[Info-vax] Change Mouse Pointer Color

Jairo Alves jairo.ptbr at gmail.com
Mon Dec 3 14:28:34 EST 2018


> 
> > Most of our boxes are rx2660 being used as workstations.
> 
> If those boxes are connected to a graphics display monitor using the 
> VGA port on the management processor and a USB-connected HID, then 
> that's very likely running DECwindows.  DECwindows is the OpenVMS 
> implementation of X.  The DECwindows login is very distinctive, if it's 
> displayed.  If these boxes boot into a logged in state, that login and 
> that logo probably won't be visible, though.

Yes, their graphics are connected via the VGA port to regular monitors.
And yes, the Login screen is present.

"DECWindows is the OpenVMS implementation of X"

I always thought DECWindows was just for presenting purposes. But, then, 
is DECWindows the VMS implementation of X in the same way that CSWS is the
OpenVMS implementation of Apache?


> Well aware of SCADA environments, having worked on SCADA software and 
> having been on-site at various installations in the US and 
> internationally.  Upwards of three months spent on-site, in one case.  
> Some of the factory floor network protocols used with the old embedded 
> controllers and PLCs were quite hideous, too.  Worked with several that 
> tossed off XON and XOFF characters in their data streams.  As data. Not 
> control.  There was one that could toss ^P at a host.  And several that 
> generated framing errors—break signals—on power up.  That was fun.  But 
> I digress.


The other day we did a security test to find the obvious, one can do a man in the middle attack to change most configurations in a PLC provided the subject is within its LAN. But, what PLCs have cryptography? Not even 
to protect its connection with the programming software.

I digress too.

> SCADA networks having the same reputation for robust security as does 
> IoT, of course.

ICS-CERT is trying to change that. It will get better with time, I think.

> I'd be surprised to see much in the way of SCADA on OpenVMS on x86-64.  

We have the contracts to (possibly) ask for such a change when the time
has come.

For us, this could mean big economies in hardware, since we may take
advantage of virtual machines / hypervisors and not have such an
expensive inventory of rx2660s that serve as just glorified workstations.


> but I don't expect to see OpenVMS boxes commonly performing doing 
> direct process control, though stranger things that happened.

Direct process control as in SDCD? I don't see that happening either. 

Still, as an HMI host, they may go on for some 15 years or even more..



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