Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 13:21:23 -0500 From: Bill Vermillion <bv@wjv.com> To: freebsd-isp@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Multiport Serial Message-ID: <20031125182123.GA5508@wjv.com> In-Reply-To: <20031125120037.V26497-100000@fw.mccons.net> References: <6.0.1.1.2.20031117145927.0486af80@mail.go2france.com> <20031125120037.V26497-100000@fw.mccons.net>
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Shakespeare wrote plays and sonnets which will last an eternity, but on Tue, Nov 25, 2003 at 12:08 , Wm Brian McCane wrote: > Greetings, > This might no longer be a good place to ask this since so few of > us actually use modems anymore, but... > I am wondering which of the multiple serial port cards is best > supported/maintained in FreeBSD. I am also concerned with > expandability... > A customer with a server running about 20 dumb terminals plus > some PCs on a network, wants to put a box in a satellite office > to run 4 or 5 terminals and a printer. They also would like a > new report system and we are looking at setting up a box with > about 32 modems hanging off it's backside for faxing and dumping > directly to onsite modem/buffer/printer units. > So: > support for 8 upto 32 ports > well maintained driver > capable of sending 32 simultaneous 19200 or faster faxes > Not too worried about the price Given the way the world has changed - and having managed many multi-serial port devices in the far past, I think you'd be better served by a terminal-server - which gives you multiple RS-232 ports being connected to the OS by TCP/IP. Performance is much better than any serial boards I've seen in the past - with the exception of the Specialix RIO devices with on Inmos Transputer for very 8 serial ports. That could handle about 70 ports at 115Kb - and if you maxed it out with 128 serial ports you could sustain about 70Kb. But the damned wiring will kill you. I don't know what terminal servers are supported under BSD but IMO they are a better solution. And they are easy to remote if needed. Bill -- Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com
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