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   Tom Lyon ✅ (aka_pugs@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:52:11 JST Tom Lyon ✅

   SMDS was the most Frankenstein-ian network protocol I ever dealt with.
   - T1 or T3 physical layer
   - IEEE 802.6 DQDB data link, but only deployed as point-to-point!
   - 53 byte ATM cells - 44 useful (AAL3/4)
   - OSI style addressing (phone numbers)
   - All to deliver a *connectionless* data service!!

   • Embed this notice
     Marcus Müller (funkylab@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:57:05 JST Marcus Müller

     in reply to

     • LaF0rge

     @aka_pugs cc @LaF0rge , as this is slightly eldritch #retronetworking on digital last mile networks (CBDS?)

   • Embed this notice
     LaF0rge (laf0rge@chaos.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:57:05 JST LaF0rge

     in reply to

     • Marcus Müller

     @funkylab @aka_pugs thanks for making me aware of this thread. I did read about SMDS before, but I think it was a US thing only. Would be very interesting to operate it again if anyone still has some equipment. The T1 transport is easy to carry between homes of retro collectors via some form of TDMoIP, like we do in OCTOI. #retronetworking

   • Embed this notice
     Tom Lyon ✅ (aka_pugs@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:57:06 JST Tom Lyon ✅

     in reply to

     In spite of all that, I was very excited because it would have been the best data service available from US Telcos. Before SMDS, it was either leased lines or X.25 (yecch!)

     Pacific Bell was pretty serious about rolling out service and I came *very* close to getting an SMDS/T1 line to my house!

   • Embed this notice
     Tom Lyon ✅ (aka_pugs@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:57:06 JST Tom Lyon ✅

     in reply to

     Some folks at AT&T had developed a VME card for SMDS, so I was able to integrate that into a Sun system. The AT&T folks were skeptical that I could make it work at all -- but it was up and cooking within a month.

     Have I mentioned that I do device drivers?

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     Tom Lyon ✅ (aka_pugs@mastodon.social)'s status on Saturday, 21-Dec-2024 17:57:06 JST Tom Lyon ✅

     in reply to

     Anyways, SMDS disappeared without a trace once Frame Relay came along - and rightfully so.. AFAIK, IEEE 802.6 never got any commercial success.