Eric wrote:
> I have an Ultra 10 running Solaris 8 controlling a mass spectrometer
> via an ethernet connection.
> We can also connect to the Ultra via ssh to download files and do
> whatever.
>
> Lately it seems, when people are downloading files the connection to
> the mass spec gets stomped
> and the program that handles communication between the Ultra and the
> mass spec dies or stalls.
> I'm told it doesn't happen all the time, but fairly often.
>
> The Ultra 10, the mass spec, a printer and a PC all connect to a hub
> (an Inmac Microhub 4
> 4x10BaseT + AUI hub). Further, there's a connection between the hub
> and a Linksys home
> router which goes to the cloud.
>
> It's been suggested that throwing a second NIC on the Ultra 10 and
> having that as a dedicated
> connection to the mass spec might/will solve our problem. Would a
> second NIC have a reasonable
> chance of fixing my problem? Why or why not?
>
> My thought is to first, replace the existing hub with a little 5-port
> switch (I have a Netgear FS-105
<snip>

It would have been my first thought also. A hub just begs for
collisions; the switch would be a cleaner way to go. If the mass spec
isn't too bright, it might not be handling collisions properly. It has
been a while since I've seen an unswitched network; my own hub has been
gathering dust for several years now. If the people who designed the
mass spec were thinking in terms of switched, the mass spec may not be
able to handle a shared net.