Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 18:55:23 -0600 (CST) From: mailing list account <lists@argus.flash.net> To: jgreco@brasil.moneng.mei.com (Joe Greco) Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Multi-Port Async Cards Message-ID: <199601310055.SAA01710@argus.flash.net> In-Reply-To: <199601302003.OAA05743@brasil.moneng.mei.com> from "Joe Greco" at Jan 30, 96 02:03:09 pm
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In reply: > Think bigger, now: 16 ports. High quality external modems. > > 486DX4/120+MB $200 > SMC Ethernet $100 > Case/PS/Floppy $100 > 8MB RAM $250 > BocaBoard2016 $230 > 16xMotorola28.8 $3680 > ----- > $4560 > > Even with a disk, this would be quite inexpensive for a fully provisioned > terminal server. > > To compare pricewise to a 10-port Livingston Portmaster 2 (list $2,495), > I can put together a high performance FreeBSD box with a disk ($200) for > $1080. Add another 8MB of RAM and I'm at $1330, about half the price of the > Livingston and I have 60% more ports. > > To compare pricewise to a 30-port Livingston Portmaster 2E-30 (list $3,750) > I could build two of my above boxes, for $2660, have two MORE ports than the > Livingston, and still have $5 in beer money for 218 days left over. > > And remember if you're on a budget, you CUT CORNERS! See if you can get > your cousin's old 486DX2/66 MB for $50. Convince him he needs a Pentium. > Use an NE-2000 card, $35. Get a dirt cheap case ($30) and to hell with the > floppy. Stick at 8MB of used RAM ($200) and run diskless. Now the box > only costs $545 instead of $1330. > > We're still wayyyyyyyy ahead of the bang-for-buck curve. > > AND the whole thing is totally programmable. not exactly, what is the overhead involved in polling activity on the boca cards compared with a livingston... livingston wins on performance. there are other advantages to using a dedicated terminal server such as Livingston offers, but i leave that as an excercise for the reader :^) now here is a cost cutting idea: does anyone know how well freebsd stacks against say a cisco 2500 series router? cisco 4000? cisco 4500? say using a p5-100? p5-166? > FreeBSD's been blowing my socks off for a long time. ;-) mine too! Jim -- All opinions expressed are mine, if you | "I will not be pushed, stamped, think otherwise, then go jump into turbid | briefed, debriefed, indexed, or radioactive waters and yell WAHOO !!! | numbered!" - #1, "The Prisoner" jbryant@argus.flash.net - FlashNet Communications - Ft. Worth, Texas
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