[Info-vax] VAXStation 3100

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/19/19 3:29 AM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 1/18/2019 8:17 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 1/18/19 7:35 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> 
>>> 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?
> 
> No, LAT is a totally separate thing.
> 
>>> 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.
> 
> If you have a working DECserver 200, then things get real simple.

I know, don't know why I didn't think of that first...

> 
> Well, maybe ....
> 
> I confess, I've never really been a system manager.  I used to know 
> enough to manage my own systems, and in the dim past I used to know 
> enough to set up customer systems.

I have been running/maintaining DECServers for 30 years.

> 
> I don't remember if you have to do anything other than start up LAT, 
> LAT$SYSTARTUP.COM, which should be part of system startup, and perhaps 
> have a MOP download to the terminal server, which means you need the 
> terminal server software.

Got the software.  Got a MOP Server.  Have already tested it talking
to the other LAT supporting systems.

> 
> I set up my current systems so long ago that I seem to forget just about 
> everything.
> 
> NCP CONNECT NODE SRVR3
> 
> Got me to a # prompt, and I have forgotten the access password, wait, 
> that's it I think, ACCESS.
> 
> With a connection to the terminal server you can set up each port.  You 

I can do that from the DECServer itself.  Funny, actually.  It
loaded fine at first but I couldn't talk to the serial port.
After much playing around I decided to see if there was a way
to clear it back to factory defaults.  There was.  I did.  It
started working fine.  My guess is the baud rate was wrong or
the port was configured as an outgoing port for a printer.
These DECServers came from the University and I only ever used
one of them since they became mine.

> can set up an automatic (default) connection to the VMS system on each 
> port.

I will likely try that.  That is going to take waking some old
brain cells....

> 
> I'm sitting here in the middle of the night, aghast at how much I don't 
> remember.  This is distressing.

Trust me, that is a feeling I am very familiar with.  Luckily it
is short term memory problems I have much more than long term
memory problems so it does come back eventually.

> 
> But, perhaps it shows how good DEC gear and VMS is, since it's been 
> running for maybe 20 years without any management.  Or not much.
> 
> If you need details, ask, me, I'm going to maybe spend the weekend 
> jogging some old memories.

I'm sure it will all come back to me, as well.

> 
> Maybe I'll fire up one of the older systems, install V7.3, and do the 
> rest of the set-up.  Might be fun, jog my memory, and it's suppose to 
> snow anyway, what else is there to do?

Exactly....

bill