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One thing that strikes me as odd is that the computers shown predate the kind of terminology used on the blast door. Words like "Intranet", "server", "hubs" were not in common usage back then because they refer to technology that didn't become commonplace until later. Rather, I'd expect to see terms like LAN/WAN, token ring, host, etc. So I don't know if it means that there is more modern equiptment elsewhere, or if the producers didn't do their homework (odd, since they seem meticulous about other details). Or maybe I'm just being nitpicky ;-) --Uth 19:16, 3 April 2006 (PDT)

I remember "intranet" as a term thst started being used from 1995-1996. "server" goes back a very long time (probably to the 1970s). "hub" is a mid-1980s. But I've worked with people who retrofitted those terms on older generations of equipment. Rather than LAN/WAN (1980s terms) or token ring (too business for a research network), the terms from the era of construction would be ARPANET terms like IMP, 56k line, gateway, packet radio and host. Ironically enough, "E.E.P." which appears on the blast door map is an early networking term. It stood for End to End Protocol and was the term for the general class of protocols that included TCP/IP. The term is actually used in the very first paper on TCP/IP from 1975. Of course it turns out on the show (or more specifically the puzzles) that EEP means something else. Dharmatel4 08:39, 7 March 2007 (PST)
I don't know just how picky they are being about the computer details. I've worked in the industry long enough to tell an Apache configuration page running on a CentOS box from a "Ju R 0wn3d" message, so I know that the mainframe in the Hatch should not be running, let alone functional. Having said that, a "DHARMAtel" network on the Island wouldn't be as surprising as it might seem: they had SNA, token-ring, as well as ethernet in those days (in that declining order of quality), & if this was a blue-sky experimental base a computer network would have been expected. I'm guessing that the comments on the Hatch door were by someone who might be thinking in TCP/IP terms, where DHARMAtel was old, old school. -- Llywrch 15:21, 4 April 2006 (PDT)

The interesting thing is that, while we really don't know how much contact the Dharma folks have with the outside world, seems like they have some, especially since they're still getting shipped supplies. but aside from that, remember that Desmond crashed there only three years ago so he would certainly have at least knowledge of that type of terminology -- Jmast7 19:09, 4 April 2006 (EST)

there are ways to interface older tech with newer tech... the more advanced remote terminal programs can talk to pretty much anything. it sort of looks like there's a centralized hub in '?', and it's entirely plausible that it might be full of shiny linux or xp servers ;) pure speculation, mind you --kaini 20:03, 4 April 2006 (PDT)

Computer Network vs. Plain Old Telephone System (POTS)[]

I'm suspecting that we may be projecting our modern ideas of a "computer network" onto this communication system -- just as the author of the Blast door map may have done. It's very likely that DHARMAtel was simply the local island phone system -- & nothing more. And a phone line could be used for both data transfer & voice communications, whereas a network cable was limited to data transfer.

If there were more than one computer center on the Island (as Michael's communication with "Walt" suggests), the machines could have exchanged information over modems: a quick glance at the Wikipedia article on Modems reminded me that modem technology allowed data to be transferred at 2400 baud (that's 2.4Kb/s -- less than a tenth of present-day dialup speeds) up to 1984, when the Telebit Trailblazer enabled modem transfer speeds of up to 19,200 baud. And remember, the amount of data handled by computers in those days was small -- if a file size was in the range of tens of Mb, it was considered huge -- & if an operator had to deal with a file that was larger than 10 Mb in size, it was often easier to just copy it to tape & carry the data from one computer to the other than to transfer it over the wire.

And if this is the case, small wonder the writer couldn't identify any servers, switches or hubs: they didn't exist! All that the DHARMA folks needed was one phone switch -- & they probably could buy second-hand one that met their needs. And when it finally died, so did DHARMAtel. -- Llywrch 10:25, 6 April 2006 (PDT)


Considering there is also more current technology in The Swan (such as the washer/dryer set), it's possible there is also more current server & network technology on the island somewhere.    Jabberwock    talk    contribs    email   - 10:59, 6 April 2006 (PDT)

The computer networks you would want to look at for comparison would be the university and even more the US national lab networks of the same era. The ARPANET already existed before the DHARMA initiative started. The standard technology would have been dedicated 56Kbps lines plus other associated hardware but groups in the government who had the money to spend could get better than that at the time. If the network was upgraded in the late 1970s or early 1980s, optical interconnects could have been used. If they had an early fiber system, the lasers would have failed after a few years. The interconnects on the blast door map between the stations indicate a computer and communications network. The DHARMA initiative was never about saving money or doing things cheap in the early days. The most reasonable network would have involved small phone switches at each research facility (or hatch) and multiple dedicated lines. The multiple uses of the computer at the swan would seem to require multiple lines. As far as video, whats been shown so far would indicate hardwire video signals going between the hatches.
Some things, like even the washer/dryer, could have been airdropped in. They could be dropping in necessary things that wear out on a regular schedule. To upgrade the network though would be a very large task. Long cables would have be re-run through conduits at the very least. And had they upgraded the network, they would have upgraded the computers. Dharmatel4 13:01, 6 March 2007 (PST)

Video via Dharmatel[]

This is still a theory. We don't even know for sure what Dharmatel is yet. --Ernest 13:25, 19 May 2006 (PDT)

DharmaTel=The Pearl?[]

“WHY SO MANY DHARMATEL RELAYS TO SUCH AN UNTENABLE LOCATION?” states that there are many DharmaTel relays going to one spot (quite redundant). And in the Pearl, there are (al least) 9 video feeds being recieved into the Pearl. So could it be that DharmaTel IS the video? It also implies that the inhabitants of the Swan know nothing of other hatches. Cghp91490 11:46, 31 August 2006 (PDT)

  • "It also implies that the inhabitants of the Swan know nothing of other hatches". How did you get to that? They made a frickin map with the different stations, they have some knowledge of the other stations.--CaptainInsano
  • Most likely, "untenable" in this context is akin to "uninhabitable". Provided that we know Otherville is surrounded by mountains, it's safe to assume that there will be data/voice network connections running through/over the mountains to that area. An outside observer would be confused, seeing multiple cables going straight through/up a huge mountain, and note that on the map. JoelVanAtta 21:52, 30 October 2006 (PST)

Photo[]

Where did the edited screencap come from? It's clear that's a pole with speakers on it, just like the ones we hear from elsewhere on the Hydra island. What is the cap's purpose? JoelVanAtta 21:46, 30 October 2006 (PST)

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