The Apple Network Server 500
Vložit
- čas přidán 8. 04. 2020
- Though not technically a Macintosh, I talk about Apple’s first network server product. A detailed tour of the machine itself, as well as a look at the backstory, the rise, the fall and the legacy… or lack thereof. Also, the story of how this video came to be, beginning with a visit to Syd Bolton's Personal Computer Museum.
References:
Computer chronicles archive.org/details/computerc...
Jon Purdy jonpurdy.com
AT&T Archives @AT&T Tech Channel
Éric Lévénez Unix Timelne www.levenez.com/unix/
Floodgap ANSwers page www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ans/
Computer history museum @Computer History Museum
Erik’s Apple Network Server Page www.erik.co.uk/ans/
Syd Bolton @Syd Bolton
Applefritter www.applefritter.com/node/539 - Komedie
There are some great honours one can receive in life: receiving a Nobel prize, earning a Medal of Honor, or having 65scribe give a tour of one's machine.
Very happy to loan it out and contribute a small part to the preservation of Apple history!
Thanks, to you both, for letting us enjoy this!
I have 1 of these in my basement (thrown out by a former employer) in perfect working condition with AIX manuals and some software from IBM. Too bad that museum in the video is no longer in business or I would donate it. Any ideas on what non-profit might want one or any individual interested in purchasing it? Great video!!! Thanks
@@ed12345de I'd absolutely give my left one to get an ANS. Sadly, I suspect it'd nearly impossible to ship to Australia without completely destroying it by our post system.
Super cool machine I never even knew about.
Thanks! I really enjoyed that.
I love the whole aesthetic of these videos. The 4:3 interlaced video, the period correct text and graphics, and even the lighting is all on point. It's almost artwork dude.
Thanks for noticing all those details! I appreciate you sharing your impression.
It's not "almost" art. It *IS* art.
@@65scribe honestly best aesthetic ever, even the voiceover is unique what mic do you use
Thanks Georg. Nothing special with the sound. It’s as basic as the video. At that time I was using an analog lavalier mic connected to my camcorder and making a separate video track just for audio. I recently got a Rode USB mic, which is more efficient. So while the sound may be unique, it’s not achieved by doing anything clever.
@@65scribe on the contrary i miss the lav into camcorder sound
Steve Jobs: "We think Unix is a pretty lousy operating system to put inside a workstation"
Also Steve Jobs: Leaves Apple and founds a company making Unix workstations
Then goes on to replace the original mac os with a unix based os when he came back to Apple a decade later.
@@JaredConnellNow it’s Mach microkernels all the way down (from servers to watches)
@@JaredConnell
Okay but to be fair, the classic Mac OS was definitely not built to last as long as it did.
Unreal Tournament soundtrack detected. Nostalgia engaged.
This is one of my favorite game soundtrack tunes ever - LOVE it
God bless you, 65scribe, for bringing us this video in our time of isolation and great need. :D
Thank you, Cass. Good to hear from all the stalwart viewers of this channel :)
Rest in peace, Syd.
Syd seems like he was an incredible person.
Yes, and it doesn't seem like he's been remembered as much as he deserved, so it was a good opportunity to do something about him in this video.
65scribe Your videos really are fantastic. My Mom passed away in January and watching them really helped me stay distracted when I couldn't stop thinking about it. Thank you for sharing your research and humor with us.
Sorry to hear about your Mom. I also count on other shows, movies or videos to give me an escape during stressful times. I didn't imagine that my videos would provide that, but very glad to hear that they do.
Yes he was a great guy. I used to volinteer at the museum. I had the honor of fixing some of the machines he had on display including the lisa. I really miss that place!
He used to talk to a lot of people around the world looking for obscure software and docs. I was really surprised to hear him mentioned. Great guy! Vale!
Unreal Tournament. After more then 20 years still a great game with good music. Still playing it
Agree!
You're still one of the few channel I actually hit the bell notification.
I'm honoured! Thanks :)
Thoroughly enjoy your mini-documentaries on these machines, the laid back style with little extra jokes and bits of info is genuinely fantastic.
That's a particularly amazing one for you to have (temporarily!) got your hands on.
Thanks very much! Great to hear feedback on what viewers like about the videos. And yes, getting the ANS for the video was very lucky. I had to tell the story of how I got it since it was as interesting as the machine itself.
You have a very unique way of creating these videos, to be honest, better than LGR, AVGN, and other loud youtubers out there who don't understand the combination of humor, nostalgia and silence, great work of art you create every time. Keep it up please! by the way the Unreal Tournament music was the cherry on top.
A I - Sorry for missing your comment! I try to answer all comments, but I still seem to miss some. I really appreciate your review of this channel. That's great to hear. I'm just finishing the editing on the next video, so it should be up ... maybe the end of the month (?). I hope you give it a watch.
Oh baby, a new episode!
Right?!
This was an absolutely wonderful video - so sad about Syd. I was an Apple Reseller in Toronto during the early to late '90s and never came across a Network Server. Truth be told, I would never sell one, steering my clients to NT servers from Compaq or IBM for various reasons. I truly enjoyed your tour and as always, the humour and curiosity you show in all your videos. Thank you thank you thank you. - Stephen
You are welcome, Stephen. Thanks for commenting and sharing your first-hand perspective. I guess anyone buying the machine during that time should have known they were taking a risk. Good for you steering them clear at the time. Engineering designed something really nice, then management totally bungled it. I'm glad to hear you liked the video.
Can't wait for the next Macintosh video, your channel really gives off an 80's and 90's Apple Time Capsule kind of feeling. I love learning about these machines, and your videos blend historic facts with a slight amount of comedy. Thank you for providing this website with great videos, and I look forward to what's in the future.
I think it's style does a great job of showing how apple was always just a tiny bit off the mark.
Thanks! Appreciate your feedback.
I'm glad that comes across in the videos. Thanks!
@@65scribe If you are like me, you have probably always loved macs, but think about how they could have been amazing if it wasn't for just a few small but often near deal breaking faults. It's like they have the vision, but not enough to overcome the bottom line. This really is shown well in the video's.
@@65scribe Anytime. Now that we have nothing to do but stay home, I can rewatch all of your older videos. I just recently got interested in old Apple products in general, and your channel is a great source for learning about these vintage machines.
I’ve never ever seen an analysis of a Apple server machine. Also, what about interconnecting amigas, ataris and macs?
I love the “old” aesthetic that your videos have. It doesn’t feel forced or artificial. It feels like I’m watching a video sourced from an old vhs
Thanks! Good to hear an up-vote on the style.
Thank you for gracing us with your presence
You're welcome :)
I absolutely love your sense of humor. Please, never change.
Thanks very much, Marcio!
Unreal Tournament soundtrack for the full nostalgia enjoyment! Great video as always.
Thanks! The UT music was fun to work with.
You and Action Retro are without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite CZcamsrs. I have actually started rewatching some of your videos, such as the Power Mac 4400. I noticed you haven’t made in a new video in a while and was hoping you had plans to do so soon? Best wishes and thanks for the amazing videos.
Thanks S P! That's amazing to hear that I'm one of your favourites. I've had a few things get in the way of getting the next video out, but I'm happy to say that it is almost done and I'm working on a couple others in the background. I hope this one is worth a rewatch too. Anyway, back to it.
:)
Your videos are incredibly engaging. I always watch every second of them.
It was so unfortunate to hear about Sid. I remember chatting with him about the Unisys Icon that was at the museum and that it had difficulty starting up from the file server.
Any kid growing up in an elementary school in Ontario in the 1980s remembers the Icon!
Very cool to hear from viewers who met Syd. I was in elementary school too early, so I only got to use the one Commodore PET that the Ministry of Education supplied to our school.
Love these videos; the 4:3 aspect, old camera quality and slow-paced presentation all create a nice, nostalgic atmosphere. Cheers from Brazil!
Thank you, Noliam! I appreciate you sharing your impression of the videos, and Cheers from Canada!
Thank you so much for making more content
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Your tempo, voice and insights bring me at peace in these troubled times. Have been a fanboy since 1990? (got here when I saw your LC episode ) and am now watching ALL your videos hehe :) Thanks for making them!
Thanks for leaving a comment Daan! It good to hear these videos help in that way. The LC was the first mac I got as a collectable, as opposed to buying a computer to do work. I hope you enjoy the rest of the videos!
@@65scribe Saw them all !! Love it!
Even when I've had a bad day, worked on Easter while my family is celebrating it and come home to an empty house it was all okay because I can unwind to a new 65scribe video. :)
Thanks. It's good to hear a video can brighten people's days.
Seeing this video again makes me wonder if he’s making another video at the moment... Such great videos!
I don't know how I stumbled on your channel, but I Love the dry humor!
I'm sorry I missed your comment, but thank you!
Love it so far. Can't wait for the new one! I hope You have already a bunch of videos ready!
Thanks! Glad to hear that. I am working away on new ones. If you haven't watched my earlier videos already, check those out.
I love your videos so much!!! Thank you for posting videos about the odd and obscure and mostly forgotten Apple products. I love this stuff and you have all the best videos!
Thanks very much! I never know how each video will be received by the viewers, so the feedback is great to hear.
Great to see a new video and more on the horizon, love watching these old Mac tours with your snippets of humour thrown in. Keep up the great content and stay safe! :)
Thanks Marty! I appreciate the feedback. Stay safe, too! :)
Enjoyed. A real blast from the past. Thanks!
You are welcome. I'm glad to hear that.
Well presented and photographed with a great sense of humor to keep the viewer engaged. I love finding a channel with a ton of older content to now binge through. Thanks so much :)
Thanks very much for finding this channel and for the critique. That's great to hear!
My favourite channel on CZcams, thank you for the content!
That's amazing, Daniel! I would not have thought these videos would reach that status with anyone. Great to hear that.
I wasn’t expecting this treat. Time to not go to bed!!
This finally brightens 2020 up a bit
:)
I've been waiting for this video ever since you'd teased it, and it did not disappoint! Also 7300 hype levels are through the roof!
Thanks for your patience and good to hear that you enjoyed it!
I've watched all your retro computer videos and I can say that all of them are actually underrated jems, you deserve much more subscribers and views. The tone, subtle humor and ammount of details shown in those videos is beyond just a simple machine showcase and I particularly like that. Continue making those videos! Subscribed.
Thanks for watching all the videos and for letting me know what you liked about the videos. I appreciate the feedback! And thanks for subscribing! More videos to come...
More videos pls, love this series!
Thanks! I am working on more videos.
Your videos are one of the best things on CZcams. Thanks!
Love you're videos. Informative and relaxing.
That's good to know! Thanks!
Thank you for this, and all your other videos. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and for a guy in his mid-40s, this tugs on all the right heartstrings.
Hey, thanks for the feedback. That's great to hear!
Your videos are all awesome. Love 'em!
That’s great to hear! Thanks!
These videos are still so addicting. Thank you for another intriguing video!
I'm glad you are addicted :) Thank you!
I love your videos. There’s a low-budget quality to them but that’s actually part of their appeal. And of course the content is a walk down memory lane. Keep up the great work!
Thanks very much for the feedback! It's great to know specifically what viewers like about the videos, so I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Great video. I worked for Apple UK in desktop support during this fateful period. One of my tasks was to build and implement an ANS700 for Apple UK File and Print service. Ours was fully loaded of course, with all the HD slots populated (including the 2 x rear bays) and a DAT drive. I recall very clearly building a multi 9TB drive RAID array and accidentally pressing the reset button about 5 hours into the initialisation process :(. The UK headquarters had a glass fronted server room, and our ANS was proudly on full display.
The story ends with me leaving Apple around the time these wonderful machines were discontinued, and then a year or so later, having the amazing opportunity to take 2 home with me for nothing (including the aforementioned fully loaded machine)... as they were no longer supported, they couldn't be run in Production anymore. I ran them at home for a few years on YellowDog Linux before selling them on eBay in around 2003 or 4.
Wow! Thanks for sharing your first-hand experiences with the ANS! I'm guessing it was actually a 9GB drive array, but still very impressive, considering the cost of those drives. Great to read your post.
@@65scribe Yes, sorry... it was a RAID 5 array of several 9GB drives. I remember a presentation Gil Amelio gave Apple staff and resellers back in those days stating that all the content on the entire World Wide Web could be stored on a 9GB drive when compressed. Ha! I have no idea how factually accurate that was, but it was certainly a claim. I also remember those 9GB drives were BIG, 3 or 4cm thick.
@@65scribe Another story regarding Shiner. I used to remotely administer the ANS using X-Terminal software from our office next to the server room. I remember one day the network manager running around frantically trying to figure out what was causing so much network load. He traced it back to my X-term, which I had inadvertently left running with an animated screensaver running full screen :) The days of 10Mb coaxial networks, still running at Apple HQ even in the late 90s!
@@kuyamoto9195 Fascinating stuff, Mark! Thanks for sharing these great stories.
Damn, it has been some time since your last long video. I was starting to think that ”maybe he won’t make anymore of them” and then BAM you hit us with this! I can watch your videos over and over. You pack them with LOADS of valuble information, I often wonder about something during the video that you answer later in it. They are a perfect blend of humour and facts, shot in 4:3, long enough to enjoy with snacks and drinks, cover the most interesting computers (to be fair most 90’s Apples are interesting), and also full of advice and good-to-know stuff for us who own some of the machines as well and like to keep them alive. Many thanks for all of this! Greetings from Sweden!
im happy to see that your subs are growing. i find your videos really entertaining and enjoyable . keep up the good work :)
Thanks for the feedback Daniel! I was quite surprised by the growth. I’m interested to see what the next video does.
The Legendary ANS. _thank you_ for this video!!
You're welcome! I hope you enjoyed it.
Exactly what I needed during these dreadful times, was just marathoning your videos a few days ago. Hope you're doing well
That's good to hear. I'm doing well and I hope you are, too.
Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to the next!
This is exactly what I didn't know I needed this morning but very much did. Thank you!
Good to hear that.. You're welcome.
I love the detail in these videos and the passion...and also the odd glimpse into the basement where some of his collection is. More videos please :)
Thanks Vince! I appreciate the feedback :)
Hi! CZcams suggested me this video and I decided to click on it because I had never heard of this Apple product. Very good video! I enjoyed a lot your voice, smooth, slow, and overall a chill voice. The video itself was very good at explaining the device and the history about Apple in the 90s. Also, this video felt like it wasn't for 2020 for the most part, maybe for the 2000s or I don't know, it gave the video a cosy feel. You just got a new subscriber and I will go watch your other videos!
That's great to hear! I've never thought my voice work was very good, so I'm surprised to get good feedback on that. Thanks for sharing your impression of the video, subscribing, and I hope you enjoy the other videos in the series!
Oh, I've been waiting for this and I'm here for it!
Good to see you here, Paul. Thanks!
Fascinating video! Beautiful to see a shout out to Syd and the PC Museum in Brantford. I was a long time volunteer at the Museum and Syd and the Museum will always have a special place in my heart.
Wow! Very cool to hear from one of the volunteers from Syd's Museum. Thanks for commenting!
Great videos! Hope to see more of them!
Thanks! Getting close to posting a new one.
I have always wanted to get one of these to see what they were like, thanks for doing this video.
Glad you enjoyed the tour!
Your videos are incredibly engaging.
These videos are hilarious and an absolute treat! Thank you for making them :-D
Thank you very much for commenting! It's good to hear that you enjoyed them that much.
Love you channel and your great sense of humor.
Thanks very much! Glad to hear you like the videos.
Thanks for the great video.... Glad to see you and yours are staying safe.
Thanks! Hoping the same for you.
So happy to see another video! I like the unreal sound track too, i played that on my mac quite a bit back in the day.
Yes, I really enjoyed being able to use some Unreal music in this video.
As always, your videos bring nothing but a smile my face and share phenomenal information. Thank you!
You're welcome! That's great to hear!
yes!! I have been waiting for a video from you and low and behold it's on the Apple Network Server! Awesome!
Thanks! I hope it was worth the wait!
Such a well put together video, that was really cool
Thanks for the feedback! Appreciate that.
This was amazing. Thank you for making it
Thanks very much! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
Oh wow I needed a channel like this thank you very much. Just subscribed!
Thank you for the 'sub'! I'm glad to hear you found something you like with these videos.
fantastic... growing up i always wanted to at least see one of these in the wild
thanks a ton for this
Glad to hear it's being watched by people who knew about, and appreciated the machine.
Great videos! I can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks Adam! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Great video as always you are the main inspiration behind me starting a vintage apple collection
Thanks very much! Great to hear the videos inspired your own collection. Best of luck going forward!
Couple years back my now wife/then gf took me out to brantford to see Syds museum and his amazing collection first hand. To those of us who cherish vintage computers his museum was a truly wonderful thing. Every computer I had dreamed of just getting to see he had and not just collecting dust on a shelf; they were out on display with hands on exploration ENCOURAGED. It was a truly wonderful experience, and almost overwhelming. When he learned it was my birthday and I liked chiptunes he gave me a CD of chiptunes that I cherish and listen to even today. Around his museum was a community of computer nerds the likes of which I had never seen. I met many amazing people at the museum that day but Syd stood out. He had built something wonderful. Its sad how quickly things can dissapear. If you find a place like the Brantford Computer Museum in your town CHERISH it. RIP Syd.
Beautifully said. Thanks for sharing your experience with Syd and his museum.
Thanks for the videos, please keep them coming!
Still plugging away on them :)
I love your videos man, your voice is so nice to listen to :)
Thanks for letting me know and I'm surprised that my voice gets mentioned as a positive, rather than just tolerated. :)
Another simply fascinating documentary. Hilarious. Brilliant.
Thanks Mike! Really glad you enjoyed it.
Outstanding video! What a beautiful machine.
Thank you! Good to hear that.
This is by far the best documentary I ever seen about an old retro computer
Thanks very much! I hope you take the time to watch some of the others in the series.
Darn snow! :) Excellent videos as always.
Ah good old xclock, over 20 years later and it's still practically the same program.
Actually it's more than 30 years old...
I LOVE this channel! Voice off camera: 'Take that thing back downstairs!' Priceless.
Thanks very much! Good to hear that!
65scribe I really appreciate your historical insight into these machines. Very informative and always entertaining
Awesome video dude, really enjoyed it.
I'm glad to hear that. Thanks!
Been watching a lot more CZcams these days with all the WFH and staying indoors. There have been a lot of videos I've seen with clickbait-y titles or obnoxious thumbnails to pass my time. Finding your content has been such a relief from the sensory overload CZcams has been recommending me. Love your content!
That's great to hear. This channel took a massive and unexpected up-tick when I released this video, I think because people had the time to give them a shot. I'd be perfectly happy going back to the way things were, but things being as they are, I'm glad people are finding entertainment in them. Thanks for giving your impression of the videos versus other content and thanks for watching!
I love these videos and given that this new one came out on my birthday, I'm going to interpret that as an intentional birthday present.
Happy Birthday, Matt! I won't argue your interpretation :)
10:58 - When any of my vintage machines decide to act up, I show them this part of the video, so they know how good they have it.
amazingly informative video, and the way you explain things makes it much more enjoyable.
Thanks! Great to hear the feedback on what you liked about the video.
@@65scribe no problem, your jokes cracked me up quite a bit
I love the techno music with the Xclock :) and the Unix flow chart “dude!” Put some KDE or Gnome on that bad boy and let’s serve some files at 3Mb/sec!! We used shuttles for big file movement back then, Damn we’ve come along way
Hey Keith, glad you got a couple laughs out of the video!
Perhaps a follow-up video (part II) about the unusual OS choice, AIX, and how it integrated into a Macintosh network? AFP? Could be done remote
Good suggestion. I would watch that video, I just don't think I'd be qualified to make it.
I hope you keep uploading videos about old Macintoshes. I just subscribed 🙂
Thank you, Diego. I appreciate you subscribing. I do intend to keep uploading. There’s usually a bit of a gap between videos but be patient. :)
thx as an apple fan since I started using it back in 1995, I never been into server stuff. I saw people in companies using the black mac as a server and later on the Imac in 98. So I'm discovering things here for the pleasure!
Glad you enjoyed the video. I didn't know anything about Servers either, but could not pass-up on the opportunity to make a video about this monster product.
This is amazing! I’m a huge Apple fan and a collector myself. This is an amazing pieces of Apple history. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for commenting, Lee. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I hope you get a chance to watch some of my other Mac videos.
It was pure comedy. You are the best man. Keep it up for more vintage Apple products!
Thanks Andres! Good to hear that!
this channel's a gem
Thanks Sam!
Excellent episode. Subscribed!
Thanks very much! I'm glad you liked it.
Some people may think that since his voice his deep he isn’t very motivated, but really he puts out the best mac videos on CZcams
Awesome video. So glad you chronicled the history of Apple network servers leading up to this.
PS., I loved the little bit on the 7300 -- I got one as a hand-me-down and used it in high school and early college -- very fond memories of it!
Thanks Alex! I appreciate the feedback. And glad you enjoyed the 7300 part. I had fun making that.
Nice trip back through history. That open firmware screen reminds me of how some Sun workstations booted. Some of them had a similar open firmware interface.
That's interesting, Tim. Thanks!
Another excellent, well researched, well informed video. Well done.
Thanks very much! Good to hear that.
Pretty sure I’ve watched all your Macintosh videos at least 3 times now. They’re that entertaining. Hoping you’ll do one on the G5 tower at some point, or the Titanium PowerBook if you’re into portables at all.
Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed them that much. I can say that I touch on the G5 tower in the upcoming video. And I did get a G4 Titanium recently, but no plan for a video yet. Good suggestions though!
Recently discovered your channel and went on a binge watch session. Love your videos - very informative, interesting, humorous, and excellent production quality! Would love to see video (s) about the Macintosh LC 550/575, PM 5200/5400/5500, PM 6500, or G3 AIO :)
Wow, thanks for watching all of it, Dan! I appreciate the feedback on what you thought. You pretty much named every Mac I don't have, except an LC 575. I would love to do a PM 6500 video, but have yet to track one down. The G3 AIO would be really interesting , too.
This was excellent, thanks!
Thanks very much!