Editing Econet (section)

== Implementation history ==

[[File:BBC B Econet.jpg|thumb|Econet components installed on BBC Micro Model B motherboard]]

{{Original research section|date=November 2014}}

Econet was specified in 1980, and first developed for the [[Acorn Atom]] and [[Acorn System 2]]/[[Acorn System 3|3]]/[[Acorn System 4|4]] computers in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Retro Isle - Acorn Econet|url=http://www.retroisle.com/general/acorn_econet.php|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.retroisle.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chris's Acorns: Econet|url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/Network/Econet.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk}}</ref> Also in that year the [[BBC Micro]] was released, initially with provision for floppy disc and Econet interface ports, but without the necessary supporting ICs fitted, optionally to be added in a post sale upgrade.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Micro Model B Econet Interface|url=https://www.retro-kit.co.uk/page.cfm/content/BBC-Micro-Model-B-Econet-Interface/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.retro-kit.co.uk}}</ref>

In 1982, the [[Department of Education (Tasmania)|Tasmania Department of Education]] requested a tender for the supply of personal computers to their schools. Earlier that year Barson Computers, Acorn's Australian computer distributor, had released the BBC Microcomputer with floppy disc storage as part of a bundle. Acorn's [[Hermann Hauser]] and [[Christopher Curry (businessman)|Chris Curry]] agreed to allow it to be also offered with Econet fitted, as they had previously done with the disc interface. As previously with the [[Disc Filing System]], they stipulated that Barson would need to adapt the network filing system from the System&nbsp;2 without assistance from Acorn. Barson's engineers applied a few modifications to fix bugs on the early BBC Micro motherboards, which were adopted by Acorn in later releases. With both floppy disc and networking available, the BBC Micro was approved for use in schools by all state and territory education authorities in Australia and New Zealand, and quickly overtook the [[Apple II]] as the computer of choice in private schools.

With no other supporting documentation available, the head of Barson's Acorn division, Rob Napier, published ''Networking with the BBC Microcomputer'',<ref>{{cite book
|url=https://archive.org/details/networking-with-the-bbc-microcomputer-rgnapier/mode/2up
|title=Networking with the BBC Microcomputer
|last=Napier
|first=Robert G.
|publisher=Prentice-Hall
|date=1984
|isbn=978-0-13-611468-0}}</ref> the first reference documentation for Econet.

Econet was officially released for the BBC Micro in the UK in 1984, and it later became popular as a networking system for the [[Acorn Archimedes]].  Econet was eventually officially supported on all post-Atom Acorn machines,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Networking|url=http://www.apdl.org.uk/riscworld/volumes/volume3/issue6/networks/index.htm|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.apdl.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=BeebMaster - I Want an Econet!|url=https://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Econet/EconetInterfaces.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.beebmaster.co.uk}}</ref> apart from the [[Acorn Electron|Electron]] (except in Australia and New Zealand where Barson Computers built their own Econet [[daughterboard]]<ref name="beebmaster_elknet">{{cite web |url=http://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Econet/ElkNet.html |title=Acorn Electron Econet Interface |work=BeebMaster |access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref>), along with third-party [[ISA card]]s for the IBM PC. The "Ecolink" ISA interface card for [[IBM PC compatible|IBM-compatible PCs]] was available.<ref>{{cite web|title=PC Econet Interface|url=http://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Econet/PCEconet.html|accessdate=25 November 2014|website=beebmaster.co.uk}}</ref> It used [[Microsoft]]'s MS-NET Redirector for [[MS-DOS]] to provide file and printer sharing via the NET&nbsp;USE command.

File, Print and Tape servers, for the architecture were also supplied by third-party vendors such as S J Research.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SJ Research MDFS - Econet File Server - Peripheral - Computing History|url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/39686/SJ-Research-MDFS-Econet-File-Server/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=www.computinghistory.org.uk}}</ref>

Econet was supported by [[Acorn MOS]], [[RISC OS]], [[RISC iX]], [[FreeBSD]] and [[Linux]] operating systems.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~theom/riscos/docs/Acorn-Unix-Econet-Device-Driver-and-Network-Device.pdf
|title=Acorn Unix Econet Device Driver and Network Device
|publisher=Acorn Computers RISC iX Group
|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref>

Acorn once received an offer from [[Commodore International]] to license the technology, which it refused.<ref name="stanford">{{cite web
|last=Athreye
|first=Suma S.
|title=Agglomeration and Growth: A Study of the Cambridge Hi-Tech Cluster
|url=http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/pdf/0042.pdf
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030513143853/http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/pdf/00-42.pdf
|archivedate=13 May 2003
|work=SIEPR Discussion Paper No. 00-42
|publisher=Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
|accessdate=18 June 2012
|date=18 July 2000}}</ref>

=== Subsequent development ===
With the falling prices and widespread adoption of [[Internet Protocol|IP networking]] in the early 1990s, Acorn Universal Networking (AUN),<ref>{{ cite book | title=AUN - Acorn Universal Networking | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/Brochures/Acorn_APP859_AUN.pdf | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | access-date=26 November 2014 | date=June 1995 }}</ref> an implementation of Econet protocols and addressing over [[TCP/IP]] (in Acorn's words "an AUN network is a conformant TCP/IP network underneath the Econet-like veneer"<ref name="acorn_an261">{{ cite tech report | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/AN/261.pdf | title=Using AUN with the TCP/IP Protocol Suite (Release 2). | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=27 May 1994 | access-date=10 March 2021 | issue=1.00 | pages=4 }}</ref>), was developed to provide legacy support for Econet on [[Ethernet]]-connected machines.<ref name="acorn_an283">{{ cite tech report | url=http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Acorn/AN/283.pdf | title=TCP/IP Addressing, Subnetworking and Interoperability: an Overview | publisher=Acorn Computers Limited | date=11 August 1995 | access-date=10 March 2021 | issue=1.01 | pages=8 }}</ref>

Support for the Econet protocol and AUN was removed from the [[Linux kernel]] in 2012 from version 3.5, due to lack of use and [[privilege escalation]] vulnerabilities.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hemminger |first=Stephen |title=Econet: Remove Ancient Bug Ridden Protocol |url=https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/davem/net-next.git;a=commit;h=349f29d841dbae854bd7367be7c250401f974f47 |date=18 May 2012 |accessdate=18 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120709073930/http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/davem/net-next.git;a=commit;h=349f29d841dbae854bd7367be7c250401f974f47 |archivedate=9 July 2012 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://lwn.net/Articles/498116/ |first=Jonathan |last=Corbet |website=LWN.net |title=The 3.5 Merge Window Opens |date=23 May 2012 |accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref>