The Tektronix Netstation terminal, a one-size-fits-all product,
combines some characteristics of the Wyse ICA terminal with some characteristics
of the NCD Explora X-terminaland then adds some other characteristics just
for fun. For example, Netstation supports TN3270 and Digital Equipment's Local
Area Transport (LAT) protocol. The base unit of the Netstation is about the size
of a pizza box, and you can attach an existing keyboard, mouse, and monitor, or
you can purchase the full hardware set from Tektronix. The base unit also
includes a 10Mbps Ethernet connection for LAN attachment and two serial
connections.
As with an X-terminal, you configure the Tektronix Net-station with an IP
address (Netstation does not support DHCP) and set it up to boot from ROM or
from a UNIX host. Unlike most X-terminals, the Netstation booted from ROM will
take you to a menu that lets you launch an ICA or X-terminal session to an NT
server (or UNIX host). In other words, the Net-station ROM holds enough code to
run as an ICA or X-terminal client without requiring a host-based download.
I tested the Tektronix Netstation against the Wyse, Tektronix, Insignia, and
NCD WinFrame implementations. The ICA mode of the Netstation was a little
touchy: My success rate was not 100% when I initiated connections to the NT
server (I had a 100% success rate with the Wyse terminal). The Netstation fared
much better in X-terminal mode: Here I easily reached a 100% success rate.
Performance between the two modes was similar, although I felt that the
X-terminal mode offered a slight edge over the ICA mode. Also, the performance
of the Netstation in ICA mode was comparable to the Wyse terminal once I made
the connection.
Ironically, Tektronix's version of WinFrame, WinDD (see Screen A), supports
ICA access only. To use WinDD with existing UNIX systems, you must purchase ICA
client software from Tektronix (or another vendor). Furthermore, WinDD is a
fairly lackluster OEM implementation of WinFrame. Tektronix has added nothing to
the mix here. Nonetheless, WinDD installed and operated just as well as any
other WinFrame variation. I simply couldn't overcome my surprise that a major
X-terminal vendor such as Tektronix would not have an X-ter-minal add-on for its
WinFrame product.
Will you want to run out and buy a Tektronix Netstation? Like NCD Explora,
Netstation may be a little too pricey to be a cost-effective solution for
desktop access to NT. However, if you have a mixed NT and UNIX environment, you
might find Netstation's multiple-personality modes worth the price of admission.