are there reasons why to use SLIP in these days?

hi all

i am dealing with a company that should develop a box for me. the box 
should replace an existing box that is connected via rs232 to a pc.

now i have asked them to (instead of going to usb) make a proposal for 
using ethernet instead of rs232.

upfront i described what i have in mind...dhcp support, commands via 
http, box sending back data in base64-encoded fashion, wrapped with xml 
message. etc...everything you need to have the box independend in a network.

now, their counter proposal is SLIP. and this is my question:

why should an existing box be changed to use ethernet if the intention 
is to use SLIP? why not stay with rs232 or go to usb (if more bandwidth 
is needed)? does anybody see a reason for that?

i must say i am a little bit clueless about this slip-proposal and i 
don't know if it's *me* who is missing something relevant or its *them*...


thank you very much!

best/mig

"jazzisnow" <info@jazzisnow.com> schreef in bericht
news:42184aad$1_3@news.bluewin.ch...
> hi all
>
> i am dealing with a company that should develop a box for me. the box
> should replace an existing box that is connected via rs232 to a pc.
>
> now i have asked them to (instead of going to usb) make a proposal for
> using ethernet instead of rs232.
>
> upfront i described what i have in mind...dhcp support, commands via
> http, box sending back data in base64-encoded fashion, wrapped with xml
> message. etc...everything you need to have the box independend in a
network.
>
> now, their counter proposal is SLIP. and this is my question:
>
> why should an existing box be changed to use ethernet if the intention
> is to use SLIP? why not stay with rs232 or go to usb (if more bandwidth
> is needed)? does anybody see a reason for that?

You asked for a proposal to use ethernet, so it is you that
probably knows why it needs to be changed to ethernet?

> i must say i am a little bit clueless about this slip-proposal and i
> don't know if it's *me* who is missing something relevant or its *them*...

I think they have a design on the shelf that uses SLIP on a
serial port. Now that you have asked for ethernet, the probably
want to put in RS232<>ethernet converter, and a suitable
driver on the PC. From the PC's point of view, only a serial
port is added, but it happens to sit somewhere on the ethernet,
and connects from there to the plain serial port of the black box.
Doesn't really change the design, you could have bought that
ethernet/serial port elsewhere too.

Or something like that.

-- 
Thanks, Frank.
(remove 'q' and 'invalid' when replying by email)