🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <JIM.90Nov6131135@baroque.Stanford.EDU>, news@helens.Stanford.EDU (news) writes:
> ...  But what about networks that became extinct, the
> network dinosaurs?  What was happening with other mini/microcomputer
> networks around that time?

They're still alive and kicking (at least, in their later incarnations).

In the early '70s we had an assortment of minis, tied together with point-to-point
"links", running initially at about 256Kbaud, and latterly at 2Mbaud.  These
links were full-duplex flow-controlled, with error detection (parity and
positive/negative acknowledgement).  The machines included several Interdata 70s,
a dozen or so 74s, a PDP-8, a PDP-9 and a PDP-15.  Originally they all ran their
usual operating systems, but around 1976 we added a big (67Mbyte!) disc to one of
the 70s and converted it to a file server.  At first it just did file storage and
transfer, but by the early 1980s we had converted the 74s to be discless clients
which booted from the central server (thanks to the AUTOLOAD instruction) and then
relied completely on it and a separate compute server (another 70).  Meantime
the PDP-8 had been retired and the 9 and 15 converted to use the central server as
a virtual-DECtape server as well as a file server.

Since then we've converted the links to a 2Mbaud CSMA/CD network which provides reliable virtual circuits in the firmware, added 60-odd 68K-based machines, retired
all the Interdatas and the PDP-9 and 15, and added several new 68K-based file servers.
There's nothing left now of the original hardware, though for a while around the mid
'80s it was all running happily together.  In fact, the last "link" board was removed
just last year when we switched off our 780.  The file access protocol is still the
same, though, more or less, as that used in 1976 -- the only difference is that the current servers don't understand some of the more baroque block-size constructs needed
to get the virtual DECtapes working sensibly.

It's a stateful protocol, btw, with user validation done by the servers on the basis
of link- and VC-specific tokens issued by them in response to the initial logon request.
Just what's needed, in fact, to deal with a labful of students all doing operating systems practicals.

> 
> Jim Helman
> Department of Applied Physics			Durand 012
> Stanford University				FAX: (415) 725-3377
> (jim@KAOS.stanford.edu) 			Work: (415) 723-9127

-- 
George D M Ross, Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh
031-650 5147 or 031-667 1081    gdmr@uk.ac.ed.cs (or cs.ed.ac.uk if you prefer)

> But what about networks that became extinct, the
> network dinosaurs?  What was happening with other mini/microcomputer
> networks around that time?
>


When I came to Australia, Two years ago, I had to deal with a Corvus Omninet
They wouldn't believe me when I told them they needed a new network.

It ran a bunch apple II's.  Yuk, but It could connect up to IBM PC's and
other computers as well.  I understand (now) it was a type of RS422 hdwe
layer.  Anyways.  I wouldn't mind having it at home tho.  :-)

Ronn

In 1973 ish at UC Irvine, we ran a fully distributed operating system
with message passing IPC over a 2.3 megabit per second local
token ring. The systems were 11 style (Locheed SUES) and the ring
evolved to the Proteon and IBM rings latter on.

In article <15662.273ad3d6@levels.sait.edu.au> etrmg@levels.sait.edu.au writes:
>
>
>> But what about networks that became extinct, the
>> network dinosaurs?  What was happening with other mini/microcomputer
>> networks around that time?
>>
>
>
>When I came to Australia, Two years ago, I had to deal with a Corvus Omninet
>They wouldn't believe me when I told them they needed a new network.
>
>It ran a bunch apple II's.  Yuk, but It could connect up to IBM PC's and
>other computers as well.  I understand (now) it was a type of RS422 hdwe
>layer.  Anyways.  I wouldn't mind having it at home tho.  :-)
>
>Ronn
	They are running that at my school now.  A High School.
(Of course this is a school in the Midwest. . .)
(Ducking head to avoid flames)


-- 
zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM

 
                                   

I remember people having Corvus disk systems on their Apple II's
around 1980.  But I never used them.  What was the architecture?
Was the protocol file level or raw device?

Jim Helman
Department of Applied Physics			Durand 012
Stanford University				FAX: (415) 725-3377
(jim@KAOS.stanford.edu) 			Work: (415) 723-9127

What, and nobody mentioned Z-Net yet?  It was a completely
proprietary network, implemented on Zilog's z80-based os
(forgot its name), which was implemented in assembly and so
pretty non-portable, but there were some folks who liked it.
Z-net ran at about 800kbps, using an SIO chip, the same one
that Omninet used for its 1mbps, I think.