Re: OT - Retix series 4000 lan bridges

["David Buckley" <db@xxxxxxx>]

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "matt_miles_uk" <m_miles@xxxxxxx;
wrote:
> Do they have a practical use anymore for anything?  Seems
> a shame to chop them up!

It was only a couple of months ago I binned the manual on the basis
of "I'll never need that again".

These things are MAC remote bridges, and the idea is that you use
them in pairs (or more usually, two pairs for resilience, remember
these were high end product).  A serial line is required, most
usually a G.703, for which you would have one or more pairs of BNC
sockets, or X.21 (one or more 15pin D).  The serial protocol was (or
course) properietry, so Retixs only worked with Retixs.

So if you dont have a high speed expensive leased line sitting
around, they wont be much use to you.

An old supplier and out-of-touch mate Frank (of www.tunak.com) is
listing these for sale at 75 quid, which illustrates their current
complete lack of value.  Im trying to remember their new price less
than a decade back, and 20K keeps coming to mind.  Back then (cue
music), when you said you used Retix kit, people went ooohhhhh,
noting that you worked for someone with budget.

As falls from grace go, Retix's was enourmous.  In the 80s and early
90s their remote bridge technology was _the_ answer, there was no
even half serious competition for wide area LAN technology.  And
then came the Router Revolution, and Retix just vanished.