[Info-vax] INFOServer 150

[johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk]

On Tuesday, 15 January 2019 15:57:38 UTC, Marc Van Dyck  wrote:
> VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG explained :
> > In article <ga4b6tFg9o7U1 at mid.individual.net>, Bill Gunshannon 
> > <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> writes:
> >> 
> >> I know there is probably some where I could look this up but
> >> I figure someone here (Hoff? :-) has the info right on the tip
> >> of their tongue.
> >> 
> >> Is an INFOServer 150 also a MOP server?  I am planning to do
> >> some playing with net booting PDP-11's and if my INFOServer
> >> already does it then I really don;t need to set one up on a
> >> BSD box.  (Although I still might for debugging purposes.)
> >
> > Yes.  All my InfoServers used to serve as MOP servers.
> 
> Couldn't they be used to boot VXT2000s, or vaxstation II turned into
> X terminals ?
> 
> -- 
> Marc Van Dyck

Lots of magick could be done with an Infoserver. Most of it was even
documented :)

Detailed info in e.g. the VMS System Managers' Manual, from where
this text was borrowed (e.g. http://www0.mi.infn.it/~calcolo/OpenVMS/ssb71/6015/6017p069.htm - as the name implies, this is a V7.1 mangle):
"23.1 Understanding InfoServer Functions

The InfoServer system is a high-performance virtual device server. It can make available, or serve, compact discs, read/write disks, magneto-optical (MO) devices, and tapes to client systems on the local area network (LAN). Systems running InfoServer Client software can connect to the virtual devices and use them as though they are locally attached devices.

Unlike a file server, the InfoServer system does not impose a file system on the virtual devices that it serves. For example, the InfoServer system can serve a disk with any type of on-disk file structure. The client system interprets the on-disk structure and uses its own native file system to access data. Multiple on-disk structures can be served by and accessed on a single InfoServer system at the same time.

The InfoServer system can perform the following functions:

*    Serve compact discs
    The InfoServer system serves compact discs automatically, using a disc's volume label as the service name when the server is booted or when a disc is inserted into an InfoServer drive. You do not have to perform any management action. Client systems simply bind to and mount the disc under its volume label.

*    The InfoServer system can automatically serve to OpenVMS clients compact discs that are in ODS-2 format. High Sierra and ISO-9660 compact discs and other media types can be served manually through the InfoServer management interface.

*    Serve Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) tapes
    Using service names, the InfoServer system can serve SCSI tape devices to the network. Client systems can connect to these tape devices and use them as though they were locally attached devices.

*    Serve read/write disk partitions
    A partition is a logical subset of an InfoServer read/write disk. A single disk can be subdivided into several partitions, each of which can be served to the network independently. To remote client systems, these partitions appear to be whole disks. For example, a client system using InfoServer Client for OpenVMS software can access the partitions and use them as though they are local hard disks.

*    Act as an initial load system for OpenVMS systems
    The InfoServer system can downline load the primary bootstrap program to OpenVMS systems by responding to Maintenance Operation Protocol (MOP) requests. The server can locate MOP downline load files on the OpenVMS software distribution compact disc and copy them into temporary MOP partitions on an InfoServer-formatted read/write disk.
    The initial system load (ISL) bootstrap program connects back to the software distribution compact disc and boots Standalone Backup. The Backup utility is then used to copy the OpenVMS operating system save sets from the compact disc to a read/write disk attached to the system. All subsequent OpenVMS boots are done from the local read/write disk.

*    Downline load other products
    You can use the InfoServer system to load any Ethernet product by file name; that is, the server does not require a Network Control Program (NCP) database entry to locate the requested file. For example, X terminal clients use the InfoServer system to downline load their system software. You can create a special MOP partition and copy the desired file to that partition. The server additionally supports downline loading of services by Ethernet address. Each InfoServer system can handle up to 100 simultaneous downline loads more efficiently than host-based downline loaders, which must start processes to assist in the load. "

Etc.