[HECnet] ANF10 network --> Kdp/Dup

[R. Voorhorst]

L.S.

 

It is quite easy to expand this; currently I run 8 lines from the Kdp/dup
and it works quite well.

It needs a slight adaptation in Simh and another in Tops10, but you have to
rebuild the monitor.

 

 

Reindert

 

From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On Behalf
Of Robert Armstrong
Sent: Tuesday, 16 November, 2021 17:34
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: [HECnet] ANF10 network

 

  Supratim and I (with some help and encouragement from Peter) have set up
an ANF10 network between the TOPS10 nodes VENTI and TWONKY.  If you haven't
heard of it, ANF10 (short for "A Networking Feature" - yes, really!)
predates DECnet (I'm pretty sure, although I'm sure there will be debate
about that) and provides mostly the same functions - remote terminals, file
transfer, etc.  ANF10 also has remote RJEs with card readers, line printers
and terminal concentrators.

 

.net/anf

[ANF10 network: connected to VENTI(20), located at VENTI(20), 2 nodes]

Node    VENTI   (20)    SIMH KS10 VENTI 7.04 NET        14-Nov-21

Node    TWONKY  (37)    SIMH KS10 TWONKY 7.04NET        15-Nov-21

 

  It's possible to run ANF10 and DECnet both, and that's what we're doing so
TWONKY and VENTI are also available on HECnet.  If anybody else has a TOPS10
system and would like to connect it would be nice to add a few more nodes,
but there is a problem.  TOPS10 supports a maximum of two KDP/DUP lines on
the KS10, and you need one for DECnet and the other for ANF10.  That means
each system can talk to at most one other ANF10 system, which limits the
network size to two nodes.   Bummer.

 

  There are a few options available -

 

*         DEC made some DNxx PDP-11 boxes that supported multiple ANF10
connections.  We could set up one of these as a router.

*         Somebody could hack TOPS10 to allow more than two DUP lines.

*         Somebody could write a pyDECnet type gizmo that speaks ANF10.

 

And there might be others that I haven't thought of yet.  Any ideas?

 

Bob

 

 

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