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    Thinwire to UTP

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • B
      basilh @NogBadTheBad
      last edited by

      @nogbadthebad I actually don't need pfsense to support DECnet or LAT. As long as those protocols are kept to the thinnet side of the router, as @Derelict has suggested, it should work admirably.

      NogBadTheBadN 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • NogBadTheBadN
        NogBadTheBad @basilh
        last edited by NogBadTheBad

        @basilh said in Thinwire to UTP:

        @nogbadthebad I actually don't need pfsense to support DECnet or LAT. As long as those protocols are kept to the thinnet side of the router, as @Derelict has suggested, it should work admirably.

        Think you'll struggle to find a 10Base2 PCIE card, have a look here for supported cards:-

        http://www.si.freebsd.org/relnotes/CURRENT/hardware/support.html

        Andy

        1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

        B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • B
          basilh @NogBadTheBad
          last edited by basilh

          @nogbadthebad Haven't seen any PCIE on offer, but there's a 3Com PCI combo card that several sellers seem to be offering on ebay and tons of ISA cards. However, it's rare to find a motherboard that supports ISA so those cards are next to useless. I still have a motherboard that has PCI slots so there's a match there for me. Are there going to be any issues with drivers for pfsense? The card model is 3COM PCI 3C5900-COMBO ETHERLINK XL - RJ45 - AUI - BNC Card 03-0108-002 REV A.

          NogBadTheBadN 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • DerelictD
            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
            last edited by

            I would personally look for an old ethernet hub with a 10Base2 port instead of a card. That way you can use a reasonably-modern NIC and let the old hub talk to the old gear.

            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • JKnottJ
              JKnott
              last edited by

              You could use a 10 Mb hub. Many of them had a BNC connector. I have one of those hubs here. However, I don't understand why you'd use pfSense for this, as mentioned above, it doesn't support DecNET.

              PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
              i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
              UniFi AC-Lite access point

              I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • DerelictD
                Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                last edited by

                lol. beat you by like a second.

                Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • NogBadTheBadN
                  NogBadTheBad @basilh
                  last edited by

                  @basilh said in Thinwire to UTP:

                  @nogbadthebad Haven't seen any PCIE on offer, but there's a 3Com PCI combo card that several sellers seem to be offering on ebay and tons of ISA cards. However, it's rare to find a motherboard that supports ISA so those cards are next to useless. I still have a motherboard that has PCI slots so there's a match there for me. Are there going to be any issues with drivers for pfsense? The card model is 3COM PCI 3C5900-COMBO ETHERLINK XL - RJ45 - AUI - BNC Card 03-0108-002 REV A.

                  You'd need to check the link I supplied, pfSense is based on FreeBSD.

                  Andy

                  1 x Netgate SG-4860 - 3 x Linksys LGS308P - 1 x Aruba InstantOn AP22

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • B
                    basilh
                    last edited by

                    @Derelict @JKnott Am I missing something? As long as DECnet is isolated to the thinwire side, pfsense doesn't need to support it. I looked high and low for a hub with a bnc port and lucked out. Besides, a hub would allow both LAT and DECnet to flood the home network which is what I'm trying to avoid. If I need to play around with LAT or DECnet, I'll do so on the thinwire side, otherwise from the home network, I'll access a VAX using IP.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • DerelictD
                      Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                      last edited by

                      Yes, you are missing something.

                      Use a hub to bridge from the thinwire to 10BaseT. Connect 10BaseT to a modern NIC in pfSense. That way you don't have to try to get some old-ass card working in pfSense.

                      From a broadcast domain perspective nothing changes.

                      Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                      A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                      DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                      Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                      B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • B
                        basilh @Derelict
                        last edited by

                        @derelict Ahh. Gotcha. Good point. I'll have another look for a suitable hub.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • B
                          basilh @NogBadTheBad
                          last edited by

                          @nogbadthebad Thanks for the link. Have confirmed the BNC NIC I was interested in is not supported.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • B
                            basilh
                            last edited by basilh

                            @Derelict @JKnott Thanks guys for setting me on the straight and narrow. I'll now hunt down a hub with a BNC port instead of BNC NIC, and I still get to use pfsense :)

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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