Theres several protocols that often use the DE25 connector. Its hard to guess how it was utilized in the facility you reference. RS232 would be point to point and would probably have an endpoint computer with a ton of RS232 ports like you suggest. Such serial hubs do exist. More likely is RS422 or RS485 which do support more familiar networking types.

ZombieMatrix wrote on 2020-12-04, 20:16:

Theres several protocols that often use the DE25 connector. Its hard to guess how it was utilized in the facility you reference. RS232 would be point to point and would probably have an endpoint computer with a ton of RS232 ports like you suggest. Such serial hubs do exist. More likely is RS422 or RS485 which do support more familiar networking types.

Looking at it, RS485 would make sense. You use to also see an adapter where a cat5 cable went in the server end and there was a DE25 to the client on some systems
Werent very many of them even ~12 years ago when I started and not seen any in use for years - you just still see the ports sometimes and one of our buidling still has a rats nest of linkage boxes in the roof space! Was just curious 😉

B jack...back in the day, of 1993, I was using adapter cable we would get from the computing dept that terminates in RJ45 connector for the dorm's B jack wall receptacle and other end is 25 pin connector into computer's serial most usually needs 9 pin adapter too , launch the terminal program and we would bang on the return key few times to get the attention of the vax machine to get cursor prompt so we can type in order to connect to the vaxen and have fun. Some of the terminal programs had to have delete command edited in to behave properly.

Cheers,

Quick google I found and article from someone in NHS IT saying 25 years ago NHS was mainframe and green screen based so keep in mind this is very different setup to a PC based network.
The sever would look closer to those big as a fridge reel to reel servers from 60's movies then a PC with a bunch of serial ports.

Likewise the terminal on the desks would have been dumb and more like a remote console than having any processing power of its own.

chinny22 wrote on 2020-12-07, 12:16:

Quick google I found and article from someone in NHS IT saying 25 years ago NHS was mainframe and green screen based so keep in mind this is very different setup to a PC based network.
The sever would look closer to those big as a fridge reel to reel servers from 60's movies then a PC with a bunch of serial ports.

Likewise the terminal on the desks would have been dumb and more like a remote console than having any processing power of its own.

In many hospitals, think that's highly likely. Remember or two still having a few dumb terminals around.

GP surgeries wouldn't have been though I don't think - would have been far too expensive and only a quite small number of users

squelch41 wrote on 2020-12-07, 12:22:

In many hospitals, think that's highly likely. Remember or two still having a few dumb terminals around.

GP surgeries wouldn't have been though I don't think - would have been far too expensive and only a quite small number of users

The ports are in GP surgeries as well? interesting...
I imagine it's still the same thing, it's cheaper the connect the existing system then develop a new one after all.
Of course your right and I doubt they had a mainframe themselves and in effect would have been remote offices

What would be really fascinating is how did they create a remote connection, terminal type program on a standard PC or did the hardware have its own dial in system?

The GP surgeries would probably have used a Terminal Server to connect dumb terminals to a remote system via a WAN, it's also likely these were used in the main buildings using a LAN connection.