10Base5/Thicknet (was Re: SUN networking problems) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

21 Mar 2001

On Mar 21, 22:31, Mike Ford wrote:
...
  >Is there currently a source for the tap part for
the older, boxy transceivers
...
  >that have removable media bits?  I remember
reading in the O'Reilly Ethernet
...
  >book that it was common to remove the transceiver
from the tap and leave the
...

 Most likely I have it, no matter what that "it" is regarding older
network
...
  stuff. Email me directly with, hopefully, an idea of
what exactly you need
...
  and I will look in my boxes.

 What I think they are talking about with the tap etc. is that you have the
...
  thick coax, then you have a thing that taps into the
coax, and that "thing"
...
  typically has a AUI 15 pin connection with a cable to
the AUI on your
 computer. Disconnecting the cable is what I think they mean. 
Not quite.  The part with the 15-pin AUI connector is the trasnceiver.  The
tap is the part of the transceiver that fits to the coax.  In some cases,
the tap has sockets, and you fit it by cutting the coax, fitting plugs to
both cut ends, and plugging them in to the tap.  Thats' not very convenient
when you want to connect to a network that's in use (the entire segment
will be ou of action while you do it and there's a risk of damage to other
transceivers as well), so tha alternative is a "vampire" tap.  That's a
gadget that you fit by drilling a hole in the outer insulation and braid
(screen) of the coax, then applying the tap.  It has a pn that penetrates
to the core conductor, and a part that makes contact only with the braid.
 Then you fit the rest of the transceiver onto the vampire tap, and fit a
drop cable between the AUI connector on the transceiver and the AUI on your
machine.

-- 

Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						Dept. of Computer Science
						University of York