Nestar Systems, Inc.
| File:Nestar Systems logo.jpg | |
| Privately held company | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Local area computer networking |
| Fate | Acquired by Digital Switch Corporation (now DSC Communications) |
| Founded 📆 | October 13, 1978 |
| Founder 👔 | Harry Saal, Len Shustek, Jim Hinds, Nick Fortis |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , Palo Alto, CA |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| Products 📟 | Cluster/One and PLAN series local area networks; BASIC Programmer's Toolkit |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| Subsidiaries | Palo Alto ICs |
| 🌐 Website | [Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 665: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). ] |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Nestar Systems, Inc., was an early independent manufacturer of local area networks for personal computers from 1978 to 1986 and was considered[1] "a pioneer in the industry". It produced three major generations of products:
- Cluster/One (September 1979) provided program file sharing for up to 30 Commodore PET, Apple ][, and Radio Shack TRS-80 personal computers. It used a PET with two 8" floppy disks as the program server that implemented a polling system using a daisy-chained flat ribbon cable up to 250 feet long.
- Cluster/One Model A (March 1980) provided a general communication system among Apple ][ and Apple /// personal computers using a parallel flat ribbon cable with arbitrary branching topology up to 1000 feet long. Apple ][ computers could serve as fileservers (with floppy disks, hard disks, and cartridge tape backup), print servers for multiple printers, and communications servers linking multiple networks over modems. Applications included filesharing, electronic mail, database management, and financial management.
- PLAN Series (December 1982) provided a general communication system among Apple ][ and IBM PC personal computers using Datapoint's ARCNET network and Xerox's XNS networking protocols. Custom-built small, medium, and large servers, using Motorola 68000 microprocessors, served as file servers (including tape backup and shadow servers), spooled print servers, and communications servers. Applications included filesharing, electronic mail, database management, financial management, IBM 3270 terminal emulation to link to mainframes, Telex simulation, and interactive chat.
In 1986 Nestar was sold to Digital Switch Corporation (now DSC Communications) of Plano, Texas, which continued to develop some of the product line for about two years.
Corporate history
Nestar was founded in Palo Alto, California on October 13, 1978...[2] by Harry Saal, Len Shustek, Jim Hinds, and Nick Fortis, to make networks that allowed sharing of centralized services like disks and printers[3] for the then-new personal computers: Commodore PET, Apple ][, and Radio Shack TRS-80. Initial funding was provided by the founders, primarily Saal. By July 1980 the company had 11 employees.
In July 1980, the Rank Organization in the UK purchased[4][5] a 40% stake in Nestar Systems, and created a wholly Rank-owned subsidiary, Zynar[6] Ltd in Uxbridge, to cooperate in the development of future systems. In March 1982 there was a $2.5M second round of financing, and there were over 50 employees. By 1983 Rank had made additional investments which increased their ownership[7] in Nestar to 59%. By October 1984 they owned[8] 85%. Annual revenue had grown from $318.000 in 1979 to $10,032,000 in 1984, but profitability had still not been achieved even though they were one of the top 10 PC local area network vendors[1]
In August 1985 it was announced[9] that Nestar was to be bought by Net America, a Dallas-based startup common carrier founded by Sam Wyly, who also founded University Computing Company and was chairman of Sterling Software, Inc. The acquisition was even announced[10], but it never happened. Nestar was instead acquired[11][12] a year later, in October 1986, by Digital Switch Corporation (soon to become DSC Communications) of Plano Texas. They operated the company as a subsidiary called "DSC Nestar Systems".
At the time of the acquisition by DSC, Nestar founders Saal and Shustek left the company and received the rights to a Nestar internal local area network test tool that they developed into Network General's Sniffer protocol analyzer.
In August 1979 Nestar had created a wholly-owned subsidiary called "Palo Alto ICs'". Its only product was an add-on to the Commodore PET computer called the "BASIC Programmer's Toolkit" a collection of programming aids for the Commodore PET computer distributed as a hardware read-only-memory (ROM). It was sold both by Nestar and the Zynar subsidiary of Rank.
Nestar only filed two trademark registrations: one for "Toolkit"[13] (first used 8/27/79, filed 10/13/81, registered 12/13/82, cancelled 4/17/90), and one for "Cluster/One"[14] (first used 12/1/78, filed 5/29/79, registered 4/6/82, cancelled 11/18/88). They received one patent[15] for the addressing scheme, described later, that was used in the first Cluster/One system.
LAN systems
Cluster/One (Model One)
The Cluster/One system[16] released in September 1979 allowed Commodore PET, Apple ][, or TRS-80 user stations called "Drones" to save and load programs from a PET central file server called the "Queen". The price for the Queen started at $4995, and Drone interfaces ranged from $25 to $150.
The Queen was cabled to an external box that housed two 8" floppy disk drives, which provided a total of 630 KB of program storage using single-sided disks, or 1.2MB if double-sided. The Queen continuously polled the attached drones for program requests that were issued with the following commands:
| command | function |
|---|---|
| @DIR | directory list |
| @LOAD | load a program from the Queen's library |
| @LOSE | erase a program |
| @REPLACE | update a program |
| @RUN | load and run a program |
| @SAVE | save a program |
Other commands and utility programs were provided for system maintenance purposes.
The hardware for the Cluster/One network used a 26-wire flat ribbon cable daisy-chained from the Queen to each successive Drone; each Drone had an "in" and an "out" network connection. The Queen could attach to two network segments, each with up to 15 Drones connected through up to 250' of cable. Data was sent in 8-bit parallel using 3 clock lines. The bulk transfer speed was 80K bits/second, and the proprietary block-oriented protocol provided for error checking and retries.
The Drones were addressed by the Queen using a patented[15] scheme[17] that allowed the hardware and software at each station to be identical, yet each Drone had a unique address without requiring switches or jumpers. There were 8 dedicated address lines, divided into groups of 3 and 5, which are relatively prime. A drone is selected only when the first line of each group is activated. Both groups are rotated as they pass through the Drone's network connector, so exactly one of the 15 Drones will be selected when the Queen activates one line in each group.
The Commodore PET had an IEEE-488 (HP-IP) instrument interface bus connector, so the Drone interface to it was simply a passive printed circuit board that implemented the address line rotation. For the Apple ][ the interface was a board that plugged into one of the expansion slots, and for the TRS-80 it was a separately enclosed interface unit with its own power supply that was cabled to the TRS-80 expansion port.
The Cluster/One was sold through retail computer dealers and system integrators[18], including in Japan. Despite publicity[19][20], marketing efforts, and good reviews[21], it did not sell well. As Shustek says in a 2002 oral history interview[22], "This is before the IBM PC. Businesses didn’t treat any of these machines as serious computers. We couldn’t get a business to buy Apple ][’s or Commodore Pets or TRS-80s, because they were toys... We had some modest success selling to schools, who used them for kids for training and games and whatnot. But schools didn’t have a lot of money."
Cluster/One Model A
The Cluster/One Model A system[23], released in July 1980, implemented true peer-to-peer local area networking for up to 64 Apple ][ and Apple /// personal computers. The system is featured in the Computer History Museum's "Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing" physical and virtual exhibit, in the networking gallery[24]
Model A File servers
One or more Apple ][ computers could serve as dedicated networked file servers (NFS). Each had a dual 1.2 MB floppy disk unit whose drives were monitored for diskette changes. A 16.5 MB or 33 MB 14" Winchester hard disk was optional. A clock/calendar card with battery maintained the date and time.
An optional tape subsystem used 450-foot quarter-inch cartridges to make backups. It could record 20 MB on a cartridge in 12 minutes. Both full and incremental backups were supported.
The file servers ran a Nestar operating system which organized the disk hierarchically. The basic object was a "virtual" diskette accessible by any of the user stations as an Apple DOS, UCSD-Pascal, CP/M, or Apple /// SOS formatted volume. Additional objects included subdirectories, text files, and volume headers. Access control for reading, writing, or executing at the individual, group, and public levels could be protected by passwords.
At the user stations the following commands could be issued either from the keyboard or by a program:
| command | function |
|---|---|
| CREATE, DELETE | manage virtual disk drives |
| MOUNT, UNMOUNT | control access to virtual disk drives |
| SEND, RECEIVE | communicate with any other user station |
| LOCK, UNLOCK | synchronize data updates on shared disks |
| PROTECT | manage access controls |
| SHOW, SET | other controls |
Other Model A servers
Any Apple ][ computer could run a special program that would turn it into a server:
- A Network Print Server accepted requests to queue print jobs and print them in priority order on any of the printers attached to the server.
- A File Transfer Server scheduled file transfers within a network, and between remote networks using modems
- A Gateway Server provided real-time router-like interconnection of multiple Cluster/One Model A networks
- A Communications Server provided real-time access to mainframes and remote terminals
Special Model A applications
Any of the Apple user stations could run the following networked programs:
- The Messenger electronic mail program
- The DB Master database management system
- Multicalc, a networked multi-user version of the VisiCALC financial modeling system
- The TALK interactive chat program
The Cluster/One Model A network
The Model A network used 8-bit parallel data transmission over a 16-wire flat ribbon cable. Up to 64 stations could be interconnected using an unconstrained arbitrary tree topology with no loops, using up to 1000 feet of cable. Each network card had two identical 16-pin connectors. In addition to the 8 data lines, the cable had one carrier assert line, 2 handshake lines, 4 grounds, and 1 unused wire.
The network interface cards for the Apple ][ or Apple /// contained 2K of ROM for networking software and 1K of RAM. The ROM simulated an Apple disk controller to allow the station to boot over the network.
The network cards could be put into any available expansion slot. A 7-position binary switch set the network address.
The link-level network protocol[25] was a version of CSMA/CD: carrier sense, multiple access. Unlike for Ethernet, the separate carrier line was asserted between related data transmissions so that, for example, the ACK or NAK for a packet could follow immediately without having to reacquire the channel. The transmission speed was 240 kilobits per second, which was the fastest rate that could be supported by a software-driven network interface running on an 8-bit processor such as the 6502 in the Apple ][.
Transmissions were packets that contained source and destination addresses, packet type, data length, data, and checksum.
Model A Marketing
Suggested retail prices at the time of the February 1980 Model A announcement ranged from $5995 for a dual floppy disk system to $9995 for for a 33 MB hard disk system. The systems were sold through dealers who got a 40% discount, and in the UK by Zynar[6]. By July 1981 the floppy disk system suggested retail price had been reduced to $3595, but the hard disk system was increased to $9995 because of hard disk supply shortages, with a separate $1995 charge for the file server software. The tape backup system was $4275, and network interface cards were about $400. A one-time site license for the Messenger Electronic Mail application was $2250. The ISO (Independent Sales Organization) discounts ranged from 31% to 44%, depending on volume.
Nestar promoted the Model A with marketing materials, and it was described in published papers[26][27][28][29][30][31] . Trade magazine reviews[32][33][34][35][36] and customer testimonials[37] also covered the system.
PLAN ("Personal Local Area Network") Series
Unlike Nestar's first two systems, which were based on proprietary local area network designs and standard microcomputers as servers, the third system did the opposite: it used a commercially-available network and proprietary custom-built servers.
The PLAN Series[38] began shipping in 1982 based around the PLAN 4000 file server.
The PLAN network
The PLAN network was based on Datapoint's ARCNET, which used a token-passing protocol for link acquisition rather than polling (like for the Cluster/One) or CSMA (like for the Cluster/One Model A). The physical connections were RG-62/U coaxial cable (later also fiber optic cable and IBM Cabling System) in a star-wired bus topology built using either passive or active hubs, also called LIDs (line isolation devices). Cables to passive hubs could be up to 200 feet long, and cables to active hubs could be 2000 feet long. The maximum distance between any two nodes was 22,000 feet before a gateway was needed, and there could be up to 255 nodes in a single connected network.
The network interface in the nodes implemented the ARCNET protocol for layers 1 ("Physical") and 2 ("Data link") of the ISO model -- which includes token regeneration when necessary -- using the COM9026[39] integrated ARCNET controller from Standard Microsystem Corporation developed in collaboration with Datapoint. The analog interface to the coaxial cable was a hybrid integrated circuit on a ceramic substrate.
The networking protocols at layers 3 ("Network") and 4 ("Transport") of the ISO model were based on Xerox's XNS networking protocols, which had been placed in the public domain in 1977. At layer 5 ("Session") and above, Nestar developed their own efficient client-server protocols[40].
PLAN 4000 file server
The first fileserver in the PLAN series was the PLAN 4000, delivered at the end of 1982. It was a 26" high floor-standing unit on wheels, with one processor cabinet that contained an optional 60 MB 8" hard disk, and up to three attached storage cabinets, each containing a 137 MB 14" hard disk. The processor cabinet also contained a backup tape drive that used 450-foot quarter-inch cartridges holding 45 megabytes each.
The processor was a version of the Sun Microsystems 8Mhz 256KB Motorola 68000 Multibus microprocessor board, which had been licensed to Codata and other manufacturers. The unit also contained a Peripheral Interface Card that connected to the disks and tape drive, and up to three optional internal active LIDs which could each directly connect to up to 10 nodes or other LIDs.
The fileserver ran a Nestar proprietary operating system that implemented a file system where the objects were primarily "virtual disks" that were accessed by the client computers. An extensive set of commands controlled virtual disk management, including sharing and password protection.
The client nodes could be any combination of Apple ][ computers running Apple DOS, UCSD Pascal, or CP/M, and IBM PCs running PC-DOS or UCSD Pascal.
PLAN 3000 file server
PLAN 3000 was a desktop fileserver with a Motorola 68008 processor, a 5 1/4" hard disk with capacity of 24,40, or 56 MB, and a backup tape unit for 45 or 60 MB streaming tape cartridges.
PLAN 5000 file server
PLAN 5000 was a floor-standing unit on wheels that could incorporate one or two 8" hard disks with a total capacity of 289, 578, 867, or 1156 MB, and a backup tape drive for 60 MB streaming tape cartridges.
An optional Print Server Feature Card provided an additional processor that functioned as a print server. Two printers with parallel interfaces and one printer with a serial interface could be connected simultaneously.
PLAN 1000 print server
PLAN 1000 was a diskless desktop server used as a print server. It contained a Motorola 68008 processor and booted over the network from any file server. Two printers with parallel interfaces and one printer with a serial interface could be connected simultaneously.
PLAN 2000 software-only server
PLAN 2000 was a software package that allowed 2 to 4 IBM PCs to share the hard disk and printer of one of them. It was an entry-level system compatible with Nestar's larger systems with dedicated file servers.
Other servers and features
- A 3270 Emulator Server allowed PCs on the Nestar network to act as display terminals to IBM mainframes.
- A File Transfer Server running on an Apple ][ or Apple /// provided for the exchange of files over modem links between Nestar networks.
- A Print Server running on an Apple ][ or IBM PC allowed user station on the network to spool print jobs for shared printers.
- The SHADOW File Server feature enabled users to save data on two file server simultaneously, with the second server acting as a real-time backup.
- The SNA Gateway connected to IBM mainframes by emulating a remote IBM 3274 cluster controller.
Supported user stations
- Apple ][ computers running Apple DOS, UCSD Pascal, or CP/M
- Apple /// computers running Apple SOS
- IBM PC computer running PC-DOS or UCSD Pascal
Bundled applications
Nestar included the PlanPak set of applications with the PLAN series systems:
- The Messenger electronic mail system
- The TALK interactive chat program
- A word processor with integrated spell checking
- A spreadsheet with integrated graphics
- An accounting and budgeting program
PLAN Series Marketing
Unlike the prior systems, Nestar advertised[41][42][43][44] the PLAN Series primarily to corporations, who were increasingly adopting the IBM PC for desktop use. They also educated[45][46] corporate executives generally about the new field of personal computer networks. Several papers[47][48][40] were published giving technical details of the system design and implementation.
Nestar and Zynar sold[49] the PLAN series systems primarily with their own direct sales force. The average sales price of the PLAN 3000 was $14,000, and of the PLAN 4000, $24,000.
The PLAN system was reviewed in many trade press articles. PC Magazine said[50] "When Nestar System builds a network, it doesn't fool around...Nestar has clearly done its homework in designing the PLAN 4000". In a later article [51] they said of the PLAN 4000 fileserver, "In its sober gray vertical cabinet, it looks for all the world like a trash compactor. Inside, however, beats a heart of the purest silicon...Our impression of the Nestar is one of quality—albeit expensive—workmanship and high performance." They praised even small features: "The speaker on the PC 'ticks' to indicate that communication is occurring between your PC and the file server; so, even in lengthy data transfers, you know that something is happening." PC Tech Journal[52] called it "The grandfather of local area networks for the PC" and said "PLAN 4000 is well endowed with software that makes the network a truly useful tool...it is clear that PLAN 4000 has taken a big step toward bringing maturity to the IBM PC local networking market". Corporate Times said[49] Nestar is "Leading the Networking Systems Pack".
Competitors for some aspects of Nestar's PLAN series included Corvus Systems, Novell, 3Com, and Ungerman-Bass.
Other products
In 1979 Nestar created a wholly-owned subsidiary called "Palo Alto ICs" for products and activities unrelated to their networking systems.
BASIC Programmer's Toolkit
In August 1979 Palo Alto IC's released the "BASIC Programmer's Toolkit"[53], a collection of programming aids for the Commodore PET computer distributed as a hardware read-only-memory (ROM). It added the following ten commands to the BASIC interpreter that came with the PET:
| command | function |
|---|---|
| AUTO | Provides new line numbers when you are entering BASIC program lines. |
| RENUMBER | Renumbers your BASIC program, including all GOTOs and GOSUBs. |
| DELETE | Removes groups of BASIC program lines. |
| FIND | Locates and displays the BASIC program lines that contain a specified string. |
| APPEND | Adds a previously SAVEd program to the one currently in your PET. |
| DUMP | Displays the names and values of all the variables used by your program (excluding arrays). |
| HELP | If your program stops due to an error, HELP displays the offending line and shows where the PET detected the error. |
| TRACE | As a program runs, the last six line numbers being executed are shown in the upper right corner of the PET's screen. |
| STEP | Executes one BASIC line and stops. Pressing SHIFT executes the next line. The line number is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. |
| OFF | Turns TRACE or STEP off. |
The Toolkit was packaged for retail distribution and was sold internationally through dealers. It was favorably reviewed[54][55][56][57] ("...may change your life"[58]) in trade magazines and newsletters. The Toolkit became extremely popular, and in the first six months there were over a million dollars in retail sales, which attracted the production of unauthorized copies by counterfeiters.
Written by Chuck Bond, the original source code for the Toolkit has been lost. In 2008 Chuck reconstructed[59] the source code from a disassembly of the ROM.
IC Vending Machine
The only other offering of Palo Alto IC's was a vending machine that was installed in the Palo Alto Byte Shop computer store. It dispensed a random integrated circuit chip in a plastic container for 50 cents. It is unclear whether any of the ICs were ever purchased.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Top 10 PC LAN Vendors. Network World. 1988-07-25. p. 9.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ "California corporate registration". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Prins, G.A. (November–December 1979). "Distributed Computing at the Personal Level". IEEE Electronics and Power. 25 (11): 765. doi:10.1049/ep.1979.0422.
- ↑ Nestar Systems (1980-09-09). Nestar Background Information 9 Sept 1980. Search this book on
- ↑ Rank Report (February 1981). ""Microsystems of the Future"" (PDF). p. 7.
The company believes that networks of this type will have a profound effect on commerce and industry world-wide.
Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Zynar: Silicon Technology & Computer Sciences. Zynar, Ltd. October 1981. Search this book on
- ↑ "Rank Organization's Problems". New York Times. June 6, 1983.
- ↑ "Rank Organization Report and Account 1984" (PDF). p. 9.
"Nestar Systems Inc./Zynar Ltd: Turnover of the companies' products increased with broader market acceptance of microcomputer-based local area networks. Continuing product development and promotion costs in a competifr1e market prevented the achievement of profitability, but losses were substantially reduced.
Unknown parameter|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Nestar in Merger Talks With Sam Wyly". Computer Systems News. August 26, 1985.
Nestar president Charles Hart confirmed that his company is negotiating with Wyly's group and said the contract should be completed in about 30 days.
- ↑ "Net America buys Nestar". ComputerWorld. September 30, 1985. p. 93.
- ↑ Petrosky, Mary (July 25, 1988). "Local net firms see safety in mergers". Network World.
DSC Communications Corp, known for its digital switches and T-1 multiplexers, entered the local net business in October 1986 when it acquired Nestar Systems, Inc., a pioneer in the industry.
- ↑ Nestar Says Firm's Acquisition To Improve LAN and PBX Links. Infoworld. 1986-11-24. Search this book on
- ↑ "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval". tsdr.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ↑ "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval". tsdr.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2021-09-06.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 [1], "Self-assigning address system", issued 1979-03-08
- ↑ "Nestar Systems, Cluster/One". archive.org. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ↑ "Off-Line" (PDF). Datamation: 179. May 1981.
Nestar Systems, Palo Alto, Calif., received a patent on the Self-Assigning System developed for its Cluster/One system which forms the hub of a local network of as many as 30 microcomputers...
- ↑ Beeler, Jeffry (May 5, 1980). "Nestar to Aim Micro Sales at Business Users". Computerworld. XIV: 64.
- ↑ Voakes, Paul (January 25, 1979). "Cluster/One: Timesharing has come to the microcomputers". Palo Alto Times.
- ↑ Baker, Stan (April 16, 1979). "Cluster/One Connects 30 Apples, PETs Or TRS-80s". Electronic Engineering Times.
- ↑ "Cluster/One Disk Sharing System" (PDF). Recreational Computing. 8: 58. September–October 1979.
- ↑ "Shustek, Len (Leonard J.) oral history | 102657987 | Computer History Museum". www.computerhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ↑ "Nestar Cluster/One Model A documents". archive.org.
- ↑ "Network Operating Systems, in CHM Revolution". www.computerhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-11-08. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Electronics magazine (1981-06-16). Nestar LANs Link PCs Electronics Jun 81. Search this book on
- ↑ Stritter, Saal, Shustek (1981-02-23). Local Networks of Personal Computers. IEEE Spring COMPCON 81 Proceedings. pp. 2–5.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Stritter, Shustek (1981-06-16). Local network links personal computers in a multiuser, multifunction system. Electronics.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Saal, Harry J (1981-10-01). Local-Area Networks: Possibilities for Personal Computers. BYTE Magazine.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Malone, Joe (1981-12-01). The microcomputer connection to local networks. DataCommunications.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Malone, Joseph (1982-06-10). File-transfer servers carry big loads between LANs. ElectronicDesign.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Malone, Joseph (1982-10-01). Print servers raise productivity in LANs. Systems & Software.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ LeBoss, Bruce (1980-01-31). Network Links units, includes mass store. Electronics magazine.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Paring a local net with some Apples. Data Communications. January 1981.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Tomorrow's office, today's techology. Mini-Micro Systems. 1981-06-01.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Morgan, Chris (October 1981). Local Networks Are Buzzing. BYTE Magazine. Search this book on
- ↑ Bailey, Chris (1982-03-31). File-transfer software enhances local network. Electronic Design.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ Hakansson, Joyce (1981-03-01). Creating an Appealing Educational Computer Center for Children and Families. COMPCON.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ "Nestar PLAN series documents". archive.org. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ↑ Standard Microsystems Corporation COM 9026 ARCNET Controller. Standard Microsystems Corporation. 1981. Search this book on
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Shustek, Leonard (March 1984). A client-server protocol for local area networks. System & Software. pp. 127–131. Search this book on
- ↑ "Most LANs Cant Pass This Test" advertisement. Nestar Systems. 1984. Search this book on
- ↑ "Introducing the first personal computer network with bundled software". advertisement. Wall Street Journal. September 7, 1984.
- ↑ Personal Computer-Based Networks for the Large Organization. Nestar Systems. 1985. Search this book on
- ↑ Introducing Community Microcomputing. Nestar Systems. 1984. Search this book on
- ↑ "Personal computer networks: an executive briefing from the pioneers". Wall Street Journal: 17. May 18, 1984.
- ↑ Saal, Harry J. (1982). Community Microcomputing: A PLAN for the Eighties. Nestar Systems. Search this book on
- ↑ Pearson, W.; Ellis, G.M.; Whitnell, J.D.; Payne, C.W.; Dillon, S. (1982-12-29). 3-in-1 local network links personal computers. Electronics magazine. Search this book on
- ↑ Ellis, Gary M.; Dillon, Sam; Stritter, Skip; Whitnell, Jerry (November 1983). Nestar Experience With A Layered Approach To LAN Design, IEEE Nov 1983. SAC-1, No. 5. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. pp. 857–868. Search this book on
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 Nestar: Leading the Networking Systems Pack. Corporate Times. October 1984. pp. 12, 25. Search this book on
- ↑ The Arcnet Alternative: Nestar's Plan 4000. PC Magazine. Jan 1983. pp. 162–167. Search this book on
- ↑ Machrone, Bill (November 1983). Battle Of The Network Stars. PC Magazine. pp. 92–104. Search this book on
- ↑ Churchill, Bruce (February 1984). Nestar PLAN 4000 Overview. PC Tech Journal. pp. 58–70. Search this book on
- ↑ "Nestar Systems Palo Alto ICs, BASIC Programmer's Toolkit". archive.org. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
- ↑ Palo Alto ICs BASIC Programmer's Toolkit, as sold in Japan. ASCII magazine. September 1979. Search this book on
- ↑ Palo Alto ICs BASIC Programmer's Toolkit, as sold in the UK. Computing Today. January 1980. Search this book on
- ↑ Palo Alto ICs BASIC Programmer's Toolkit, as sold in Germany. Nestar Systems. 1979. Search this book on
- ↑ The BASIC Programmer's Toolkit: Lift the lid on Nestar's toolkit and have a look inside. Kilobaud Microcomputing Magazine. April 1980. pp. 34–35. Search this book on
- ↑ "The ten commands: will they change your life?". Practical Computing. February 1980. Search this book on
- ↑ "Nestar Systems BASIC_Programmer's_Toolkit reconstructed source code". GitHub. Retrieved 2021-11-03. Unknown parameter
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