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From: ben@rex.uokhsc.edu (Benjamin Z. Goldsteen)
Subject: Re: FreeBSD Install and NE2000
Message-ID: <CnwM8D.BG4@rex.uokhsc.edu>
Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 19:31:25 GMT
Reply-To: benjamin-goldsteen@uokhsc.edu
References: <2mtpis$bmp@clarknet.clark.net> <2ndleg$eml@menudo.uh.edu>
Organization: Health Sciences Center, University of Oklahoma
Lines: 65
cosc19v2@menudo.uh.edu (cosc19v2) writes:
>In article <2mtpis$bmp@clarknet.clark.net>,
>Rob Newberry <rob-n@clark.net> wrote:
>>I was going to try FreeBSD tonight, since its networking code is
>>supposed to be better than linux, my current system. Unfortunately,
>>the installation guide says that for an NE2000 card to be recognized,
>Let me ask a question about network (under Linux).
>I have been using Linux at home and at university without problems,
>until I hook up my machine in university to the network.
>Well, installation was generally smooth, thanks to *almost* fool-proof
>HOWTO guides (which 386BSD lacks). I think that the HOWTO guides are
>better than SUN manuals, in that H2G's are written for novice unix users.
>However, the network performance is not good. When I rlogin, it *often*
>gives me a feeling that I am using a 300 baud modem.
>i.e., when I type a key, often, the character appears after couple of seconds.
>When I read e-mail (rlogin to another mochine), the contents appears on the
>screen fast, but then it stops for a while and then rest of the contents
>appears fast....etc. Well, it is still quite usable, but this does not
>happen even in very old SUN3/50 machines in our dept.
sounds like a bad cable or connector to me
I did read in comp.os.linux.announce a few weeks ago that due to some
pathological case or slow code or something like that that SLIP/PPP
performance over a modem was very inefficient compared to *BSD. The
difference was suggested to be about 100ms in terms of a simple ping.
However, it didn't sound like the problem affected regular Ethernet
performance.
>I am looking for the cause of the problem and its solution.
>Is it because of the Linux network code ?
>Is it because of the network card (ne2000 clone)?
NE2000 isn't the greatest card but it works OK. I have been informed
that the SMC WD80xx* is not the greatest Ethernet card either. I wish
somebody would post some real numbers under real and controlled
conditions (sounds like a benchmarking!).
>Does it happen to other Linux users also ?
I assume it does not happen because "it works fine for me" (to
paraphrase various Linux'ers).
>Would 386BSD (Free|Net) can correct this problem ?
It depends on your network. As a datapoint, FreeBSD-1.1-BETA runs very
nicely on a 486DX-33 (no L2 cache) with an NE2000 clone (~500KB/sec to
an IBM RS/6000 950 through a Cisco router and typing seemed as fast as
anything else). I might just bring up {Net,Free}BSD on a 386DX-25 with
the same card to see how that compares*.
*except we just can't get support to fix the 10baseT network connection --
they want to replace the keyboard and won't do anything else until allowed
to do so. I can't make a cable to save my life (and Lord knows, I have
tried and tried) so that is out... University computer support: no
competition and no paper money.
Cheers,
--
Benjamin Z. Goldsteen
BSD Net/2: What does "it" mean in the sentence "What time is it?"?