TENET (Edu Network - Prototype)
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The TENET (Timex Educational NETwork) was a Local Area Network (LAN) developed by Timex of Portugal with the primary use to be in schools and it consisted of a network similar to the ZX Net provided by the Sinclair ZX Interface 1 but much more advanced. Programmers could develop programs or games to take advantage of the network.
The network consists of a Master station with a Timex FDD 3000, a Timex 2080 printer, and to a maximum of 24 client stations. The Master station can control all client stations, load programs/data, halt, reset, retrieve the screen, and send messages to any client station. Client stations can be given permission to access a file on the FDD 3000 and/or to print data on the printer and send messages to any station.
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The machine shown (it’s currently located in the LOAD “ZX” Museum) here is one of the first prototypes made for the network test. A later version more refined with a gate array made by Thompson was made much smaller in an interface form instead of a daughter board inside the computer. Later the TENET system was incorporated into the Timex Computer 3256.
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- Network topology of 2 wire bus
- Updo 25 stations (1 master + 24 clients)
- Maximum network length 100 meters
- Data transmission is asynchronous with an 11-bit frame at 187.500 bits/second
- Network protocol packed switched master-slave with error detection and packet retransmission
- Interface hardware with a single chip microcomputer (8031) with 2 port TAM for communication with the host computer
BASIC extensions available at the Master station:
- CLEAR AT resets a station
- RANDOMISE & USR force a machine code jump at a station
- LOAD & reloads a station with basic or machine code
- VERIFY AT checks a station status
- PRINT #6 sends a message
Basic extensions available at the Client stations:
- OPEN# & remote file open
- CLOSE# & remote file close
- PRINT & remote file write
- INPUT & remote file read
- MOVE & prints a file on the master’s printer
- SAVE & saves a file on the master’s disk drive
- LOAD & loads a file from the master’s disk drive
- MERGE & combines a BASIC program from the master’s disk drive
- PRINT #6 sends a message
Other functions are available from machine code for general purposes, memory-to-memory transfers, and message passing.
![](https://loadzx.com/timexcomputerworld/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tenet10-1024x655.jpg)