Econet Enthusiasts Area

You are visitor to the EEA.

Welcome to the Econet Enthusiasts Area (EEA for short). My intention here is to document Econet, and to provide you with the information you require.

This area has been updated and given what the French cutely call a "relooking". I hope the changes bring the EEA into the 21st century, dragging the aging 8 bit hardware kicking and screaming with it!

This used to be my network...

Since moving to France (2002/05/20), I dumped the MDFS in the rubbish - the only thing I could recover from it was the SCSI harddisc and the floppy drives. As the live was apparently on the ground wire, this problem passed itself into the circuitry of the MDFS and I guess it is just luck that the harddisc took it and didn't die.
The FileStore and BBC micro were unaffected as, being slower 6502-based machines, they were not linked into the network at the time. This is possibly a good thing as apparently locating replacement BBC micro line drivers would have been hell!.
The SJ bridge only half works (not terribly useful then!) as I needed the line driver for the SJ clock box.

By the way, if you look at the clock speeds given you will see that they are pretty fast. The E01S and the BBC micro do not operate at these speeds. When I wished to make use of them, I needed to slow the network down (to about 1µS mark, 4µS space (5µS period)). These faster speeds were, primarily, for the RISC OS machines and the MDFS; that's why the 6502 machines are in grey.
Ironically the bridge, also a 6502 machine, pretty much keeps up with the faster transfers. Either this is SJ's influence, or the BBC MOS (also sort-of used in the FileStore) doesn't cope well with very regular interrupts. I bet the Econet would totally kick ass if the ADLC had 16-32 bytes of cache onboard!

My network today...

For the Econet side of things, I have recently resurrected the FileStore. There is also a BBC micro that should work, an A5000, an A310(ish), and an A3000.
I'm not quite sure what I'd use Econet for, as I don't use any of those machines much (erm, at all?) these days - but I know my EPROM programmer will only work on the BBC micro or the A5000 - so there may be a revival...

Introduction:

The Acorn "FileStore"

The SJ Research "MDFS"

Clocks

Bridges

Network interfaces

Software

By Alan Williams... awServer (v1.00, zip, 53K). awSpooler (v0.01, zip, 15K). Machines (v2.03, zip, 21K).	By Rick Murray... "BudgieMgr" network management suite No longer being developed, is being released with sources... Set FileStore clock (zip, 2K).
By J.G.Harston... Level 2 server Y2K patch (v1.02, Black archive, 4K). Level 3 server Y2K patch (v0.92, Black archive, 5K). Black archive software, for all Acorn machines (v2.13, BASIC, 22K).

EPROM dumps (etc)

Please note that these dumps may still be somebody's property, so please use them responsibly - to keep old hardware going.

The dumps have '.dat' extensions. They are binary data, so don't try to get your browser to display them, it will look really weird, like the picture on the right here...

On most RISC OS browsers, click on the link while holding down the Shift key to save the file.
On most PC browsers, right-click the link and choose the option Save target as... (or something similar).

Please do not email me to ask what you should do with these dumps. If you don't know, you don't need them!
To those small few that were audacious enough to ask if I had any later versions... don't you think if I did, they'd be here?

SERVERS

• Acorn FileStore E01S / Stacking FileStore / FileStore II
  FileStore EPROM: v1.33, in two 32K halves. © 1988 Acorn Computers.
  • e01s_lower.dat - lower 32K (ROM dump)
  • e01s_upper.dat - upper 32K (ROM dump)
  The FileStore uses a single 64K EPROM, so you should blow the images in in 32K chunks as directed. The lower 32K is the server code and the upper 32K is the MOS code.
   
  
• Acorn FileStore upgrade
  FileStore EPROM: v1.40.00, in two 32K halves. © 1989 Acorn Computers.
  • filestore_fs.dat - lower 32K (ROM dump)
  • filestore_mos.dat - upper 32K (ROM dump)
  The FileStore uses a single 64K EPROM, so you should blow the images in in 32K chunks as directed. The lower 32K is the server code and the upper 32K is the MOS code.
   
  I tracked down these EPROM image files. They provide file server version 1.40.00, dated 1989.
  I do not know if they are E01S only, or if they will work in both.
  Read more about upgrading to this firmware.
  
   
  
• Level 2 File Server
  Not strictly an EPROM dump, but it seemed a logical place to offer this file...
  This is the first mainstream file server released by Acorn, product code 14-AES21-0002164. It requires either a BBC B or a Master, with a 6502 2nd processor (in both cases) and a 2×800K floppy drive.
  Also included is a disc formatter, a password file editor, and JGH's Y2K patch.
  This is the Level 2 server version 1.02. © Acorn (no date).
  • level2fs.zip - 53K (Zip archive)
  
   
  
• Level 3 File Server
  Not strictly an EPROM dump, but it seemed a logical place to offer this file...
  This is an enhancement of the Level 2 server, primarily to cater for use with 'Winchester' discs (either 10Mb or 30Mb?). In terms of serving, it is quite similar to the FileStore from a user's point of view. It requires a BBC B or Master with co-processor, a Winchester drive, and an 800K floppy drive (to boot from).
  Also included is a disc formatter, a disc initialiser, verifier, backup tools, and JGH's Y2K patch.
  This is the Level 3 server version 0.92. © 1984 Acorn.
  • level3fs.zip - 88K (Zip archive)
  
   
  
• Acorn FileStore E01 / FileStore I
  FileStore EPROM: v1.31, in four 16K parts. © 1988 Acorn Computers.
  Note, this is for the original FileStore, not the E01S 'stacking' version.
  • e01_svr_rom1.dat - Server ROM #1 (ROM dump)
  • e01_svr_rom2.dat - Server ROM #2 (ROM dump)
  • e01_mos_rom1.dat - MOS ROM #1 (ROM dump)
  • e01_mos_rom2.dat - MOS ROM #2 (ROM dump)
  I do not know how many EPROMs the E01 actually has. I would imagine that the ROM dumps are blown in the order given, with either the server and the MOS in separate 32K images, or the server in the lower 32K and the MOS in the upper 32K of a 64K EPROM (like the E01S).
   
   
  
• SJ Research MDFS file server
  MDFS boot EPROM: v1.05. © SJ Research (no date).
  • mdfsbios.dat - 8K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• SoftMDFS
  Not strictly an EPROM dump, but it seemed a logical place to offer this file...
  J.G.Harston has taken Alan William's awServer and extended it so it behaves like an MDFS. No longer do you need a huge metal beast on your desk, an old A3000 with built-in harddisc will suffice as a software MDFS.
  This is !SoftMDFS version 0.01. © 2000 J.G.Harston.
  • softmdfs.zip - 41K (Zip archive)

BRIDGES

• SJ Research Bridge
  SJ Bridge EPROM: v3.04. © 1992 SJ Research (1992/07/06).
  • sjbridge.dat - 16K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• Acorn Bridge
  This ROM is apparently for the Acorn Bridge. I cannot say which version (or date) this is as there is no such information in the dump. Actually, there is quite a lot of blank space in the ROM dump - in an 8K EPROM, only 2.54K is used!
  It is interesting that the command string to detect the presence of the bridge is the text "Bridge", however this does not appear anywhere in the firmware...
  Acorn Bridge EPROM: v?.??. © Acorn (no date).
  • acornbridge.dat - 8K (ROM dump)

PRINTER SERVERS

• Printer Server ROM v1.00
  This is the original Printer Server ROM.
  Strings in the file are PSERV, BANNER, PRE, POST, ENDTEXT, NOBANNER and IGNORE.
  It is Printer Server version 1.00. © Acorn 1982.
  • printserver100.dat - 8K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• Printer Server ROM v1.11
  This is a much improved Printer Server, with some help and claiming support for the following printers: Default, Ollivetti ink jet, Epson MX80/FX80, Walters Microsystems 2000, Mannesmann Tally MT180, Mannesmann Tally MT140, Micro Peripherals MPI99G, Florida Data BNY (by the way, it isn't my typo, it says 'Ollivetti' in the ROM).
  Interestingly there is a message in the ROM which reads: The authors of ANFS are; B Cockburn J Dunn B Robertson J Wills.
  The code appears to be duplicated in the ROM, so I am not sure if this is intentional or if it is really an 8K ROM.
  It is Printer Server version 1.11. © Acorn 1982.
  • printserver111.dat - 16K (ROM dump)

WORKSTATION UTILITIES

• NFS
  This is NFS (Network Filing System) for the BBC microcomputer, when operating as a discless workstation.
  [It will work with a separate DFS, you may need to do it this way if you have the Watford 1770 DFS, but you'll be using two ROM slots...]
  This is NFS version 3.60. © ROFF (no date).
  • nfs360.dat - 8K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• NFS (older)
  This is NFS (Network Filing System) for the BBC microcomputer, when operating as a discless workstation.
  [ditto previous comment re. DFS & 2 ROM slots]
  This is NFS version 3.35K. © ROFF (no date).
  • nfs.dat - 8K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• DNFS
  This is DNFS (Disc and Network Filing System) for the BBC microcomputer, when you wish to support a 5¼" floppy disc drive and Econet without taking two of the three available ROM slots.
  [I think this requires an 8271 disc controller (not a 1770); can anybody confirm?]
  Contained within this dump is NFS version 3.60 and DFS version 1.20. © ROFF (no date).
  • dnfs.dat - 16K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• ANFS
  This is ANFS (Advanced Network Filing System). I think it is for the Master 128 (will this work on a Beeb? anybody?). ANFS offers a number of enhancements over the original NFS, such as more help and the ability to do stuff like *Lex, *Prot, *Access, *Pass, *Wipe (etc) without having to use 'helper' programmes.
  Contained within this dump is ANFS version 4.25. © 1986 Acorn.
  • anfs.dat - 16K (ROM dump)
  
   
  
• Network Expansion ROM
  This is the Network Expansion ROM, which apparently provides a bunch of new commands for network stations (BBC micro, maybe Master 128?).
  This is Network Expansion version 1.20. © 1986 Mike and released into the public domain.
  • netexp.dat - 16K (ROM dump)
  The commands with help provided are:

    CONT     <st.list>
    FATAL    <st.list>
    HALT     <st.list>
    PEEK     <stn>;<dst.ad>;<len>;<src.ad>
    POKE     <st.list>;<src.ad>;<len>;<dst.ad>
    PROTECT  <P> <J> <U> <O> <H>
    ROFF
    SEND     <st.list>;<text>
    SENDPROG <st.list>;(<page>)
    SYS
    VIEW     <st.list>
    VIEWF    <st.list>
    WHERE    <stn>

  The following may also be commands, no embedded help is provided for these:

    CLIST
    ERROR
    MOTAN
    STATION

  
   
  
• TCP/IP for the BBC micro
  Yes, seriously! TCP/IP over Econet for the Beeb, and it includes a built-in telnet client. Supplied as a ROM image plus complete sources, we should bow before Philip Blundell while muttering "we're not worthy"...
  This is IPROM version 0.14. © 1996 Philip Blundell.
  • beeb_iprom.zip - 40K (Zip archive)

MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENTATION

• 6854 ADLC datasheet
  If you download the 6854 datasheet that is doing the rounds of the various BBC micro support sites, you'll probably have noticed (if you use a PC) that Acrobat Reader will frequently fault with this message:
  
  As that software (v5.1.0) is a bit crap, it won't try to display what it has been able to extract from the document file. Oh no, it'll toss it and leave you with a blank page, which really isn't terribly useful!
  I used Ghostscript to recreate the damaged PDF. It is around 55K larger, but it works with Acrobat Reader...
  • mc6854fixed.pdf - 975K (PDF document, 24 pages)
  
   
  
• 14411 Bit Rate Generator datasheet
  If anybody is using the original Acorn clock box, I have scanned my datasheet...
  • mc14411.pdf - 338K (PDF document, 3 pages)

Can you help?

• Can you help?
  I am looking for other network related stuff...
  • Was anything produced for the Electron?
  • SJ FDFS and HDFS BIOS ROMs.
  • SJ server executable?
  • Later versions of stuff given above?
  • Sources to any of this?
  • Anything else Econet related!

Source codes

Please note that I do not know the value of some things such as the EconetController constant. Windows XP's search facility does not bother looking for text in files it does not recognise, and currently all of my sources have no extension... useful, huh?
Additionally, the software used to colourise is a text editor called ConText (v0.97.5) which does not seem quite powerful enough to correctly colourise APCS-style ARM code (it is aimed more at higher level languages and simpler assemblers) . . . it can't word wrap either! Some day I'll knock up some code to do it better (and by better I mean "like Zap" <grin>).

It does without saying that this is subject to the specified licence conditions; though I can't imagine you'd want to do anything other than read this - it isn't complete enough to assemble...

• s.Module (134 Kb)
  The module initialisation, hardware detection, etc.
   
  
• s.Interface (154 Kb)
  The SWI calls and respective handler routines.
   
  
• s.Commands (48 Kb)
  The *Command handlers, with the ability to add in a number of useful commands.
   
  
• s.Receive (61 Kb)
  Code that deals with data reception.
   
  
• s.Transmit (34 Kb)
  Code that deals with data transmission.
   
  
• s.Background (61 Kb)
  Code that deals with background network activity (mostly via FIQ).
   
   
  
• Hdr.Econet (43 Kb)
  Various definitions of things.
   
  
• s.Memory (15 Kb)
  Definitions of the memory block layouts.
   
  
• s.Macros (35 Kb)
  Various macros used in the Econet source, to save ridiculous amounts of code duplication; this certainly shows up the limitations of the colourisation method!

I did try to make a with-extra-commands version of the Econet module by setting the constants ErrorInfo, ControlBlocks, PortInfo, and Variables all to True (re. s.Module); but sadly this is as far as I got when trying my module on my A3000:

Don't hold your breath waiting for my module. My RiscPC's floppy drive is not working correctly, so I copy stuff (via ethernet) to the PC where it goes onto a 720K DOS floppy where it goes into the A3000 where it then crashes. :-) Might have been easier if I had Econet hardware on the RiscPC, but I don't...
...unless anybody has an unwanted Econet podule? [mail me!]