PCBoard is designed with multi-user access to a system in mind. Each user that accesses the system must log in through a node. A node refers to a copy of PCBoard that is running on a network, multitasker, or some other system that has the ability to share resources through shared file access. Users may access the system remotely through a modem or locally through a network or local node.

There are two different ways to run multiple nodes with PCBoard: multitasking and networking. Each method has various advantages and disadvantages but they all have one thing in common – the ability to share files.

Multitasking is a method of running more than one program at a time on a single machine. When multitasking, you are not actually running all of the programs at the same time as the CPU is not capable of doing so. Instead, the multitasking software manages the resources of the CPU and switches very quickly between each program. Of course, since you are switching back and forth between each task having a faster CPU will make each task run more smoothly.

To really be effective in running multiple nodes. you will need to use an 80386 based machine or higher. The internal capabilities of the 80386 and higher class CPUs are designed better for multitasking than any of the other processors (80286, 8086, 8088) and are therefore strongly recommended for multitasking.

A network allows several different computers to share resources (hard drives, printers, etc.) with each other. In order for a resource to be considered sharable, it must be stored on a computer that is referred to as a server. The workstations (other computers in the network) can use the resources located on the server as if they are installed on the workstation computer.

The most popular network is called a Local Area Network (LAN). All communications in a LAN is done between cabling which is hooked into each machine. Another network is also called a Wide Area Network (WAN). The machines in these networks are so far apart that you could not use cabling to connect them. Instead, alternate methods such as dedicated phone lines are used to send data across the network.

As an example of shared resources, if you had a 1.2 gigabyte drive on one machine and you hooked up a LAN, the server is the computer with the large hard drive and the workstation is the computer that will access that drive via the network. The server drive can then be accessed from the workstation as if it were installed on the workstation itself.

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself when you are considering your multi-node setup. These questions will help you get a better feel if you should use a network, a multitasker, or a combination of both.

If you are considering running more than 16 nodes on one machine, then you should immediately rule out running them on one single machine. With the multi-port (/M) version of PCBoard, you can take advantage of some of the 4, 8, or 16 port intelligent serial boards provided by Arnet and DigiBoard. The intelligent boards off-load some of the processing from the main CPU allowing you to run more ports on a single machine. If you are not using an intelligent serial board, you will need to use standard COM ports with 4 being the maximum you could use in a single machine.

A network gives you the ability to expand beyond the 4-16 node limit imposed by running on a single machine. For example, you can have a dedicated server and, for example, 20 workstations on the network. On each workstation, you can run a multitasker and consequently 4-16 nodes on each workstation. Conceivably, you can run 80-320 nodes in a 21 machine network if you used a multitasker on all of the workstations with intelligent serial cards. Of course, you do not have to run multitaskers on each of your workstations. Instead, you could run one copy of PCBoard on each workstation limiting yourself to about 20 nodes on a 20 system network.

When multitasking nodes on a machine you do pay a price – performance (because you are running multiple copies of PCBoard on one processor). If you get one of the fastest machines money can buy, the constant switching between tasks in a multitasker will seem much smoother. If performance is extremely important to you, invest in a network with one copy of PCBoard running on each workstation. A network would be pointless though from the performance angle if you were to use slow machines like XTs as your workstations. Using XTs for your workstations would defeat the purpose. Instead, you would be better served by using 386 or higher machines as your workstations and multitask on them.

Whether you choose networking, multitasking, or a combination of both your primary expense is going to be the hardware that is required to run the number of nodes that you desire to run. Some of the more expensive items to consider in your setup would be the computers, network cards (if you choose networking) or even the intelligent serial boards (for multitasking). Of the items listed, the computers are the likely to be the most expensive item. Therefore, everything you can do to reduce the number of computers that you will have to buy while still meeting your performance requirements will be to your advantage.

As an example, if you need to run five nodes and performance is rather important to you, setup a three machine peer-to-peer network with one server and two workstations. On each of the workstations multitask two nodes using a 386 or 486 and on your server run a single node. Running two nodes on a workstation means less computers in your network and it also means lower overall cost.

Another valid concern about your multi-node setup is how much physical room it is going to take. This is especially true of a setup which uses a network because there are multiple machines in the network. If space is limited and you are using a network, perhaps you will want to multitask on your workstations to reduce the number of machines that are required on your network.

Another item you will need to plan for is how much file storage space will you have online and will it all fit on one machine. For example, if you wanted to put 8 gigabytes online, it may be very difficult to do so inside of one machine. In a situation like this, you would have to go to a network setup with multiple servers to accommodate all of the storage space.

In summary, the following tables list the advantages and disadvantages of multitasking, networking, and running a multitasker on the workstations of a network:

You can run more than one node on a single computer

Less hardware cost per node (hard drives, monitors, etc.)

Different nodes are a keyboard away

System is harder to tune; lockups may occur

A system which uses serial ports other than COM1 or COM2 may find that not all third party program that access the COM ports will work with non-standard or FOSSIL ports.

If a multitasking machine crashes or hangs, all nodes on the machine will be hung.

Each node uses a dedicated CPU. This can dramatically increase performance.

You are not limited to the number of nodes you can run on one machine.

When one workstation crashes, the entire system is not down.

Cost. A LAN configuration requires both hardware and software. You must have a network card and proper cabling in addition to the network software for each machine on the network.

More than one node can be run from one computer while still retaining all of the advantages of a network.

More economical than running one node per workstation

Saves space because you do not use a computer for each node

Requires that both your multitasking setup and network setup are well tuned because you are running a multitasker on top of a network configuration

The remaining sections in this chapter will cover setting up multiple nodes using either a multitasker or a network. Please refer to the appropriate section for the method you have chosen to implement your multiple node setup.