Comparing TCP/IP
products for PCs
We examine 11 utilities that let Windows PCs talk to Unix machines
October 1995
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Comparing TCP/IP
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October 1995
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A year's progress in the PC TCP/IP market shows new and improved products as well as new vendors. This year we review 11 of the most popular and professional packages for TCP/IP and NFS in the Windows environment. (5,500 words, including two sidebars)
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The market continues to expand, more than doubling from 1993 to 1994; analysts at International Data Corp. expect that within five years, two out of every three PCs worldwide will employ TCP/IP (in contrast, just last year TCP/IP ran on only one in 19 PCs); IDC estimates sales will increase from $440 million in 1994 to $1.7 billion by 1999.
This year, we bring nearly double the number of contenders into the ring, adding six fresh faces alongside five of the six that fought in the last round. This year we also concentrate on Windows-only products in preparation for the future transition to Windows-centric environments (aka Windows 95 and Windows NT). Unfortunately, the formal release of Windows 95 products and Windows 95 itself was too late for us to concentrate on the stacks behind the hype, and the lack of sufficient products for Windows NT precluding a decent comparison.
This year's lineup:
IBM's TCP/IP for DOS/Windows product and Novell's LAN WorkPlace 5.0 were also selected. Unfortunately, IBM declined to join the review and Novell claimed its many orders denuded it of stock and consequently could not ship us anything in time for the review.
Due to the overwhelming popularity and demand for Internet-ready application packages, we also decided to look at such offerings from the above-mentioned vendors. Just about all the PC-based TCP/IP vendors now have one form of Internet product or another. See the sidebar "Are you Internet-ready?" for the skinny.
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Another year, another rev
Perhaps the most distinguishing fact about PC-based TCP/IP utilities
this year is the near-total dominance of Virtual Device Driver (VxD)
TCP/IP stacks over the older TSR (Terminate-and-Stay-Resident) and DLL
(Dynamic Linked Library) versions. VxD apparently is on the checklist
of many IS managers, who assume that it's the best or fastest version.
(It is generally faster than alternatives, but exceptions exist; read
on.) VxD runs within the context of Windows's protected mode itself.
For example, your mouse and video drivers are VxD implementations. This
level of integration actually modifies the Windows environment to
process incoming packets as quickly as possible.
TSRs are DOS-level programs that work in real mode and intercept packets received by Real-mode drivers; the difficulty with TSRs is that they require some portion of the stack to be in the conventional memory space, a precious resource used by many older programs. DLLs work only within the context of a Windows task; if you switch to a different task that does not use the DLL, the stack may slow down or stop the processing of any network packets.
To ensure the fastest level of network processing in the Windows environment, we recommend you use a protected-mode Network Interface Card (NIC) driver as well. This is available with the NDIS version 3.x drivers used with Windows for Workgroups 3.11. See the sidebar "How we tested" for the methodology used in this evaluation, and the sidebar "Benchmark table -- performance test results" to see how the products faired.
(Note: In case you missed recent news and are thus confused about some vendor names: SPRY became part of CompuServe; Beame & Whiteside is now part of Hummingbird Ltd., a PC X Window System vendor.)
OnNet 2.0 (FTP Software)
Last year's champ, FTP Software, has evolved its new OnNet line
of VxD-based Windows software to the latest version, 2.0. Last year,
we reviewed their TSR-based package (PC/TCP 2.3); this older version
mostly consists of DOS applications with relatively few Windows programs.
We tested a beta release of OnNet 2.0 -- the latest version available at test time -- and kept a copy of OnNet 1.2 handy just in case the beta bugged us too much. The 2.0 product is now shipping, and we're told it cures the only problem we noticed (see below).
Beyond basic services, the OnNet stack provides advanced features that we have not seen elsewhere, such as Path MTU discovery (the ability to discern the optimal packet size all along the path to the remote host), IP packet-level security, and a greater level of kernel buffer configuration. Experienced network administrators will appreciate such features, which permit further optimization.
We encountered one problem of note with the beta of OnNet 2.0: An occasional unexplained error during the transfers of 10 megabyte files. In the broader performance arena, although FTP's new product tests faster than its old, other vendors have started to catch up and beat OnNet. We were disappointed by the comparatively lackluster performance in the test results.
FTP Software succeeds in delivering full Windows implementations of some of its formerly DOS-based applications, such as the mail client programs and network utilities. FTP also has refined its Windows applications by changing the software's layout and menus and clarifying the on-screen information to provide the small conveniences that make a product enjoyable.
PC-NFSpro 1.1 (SunSoft) SunSoft's long-standing PC-NFS product finally emerges into a VxD
format with PC-NFSpro 1.1. SunSoft's SolarNet product family would
certainly not be complete without this popular PC-based TCP/IP
product.
SolarNet is more in line with the Network Operating System concept where products are layered from a server (in this case one running the Solaris operating system). SolarNet products include PC-Admin (a server-hosted version of PC-NFSpro), PC-X (an X Window layer), PC Server Services (interface to NetWare file and print services), and PC Protocol Services (interface to Solaris from NetWare). In addition, we were informed that SunSoft is releasing two new products -- SolarNet InternetPro and a lower-end SolarNet WebScout -- and is adding Internet-related applications such as Netscape Navigator to its SolarNet line in August.
PC-NFSpro was one of the easiest installations we performed. However, the configuration utility did not allow us to configure any of the low-level particulars for the IP stack such the size and number of packet buffers to balance memory-use and network traffic processing. Nonetheless, PC-NFSpro did allow us to set the NFS read and write size for better control of NFS transfers depending upon the network structure. The FTP and NFS transfers for PC-NFSpro were much faster than those of last year's Sun offering, PC-NFS 5.1. It is clear Sun improved its product.
PathWay Access 3.2 (The Wollongong Group)
The Wollongong package includes three products: PathWay Access 3.2
(applications), Runtime 4.0 (stack), and Client NFS 4.0 (NFS). There
are two versions of Access: The DOS/Windows version, which uses a TSR
stack, and the Windows-only version, which is a VxD implementation. We
did not test the TSR version simply because there are no differences in
the features and utility between the TSR and VxD versions. The
Wollongong Group also has announced an Internet product called Emissary
that provides integrated telnet, FTP, news, Web browser, and mail.
The PathWay product installed more easily than all the rest. We found it amusing that Wollongong managed to squeeze its software into five disks while others needed up to 15 disks for essentially the same software. (Thank goodness for CD-ROMs!)
Wollongong provides all the essentials in a concise package. The software is similar to last year's package (version 3.0), with some improvements. It provides an important administration feature lacking in most of the other packages -- undoubtedly one of the most useful features other than the configuration utility: An uninstaller. The package also allows multiple configurations to be defined and used for separate interfaces. The NFS software works in concert with Windows for Workgroups rather than replacing it; you have to login to WFW to connect to any NFS host. You can then easily browse and connect to NFS servers through the File Manager.
On the downside, PathWay lacks true LPR printer redirection and keyboard mapping. PathWay handles Unix-like LPR printing specifically through an LPR program rather than a print manager or LPT print redirector. Of course, the better option would be to simply mount printers using the NFS client. Also, the keyboard remapper does not have the nice drag-and-drop facilities found in other packages.
BW-Connect 3.2 (Beame & Whiteside/Hummingbird Communications)
Beame & Whiteside's BW-Connect 3.2 offers little change in
appearance and use over version 3.1. The addition of a few applications
such as a World Wide Web server (a re-implementation of NCSA httpd)
adds a little flavor to the product.
BW-Connect now also includes a VxD-based TCP/IP stack in addition to the TSR-based product. When we tested the Windows-only (VxD-based) product, however, it turned out to be significantly slower than the others tested. The DOS/Windows (TSR-based) installation delivered more respectable test results. (See performance table below.) BW-Connect shows that VxD does not necessarily provide a faster stack and that TSR-based products can still be competitive.
ChameleonNFS 4.5 (NetManage)
One of the fastest-growing PC TCP/IP vendors, NetManage offers a
product that has improved consistently with each new version.
In addition to the regular slew of TCP/IP applications,
ChameleonNFS boasts a 3270 emulator, an NFS server, and Internet
applications for Archie searches and Gopher retrieval. Its visual
scripting language, used as a core part of all services, makes it easy
to create and perform login or copying tasks.
New with ChameleonNFS 4.5 are an AS/400 5250 emulator, as well a Web client and a Web server. Other applications of note include a calendar program that apparently works with a scheduling product named ECCO from NetManage; an image viewer program for all those pictures downloaded from the Internet; a sound player for common sound formats; a group conferencing system that includes text-editing and drawing facilities; and a scanning program that is integrated with the other applications to allow the transfer of scanned images.
The Web client, WebSurfer, closely mimics Mosaic in use. The Web server allows you to designate sections of your file tree to be served to the Web. You can make links within your HTML files across drives as long as the drives are available to the Web server.
Impressively, ChameleonNFS 4.5 delivers twofold to threefold performance improvements over version 4.0.
Distinct TCP/IP Tools for Windows 3.31 (Distinct)
Distinct Corp. has improved its software development system in
conjunction with its TCP/IP package. You can access all of the
applications within the TCP/IP suite through Visual Basic extensions,
allowing an easy method to create custom environments and custom
applications. Distinct also provides an optional X Window server
implementation that can be integrated with its TCP/IP product.
Distinct's TCP/IP Tools was a little cumbersome during installation, in part because of the wide selection of applications. For example, it was one of the few packages with an NFS server built-in. Our Unix system could mount and use DOS FAT systems from the PC without any problems. It proved to be an average performer in the tests.
Reflection Network Series (Walker, Richer & Quinn)
WRQ has changed its focus for product shipments. In addition to its
one large, all-inclusive package, WRQ now delivers Reflection software
in parts via its SelectSuite program. For example, you can purchase
the Telnet connectivity program for Windows (Reflection 2) separately
from the IBM 3270 emulation program, and so on. This allows you to
purchase only the products you need and not extraneous software
you will probably never use.
Reflection also is one of the first products to support cellular and wireless communication. The stack includes support for Circuit-Switched Cellular (CSC), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), and the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) protocols and also supports on-demand dialing for all CDPD modems on the market. Although these wireless and cellular services may have limited availability, they represent a step towards the future in which mobile communications with remote hosts will occur more often.
The OLE support within the NFS client overcomes the problem with standard NFS file locking, where only one user can access a file at a time. With OLE, Microsoft Windows clients can act on and use the same file at the same time while maintaining the proper file-locking system to indicate that several people may be changing the information at the same time.
Reflection delivers a very thorough installation program that checks all Windows information and even runs checksums against its own binaries to make sure that the installation disks have not been corrupted. The connection to the network was smooth and simple, and allowed for advanced tuning as well. Once installed, the package is relatively easy to use and yet quite powerful. WRQ pays attention to details when it comes to utilities.
MultiNet for Windows (TGV)
Long acclaimed as the premier TCP/IP product for VMS and now
OpenVMS, TGV's MultiNet has now expanded to the PC and Unix platforms.
When we first heard about the product in pre-beta versions, we were
skeptical of its claims that its stack delivered 300 to 700 percent
faster performance than other stacks. Tests reveal TGV should not be
underestimated. TGV's secret is what it calls the Deferred Procedure
Call (DPC) system, based completely upon asynchronous operations within
the 32-bit kernel.
MultiNet follows the Windows 95 format of creating an installation "Wizard" program that performs most of the package installation tasks for you after you answer a few simple questions. For the system administrator, MultiNet includes a separate program that allows advanced configuration of the stack.
MultiNet lives up to TGV's promises. It is among the fastest of the products tested for larger file sizes. However, the slow start-up of the transfers indicate that small files may take longer to transfer compared to others.
MultiNet's applications need work, particularly in the area of user-friendliness. The toolbar icons on most of the applications are confusing and require you to leave your mouse directly over the image for several seconds before it will give you a description of its use. This is annoying, and slows down the use of the package. Furthermore, the menu system itself in FTP is not very logical. MultiNet also needs more applications beyond the basics, and the apps included lack the richness found in competing products. Nonetheless, we liked that they combined ping, traceroute, and other network utilities into a single package.
SuperTCP Office (Frontier Technologies)
We unfortunately did not include SuperTCP in last year's review.
SuperTCP Suite boasts more than 15 awards of excellence from a number
of other magazines -- with good reason. This product worked the best
for us, and is a good choice for the corporate desktop. SuperTCP Suite
has been renamed to SuperTCP Office to highlight the focus of the
product. The price of the product, however, would probably restrict it
from the low-end home-user market.
Configuration of SuperTCP Office was simple. The main configuration tool allows access to all applications from a single point. Applications and services can be added or removed from this same utility, allowing you to add only the services that you need rather than bog down the entire system with everything. During installation, you can also opt for several preconfigured settings depending on how you intend to employ the software. We went for the "Power Office" choice, allowing us a full glimpse of the software and its capabilities.
SuperTCP Office is very responsive speed-wise. It sports an easy-to-use FTP interface, but would benefit from true drag-and-drop facilities. SuperTCP has features not found elsewhere, such as a fax client and server, a telnet modem server, and a PC-X Window server -- normally a separate product. It is these additional features in combination with the power and ease of use of the software that place it in a class of its own.
Acadia/VxD 2.0 (Ipswitch)
A relative newcomer to the market, Ipswitch is currently in its
fourth year of business, and is steadily moving ahead with its VxD
Acadia software, the successor to its Piper/IP TSR-based package.
Interestingly enough, some of the applications in this package appear
to be licensed adaptations of shareware and public-domain packages.
Acadia is the first product we can recall to including a commercial NFS
server for Windows. (Such servers have since been added to other
products as well.)
Acadia contains a thorough line of applications that turns the Windows environment into something almost as functional as a regular Unix workstation. The only missing applications are a Web or Gopher browser and 3270 and 5250 emulators.
Acadia gave us a slight problem when the installation script failed the first time due to some inconsistency during installation. A second attempt went smoothly, without a repeat of this problem. The installation, however, is a little clumsy and requires a lot of attention from the administrator.
The components for Acadia seem to be piecemeal and lack seamless integration. As we mentioned above, some are OEM versions of other products, which would explain this inconsistency.
Internet Office (CompuServe Internet Division)
SPRY's AIR NFS product, which received some attention in the past
year, has now been renamed Internet Office in conjunction with the
ownership change to CompuServe. CompuServe plans to keep selling the
product as an interface to its Internet online service as well as a
general TCP/IP tool under the new CompuServe Internet Division.
The names and owners may have changed, but the quality of the product remains the same. Like AIR NFS, Internet Office relies upon a licensed copy of the Microsoft VxD-based or the Novell TSR-based TCP/IP stack, so raw performance should not exceed that possible with the stack alone. A test of Internet Office essentially doubles as a test of the Microsoft VxD in a commercial context. It performed quite well with the proper settings (a VxD 3Com EtherlinkIII driver). CompuServe has also removed the NFS portion of its former product from Internet Office. (It is now available as an optional product.)
Internet Office installed with little work other than satisfying our system's calls for floppy after floppy. The applications are unchanged from their former incarnation as Air NFS, and the style and interaction still works well. Internet Office is clearly intended as an Internet product; for example, using the news or mail system can invoke other applications automatically for decoding (SPRY UUCode) or viewing images.
Product features comparison
The list of features has been increased and modified from that of last
year. In particular, you will notice that there are additional fields
in our features table below for
NDIS 3, DHCP, and Internet Applications (WWW, Gopher, Archie).
NDIS 3 is the new protected-mode Data-link architecture used in Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95, and Windows NT; it consumes less memory and performs better than the real-mode NDIS 2 drivers.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client support allows the remote configuration of PCs from a single server; this big brother of the old BOOTP system allows a great deal more flexibility and is being included in much of the newer software. DHCP does not eliminate the work of configuring TCP/IP hosts; it simply relocates all the work to one location. One side effect, however, is that a PC cannot be referred to by a unique name with the Domain Name System (DNS) because of the dynamic mapping of names to addresses.
The Internet applications for the WWW, Gopher, and Archie have been listed to indicate the focus on the Net. Of course, these are not the only Internet applications. Telnet, FTP, SMTP Mail, and a host of the normal applications work over confined networks as well as the Internet. Some packages go so far as to transform Windows PCs into Internet-ready workstations by providing as many of the appropriate applications as possible.
We had planned to add columns in the feature table for Kerberos and Firewall support, but none of the products have either of these in a clearly distinguishable system.
Kerberos is the long-standing security system for networked communications over TCP/IP. The firewall support is a necessity in current times as a protective interface to your network from the Internet; this option indicates that the package supports SOCKS or some other form of firewalling. Most of these products offered proxy services for their applications so that the packets can be redirected to a different port. This is a possible setting for a firewall, which in turn redirects these packets to the external network through the regular IP port. However, none offer formal support for SOCKS.
The author's favorites
After careful examination of all packages in the features, ease-of-use,
performance, and manageability categories, I determined SuperTCP Suite from
Frontier Technologies provides the best of all the components in a
complete and capable package for the corporate desktop. Although
several other stacks came close in the performance tests for the office
desktop category (of special note is the MultiNet product from TGV),
they do not provide the completeness of SuperTCP application-wise. Yet
large PC TCP/IP installations should note that SuperTCP lacks the mass
license and product management facilities provided by PC-NFSpro and its
sister product in the SolarNet family.
Although SuperTCP fits well in the corporate environment, it is not the best choice for a low-end or home user who wishes to access the Internet. For this I recommend the Emissary product from the Wollongong Group as the best of the lot because of its powerful integrated interface and ease of use.
Looking ahead
The PC TCP/IP market is evolving. Vendors are now faced with the
added competition offered by Windows 95, which comes with a TCP/IP stack as a standard part of the operating system. This means that there may be a fall in sales
of such products from other vendors and that their wares will become
relegated to a niche market for high-end performance stacks. Thus, the
emphasis will now be placed upon the applications themselves. Some vendors
have established a lead in the TCP/IP applications base already. Others will
improve their applications or add more of them to their current suite.
Web, fax, and even Telnet server applications are now included in more and more TCP/IP packages packages. Although it remains to be seen how much these applications will be used in the current Windows environment, it still brings Windows closer to providing a full alternative to a Unix workstation. With actual improvements offered by Windows 95, PCs become even more formidable challengers to their Unix-based counterparts.
Coming next month
See next month's issue of SunWorld Online for a comparison of PC X server
software!
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If yours is one of the many corporations looking for methods to connect their PCs to the Internet, read on. Here's a look at how to get your PCs Internet-ready and which products are available.
The commercial success of the Internet has not been lost on PC TCP/IP vendors. After all, PCs constitute the greatest number of systems on the Internet (inlcuding Apple Macintoshes). According to Internet Network Information Center, pc1 is one of the most common hostnames for systems on the Internet. This name's popularity correlates to the large number of PC hosts on the Internet. (Believe it or not, there are some non-Unix hosts out there.) Fortunately, PC TCP/IP and Internet services have become easier to install, configure, and manage over the years.
Most of the vendors mentioned in the main article have Internet-specific products or applications within their normal PC TCP/IP packages. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish regular TCP/IP packages from their Internet-savvy counterparts. If you're looking for a good Internet package, consider the following applications as necessities:
A Web browser is being added to most packages as well -- usually Netscape Navigator or Enhanced Mosaic. Chameleon, Acadia, Distinct, and BW-Connect also have Gopher browsers, and Chameleon and BW-Connect even provide Web server software as part of the package, allowing users to set up their own Web sites.
In addition to these components, some packages provide pre-configured setups for some of the larger Internet service providers (ISPs) such as Netcom, PSInet, and UUNet. You can also add configurations for your own local provider if needed. For SLIP or PPP links, a dialer program typically executes login scripts.
Internet Office from CompuServe Internet Division is readily recognizable as an Internet package. In addition, the following packages include Internet software:
SunSoft, The Wollongong Group and FTP Software have announced separate packages -- SolarNet InternetPro, Emissary, and Explorer, respectively.
Internet Office is a full package for the small or large office that wishes to connect to the Internet providing all the software needs. This heavy-duty package normally excludes the NFS software, which is not really a core part of regular Internet use; more people use FTP to transfer files across the Internet rather than mounting NFS filesystems, since the NFS protocol does not perform over a wide-area network (WAN) -- especially one the size of the Internet. Not surprisingly, Internet Office allows you "direct" access to the Internet through CompuServe.
NetManage Chameleon includes just about all the Internet applications from its early releases, as well as a Web browser known as Web Surfer. Note, though, that Internet Chameleon is a separate product from NetManage that does not include some of the higher-level services in the normal package; it provides support only for dial-up connections (i.e., no Ethernet or Token Ring support), does not include applications such as TN3270 emulation or Web server software, and will not work well in NetWare or LAN Manager environments like the main product (NetManage Chameleon).
SunSoft announced two new products at TCP/IP Expo in August: SolarNet InternetPro and WebScout. InternetPro is a superset of PC-NFSpro with the WebScout package included. WebScout is a licensed version of Netscape Navigator combined with a new integrated mail system (based on Pronto E-mail from CommTouch) and better dial-up facilities.
Emissary, from The Wollongong Group, combines all the regular Internet applications (Usenet news, Mail, a Web browser, Telnet, and FTP) into one. With this level of integration, you can drag and drop messages, HTML pages, and other pieces of information across the applications with relative ease. It is much easier to use than other packages. The split view is reminiscent of a file manager combined with a document viewer in the lower-right of the window.
Emissary uses OLE 2.0 as well as its own Client Object Linking Technology (COLT) to allow you to, for example, click on a Web URL in a mail message and start the Web browser to retrieve the document. You can also take files from your FTP site and drop them into your mail message or news posting as an attachment or a quoted message. Thoughtfully, Emissary will run over any Windows sockets library rather than force the use of a specific stack and library implementation. Wollongong wins quite a few points in my book with this well-integrated Internet product.
Explorer is a subset of FTP Software's OnNet product. Most of the applications are the same as that of OnNet. Some of the higher-level applications (such as NFS and 3270 emulation) have been taken out, of course.
Distinct TCP/IP and TGV MultiNet don't readily provide the desired minimum set of Internet applications. But with the increased interest in the Internet, we can readily expect that these vendors will release such applications in the near future. -- Rawn Shah
We installed and tested the 11 products during July and August 1995 on a small Ethernet II test network consisting of only two computers:
These are typical configurations for an office desktop network client and a departmental server. We connected the two systems via a BocaHub-16 Plus 10BaseT Ethernet hub.
We installed a fresh copy of Microsoft Windows For Workgroups (WFW) 3.11 before installing each product. The Microsoft TCP/IP VxD stack was omitted so as not to interfere with the candidate TCP/IP stack. (One of the products, Internet Office from CompuServe Internet Division, can use the Microsoft VxD TCP/IP stack, so we were able to test the Microsoft product as well.)
When possible, we used the Microsoft-supplied NDIS 2.x/NDIS 3.x driver combination for the Etherlink III. Some products, however, do not support the NDIS 3.0 environment and therefore require the real-mode NDIS 2.0 driver instead. We also maintained the NetBEUI WFW environment to test a dual-stack configuration with all environments. All products worked in the dual-configuration mode without any trouble.
We conducted two groups of tests: FTP transfers and NFS copies. The FTP tests involved using the "get" and "put" commands for files of 10 kilobytes, 100 kilobytes, 1 megabyte, and 10 megabytes from the client. Using the Windows-based FTP client in each product, each file was transferred ten times to and from the server and the transfers were timed. See the chart below for the average of these times.
The NFS transfers involved the mounting of one of the server's drives onto the client and the transfers of similar-sized files through NFS copies from one drive to another. These copies were performed within a full-screen MS-DOS window within the WFW 3.11 environment. The full-screen DOS window reduces interference from any graphics-related tasks within the Windows environment. No other applications were running at the time of the transfers.
We would like to thank Axil Computers for the loan of the Axil 320 for the period of testing; it was an invaluable aid to the tests. -- Rawn Shah
FTP get
10 KB 100 KB 1 MB 10 MB
SPRY 0.951 1.842 9.736 90.372
SuperTCP 0.21 0.393 2.169 20.689
Acadia 0.642 0.812 3.457 28.705
BW-Connect(TSR) 0.36 1.669 9.325 91.282
Reflection 0.5602 0.983 3.361 27.95
Multinet 1.039 2.537 4.359 25.839
Distinct 0.513 1.079 7.11 67.31
PC-NFSpro 0.497 0.999 5.012 47.057
OnNet 0.451 1.481 11.381 108.061
PathWay 0.5579 1.982 16.748 165.006
ChameleonNFS 0.548 1.174 8.592 83.235
FTP put
10 KB 100 KB 1 MB 10 MB
SPRY 0.59 0.803 2.193 24.875
SuperTCP 0.21 0.375 1.744 16.454
Acadia 0.378 1.17 7.915 66.007
BW-Connect(TSR) 0.323 0.757 2.487 38.324
Reflection 0.666 1.108 3.588 27.035
Multinet 0.741 0.768 3.559 27.806
Distinct 0.34 0.595 4.56 58.159
PC-NFSpro 0.512 0.71 2.281 28.858
OnNet 0.353 0.495 1.998 32.962
PathWay 0.191 0.397 1.537 19.824
ChameleonNFS 0.392 0.857 5.468 61.531
NFS get
10 KB 100 KB 1 MB 10 MB
SPRY
SuperTCP 0.21 0.24 2.055 20.241
Acadia 0.25 0.511 2.945 28.402
BW-Connect(TSR) 0.211 0.435 3.147 28.695
Reflection 0.215 0.516 2.761 25.563
Multinet 0.215 0.611 3.364 31.541
Distinct 0.274 0.679 5.095 48.105
PC-NFSpro 0.293 0.59 6.6584 63.957
OnNet 0.29 0.667 3.993 37.389
PathWay 0.233 0.569 3.203 28.958
ChameleonNFS 0.441 0.949 6.807 64.475
NFS put
10 KB 100 KB 1 MB 10 MB
SPRY
SuperTCP 0.21 0.559 6.278 62.778
Acadia 0.21 0.481 5.89 75.945
BW-Connect(TSR) 0.164 0.565 7.37 90.825
Reflection 0.212 0.5676 6.475 65.628
Multinet 0.204 0.519 4.638 51.03
Distinct 0.258 0.65 4.878 45.511
PC-NFSpro 0.2265 0.6 6.455 74.33
OnNet 0.267 0.408 2.746 41.951
PathWay 0.2111 0.5282 5.018 65.892
ChameleonNFS 0.425 0.893 5.286 66.759
B O P P C D W M S A S
W n C a h i R u u c P
C N t a s Q l p a R
o e N h m t t e d Y
n t F W e i i r i
n S a l n n T a
e y e c e C
c o t t P
t n
Uninstall n n y y n n n y y n n
VxD y y y y n y y y y y y
PKTDRV y y y n n y n n y y n
NDIS 2 y y y y y y y y y y y
NDIS 3 y y y y y n n y y y y
ODI y y y y y y y y y y y
SLIP y y y y y y y y y y y
PPP n y y y y y y n y y y
Ethernet y y y y y y y y y y y
Token-Ring y y y y y y y y y y y
FDDI n y n y y n n n y n n
X.25 n y n y n n n n y n n
Telnet y y y y y y y y y y y
RLogin y y y n y n y n y y y
RSH y y y n n y y n y y n
REXEC y y y n n n y n y y n
3270 y y y y y y o y y y y
5250 n y o n y n o n y n y
FTP y y y y y y y y y y y
NFS y y y o y y y y y y o
TFTP n n n n y y y n y y n
RCP y y n n n n n n y y n
SMTP Mail y y y y y y y y y y y
POP2/3 Mail y y y y y y y y y y y
Finger y y y n y y y y y y n
Talk y y n n y n n n y n n
whois n y n n y y n y y y n
LPR y y y y n y y y y y y
LPQ y y y y n y y n y y y
LPRM y y y y n y y n y y y
RARP y y n y y y y n y n y
BOOTP y y n y y y y n y y y
DHCP y y y y n n y n y n y
Servers
Telnet y n y n n n n n y y n
DNS y n n n y n n n n y n
SMTP n n n n n n y n y y n
FTP y y y y y y y y y y y
NFS y n n n y y n n y y n
Print Server y y y n y y y y y y y
TFTP y n n n y n y n y y n
Finger y n n n y y y n y y n
Time y n n n n n n n n n n
Talk y n n n n n n n n n n
nslookup y y n n n n y y y y n
Ping y y y y y y y y y y y
Traceroute y y n n n n y y y y y
SNMP Agent y y y n y n y y y y y
IP Stats y y y y y y y y y y y
NNTP y y o y y n y n y n y
WWW n y o o y n y n y n y
Gopher y n o o y y n n y n y
Archie y n n o y n n n n n n
Key:
y available
n not available
o optional product
About the author
Rawn Shah (rawn.shah@sunworld.com) is Vice President of RTD Systems & Networking, Inc., a Tucson-AZ internetwork consultancy and software development firm.
Reach Rawn at rawn.shah@sunworld.com.