I bought a managed 3Com 10/100/1000 24 copper port and 4 SFP port rack mount switch on eBay 2 years ago for 25 bucks. I have my whole house wired through it and that thing works fantastic. You can pick up old enterprise grade network gear for real cheap on eBay and whatnot.
I have a big pile of old 8-bit ISA network cards for use with my XT/286/386/486 beasts and they're all 10base2/AUI without 10baseT. I got tired of dangling AUI transceivers off the back (not to mention the AUI to 10baseT converters themselves are getting rarer) and switched to 10base2. The hardest part was tracking down a suitable 10mbit hub. 8 ports of 10baseT and 1 port of 10base2 coax was a super common configuration back in the day. Finally found one and now I have a real Ethernet, with a true broadcast domain and genuine collisions!
I agree that if you're aiming for mid to late 90s you'll want a switch. I remember switches becoming common around the time that everyone upgraded to 100baseT fast ethernet.
kdr wrote on 2021-05-25, 00:46:I have a big pile of old 8-bit ISA network cards for use with my XT/286/386/486 beasts and they're all 10base2/AUI without 10baseT. I got tired of dangling AUI transceivers off the back (not to mention the AUI to 10baseT converters themselves are getting rarer) and switched to 10base2. The hardest part was tracking down a suitable 10mbit hub. 8 ports of 10baseT and 1 port of 10base2 coax was a super common configuration back in the day. Finally found one and now I have a real Ethernet, with a true broadcast domain and genuine collisions!
I agree that if you're aiming for mid to late 90s you'll want a switch. I remember switches becoming common around the time that everyone upgraded to 100baseT fast ethernet.
Sounds like the one I have- https://hackaday.com/2014/10/23/hackaday-retr … n-the-internet/
I'm in NZ as well. Palmerston North.
There's a glitch in the matrix.
A founding member of the 286 appreciation society.
Apparently 32-bit is dead and nobody likes P4s.
Of course, as always, I'm open to correction...😉
chrismeyer6 wrote on 2021-05-24, 21:09:I bought a managed 3Com 10/100/1000 24 copper port and 4 SFP port rack mount switch on eBay 2 years ago for 25 bucks. I have my whole house wired through it and that thing works fantastic. You can pick up old enterprise grade network gear for real cheap on eBay and whatnot.
The only potential downside to such gear is that some of it includes noisy fans . This is not an issue if one has an equipment cabinet/server room to house the gear . This is not my case and my current fanless 16-port switch resides behind my TV in my living room . I am close to outgrowing it (down to my last free port, AFAICR ) and am tempted by >1 Gb speeds either through link aggregation or through faster link speed support (VLANs would be nice too), so a managed 24-port 1Gb (or faster) managed switch is likely in my future . It will need to be both fanless (or very quiet) and affordable (<200$) .
That's normally very true these enterprise routers and switches are stupid loud with their fans. But I have probably 15 or so pieces of 3Com gear and the fans are actually pretty quiet for what they are. But I ended up replacing them with some good quality noctua fans and their nearly silent and a few of the switches are in a closet in our living room.
Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-24, 11:43:What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ? Tcp-ip ? IPX/spx ? Apple talk ? Token ring ? Netbeui ? […]
What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ?
Tcp-ip ?
IPX/spx ?
Apple talk ?
Token ring ?
Netbeui ?
It depends on the game, but probably TCP/IP and IPX, for the most part.
darry wrote on 2021-05-25, 01:56:The only potential downside to such gear is that some of it includes noisy fans . This is not an issue if one has an equipment cabinet/server room to house the gear . This is not my case and my current fanless 16-port switch resides behind my TV in my living room . I am close to outgrowing it (down to my last free port, AFAICR ).
How about another potential downside is running 16+ cables from one location thru the house ? I cascade to my 10Mbit work area, no need having all my XT's, 286's etc direct wired to the main Router/Switch but that is what works for me. My Network looks more like a Family tree than anything else can think of. Just my method....
Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun
That's true it's not always easy to run cables depending on how your house and rooms are setup. We bought our house and me and my father in-law gutted it and remodeled the whole thing so I was able to get all my Ethernet drops from the rooms to a central location in the basement and to the closet in the living room.
Horun wrote on 2021-05-25, 02:51:darry wrote on 2021-05-25, 01:56:The only potential downside to such gear is that some of it includes noisy fans . This is not an issue if one has an equipment cabinet/server room to house the gear . This is not my case and my current fanless 16-port switch resides behind my TV in my living room . I am close to outgrowing it (down to my last free port, AFAICR ).
How about another potential downside is running 16+ cables from one location thru the house ? I cascade to my 10Mbit work area, no need having all my XT's, 286's etc direct wired to the main Router/Switch but that is what works for me. My Network looks more like a Family tree than anything else can think of. Just my method....
Excellent point about the cabling . I imagine few homes come pre-wired with multiple Ethernet jacks per room .
There is nothing wrong with having multiple "access "switches connected to a central "distribution" switch, like you do . If I had any 10Mb equipment left, I would likely do the same as it saves on long cable runs and has practically no effect on performance .
EDIT: Corrected typos
If you want a real 90's switch, I have one of those isa cards that has 4 ports and acts as a switch as well. No idea if it works since I have never tried it.
Scythifuge wrote on 2021-05-25, 02:22:Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-24, 11:43:What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ? Tcp-ip ? IPX/spx ? Apple talk ? Token ring ? Netbeui ? […]
What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ?
Tcp-ip ?
IPX/spx ?
Apple talk ?
Token ring ?
Netbeui ?It depends on the game, but probably TCP/IP and IPX, for the most part.
Then to be 1990’s you probably want an old Linksys G-band router and switch.
Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-25, 07:10:Scythifuge wrote on 2021-05-25, 02:22:Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-24, 11:43:What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ? Tcp-ip ? IPX/spx ? Apple talk ? Token ring ? Netbeui ? […]
What network protocol(s) do you plan to use with your gaming network ?
Tcp-ip ?
IPX/spx ?
Apple talk ?
Token ring ?
Netbeui ?It depends on the game, but probably TCP/IP and IPX, for the most part.
Then to be 1990’s you probably want an old Linksys G-band router and switch.
EWWWW... I know a lot of people who loved those things.. both the B and G speed ones. I had a few over the years and they always ended up flaking out, even with Tomato on them. I ended up throwing most/all of them out.
Problem with them was the power brick with Chinese capacitors in it.
cyclone3d wrote on 2021-05-25, 08:18:Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-25, 07:10:Scythifuge wrote on 2021-05-25, 02:22:It depends on the game, but probably TCP/IP and IPX, for the most part.
Then to be 1990’s you probably want an old Linksys G-band router and switch.
EWWWW... I know a lot of people who loved those things.. both the B and G speed ones. I had a few over the years and they always ended up flaking out, even with Tomato on them. I ended up throwing most/all of them out.
Yes, I always throw out “period correctness” and choose “best performance” for retro game play.
So I would definitely choose a gigabit router and switch for a LAN party.
Just so the players will not experience any bottlenecks in network traffic.
Try to find a smart switch capable of monitoring network traffic.
Like an HP switch used with HP Openview and a Cisco router.
I think game play network performance should be considered a priority.
You can also install HP Openview on a PC with Windows-NT 4.0 workstation.
This way you can have realtime network performance readings and reports.
Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-25, 13:57:So I would definitely choose a gigabit router and switch for a LAN party.
Why do you need a router for LAN gaming? Unless you are organising tournaments with many hundreds of players I'd bet that 99.999% of setups are going to have all players on the same network segment.
Just so the players will not experience any bottlenecks in network traffic. Try to find a smart switch capable of monitoring net […]
Just so the players will not experience any bottlenecks in network traffic.
Try to find a smart switch capable of monitoring network traffic.
Like an HP switch used with HP Openview and a Cisco router.
I think game play network performance should be considered a priority.
You can also install HP Openview on a PC with Windows-NT 4.0 workstation.
This way you can have realtime network performance readings and reports.
If you need to monitor network performance on a switch being using for LAN gaming then you've got serious problems.
My collection database and technical wiki:
https://www.target-earth.net
802.11g didn't even come out until 2003, so nobody was using those linksys routers in the '90s.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-25, 13:57:Yes, I always throw out “period correctness” and choose “best performance” for retro game play. So I would definitely choose a g […]
cyclone3d wrote on 2021-05-25, 08:18:Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-25, 07:10:Then to be 1990’s you probably want an old Linksys G-band router and switch.
EWWWW... I know a lot of people who loved those things.. both the B and G speed ones. I had a few over the years and they always ended up flaking out, even with Tomato on them. I ended up throwing most/all of them out.
Yes, I always throw out “period correctness” and choose “best performance” for retro game play.
So I would definitely choose a gigabit router and switch for a LAN party.
Just so the players will not experience any bottlenecks in network traffic.
Try to find a smart switch capable of monitoring network traffic.
Like an HP switch used with HP Openview and a Cisco router.
I think game play network performance should be considered a priority.
You can also install HP Openview on a PC with Windows-NT 4.0 workstation.
This way you can have realtime network performance readings and reports.
Many of the games I plan to play, we used to play either via 28.8k modems between houses, or via serial cable with a null modem adapter. I could probably get away with avoiding 100base-t without worrying about bottlenecks, for what I'm going to be doing with this particular portion of the Retro Project. I think any 1990's 100base-t switch or hub will work, as long as I can use it in DOS, WFW 3.11, and Windows 9x. The retro LAN will have a 486, two P3's, and 2 or 3 P1's. After that, the next retro machine is an AthlonXP 3200+ with Windows XP, and that can utilize the modern LAN set up (which has two gigabit switches.) I will probably connect the retro switch to a port on one of the gigabit switches, and I will probably maintain good, solid speeds during gaming sessions. I may build a dual P3 with Windows NT or Windows 2000 as a server for the retro LAN.
I remember using an ISA 10base-T NIC on my previous 486 that died, and figuring out how to access a networked drive on my Phenom PC, through WFW 3.11. That was neat. I also remember surfing the internet with Arachne is MS-DOS, and I want to try that again. That was also really cool.
BitWrangler wrote on 2021-05-25, 15:24:802.11g didn't even come out until 2003, so nobody was using those linksys routers in the '90s.
I feel like he is trying to get me to forget about my quest for retro gear...
evasive wrote on 2021-05-25, 08:52:Problem with them was the power brick with Chinese capacitors in it.
I just had issues where the wifi would stop working every couple weeks and I would have to power cycle to get it to work again. Got tired of it.
BitWrangler wrote on 2021-05-25, 15:24:802.11g didn't even come out until 2003, so nobody was using those linksys routers in the '90s.
the seminal variant of that linksys product line was the BEFSR41, which had no WiFi and was released in 1999
