On Fri, 15 Jul 2011, Dennis Boone wrote: DECserver 90M. Connection to the network is via standard Cat5. Eight serial ports, capable of 57k baud, multi-session, built in flash RAM for O/S, inbuilt internet configuration, LAT capable, reverse LAT for console port serving, the list is endless. Serial connections to the server are via RJ45 connections, so it is very easy to make up cables, for example RJ45 to 9 pin DIN, 25 pin DIN or MMJ. The power supply is usually the hardest item to get officially, many don't come with one because they were installed in a multi-node backplane. However, all that is required is a mini 5 pin DIN connector and standard 5 volt 2 amp power supply. I can provide the required PIN out. If it came to it I'd be happy to supply a converter from a 2.5mm power plug. I recently acquired a couple on eBay for approx. $20 each. Worth every penny. Highly recommended. This message comes to you from a VT520 connected to a DECserver 90M, via another DECserver 90M (serving a console to a linux box). Regards, Mark.

On 15/07/2011 20:59, Dennis Boone wrote: I use a Xylogics Annex 2000. A little more tricky to set up than some, becasue it has lots of options, but it's worthwhile. It can handle modems (outgoing or incoming) as well as terminals, and it understands SLIP and PPP. You can "telnet annex" and get to a command prompt, from where you can select a line or a named service; lines can be grouped into "rotaries" (for banks of modems, for example, round-robin fashion). You can also assign TCP ports to lines so you can "telnet annex 2005" (which in my case would connect me to a PDP-11/23). Of course you can use authentication on any of the lines and have different rules for different lines, and it comes with software to work as a modem server, so you can make a UNIX or Linux box handle the modem(s) as if they were directly connected. MOP and LAT were optional; mine doesn't have the licence keys. I also have a Racal Interlan but it's much less versatile so I hardly ever use it. Actually, there are lots of terminal servers that would do the job (ie as reverse servers): Livingston, Racal, Emulex, DEC all made them. Thinking of serial devices, does anyone want a Telebit Netblazer? -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

On Fri, 2011-07-15 at 23:10 +0200, Jochen Kunz wrote: We had a western telematic console server that did that. I really hate that I didn't grab it before it was sent to surplus :( I bought a xyplex 1800 from the vcf midwest a few years ago (when it was at purdue) that I was going to use to replace the ds200 but alas, it has a bad power supply and shocked the bejeezus out of me when I touched the top of one of the capacitors to see if it was hot...I guess it was hot in a way different from what I was expecting :)