Meet the Dolch PAC-60 486DX/66
💻+💼 Sniffer Network Analyzer
Now-a-days we can whip up SolarWinds, Wireshark or a myriad of software that lets us analyze network data; but in the late 80s and 90s, the affair was a different story.
In 1987, Volker Dolch created Dolch Computer Systems Inc. [ Dolch. ] in California. The company was a manufacturer of high-end ruggedized portable computers designed for government and industrial usage.
A few years later, 1992, they released the PAC-60. It featured a 486DX/66, 8-64MB RAM, 270MB-4GB HDD/1.44MB 3.5-in., 4 EISA (3 VESA) and was contained in a 20lb rugged luggable case. It’s a total unit of a machine!
🔍 Meet TechHeart’s Dolch PAC-60!
TechHeart was able to source a PAC-60 in great condition. We’ve began undertaking both preserving it’s original stock software and upgrading it to serve duty as a kick-ass retro-computing 486 platform.
(You can follow the original stock software link to download; you’ll find both an image file and compressed file-system files.)
We can take a quick walk around of the hardware:
It’s main program, *The Sniffer Network Analyzer, allows the machine to inspect packets and do other network monitoring:
It still runs and even sniffs packets if connected to a network; it’s pretty feature packed for the time, with the ability to save different profiles for the many users that might have had to use the PAC-60:
It came with other software - one named Remote2 CALLER that allows remote users to dial-up the PAC-60, connect to Remote2 and then access logs and information from network scans that are on the machine.
We can take a look at it’s internals:
And while we’re at it, lets take a look at the three cards in our PAC-60. We have a video card, a network card and a disk controller. (Thanks to Rainman of Never Never Land BBS we have a Sound-Blaster coming - this Dolch is going from network tool to retro-rockstar!!)
💾 Preserving Dolch history…
As stated earlier, we wanted to preserve the stock software that shipped with the PAC-60, as there was no Dolch or ‘Sniffer Network Analyzer" software located at Archive.org… and took some video of the process:
Alright!! Up to this point, we’ve sourced a Dolch PAC-60 486DX/66, checked out out the stock software that came installed, opened the machine to inspect it’s internals and made a back-up image of the vintage hard disk so we won’t lose it’s data. The internals were in great shape… these ‘portable luggables’ were built with many features protecting their hardware - I believe that their high cost would have meant they were well regarded and taken care of. It seems that way in this instance!
🚀 What’s next?
I really think the portable luggable form-factor makes for a desirable ‘retro-computing’ machine; pack it up and it’s just as secure as it was built to be. We’ve already started upgrades; starting with an install of a 40/44 Pin IDE to CFCard Adapter internally that can hold a bootable OS drive.
We installed a second CFCard adapter that mounts to one of the expansion bays, with the CFCard slot on the outside of the Dolch. This way we can switch CFCards without opening the machine - it can hold software, data and anything else that we might want to swap out during use.
With a period-correct Sound-Blaster on the way, we’ll have to source a small amplifier board and speaker, which we’ll mount internally with some bolts and brackets.
We’re hunting for a well built Gotek Floppy Drive Emulator to replace the 1.44MB 3.5in drive - this will allow us to load many disk images on an SD-Card without having to write slow 3.5in disks.
In the upcoming summer months, keep an eye out on the TechHeart Youtube page as we’ll release a video once all the modifications are done, showing you all the details along the way. Scroll past the break if you’d like to take a look at an original Dolch PAC brochure from 1992!
P.S. Of course, it runs DOOM without a hitch!!
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