10base2 aka BNC aka CheaperNet. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pottsey
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10base2 aka BNC aka CheaperNet. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pottsey
I'm not sure about the school where I am now, but I remember my primary school back in 1985/6 (when I was 9) having around 30 BBC Micros on an Econet network, with an Acorn Filestore server and a 40MB Winchester Hard Drive!
Not sure how long really, I know that it was here from at least early '91 onwards and the deputy head responsible for sims still has netware flashbacks - we found the old netware fileserver in a cupboard a while ago.
I object to being called a relic! But, to answer the original question - 1984 with a RM 480Z network. BNC connectors. thin ethernet and a 10MB Winchester (hard drive to the young ones) to store the work from 16 stations and a couple of GCSE groups. The operating system was a networked version of CP/M called CP/Net. The "server" was basically a 380Z (Z80 processor) but I can't remember how much memory. Probably only 16 or 32K.Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoff
Now if you want to talk about paper tapes and writing your own boot programs, then burning them on to a PROM, I'm your man. But not now, I need to take my tablets and have a sleep........
The current network infrastructure is partly 4 years old and partly newer (in bits).
I believe that pretty much everything else was ripped out then (well, most of it - we still have a few bnc ports around the place and a few random cat3 cables but not used).
I remember the first network at the high school I went to, it consisted of apple plus computers, apple classic computers linked with appletalk cables... But then, you can't really call that a network.
I then remember building a network in 1999/2000 (when I was 14/15) from a bunch of 486/pentium 1 machines using BNC/thinnet cards and cabling, which grew to 20 machines and changed over to cat5 with a linux server running mandrake 6, then NT4, then back to Mandrake :D It was more stable than the newly installed ethernet mac network in the it dept... (Eugh, Novell netware was awful!)
Wow! I feel *really* old reading this stuff by such youngsters :-)
First network I set up was at the end of 1983 - a BBC Econet. About 20 stations with a print server and file server (grand name; just a standard BBC B with 2 x floppy discs attached). Econet was a nightmare of cabling - the connectors were standard 5 pin Audio DINs and very fragile.
I moved to a different school in January 1985 (Hounslow Manor) and they already had a network of RML480z computers (again with a floppy based file server)
First Ethernet network was 1991 - coax (sometimes called "thin ethernet" or 10Base2) and fibre between buildings.
I've been at this College for 9 years; the network has grown organically from coax to cat 3, cat 5, cat and fibre over a long time. Oldest bits are a couple of 2Mb leased lines between Wembley, Willesden and Kilburn; these terminate with big AUI (Attachment Unit Interface) connectors - scary things compared to UTP plugs!
Our Headteacher used to run the whole show here and back in circa 2001 we had a suite of 6 running off an old RM server sharing an ISDN line which provided a SIMS link to the Office as well. There was also around about a dozen standalones accessing the net through wired and some wireless connections.
In 2002 the Head pushed for and achieved major changes including an ICT suite and Library dropped into former redundant courtyards. The suite houses a win 2K server and 32 XP Pro workstations with CRT monitors. We have IWB in each classroom and the main hall. We are getting Air Con for the suite soon as last year things were into meltdown and now we are looking toward the next step - what do we replace everything with?ooking
Wow, some of your places have had stuff for ages!
The earliest computers I remember at school (if you discount the 1 BBC Micro we had at primary school) was the 2 suites of Acorns in secondary school. I was fascinated with them, despite the fact there was nothing you could do on them apart from word processing
Does anyone use 1gbps connections to the clients yet?
or just key locations.. e.g. servers, your own office etc?
Not really we don’t need it yet but we are a small school. When ever we get new PC’s I make sure they have 1gbs network cards and any new switch’s also have support but it’s more of a slow phase in then actually being any use.
Currently it's just the servers and my office that have 1gbps connection, have just replaced a load of switchs and stuck with 100mb with a couple 1gb ports. Not enough of our pc's have 1gb network cards to make it worth spending the extra. Maybe next time around in a couple of years.
When I started at my current location 11 years ago, there were 3 networks in place. The admin network comprising of a mixture of IBM PS/1 and PS/2 machines running MS DOS6.2 and Windows for Workgroups on a 4mbs token-ring network linked to a Netware 3.11 box. The 'main' school wide curriculum network comprising of various RM Nimbus 86, 186 and 286 machines linked to a pair of 286 and 386 based Nimbus servers. The 3rd network was 2 rooms containing 486SX 33's and Pentium 75's running MS DOS 6.22/Windows for Workgroups linked to a Netware 3.12 Pentium 120 Server.
During the first summer holiday, the Nimbus curriculum network was decommisioned and the second curriculum network was merged with a new network comprising of two ict suites and the library, these running Windows 95 on AMD K5-Pr166 linked to a Netware 4.1 Pentium MMX 200 Server.
The token ring admin network was eventually retired and replaced with cat5/5e although the original token ring cabling/MAU's are still in place and 'live'.
Prior to my joining the school I know there had been a RM Link 480Z C/PM based system at some point running off a RM 380Z twin 20Mb Winchester disk server as they were in my store cupboard when I arrived. There were also half a dozen BBC Micro and Masters dotted about the site although I can find no evidence of them ever being networked.
I also remember that prior to attending high-school myself, that particular school had just retired a room of networked Apple II's to move to RM 480Z's.
Imagine we've had a lan for a while - Netware lan up until December 1998 (when i joined the school), and have since had successive versions of ranger - 3.0 on nt4, 4.0 on 2000, 5.0 on 2003 etc in that time - although still the same 'domain'. We certianly had fibre to an outbuilding in 1996. (that fibre was replaced last year, after 10 years loyal service)
In terms of infrastructure, the whole backbone's been mostly replaced over the last 3-4 years with multimode fibre. The vast majority of desktop network points have been done at some point in that time too, although in places, there is older cat5.
I've been involved since 2002.
Kyle
Not too sure about the past of this school as pretty much everything that might have existed was long gone when I started. In it's current form the network's been here since august 06, when we replaced the 3yr old servers and rebuilt the domain from the ground up to get rid of many major faults on the old system.
By looking at the cabling, I suspect they have had an RM network of some sort in the past, as there's RM cabling in 2 rooms on the 2rd floor. I also know there's been a lot of changes over the years, as there's 4 rooms in this school fully wired as ICT suites that are now dance/drama rooms. what a waste of perfectly good cabling! There's also traces of old BNC networking in places, although a lot of this has been removed during building works.
I've been involved here since March 2006.
Mike.
I can't let that one slide! Nothing you could do???Quote:
Originally Posted by sidewinder
My dad bought an A3000 in about 1990 (I was 6) and installed a 2MB RAM upgrade! I could write floppy discs to RAM then back to floppy... it rocked!
My secondary school, a little behind the times, had a suite of Acorns and I was very 'familiar' with them by that point.
If you think they can't do anything you obviously never played games (Lemmings, Mad Professor, Chuck Rock, Pac-Mania, Lotus Turbo Challenge, Repton etc), programmed in BASIC (F12) or used Talking Pendown!
Never had an econet but wanted it more than anything in the world! I used to spend hours with our BBC Micro writing little programs and adventure games... the mark of a true geek - typing before I could write :)