When Acorn lauched their 32-bit computers, first the Archimedes A300 and A400/1 range but more importantly the A3000, applications became bigger and used shared resources such as relocatable modules, fonts and printer drives, the 20KB/sec maximum transfer rate of Econet noticibly slowed down application loading. SJ Research's answer to this was Nexus, which shares a hard disc between upto 8 workstations and has its own fast network to speed the loading of applications.
IMPORTANT Nexus Interface cards are NOT Ethernet cards and can only be used in a Nexus network.
Here is an SJ Research brochure Nexus Shared Hard Discs .
The SJ Research Nexus Disc Sharer gives fast access to its hard disc to all connected computers.
SJ Research Nexus Interface cards must be fitted to each computer connected to the Nexus Disc Sharer.
The Nexus Interface cards for Archimedes computers Installation Instructions and User Guide is in Documents. This covers A3x0, A4x0/1, A540, A3000, A3020, A4000 and A5000 models.
A Nexus Router can connect upto 3 computers to a Nexus server.
The Nexus socket boxes were designed to be wall mounted and connected a computer with a Nexus interface via a flylead to the Nexus network.
In 1993 SJ Research introduced Nexus Networking and Nexus Junior. I don't know much about Next Networking, but it was a fast network based on the ATM protocol which was being defined at the time. Nexus networking had Routers and Hubs (haven't got a hub [Wanted ] ) to link Nexus servers with Archimedes computers. The BEN linked Nexus to Econet networks and Nexus servers and computers ran Virtual Econet (EconetA module) so that Econet computer could talk to Nexus and vice versa. I have read that it was possible to link Ethernet network segments via Nexus.
I would like more information on Nexus Networking if anyone has it especially documentation.
SJ Research Nexus ATM Networking interface card must be fitted to every computer connected to the Nexus Network. It appears that the cards are a modified version of the standard Nexus interface cards with a different ROM.
The SJ Research Bridge Econet to Nexus (BEN) allows an Econet network to be connected to a Nexus network.