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An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

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Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#11

Post by ghewgill »

icedchai wrote: post #6
mcculley wrote: post #3

I am surprised by the assumption that each box could only handle one modem. I seem to remember that some DOS BBS packages could handle multiple modems/users concurrently and only needed multitasking operating systems for “door” programs. Am I misremembering?

I'm fairly certain you are correct. I remember the MajorBBS could handle multiple lines on its own. I knew a couple of local DOS BBSes that ran multiple lines with PCBoard under DESQview.

MajorBBS could handle multiple lines on its own, but you had to handle ALL of the lines with one box. That meant a serial port interface like DigiBoard which provided some number (8 or 16 or more) of serial ports that you would connect to modems.

Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#12

Post by petra303 »

bigwheels wrote: post #2

Would these machines have been networked with CAT-3? Daisy chained phone cords?

More likely coax. 3com 509c network cards. Much less infrastructure to have a lan that way.

IBM had a network that ran over phone cords that were daisycbained from one node to the next.

Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#14

Post by [deleted] »

mcculley wrote: post #3

I am surprised by the assumption that each box could only handle one modem. I seem to remember that some DOS BBS packages could handle multiple modems/users concurrently and only needed multitasking operating systems for “door” programs. Am I misremembering?

[deleted]

Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#15

Post by icedchai »

ghewgill wrote: post #11
icedchai wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fairly certain you are correct. I remember the MajorBBS could handle multiple lines on its own. I knew a couple of local DOS BBSes that ran multiple lines with PCBoard under DESQview.

MajorBBS could handle multiple lines on its own, but you had to handle ALL of the lines with one box. That meant a serial port interface like DigiBoard which provided some number (8 or 16 or more) of serial ports that you would connect to modems.

I remember DigiBoard from my early ISP days. We attempted to turn a mid 90's-era Linux system (Slackware) into a terminal server. The Linux drivers for DigiBoard weren't quite up to it so we wound up going with Telebit Netblazers, I think.

Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#18

Post by kstrauser »

icedchai wrote: post #15
ghewgill wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MajorBBS could handle multiple lines on its own, but you had to handle ALL of the lines with one box. That meant a serial port interface like DigiBoard which provided some number (8 or 16 or more) of serial ports that you would connect to modems.

I remember DigiBoard from my early ISP days. We attempted to turn a mid 90's-era Linux system (Slackware) into a terminal server. The Linux drivers for DigiBoard weren't quite up to it so we wound up going with Telebit Netblazers, I think.

I think we used RocketPorts for a while until switching to Livingston Portmaster 3s, which you plugged a T-1 into.

Re: An old photo of a large BBS (2022)

#20

Post by ryandrake »

I remember thinking that I would reach absolute peak-coolkid if I could start and run a BBS. I even installed WWIV and DesqView to fuel the fantasy and prepare. But my parents didn't understand technology and couldn't grasp why I wanted to hook up (and pay for) a second phone line for the house. So, unfortunately I would remain a mere luser until I went off to University where the Internet was just getting popular and 10-Base-T ethernet drops to the dorm rooms were standard, and I very quickly forgot all about BBSing.
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