7 May
2014
7 May
'14
8:37 p.m.
I am going to show my ignorance here.
Steve wants an Annex terminal server for his dial-up project.
We use a VT420 to test the external modems, and they dial out and connect
just fine.
What does an Annex Terminal Server do? Why is one needed for terminals to
connect, if a VT420 connects just fine?
Cindy Croxton
7 May
7 May
9:17 p.m.
Steve wants an Annex terminal server for his dial-up
project.
We use a VT420 to test the external modems, and they
dial out and
connect just fine.
What does an Annex Terminal Server do? Why is one
needed for
terminals to connect, if a VT420 connects just fine?
Well, of course, the most informative answer would be from Steve. But
I can offer some speculation (accurate, I hope, but probably worth
about what you paid for it).
Terminal servers are basically concentrators: they have multiple serial
ports, which they multiplex into some kind of data stream over a much
faster medium, usually Ethernet. They can be used in either direction;
basically, they are a way of putting a whole pile of serial ports on a
single machine without needing a lot of serial-port hardware for the
machine in question.
In this case, my guess would be that a bunch of modems will be
connected to the terminal server, so that some small number of hosts
(one, probably) can handle that large number of modems without having
to find cards for that machine with (what for that hardware is)
ridiculously high numbers of serial ports. It's relatively easy to
find 16- or 32-port serial cards for a VAX or the like. It's harder
for a Sun-3/260. It's even more difficult for an Sbus machine like the
SPARCstation-5 he mentioned using. It likely borders on impossible for
the NeXT - I can't recall ever even hearing of add-on serial-line
hardware for any kind of NeXT (though it probably exists). A terminal
server (I don't know why he specified Annex - other people have made
them; perhaps he's got some Annex-specific software in mind) allows,
effectively, putting all those dozen or so modems on any of those
machines relatively easily.
/~\ The ASCII Mouse
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9:34 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of Mouse
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2014 3:17 PM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Dumb question about Annex Terminal Server
Steve wants an Annex terminal server for his dial-up
project.
We use a VT420 to test the external modems, and they
dial out and
connect just fine.
What does an Annex Terminal Server do? Why is one
needed for
terminals to connect, if a VT420 connects just fine?
Well, of course, the most informative answer would be from Steve. But I can
offer some speculation (accurate, I hope, but probably worth about what you
paid for it).
Terminal servers are basically concentrators: they have multiple serial
ports, which they multiplex into some kind of data stream over a much faster
medium, usually Ethernet. They can be used in either direction; basically,
they are a way of putting a whole pile of serial ports on a single machine
without needing a lot of serial-port hardware for the machine in question.
In this case, my guess would be that a bunch of modems will be connected to
the terminal server, so that some small number of hosts (one, probably) can
handle that large number of modems without having to find cards for that
machine with (what for that hardware is) ridiculously high numbers of serial
ports. It's relatively easy to find 16- or 32-port serial cards for a VAX
or the like. It's harder for a Sun-3/260. It's even more difficult for an
Sbus machine like the
SPARCstation-5 he mentioned using. It likely borders on impossible for the
NeXT - I can't recall ever even hearing of add-on serial-line hardware for
any kind of NeXT (though it probably exists). A terminal server (I don't
know why he specified Annex - other people have made them; perhaps he's got
some Annex-specific software in mind) allows, effectively, putting all those
dozen or so modems on any of those machines relatively easily.
Mouse
OK, to sound even dumber, when I look at pics on Google for "Annex terminal
server", they show boxes with RJ45 connectors.
Now, we have MANY 25-pin to RJ45 adapters, so I can understand that.
We also have boxes called MUX, CSU, DSU, CSU/DSU, and lots of other
acronyms.
Some are 9-pin, some are 25-pin, some are BNC, some are AUI, some are RJ45,
and some are a combo of two or more.
So, since I am stupid about anything except modems, NICs, and hubs/switches,
how do I tell what would be useful for this project?
Age of this equip ranges from ARK (very old) to fiber optic equip.
Cindy
10:33 p.m.
[untrimmed-quoting and unmarked-quoting damage repaired manually]
OK, to sound even dumber, when
I look at pics on Google for "Annex
terminal server", they show boxes with RJ45 connectors.
Some of them did/do use the RJ45-compatible connectors for their serial
ports.
What does an Annex Terminal Server do? Why is one
needed for
terminals to connect, if a VT420 connects just fine?
[...speculation...]
Terminal servers are basically concentrators [...] Now, we have MANY 25-pin to RJ45 adapters [...]
We also have boxes called MUX, CSU, DSU, CSU/DSU, and lots of other
acronyms.
Some are 9-pin, some are 25-pin, some are BNC, some are AUI, some are
RJ45, and some are a combo of two or more.
Indeed. I could come up with a small subset of that list myself from
my own miscellaneous bits and pieces.
So, since I am stupid about anything except modems,
NICs, and
hubs/switches, how do I tell what would be useful for this project?
Umm...ask Steven?
It probably sounds like a bit of a cop-out, but I don't know exactly
he's looking for, nor how exactly he cares about finding precisely what
he has in mind.
Many of those things probably will not be of any use. Everything
specific you list might be of use (possibly even the CSU and DSU boxes,
since he said he's looking for T1 cards). DE9 and DB25 are likely
connectors for serial ports. BNC, AUI, and "RJ45" (it's not RJ45, but
it's the same connector as RJ45) are plausible connectors for the
network side of a terminal server.
Of course, each of those also occurs often enough in other equipment,
equipment which has nothing to do with what Steven wants, so just
because I can't rule it out doesn't mean it's of any use to him.
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8 May
8 May
1:17 a.m.
Mouse wrote:
ridiculously high numbers of serial ports. It's
relatively easy to
find 16- or 32-port serial cards for a VAX or the like. It's harder
for a Sun-3/260. It's even more difficult for an Sbus machine like the
SPARCstation-5 he mentioned using. It likely borders on impossible for
the NeXT - I can't recall ever even hearing of add-on serial-line
hardware for any kind of NeXT (though it probably exists). A terminal
server (I don't know why he specified Annex - other people have made
them; perhaps he's got some Annex-specific software in mind) allows,
effectively, putting all those dozen or so modems on any of those
machines relatively easily.
Along those lines, there is a 128-port serial interface for MCA RS/6000s.
Peace... Sridhar
8:07 a.m.
and of course decservers. the decserver 716 is even a standalone
machine, forwarding 16 configurable serial ports to one ip address.
every serial port has its own tcp or udp port.
On 08-05-14 02:17, Sridhar Ayengar wrote:
Mouse wrote:
--
Met vriendelijke Groet,
Simon Claessen
drukknop.nl
ridiculously high numbers of serial ports.
It's relatively easy to
find 16- or 32-port serial cards for a VAX or the like. It's harder
for a Sun-3/260. It's even more difficult for an Sbus machine like the
SPARCstation-5 he mentioned using. It likely borders on impossible for
the NeXT - I can't recall ever even hearing of add-on serial-line
hardware for any kind of NeXT (though it probably exists). A terminal
server (I don't know why he specified Annex - other people have made
them; perhaps he's got some Annex-specific software in mind) allows,
effectively, putting all those dozen or so modems on any of those
machines relatively easily.
Along those lines, there is a 128-port serial interface for MCA RS/6000s.
Peace... Sridhar
5:49 p.m.
On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Simon Claessen <simski at dds.nl> wrote:
and of course decservers. the decserver 716 is even a
standalone machine,
forwarding 16 configurable serial ports to one ip address. every serial port
has its own tcp or udp port.
A DECserver 716 is for wimps.
What you need is 64 ports of DECserver 550 goodness, all driven by a
KDJ11 processor:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321400208227
Too bad the asking price on that one isn't about 10x cheaper.
6:55 p.m.
In addition to what's already been mentioned about not having to
connect a ton of serial ports directly to a machine, you also have the
option of connecting to any machine on your local network.
So a terminal server can do more than just allow a bunch of terminals
to connect to *one* machine, they can connect to *any* machine on your
local network. Usually this is done by having the terminal server act
as a telnet/ssh client on behalf of the terminal and presenting a menu
to the terminal when it first connects via modem.
--
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9:31 p.m.
there is no kill like overkill. :-)
On 08-05-14 18:49, Glen Slick wrote:
On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Simon Claessen
<simski at dds.nl> wrote:
--
Met vriendelijke Groet,
Simon Claessen
drukknop.nl
and of course decservers. the decserver 716 is
even a standalone machine,
forwarding 16 configurable serial ports to one ip address. every serial port
has its own tcp or udp port.
A DECserver 716 is for wimps.
What you need is 64 ports of DECserver 550 goodness, all driven by a
KDJ11 processor:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321400208227
Too bad the asking price on that one isn't about 10x cheaper.
3665
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