Ha. Low end ethernet routers

[Tim Wescott]

Replaced a wired router after it had gone flaky. The new one has some
kind of built-in TDR cable diagnostics. From my remote access point in
my office I can see that three of the four ports are connected
properly and there is an open at 7/8 meters on the Tx/Rx pair
respectively. There's an unterminated 25' cable plugged into that
port. Not too shabby for about $35 US with rebate.

Also they've upgraded the processor to an ARM9 from ARM7.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

Hey, way cool.

WHAT BRAND?

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Replaced a wired router after it had gone flaky. The new one has some
kind of built-in TDR cable diagnostics. From my remote access point in
my office I can see that three of the four ports are connected
properly and there is an open at 7/8 meters on the Tx/Rx pair
respectively. There's an unterminated 25' cable plugged into that
port. Not too shabby for about $35 US with rebate.

Also they've upgraded the processor to an ARM9 from ARM7.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Hey, way cool.

WHAT BRAND?

ftp://ftp10.dlink.com/pdfs/products/DI-604/DI-604_fab.pdf


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[John Larkin]

Replaced a wired router after it had gone flaky. The new one has some
kind of built-in TDR cable diagnostics. From my remote access point in
my office I can see that three of the four ports are connected
properly and there is an open at 7/8 meters on the Tx/Rx pair
respectively. There's an unterminated 25' cable plugged into that
port. Not too shabby for about $35 US with rebate.

Also they've upgraded the processor to an ARM9 from ARM7.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

We have a gadget here that's a network file server, about as big as a
pack of cards. Has one Ethernet port and two USB ports for hard
drives.

Soon you'll be able to buy a network file server, with a hard drive
inside, for something like $80. Somebody has a single-chip
Ethernet/IDE bridge chip.

Die, Windows Server, Die!

John

 

[Roger Hamlett]

We have a gadget here that's a network file server, about as big as a
pack of cards. Has one Ethernet port and two USB ports for hard
drives.

Soon you'll be able to buy a network file server, with a hard drive
inside, for something like $80. Somebody has a single-chip
Ethernet/IDE bridge chip.

Die, Windows Server, Die!

John

If that is the Linksys, there are even patched OS's for it, to do other
things with the ports!. It is basically a 'micro' cut down Linux server.
Impressive for the price.

Best Wishes

 

[Joerg]

Hello John,

Soon you'll be able to buy a network file server, with a hard drive
inside, for something like $80. Somebody has a single-chip
Ethernet/IDE bridge chip.

When I bought the SMC Barricade for the office they also had a version
with a hard drive for exactly that purpose. It wasn't much more
expensive than the plain vanilla router IIRC. This vanilla version even
contains a little print server in case a printer doesn't have a LAN
port. I didn't know that and when it arrived I wondered what that
parallel port in the back was doing there.

Mine doesn't have TDR :-(

But, when a cable is suspicious I can always resonate it out.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hello John,


When I bought the SMC Barricade for the office they also had a version
with a hard drive for exactly that purpose. It wasn't much more
expensive than the plain vanilla router IIRC. This vanilla version even
contains a little print server in case a printer doesn't have a LAN
port. I didn't know that and when it arrived I wondered what that
parallel port in the back was doing there.

Mine doesn't have TDR :-(

But, when a cable is suspicious I can always resonate it out.

Regards, Joerg

I have the SMC Barricade as well. Love it! And the print server.

...Jim Thompson

 

[Joerg]

Hello Jim,

I have the SMC Barricade as well. Love it! And the print server.

It is the sturdiest piece of equipment in the office. Except for the
stuff I built myself, of course < boast mode off >.

Maybe I should have gotten the one with a built-in HD. The backup HD you
can buy at the stores are nowadays all USB and that just isn't practical
in a network.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Joerg]

Hello John,

We have a gadget here that's a network file server, about as big as a
pack of cards. Has one Ethernet port and two USB ports for hard
drives.

Curious: What is it? Where'd you get it? What's it cost?

Regards, Joerg

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

If that is the Linksys, there are even patched OS's for it, to do other
things with the ports!. It is basically a 'micro' cut down Linux server.
Impressive for the price.

Best Wishes

This one is apparently not Linux-based, rather ThreadX OS based. It's
got 1M of Flash and 8M of SDRAM as well as the 133MHz ARM9. All on a
cheap 2-layer PCB a few inches square:

http://www.ljmsite.com/tech/DLink_DI-604/DI-604.jpg
http://www.ljmsite.com/tech/DLink_DI-604/

Compared to the previous version they've shaved a crystal off and
replaced two linear regulators with a switching regulator. They also
replaced the dim light pipe LED assembly with the right-angle mounted
LEDs. The thing runs off a tiny wall-plug 5.0V 2A switching supply
(but I measured only about 500mA @5V consumption). 10W would make that
little box pretty hot.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hello Jim,

It is the sturdiest piece of equipment in the office. Except for the
stuff I built myself, of course < boast mode off >.

Maybe I should have gotten the one with a built-in HD. The backup HD you
can buy at the stores are nowadays all USB and that just isn't practical
in a network.

Regards, Joerg

Awhile back I bought a bunch of those "BAFO" boxes that hold a drive
and provide a USB interface.

Old drives go into a box and go on the shelf.

Today, as a matter of fact, I drug out a 5-year-old drive to look up
an old project.

...Jim Thompson

 

[Joerg]

Hello Jim,

Awhile back I bought a bunch of those "BAFO" boxes that hold a drive
and provide a USB interface.

Old drives go into a box and go on the shelf.

I have seen those but it's been a while. But they still can't be plugged
into a LAN jack and be accessed from all the other PCs.

Today, as a matter of fact, I drug out a 5-year-old drive to look up
an old project.

I have my biz stuff backed up since day one and stored off site. Heck,
there are even some documents that were written on IBM EasyWriter
(remember that one?). Ok, now everybody knows that I am not a kid anymore.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Pooh Bear]

Hello John,


Curious: What is it? Where'd you get it? What's it cost?

Regards, Joerg

And what file system does it use ?

I've seem something along those lines but with internal IDE drives that
provides simple network storage but it only currently supports XP IIRC.

And no I can't remember offhand who does it now ( it was one of the usual
suspects though ) but the XP only thing put me off pursuing the matter.

Graham

 

[The Real Andy]

Hello Graham,


That would not be a true network storage system. A real system needs to
accept files from any source that can talk to the LAN. Otherwise you
could forget sending output data of lab gear to it.



That would put me off as well. No MS-centric stuff in this location.

One day you might understand the commercial benifits of using
microsoft.

 

[petrus bitbyter]

One day you might understand the commercial benifits of using
microsoft.

Maybe. Today you don't seem to understand the drawbacks of their monopoly.

 

[Joerg]

Hello Andy,

One day you might understand the commercial benifits of using
microsoft.

We do use a few MS product where it makes sense. But only products that
are mature enough to have the least amount of bugs. Some never seem to
mature. For example, MS-Word crashes regularly and has never reached the
quality level of their DOS-Word. Maybe it never will.

Mostly you have alternatives. Word may be the next in line to be dumped
here. With their spreadsheet and database I can't complain though.

Regards, Joerg

 

[The Real Andy]

Hello Andy,



We do use a few MS product where it makes sense. But only products that
are mature enough to have the least amount of bugs. Some never seem to
mature. For example, MS-Word crashes regularly and has never reached the
quality level of their DOS-Word. Maybe it never will.

Funny that, MS Word never crashes on me.

Mostly you have alternatives. Word may be the next in line to be dumped
here. With their spreadsheet and database I can't complain though.

I never have any problems.

Regards, Joerg

Many years ago, i hated Visual C++ because it was not ansi complient.
Many years ago i thought MS sucked the fat one and linux was great.
Many years ago I was a poor hardware designer.

Now I compare what I have achieved with MS compared to what I used to
do. Now MS is more stable than linux, it supports more hardware,
everyone uses it AND, I can get more windows programmers than I can
get linux C++ programmers. Plus there is more money in C# than C++ (or
java). I wonder why they are trying to implement c# and the .net
framework in linux?

But Bill Gates designed windows all on his own, so I guess its all his
fault. I guess he still makes all the technical and legal descisions
too. BAhh, I hate people who are succesfull. Thanks Bill.

 

[Joerg]

Hello Andy,

Funny that, MS Word never crashes on me.

DOS Word did crash on occasion but no more than a couple times a year.
WinWord crashes a lot more. The work I do is the same I did in the DOS
days, creating module specs with lots of graphics in there. That's when
the crashes usually happen.

Oh, and WinWord can't read the old DOS Word files, seems they haven't
figured out compatibility. On MS-Works spreadsheet and database MS did a
much better job and consequently I plan to keep using these. Those parts
of MS-Works have so far never crashed on me even with files that are
very heavy on math. The only puzzler is this: When I do math-heavy stuff
on the old DOS machine it runs about as fast as on Windows. But on the
Win machine the fan keeps coming on all the time and heats my office,
same files, same math. The old DOS laptop doesn't have a fan because it
doesn't need it ...

Now I compare what I have achieved with MS compared to what I used to
do. Now MS is more stable than linux, ...

Don't know about Linux but Windows became less stable over time IMHO. It
bloated a lot and maybe that's why. WRT to my productivity it is about
the same as it was under DOS. Integrating graphics can be done a bit
faster in Windows but that is being offset by the hard-reset waits after
a crash. Some are really, really long, for example when "WinWord has
generated errors and is being debugged" and you can't shut down. To
mitigate a bit I save every couple minutes and work with two PCs in
parallel.

Regards, Joerg

 

[Jim Thompson]

Hello Andy,

DOS Word did crash on occasion but no more than a couple times a year.
WinWord crashes a lot more. The work I do is the same I did in the DOS
days, creating module specs with lots of graphics in there. That's when
the crashes usually happen.

Oh, and WinWord can't read the old DOS Word files, seems they haven't
figured out compatibility. On MS-Works spreadsheet and database MS did a
much better job and consequently I plan to keep using these. Those parts
of MS-Works have so far never crashed on me even with files that are
very heavy on math. The only puzzler is this: When I do math-heavy stuff
on the old DOS machine it runs about as fast as on Windows. But on the
Win machine the fan keeps coming on all the time and heats my office,
same files, same math. The old DOS laptop doesn't have a fan because it
doesn't need it ...




Don't know about Linux but Windows became less stable over time IMHO. It
bloated a lot and maybe that's why. WRT to my productivity it is about
the same as it was under DOS. Integrating graphics can be done a bit
faster in Windows but that is being offset by the hard-reset waits after
a crash. Some are really, really long, for example when "WinWord has
generated errors and is being debugged" and you can't shut down. To
mitigate a bit I save every couple minutes and work with two PCs in
parallel.

Regards, Joerg

Joerg, What version of Windows are you using?

I've been on Win2K for at least three years now and, except for some
initial hardware driver issues, I've been trouble free. (Now running
Win2K/SP4.)

The only reboots have been those required by new software
installations... like 55 days since last reboot ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[Joerg]

Hello Jim,

Joerg, What version of Windows are you using?

NT4 on this PC (rarely ever freezes), Win2k on the office machine
(freezes on occasion), XP in the lab (freezes a lot). Somehow I see the
trend going in the wrong direction here.

To add insult to injury the NT4 PC has never ever frozen up when booted
into DOS.

I had to wrestle with the sales folks a little to get my office computer
with Win2k and not XP. Had to pay an extra $100 or so but in hindsight I
am glad I spent that money. The lab computer couldn't be delivered with
2k anymore since some of its HW would be incompatible, they said.

The downside is that some of the 'new and improved' software such as
compilers won't run on anything but XP.

Regards, Joerg