The server itself is not pc compatible. The plug in card (motherboards) are what are
meant to run ibm pc software. The server runs Netware-86 or a tinkered with version, maybe
strait out of the box, but regardless N-86 is super duper unobtainium. I suppose what
happens is the machine is started, the server boots. The motherboards then are
initialized, served up ms-dos, served up application software. Externally each of the
server's motherboard cards has some kind of terminal attached (the terminal is a
Northstar keyboard that looks identical to a Keytronic 5151? But for the logo. And has a
modular connector. The monitor is identical to those seen with the Eagle-2 again but for
the logo. I have 1 of the keyboards, an IBM 5151 monitor, but nothing else. There may have
been an intermediary circuit board that tied the k/b+monitor together and interfaced to
the back of the server (the expansion card actually).
My unit was kind of banged up but has a hard drive, the most banged up part of the whole
shlameel. It belonges to a hassidic man in Chicago who was running his bisiness with it I
assume. It got beat up in shipping, couldn't complain as he sent me it free but asked
what 2 hours of his time was worth after the fact. I pp'd him 50$.
The dimenaion mobo doesn't look like any pc anyone has ever aeen. In fact the innards
are a bit of a horror movie. The p/s is big and nasty and is unenclosed. There's all
kinds of shit hanging of the mainboard, including the pc-cards. It'll be a work in
progreas for some time. Loads of fun though. Dead bugs.
On Tuesday, December 27, 2022, 12:50:19 AM EST, Fred Cisin via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
If it can run PC software, then it can handle DOS disk I/O. But BIOS
and/or direct hardware access may be totally incompatible.
On Tue, 27 Dec 2022, Chris via cctalk wrote:
All I can say with some certainty is this thing will
read ms-dos formatted floppies. How else could it run ibm pc software if it didn't.
The individual jumbo isa card-motherboards are doled out their rations internally from the
server departmemt. No drices excwpt what tje server itself has.