Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: notesfiles - hp internal release 1.2; site hpfcla.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpfcla!ajs From: ajs@hpfcla.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix Subject: Re: virtual terminal Message-ID: <43800006@hpfcla.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-Feb-84 14:35:00 EST Article-I.D.: hpfcla.43800006 Posted: Sat Feb 11 14:35:00 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 01:11:31 EST References: <16162@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Fort Collins, CO Lines: 17 Nf-ID: #R:sri-arpa:-1616200:hpfcla:43800006:000:1013 Nf-From: hpfcla!ajs Feb 5 11:35:00 1984 Here's another example of virtual terminal... Let's say you have a set of machines hooked up over a LAN (Local Area Network, maybe Ethernet based). Suppose you also have an existing application package, say, uucp, which knows all about RS-232 lines but nothing about LAN. A lot of higher-level utilities ride on top of uucp. You'd like to send email, news, etc. over the LAN (it's faster, and maybe it's the only available route). You don't want to mess with the innards of uucp (ugh). What do you do? In this case, virtual terminal comes to the rescue as support for special files that act like RS-232 ports (say, /dev/culnet) but actually give access to the LAN, hiding the details. Presto, you can uucico at jillions of baud, without knowing there's any difference between /dev/culnet and any hardwired line. Alan Silverstein, Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Systems Division, Colorado {ihnp4 | hplabs}!hpfcla!ajs, 303-226-3800 x3053, N 40 31'31" W 105 00'43"