[Info-vax] Loosing all LAT connections on one machine in DECNet Network

[Richard B. Gilbert]

JF Mezei wrote:
> Chris Scheers wrote:
> 
>> The DELNI was connected to the company network, which was primarily 
>> 100MB.  Periodically, something on the 100MB network would start 
>> generating enough data to swamp the 10MB DELNI, causing LAT to go down.
> 
> In this case the "DEC" ethernet segment would be fully paralysed, and
> LAT announcements from the PDP-11s would also go away. This chap's
> problem is that only the VAX's LAT service disapears from the decserver.
> 
> 
>> Putting a 10MB switch between the rest of the network and the DELNI 
>> solved the problem.
> 
> If the main ethernet segment has a broadcast storm, then the switch
> would relay all broadcast packets over to the DEC ethernet segment and
> swamp it.
> 
> If you go to outfits such as Black Box, you can find AUI to RJ45
> transceivers for cheap. You can then build a twisted pair etehrnet
> segment and use a modern switch instead of the DELNI hub. And a managed
> switch might help you analyse LAN problems.
> 
> This is what I did to my 3100 and all mighty Microvax II towards the end
> (and still do to my 4000-600).

You can sometimes find used Cisco gear on e-Bay.  I got a Cisco 1548M, 
which is a managed switch, on e-Bay for an affordable price.  I don't 
"manage" it very often but the capability is there.