DATAPAC
Encyclopedia
DATAPAC was Canada
's packet switched X.25
-equivalent data network. Operated first by Trans-Canada Telephone System, then Telecom Canada, then the Stentor Alliance
, it finally reverted to Bell Canada
when the Stentor Alliance was dissolved.
transactions between retailers and the financial institutions (banks) through the Interac Direct Payment EFTPOS
network. Some automatic teller machines also used the DATAPAC network.
It was also used to transmit lottery ticket numbers that are purchased by customers.
technologies like IP
/MPLS
, the importance of DATAPAC diminished in the marketplace. Bell phased out support for DATAPAC, discontinuing the service at the end of 2009.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's packet switched X.25
X.25
X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
-equivalent data network. Operated first by Trans-Canada Telephone System, then Telecom Canada, then the Stentor Alliance
Stentor Alliance
The Stentor Alliance is a formal alliance of Canada's major telecommunications companies, specifically its incumbent local exchange carriers. It derives its name from the Greek mythological figure Stentor....
, it finally reverted to Bell Canada
Bell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
when the Stentor Alliance was dissolved.
Use
One of the uses of DATAPAC network was to transmit debit cardDebit card
A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...
transactions between retailers and the financial institutions (banks) through the Interac Direct Payment EFTPOS
EFTPOS
EFTPOS is the general term used for debit card based systems used for processing transactions through terminals at points of sale. In Australia and New Zealand it is also the brand name of the specific system used for such payments...
network. Some automatic teller machines also used the DATAPAC network.
It was also used to transmit lottery ticket numbers that are purchased by customers.
Types of connections
- DATAPAC 3101 Teletype (Ascii) connections, both dial and leased.
- DATAPAC 3201 connections were made by using leased lineLeased lineA leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent . It is sometimes known as a 'Private Circuit' or 'Data Line' in the UK or as CDN in Italy...
connections in a speciality financial industry code. - DATAPAC 3000 X.25 connections
Future use
With the advent of lower-cost WANWide area network
A wide area network is a telecommunication network that covers a broad area . Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations...
technologies like IP
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
/MPLS
Mpls
MPLS or Mpls can refer to:* Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States* Multiprotocol Label Switching, a data-carrying mechanism in computer networking...
, the importance of DATAPAC diminished in the marketplace. Bell phased out support for DATAPAC, discontinuing the service at the end of 2009.
External links
- http://www.wann.com/products/cd/3201.html : Canadian Banknote Company: An example of a Datapac 3201 modem produced by CBC's WANN Connection Devices division.
- http://www.phrack.org/issues.html?issue=44&id=21#article - Phrack Magazine: A discussion about the DATAPAC network
- http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/hacking/dpacintr.txt - Another discussion about the DATAPAC network - conversion equipment for Datapac 3101 and 3201 hardware
- http://www.precidia.com/products/ether3201.html - Precidia Technologies Inc.: Another DATAPAC conversion box
- http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/threats/927.php - SANS InstituteSANS InstituteThe SANS Institute is a private US company that specializes in internet security training. It was founded in 1989, provides computer security training, professional certification through Global Information Assurance Certification , and a research archive - the SANS Reading Room...
: Security considerations for using networks like Datapac - http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/cn/Dialup/datapac.html - University of WaterlooUniversity of WaterlooThe University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
: How DATAPAC was used in the university setting - http://www.textfiles.com/history/chickenheadbbs.txt - Comments about using DATAPAC to access CompuserveCompuServeCompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
circa late-1980s