[Info-vax] VAXStation 3100

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/18/19 7:35 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 1/18/2019 6:43 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 1/18/19 6:06 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> On 1/18/2019 2:24 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>> On 1/18/19 12:26 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>>>> On 1/18/2019 9:28 AM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>>>> On 1/18/19 12:56 AM, John H. Reinhardt wrote:
>>>>>>> On 1/17/2019 3:44 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> A quick update being as I'm the guy who started this thread.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Turns out I have 7.3 CD's (not sure about layered products,
>>>>>>>> I have 1 CD labeled that but I know they can't be on 1 CD!)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> No, in this case "Layered Products" means things like DECram,
>>>>>>> DWMotif,
>>>>>>> Pathworks, etc.  Not BASIC, COBOL, etc.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I suspected as much when I mounted the CD and looked at it.
>>>>>> But I do have a set of LP CD's dated 2004 which are probably
>>>>>> what I need.  No index, however, so finding what i want (and
>>>>>> have a license for) is going to be a chore.  These did not
>>>>>> come in the usual packaging which had a paper list of what
>>>>>> was there and what disk it was on.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you have a set of "Consolidated Distribution" disks, the "list" is
>>>>> on every disk.
>>>>
>>>> I will have t o mount one and take a look.  In the past I
>>>> was used to using the paper list.  Highlight what I was
>>>> interested in and only play with those CD's.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Install went easy.  I am using a 1GB Fujitsu drive.  And,
>>>>>>>> I will likely take a look at net booting and running it
>>>>>>>> diskless.  This is my M76, my most powerful one.  On
>>>>>>>> another note, I tried the Infoserver.  Nothing on the
>>>>>>>> hard disk.  There were two CD's inside the case, one with
>>>>>>>> what looks like a key written on the envelope.  That looks
>>>>>>>> like it should boot, but it never goes beyond the start
>>>>>>>> of the process and then periodic access to the disk.  The
>>>>>>>> other says not bootable right off the bat.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> So, I have heard that the Infoserver software is on the
>>>>>>>> Freeware CD.  Is this true?  If so, what do I do with
>>>>>>>> it if I can't even boot the machine?  Can I put it on
>>>>>>>> my mop server and remote boot the Infoserver to install
>>>>>>>> a system on it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If it's in an ISO type format you might be able to write it to a CD
>>>>>>> and boot the Infoserver from it.I looked at it once but that was 
>>>>>>> long
>>>>>>> ago.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Well, they are .img files.  Not sure what that means but
>>>>>> Brasero on Linux happily wrote it to a CD. Didn't boot
>>>>>> though.  Not sure where to go from  here with that but
>>>>>> it isn't stopping my program, just slowing it down.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I have DECNET running.  I have LAT running on two of my
>>>>>> Unix boxes and somehow they advertise their availability.
>>>>>> How can I get VMS to do that?  I tried moving my PAKs
>>>>>> over OPA0: but that was a dismal failure.  Overrun after
>>>>>> no more than 2 lines.  Wold like to just use DECNET to
>>>>>> move them and then get on from there but I can't figure
>>>>>> out how to let the other boxes know the VMS systems is
>>>>>> there.
>>>>>
>>>>> Where do you currently have the PAKs?
>>>>
>>>> On other machines like where I get m y email and where I am
>>>> running my terminal emulator.
>>>
>>> If I had no other option, I'd bring up the data (text) in a window,
>>> such as Notepad, cut, paste into a VMS session with EDT running, and
>>> when ready just exit EDT, thus having the text on the VMS system.
>>
>> Tried the old cut&paste.  I get no more than 2 1/2 lines before
>> I start getting data overruns.  At that rate I might just as
>> well hand type the whole file in (and that is not going to happen!!)
>> It's going to be DECNET, TCPIP or Kermit first.
> 
> Ok, first question, what terminal emulator are you running?

Putty.

> 
> Second question, how is it connected (as a terminal) to VMS, and 
> physically to the VAX?  Note, OPA0 is usually not the best port for 
> serial activity, other than simple stuff.  

Yes, but it's the only one I got.

>                                          If TCP/IP was installed, you 
> could use Telnet or SSH.

Of course I could, but it's not.  Thus me desire to use DECNET
which comes straight from the factory on the install.  :-)

> 
> When you get to the point where you have a VMS terminal session, what 
> are the terminal characteristics?  If you're getting "overruns", 
> whatever that is, perhaps flow control is not set up or working correctly.

According to the manuals I have it's a three wire connection with  no
flow control available.  It was hard enough getting a terminal emulator
working without any of the usual modem signals.

> 
> 
> 
>>>>> While DECnet can be very useful, it's not so much with other than VMS
>>>>> systems.  You should get TCP/IP running, and then it's as simple as
>>>>> using FTP.
>>>>
>>>> Probably true, but I  have DECNET running and other machines
>>>> also have DECNET running and can talk with each other but
>>>> none of them can see the VMS machine.  I was hoping it was
>>>> a simple command that would cause it to do whatever the
>>>> others are doing (from a protocol standpoint) and become
>>>> publicly visible.
> 
> Not something that I'm really into, but, I don't think that DECnet does 
> any broadcasts.  At least not on VMS.
> 
> And as far as I know, neither does LAT, but I could be wrong about that.
> 
> And I have to ask, are you ocnfusing DECnet with LAT?  Two totally 
> separate things.

Yes, but I thought LAT was a subset of DECNET.  Guess I was wrong.
So, does VMS still support connections via LAT?

> 
> Perhaps the non-VMS DECnet stuff you have has had additions that never 
> existed on VMS?

Not as far as I know.  It was done from the published DEC
protocol docs.  I know it works with my DECServer 200 so I
can login to the other boxes from a terminal connected to
it.  Hmmmm...  Maybe that's a solution.  I wonder if I can
connect to the VMS box from the DECServer?  That would
provide buffering and flow control.

> 
> On VMS, in order to connect to another node using DECnet, DECnet has to 
> know about the other node.  For example, if I'm on DFE90A and want to 
> SET HOST AS800, Node DFE90A has to know about AS800 and how to reach it.
> 
> As for LAT, do you have a terminal server?  That would be optimum.

see comment above.  I'll try it t his weekend.

> 
> 
>> As I said, these appear to broadcast their presence but VMS neither
>> sends or listens for these broadcasts as far as I can tell.
> 
> As far as I know, it never did.
> 
>> Just seems odd that the packet type exists but VMS doesn't
>> use it.  Unless it used to bu now, for security reasons, it
>> no longer does.
> 
> A bit much to expect VMS to work with Linux stuff it doesn't know about.

It's not "Linux Stuff" it's an addition based on published DEC protocol
standards.  Ultrix had it, too, but you had to pay extra for it and it
required an additional license.  This is just an implementation done as
Open Source Freeware.


bill