DECnet

DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation. Originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers, it evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s. Initially built with three layers, it later (1982) evolved into a seven-layer OSI-compliant networking protocol.

DECnet[1] was built right into the DEC flagship operating system OpenVMS since its inception. Later Digital ported it to Ultrix, OSF/1 (later Tru64) as well as Apple Macintosh and IBM PC running variants of DOS, OS/2 and Microsoft Windows under the name PATHWORKS, allowing these systems to connect to DECnet networks of VAX machines as terminal nodes.[2]

While the DECnet protocols were designed entirely by Digital Equipment Corporation, DECnet Phase II (and later) were open standards with published specifications, and several implementations were developed outside DEC, including ones for FreeBSD and Linux.[3] DECnet code in the Linux kernel was marked as orphaned on February 18, 2010[4][5] and removed August 22, 2022.[6]

  1. ^ James M. Moran; Brian J. Edwards (February 1984). "Giving DECnet a LAN". Hardcopy. pp. 62–65.
  2. ^ "SYSTEMS STRATEGIES". The New York Times. May 13, 1992. DECnet/SNA gateway solution
  3. ^ "DECnet for Linux". SourceForge. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Caulfield, Christine (February 18, 2010). "Orphan DECnet". Linux Kernel ChangeLog 2.6.33. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git - Linux kernel source tree". git.kernel.org. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git - Linux kernel source tree". git.kernel.org. Retrieved October 6, 2023.