Wirt Atmar <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>... you will eventually want to
>start moving away from DTCs --and this may be a perfect time to begin.

Amen.  I gave up DTCs when I began to travel with my HP3000/918 inside a
Samsonite suitcase.  Instead of a DTC (Heaven forbid!), I carry a small
Ethernet hub that allows me to use my Mac PowerBook as the console (via a
serial connection) *and* as my multiple-window (ergo multi-session)
"terminal" (via Ethernet).


>If your printers are network-capable (and virtually all HP office-grade laser
>printers are), then you really do want to start using the TCP/IP-based network
>printing capabilities that are present in MPE/iX 5.5. Once you've switched
>over to LAN connections (which is not as difficult as you might initially
>think), the same printers can be printed to simultaneously and transparently
>from the HP-UX box, the HP3000s, as well as your PCs and Macs.

This is exactly what I have been doing for a long time and I have been very
pleased.  The only issue I have with Wirt is with his ordering choice (mine
would have been "The HP3000s, Macs, PCs, HP-UX" :-)

        _________________________________________________

        TCP/IP is the glue that binds everything together
        _________________________________________________



>If your printers are not network-capable in and of themselves (that is, they
>don't contain an internal HP JetDirect card), you can purchase external HP
>JetDirect "printer servers" that serve precisely the same purpose. We've done
>this for several of our non-HP printers (Tektronix color laser, Apple
>LaserWriters, etc.) and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

Your Apple LaserWriters are probably a bit old.  Mine are all TCP/IP
capable (and the Mac has supported TCP/IP for a long time).


>I'm in the process (in my spare time) of writing up the process of how to put
>together a TCP/IP-based, no-network-operating-system, no-switch, no-router,
>simple, plug-together LAN so that every device on the network can print to
>every printer and that every PC can talk to every host (both local and on the
>internet) effortlessly.

This is great!  This is the only way to go and I congratulate you on your
public service.  Along the topic of improving the HP3000's TCP/IP
protocols, let me take this opportunity to express, publicly, my
appreciation for everything you have done to improve the quality and
reliability of Telnet on the HP3000.  In fact, we have enjoyed being one of
your world-wide Telnet laboratory "sites".  We love to be on the bleeding
edge and to have the latest and greatest versions of MPE/iX running at the
Adager Barn, together with the latest and greatest versions of Mac OS, all
happily exchanging TCP/IP packets :-)
 _______________
|               |
|               |
|            r  |  Alfredo                     mailto:[log in to unmask]
|          e    |                                  http://www.adager.com
|        g      |  F. Alfredo Rego                       +1 208 726-9100
|      a        |  Manager, R & D Labs               Fax +1 208 726-2822
|    d          |  Adager Corporation
|  A            |  Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000                   U.S.A.
|               |
|_______________|