🚀 go-pugleaf

>J. Philip Miller responds to Robin C. Cover, who wrote:
>
>>What is the smallest IBM machine (and what OS) we can buy that will
>>support BITNET (RSCS)?
>
>A very popular solution is the Barr/Hasp system which is a board and
>software which will plug into any old IBM PC/AT.  We run it on a 2
>floppy, original PC.  They offer a number of different options with
>respect to the protocol for connecting to the IBM RSCS machine
>including bisync, SNA and Token Ring.
>
>I have no affiliation with Barr/Hasp other than I have known Tony for a
>long time and am a satisified customer.

I, too, have been trying to figure out an appropriate answer to Robin's
question, and I was all ready to suggest looking into a 7437, which is
a box which hooks up to a PS/2 Model 60 or 80 to turn it into a VM/SP5
machine, but I do not believe that it supports RSCS.

As for the suggestion of Barr/Hasp, I too knew of people at my former
job who were very happy with it, but unless things have changed, it
only supports RJE connections to RSCS, not NJE.  This would mean that
you would not be able to function as a real RSCS node, and whatever it
gives you I would not personally consider to be hooked up to Bitnet.

AIX does not support RSCS, it supports TCP/IP. Joiner Associates
sells JNET for VAXen and possibly other machines, but not for
AIX, so far as I know.

For documentation on RSCS, see the RSCS V2.3 General Information
manual,IBM form number GH24-5055.  Also, GG66-0224, NJE Concepts and
Protocols may prove interesting.  For those who are more into the bits
and bytes of NJE, see GG22-9373, NJE Formats and Protocols.

Bill Rubin
IBM TJ Watson Research, Yorktown