I have some experience with legacy DOS applications like FoxPro and integrating them with the web but this latest project I was asked about takes the cake.

My friend owns a bar that runs a point of sale system (POS) that runs on either Novell DOS (WTF?) or Novell Netware.

The system is called "Dolphin". No one knows anything else about it. Google searches, etc turn up nothing. No one has contact info about the company, etc.

He wants me to help him figure out backing up the database (assuming there is one) and maybe running some queries on the DB the software doesn't currently support.

There are POS terminals located throughout the bar so I assume whatever operating system this thing is run on has some networking capabilities. He says he thinks the computer is plugged into a router.

I am gonna go check it out. If it's plugged into a router I am going to try to an extensive scan with nmap hoping it can determine the OS, open ports and maybe figure out if hopefully (almost definitely is NOT the case) some RDBMS is listening on a port.

From the way he described the whole setup, it sounds like it was expensive software at one time and he definitely doesn't have the money to upgrade to a newer, windows based POS. This thing does it all - credit card processing (not sure if its over dial up or what), pool tables, all kinds of food, beer, wine and alcohol options, etc. yet the company is nowhere to be found.

Any suggestions? It's crazy to me the company just disappeared and it's equally crazy this thing runs on some Novell non-Linux type operating system. I emailed a few POS vendors and no one seems to have a clue about this particular POS system.

Of all the old, kludgy bull**** software that operates some businesses today, this one seems to take the cake mainly due to the lack of vendor info.

Wow, I forgot all about Novell DOS.

I think your buddy is screwed.


I turned up this on google, it may give you a lead

http://www.allproducts.com/manufactu...o/sa-1100.html

Ive never worked with dolphin, but a lot of these are client/server obviously, but its not your typical network communiction, the server shares the hard drive to the clients, and the clients write to the "local" hard drive, so you may just be looking ofr a shared drive rather than open network ports. the configuration files should give you an insight into which station is the server.

but its novell so who the **** knows.

Thanks diebitter, I saw that link and emailed the company selling that terminal.

This should be an interesting project and I will update as I progress in case anyone cares. Such a weird platform to deploy any kind of application. I can't imagine what the development tools were like. I can't even imagine if something like this was hard coded in C or something.

DR-DOS was the best back in those days I was a kid and used it to improve Doom framerates considerably if memory serves me lol.

I'd be surprised if nmap is any use, I doubt this rig uses TCP/IP, that came later iirc - probably IPX? and I doubt it's a router, but maybe. my guess is it's a straight metal hub, and if it's anything like the few old systems I've "salvaged" it looks like cat5 on one end but the other ends have all manner of weird serial-type D connectors lol. I could never figure out how all the stuff I found went back together! I had a look at that dolphin pos linked above, looks too new?

I wonder if modern virtualisation setups like virtualbox can operate with a weirdo network stack like this may have - I don't have much experience with them outside of running windows on a linux box. That may provide an easy way to provide backup capability and future reliable server hardware for a minimal outlay if you can image the server disk without trouble.

If its novell it may not be IP it may be IPX. I would bet the 'router' is actually a hub or maybe a really old switch. I think there was one or two db servers for netware but more than likely like guids said its a shared drive.
-Phil