Timothy
Parker Consulting Incorporated
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MaxSpeed +OneStation Multiple users on a UNIX system are nothing new, and Linux
offers the same capability using multi-serial ports or network access.
For many Linux users at home, though, spending thousands of dollars for a
multiport card is not practical, and yet it would be attractive to be able to
add a second terminal setup to an existing Linux system.
MaxSpeed has a solution with their +OneStation. The +OneStation provides
a thin-net client hanging off the host machine, both units sharing the resources
and CPU of the host. The attractive +OneStation package holds a PCI card that
plugs into a Linux machine, a 25-foot length of CAT-5 networking cable that runs
from the PCI card to a small gizmo at the other end, and the gizmo accepts an
SVGA monitor, keyboard and mouse (both PS/2 connectors). Installation of the
hardware takes only a few minutes. At the moment MaxSpeed is providing drivers
for RedHat 6.0 and 6.1 Linux releases only, although the driver complement is
sure to grow to other versions of Linux. We
tested under RedHat 6.1. The driver software installs quickly using either X or
command prompts (the Kernel Development, C++ Development and Development
Libraries packages must be loaded). A setup script completes the procedure. The hardware board
itself has switches to allow up to sixteen +OneStation boards to be installed in
a computer, each board with a unique ID.
We had our test system installed and running in a total of twenty
minutes. The performance of the client and host computer depend on
the host’s configuration. MaxSpeed
recommends a minimum of a Pentium II 233MHz with 32MB RAM, but if both client
and host are running X this results in a slow session.
More RAM and a faster processor obviously help.
Our test machine had a 500MHz Pentium III and 128MB RAM and both client
and host ran perfectly, with no discernible lag.
The graphics chip built into the +OneStation is a Trident 3D chip with
4MB of SGRAM, allowing resolutions on the client to 1280x1204 with 16 bit color. A little work is required to provide X to the +OneStation
client, although it is quite well explained in the documentation.
The startx command is replaces with another command designed to route to
the client. We tested the +OneStation
client with several X environments, including both KDE and FVWM2.
Mootif also worked well on the client. The +OneStation allows sharing of any of the host computer
resources, such as CD-ROM drives, ZIP drives, and modems.
This allows for simple Internet connection sharing without extensive
configuration by a user. Printers are also shared. When we used Corel WordPerfect
Suite for Linux, we achieved excellent sharing of the office applications as
well as e-mail from both the host and client. We also tested several other
commercial packages and games. It is conceivable that some applications could
generate sharing violations, but these tend to be limitations in the software
and not Linux or +OneStation. To try pushing the +OneStation, we connected a 200 foot
length of CAT-5 cable and ran the client machine to another floor.
It still functioned perfectly over that distance. We also ran scripted
routines that access database and Web pages repeatedly for four days, and the +OneStation
continued to function without a hitch. Considering the very reasonable cost of the +OneStation, it
seems an obvious solution to the problem of adding another terminal to an
existing host (as long as the host is suitably powerful).
The +OneStation performed perfectly, and hopefully MaxSpeed will release
drivers for other versions of Linux in the near future. +OneStation Summary: The easiest and most inexpensive way to add a second terminal to an existing RedHat host. |
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Send mail to
tparker@tpci.com with
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