!!
No, I'm aware of record locking, but I didn't know that Workbench 2.04 had
byte-range locking within files.
Darin
Charles,
Problem 1: Hardware-wise you're best off with Ethernet. Even with two
computers, you'll be mountains ahead of any serial or parallel
"networking". You don't want to be loading executables over a 19.2K baud
link.
Once you're on Ethernet, expanding past two is really easy to do. The
Commodore A2065 is _the_ card for the Amiga. Others exist(ed) but the
A2065 is by far the most popular choice.
Problem 2: There is native Amiga software. There is ENLAN-DFS. It's
designed to be transparent – disk drives and directories from the server
have icons on the client. ENLAN-DFS makes your clients look as though
they've "sprouted" more drives. You can attach to a server's printers,
too.
If your application will multi-task with itself on the same machine there's
no reason it should not work over ENLAN-DFS. This means, as you mention,
properly using the AmigaDOS record (byte-range) locking of 2.0 to arbitrate
access to shared databases.
Booting a "diskless" Amiga today requires a floppy disk to get the system
and network up and then Assign'ing your logicals (DEVS:, S:, SYS:, etc.)
over to a network drive. It's no more difficult than what you might do to
boot an Amiga and run from a RAM: disk.
Nick Frabotta
Interworks
Creators of ENLAN-DFS
Nick:
Thanks for the info! Sounds exactly what I'm looking for!
Can you send me a data-pak or brochure describing the specifics of the
ENLAN-DFS software? Would certainly appreciate it…
Charles Conlow
Artemis Systems
2144 California Street NW
Suite 808
Washington, DC 20008
An aside concerning the A2065 Ethernet card… is this manufactured by C-A
itself, or someone else? My concern is that should C-A drop support, can I
second-source the cards from elsewhere?
Thanks again for your help.
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
Carlos,
Check in the AmigaVinder forum and ask for BlackBelt Systems. They were
discussing the very questions about a system they were running or testing
or just heard about. The guy's name was BEN.
JOHN – The Lost Southerner!!
John:
I'll certainly check into anythig BlackBelt has available, but it seems the
Ethernet/ENLAN-DFS route is the way to go.
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
We are testing ENLAN-DFS. :^)
Boy, it's amazing the way things can get twisted round. :^))
–Ben
Ben:
Rest assured -I KNOW- how things can get twisted around, here as elsewhere.
Please post your test results about ENLAN-DFS when appropriate. As you may
have read, I'm researching various methods of network support for an Amiga
based application. If nothing fills the void, then I'll be forced to go to
another platform (i.e. MS-DOS beasts).
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
I'll tell you about ENLAN-DFS right now. If it's not perfect for the AMiga
network, I sure as heck have not been able to figure out a reason why. :^)
We use it very heavily every day and it NEVER burps. It's trivial to
install, is extremely, even unreasonably fast, has all the utilities you'd
want, handles our rough environement (systems crashing due to software in
development not quite ok yet) with no sweat at all. We go hour after hour
mounting and demounting volumes, works perfectly all the time. Go for it. I
doubt anything could be better, AND I doubt anything will even be as good.
–Ben
Ben:
Thanks for telling me what I wanted to hear 🙂
Now I can continue on my merry developmeny way, without having to worry
about building-n support for odd and assorted external stuff.
Charles Conlow – via Whap!
Dear Ben, I have an A2000HD and am just about to get a second. My PA is to
use one and I the other we both work in different parts of the same
building but running a cable should not be a problem.
My requirements are that I can access the printer attactched to the PA's
A2000, that I can send him messages without going to his office and that I
can enter information to SBPro4 and Wordworth (Wordpublisher).
Could you make any sugestions as to how easy/expensive it is to accomplish
my requirements and indeed what features are in fact available when
"Networking".
Thanks in advance,
Greg Malcangi. 100031,3502
– via Whap!
It's very, very easy to do – bordering on the <yawn> level. The product is
called ENLAN-DFS and it makes sharing printers an absolute no-sweat
experience. We do it here all the time now.
As far as talking to applications across the network, you can share the
files from one machine to the other – so as long as you can get at the
files, should be no problem there either.
Cost – 2 network cards, CBM 2065 Ethernet cards (price call your dealer, I
dunno, sorry) and the network software itself, for which price you can ask
Nick Frabotta of Interworks – he hangs round here.
–Ben