Re: OT: Ping Isaac

On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 15:49:17 +0100, peterd.news@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Pd)
wrote:

T i m <news@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

This was in the days of DOS, W3.1/.11, 95 NT etc and it wasn't as if
the network was only used for file and print services. We became the
Corporate International Mail Hub [1] via MSMail with external gateways
to Lotus ccMail and roving / dial-in users (reps and customers). We
also had a MSMail to SMTP gateway, an X.25 gateway, Async gateways, a
Fax gateway etc etc. Even a mix of DOS-NetBIOS, Novell, NT and Unix
servers. There were also several multi-user databases running, contact
management / scheduling for sales and a timed / event popup system for
the support guys (those were eventually merged into one system) and
accounts had summat else. All running 24/7, with little or no budget
(every new purchase had to be sanctioned / justified individually).

That's interesting -

You need to get out more Peter! ;-)

that's almost word for word exactly what I did
around 1992-96, apart from the Async gateway and with the addition of
UUCP, except it was all using Macs.

The bit I forgot and party what the Asynch gateways and Com port
redirect software was used for (again pre-email) was to access the
BBS. It was actually TBBS ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBBS ) and
was primarily offered (instigated by me again) to provide remote
unattended access to product system files (often ROM images) for our
data-comms products. It ran on an actual IBM PC XT with a green screen
and a 4 port Digiboard multi port Com Card giving 6 ports in total. I
think one was permanently connected to a dial-up (in) modem and a
couple to an X.25 PAD that was in the Comms rack in my office.

We only had a couple of Unix boxes used by the (2) sandal wearers in
the R&D department.

Even then, it was the MSMail stuff
that caused the most headaches.

About the only time in my IT career I've had to call MS for support
was down to MSMail, specifically MSM<>SMTP gateway. I ended up
talking (and faxing / emailing) a 3rd line support tech and the issue
was eventually resolved by them.

At least the networking was easy, as all
the Macs came ready to network out of the box.

Yeah, I remember that being one of the few obvious advantages about
Macs at the time (Dad was using one at work). We started with a 3 user
Amstrad networking kit, expanded it to 6 users, then to about 10 using
the product the Amstrad kit was based on (Corvus Omninet 1). We then
went over to Cheapernet using the same networking software (I had a
local bridge in there during the transmission) and then D-Links
PCNOS. When I left it was PCNOS (fast and reliable) some Netware an
i/p.

The multi-user databases
we had running on networks of Macs back in the 1980s.

K

Of course, there was always one person in the company with a PC, usually
some old guy still running DOS "because that's what he knew", and that
was invariably a nightmare trying to get it talking to the printers,
gateways and other servers.

Like I said, we didn't have any Macs so we didn't have any
compatibility issues. As I mentioned before, in all my days (15 years)
in the field, visiting DataCenters and comms rooms, installing
Multipliers and X.25 Pads onto terminals and PC's I never, ever came
across a Mac? !000's of Dumb terminals and PC's running DOS / Procomm
and other terminal emulation software but not a Mac in sight (and
probably why they were (are) still a bit of a strange beast to me) ;-)

At least the odd Windows 95 machine would
probably work as a lot of our software was cross platform.

K

My boss and I went to a 'Service Manager exhibition'. This was for
service management software rather than the role <g> and I can't
remember seeing one that ran on Macs (as in the Mac networking /
servers). There may well have been some client software but it looked
like all Mainframe / Novell / M$ networking stuff.

All the best ..

T i m



.

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