old modems & a packet switcher

From: Ethan Dicks <erd_at_infinet.com>
Date: Mon Aug 3 13:01:05 1998

>
> > With many of these devices, it takes (at least) two to tango, and of
> > course you never find both together.

What you sometimes find is a rack from one end of a connection with more than
one of the same item. They had bnever been connected to each other
in their former life, but that's easy to fix.

> > (What is the sound of one statmux clapping?)

LOL! Shouldn't that be one statmux muxing?
 
> Well, after finding one, you will have a new goal of finding another one!

And another, and another...
  
> > Synchronous modems often didn't just carry the data from one end to
> > the other, they also provided clock signals to the DTEs. Many DTEs
> > expect to see those clock signals and won't originate them, so getting
> > two nearby ones to talk over direct cabling can be an interesting
> > proposition.

When I worked with sync comms, the hardest thing to simulate was the POTS
lines. We eventually built a product that never sold (but got lots of
in-house use) that simulated a C.O., down to line faults like one-way
connections and the like. For RS-232/V.35 connections, we had shelves
filled with Black Box modem eliminators and a DB-25 patch panel. You
plug two DTEs in, and voila, they talk at whatever baud rate you strap the
M.E. to. We even made an inline M.E. for a few years with a 5.0688MHz Xtal
and a COM8046 baud rate generator.

I have to say, though, that I'm not surprised at the lack of classic
networking gear on the open market. Most of this stuff is big, old and
slow. My goal has always been the opposite - find a way to use the newest
networking possible with the older equipment. Beyond bringing Ethernet
to PC-XTs, it's been a while since I had a success story.

-ethan
Received on Mon Aug 03 1998 - 13:01:05 BST