VMS SIG Message # 544 0 replies Reply to # 475 Left by: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 17-Mar-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: SET HOST/DTE This response is a little late, but I hope it's helpful. The NOTERM error message when you do a SET HOST/DTE from a command procedure is because sys$input is not pointing to your terminal. Before you do the set host command do this: $ASSIGN/USER SYS$COMMAND SYS$INPUT then sys$input points to your terminal for the duration of the next dcl command or image executed. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 236 0 replies Left by: GONZALO CUATRECASAS On 17-Mar-88 At : (201)567-9314 X18 Subject: SYNCRANIZE TIME I WOULD LIKE TO FIND AN OLD ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN DECPRO THAT HAD A PROGRAM TO SYNCRONIZE THE TIME ON TWO OR MORE NODES THRUGH A LAN. I AM RUNNING VMS 4.7. PLEASE CALL ME , I KEEP ALL THE DEPRO'S AND I COULD NOT FIND THIS ARTICLE. THNK YOU IN ADVANCE. GONZALO CUATRECASAS. SYSTEMS MANAGER MICROVAX SIG Message # 107 0 replies Reply to # 106 Left by: PETER SHERWOOD On 17-Mar-88 At : INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY 617-332-8880 Subject: DMA FROM DISK TO MVII Q-BUS MEMORY The KA630 CPU (uVAX II CPU module) accesses its local memory through its memory management registers. Local memory is plugged into the dedicated backplane slots. Virtual-to-physical address translation for CPU addressing local memory is described on pp 107-118 of VAX Architecture Hbk. It is also possible, though uncommon, to have memory as a Q-bus peripheral on a MVII system. This memory would be directly addressable by a Q-bus device, such as a disk controller. For a Q-bus device controller to address MVII local memory (this is probably what you're asking for), it must use a set of mapping registers called the "Q22-bus map". There are 8192 registers, each mapping one page of 22-bit Q-bus space into a page of local memory. These registers are used by MVII operating systems for all DMA. A description of how to use them is in the "KA630-A CPU Module Users' Guide", section 4.9. If you are running the MVII under an operating system, you will need special privileges to access any of these mapping registers. Call me if you have further questions. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 147 0 replies Left by: PETER SHERWOOD On 17-Mar-88 At : 617-332-8880 Subject: WANG<->DEC COMMUNICATIONS I am interested in transferring data from a Wang VS computer (with WangNet) to a uVAX II with Ethernet. Ideally a box which plugged into Wang and connected to Ethernet would suffice. It is important that the connection have established support at the Wang end, but none is necessary at the DEC end (we will write any necessary drivers, etc). We would like to support low-volume messages (about 400 chars/sec overall), and occasional high-speed file transfers (50000 chars/sec for 15 sec). Anyone have any helpful suggestions? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 148 0 replies Left by: PETER SHERWOOD On 17-Mar-88 At : 617-332-8880 Subject: VOYAGER SYSTEMS I wish to contact this company, which designs interfaces for Wang computers, in hopes of getting interface info for DEC. Anyone know their address/phone number? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 249 0 replies Reply to # 231 Left by: HOWARD ROTHENBURG On 17-Mar-88 At : 301-385-4500 Subject: INFORMATION ON C SOFTWARE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LINT PACKAGE, A GOOD PLACE TO START LOOKING IS THE C USERS GROUP. THERE ADRESS IS PO BOX 97 MCPHERSON, KS 67460 THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO ME. THERE NUMBER IS 316-241-1065 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 250 0 replies Left by: HOWARD ROTHENBURG On 17-Mar-88 At : 301-385-4500 Subject: COMMERCIAL C UTILITIES I HAVE SEEN MANY C LIBRARIES AND UTILITIES FOR THE MS-DOS ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE SAME FOR VMS, WHICH IS WERE I WANT TO DO MY WORK. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD SOURCE FOR VMS C LIBRARIES, ETC? RSTS SIG Message # 278 1 eplies Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 17-Mar-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: ERRCPY ERROR "CK" I recently got an error that I'd never seen before from RSTS. The two-letter code is "CK", description "RTS Declared". The program I was running at the time is one I've used many times with nothing similar happening. Does anyone know what this means? Should I be concerned? I looked all through my documentation set, and couldn't find a complete listing of the different types of errors ERRCPY picks up, nor an explanation of what they are. Any assistance would be appreciated. The only beginnings of an explanation that I can think of are that this program chains to another program of a different run-time system. But as I way, I've used the program for years; the RTS gets loaded as part of system startup, and I'm sure it hadn't been unloaded. Thoughts? CPU'S SIG Message # 37 0 replies Reply to # 9 Left by: SHARAN KALWANI On 17-Mar-88 At : (313) 833-0710 Subject: VAX SPEED UP The way I headrd it was that there was acommand one could issue form the rom the DS> or rdm> which goes something like this set clock fast or equivalent. I haven't had the time to muck around with it. By the way the same is tru on 780's as well. UTILITIES SIG Message # 229 2 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 18-Mar-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: MENU-DRIVEN MAIL I would be very interested in knowing how to set up VMS Mail as a menu-driven utility. I have tried using command procedures, however, after receiving input from the user (to set folder,file, etc.) I cannot seem to pass this data to the Mail utility. I want to be able to pass these "parameters" to Mail to do the respective task, and keep the Mail utility as a menu-driven program for new users. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bob. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 171 0 replies Left by: DWAYNE ANDERSON On 18-Mar-88 At : 403427-6467 Subject: 3RD PARTY RD54 We are seeing lots of ads for third party RD53 and RD54 disk drives for our MicroVax2000. Has anyone out there installed one of these third party drives, or better yet, the generic Micropolis or Maxtor originals? UTILITIES SIG Message # 230 0 replies Reply to # 229 Left by: Steve Thomas On 18-Mar-88 At : @TACTech Subject: VMS MAIL/MENU DRIVEN I think what you'll need to do is write a program that emulates Mail. I'm in the process of doing this. The first thing to note here is that your Mail records are kept in some sort of organized format that either the manual of CSC will tell you. You will need to be able to add and delete records from the Mail.mai file. Then you will need to add and delete (or modify) record in a file called VMSMAIL.DAT (or something like that). The way I was going to implement it is by using the sharable editor (what I'm probably using right now) to create a file and then simply patch this file into the Mail format file. Another way to Send is to simply use in a spawned subprocess: $ mail . This would be fine too (although a little slow), but since READing isn't going to be so easy, I figured that I could cover Sending at the same time. Reading will no easy, andif you want an embedded Mail Read, there's really no way around this except by twiddling with DEC's Mail records. Anyhow, I haven't done any of this yet, and perhaps I will find some stumbling blocks along the way, but until then... RSTS SIG Message # 279 0 replies Reply to # 278 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 18-Mar-88 At : 408/291-3364 Subject: Unidentified CK Error Kelvin, Have you changed your version of RSTS lately? How about your hardware? One time we had a problem that was caused by going to a new type of disk drive controller (caused the system to crash whenever RT11 was invoked). Maybe the software needs to be in a certain location on the disk? Finally, maybe the cause is related to the data you're running against. Hope some of this helps! Bruce FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 65 0 replies Left by: DON MCMAHON On 18-Mar-88 At : 212-305-5952 Subject: SCANNERS AND BAR CODE RDRS We need information from vendors who sell optical scanners and/or bar code readers which interface with IBM PCS and VAX 750's. RSX SIG Message # 201 0 replies Reply to # 197 Left by: RAY VAN TASSLE On 18-Mar-88 At : 312-576-6017 Subject: DECUS C Well, I'm not in the DC area, but I have DECUS C--we use it quite heavily. If you still need it, give me a call. UTILITIES SIG Message # 231 0 replies Reply to # 229 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 19-Mar-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: MENU-DRIVEN MAIL I'm almost positive I read somewhere that VMS V5 will include a callable interface to the MAIL facility. If this is true then it should be easy to do what you want (from a language, not from DCL). John. MICROVAX SIG Message # 108 0 replies Reply to # 107 Left by: BILL FINCKE On 19-Mar-88 At : ARIS OR (619) 576-0592 Subject: DMA INTO QBUS MEMORY You're correct in describing how the Qbus mapping registers work to DMA into MicroVAX memory. I want to DMA into Qbus memory, as I said. We have array processor memory sitting on the Qbus. The question is how to get a driver to NOT use the mapping registers and tell the controller to transfer directly to the physical Qbus address of that memory, which is at the top 64 Kb of the bus. The rumors I've heard state that there's some trick used by GPX systems to DMA directly into the bit-mapped video memory that also sits on the Qbus. I'm looking for information regarding how they do that. I have tried using PFN mapping to the Qbus memory, then passing the mapped virtual address to the driver in a QIO. The transfers complete, but not onto the Qbus. I succeeded only in corrupting the operating system. I have tried passing the physical address of the Qbus address space (30000000 hex) to the driver, but get an access violation. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 149 0 replies Reply to # 134 Left by: RICH MCFATE On 19-Mar-88 At : (203) 728-6777 Subject: DF124 PLUS Kitty, I thought you might be interested in the ultimate resolution. After several visits by techies of all stripes (including a master sergeant from out of town), we finally yanked the DF124-AM modems and replaced them with DF124-CM (DF124 Plus). They are significantly different from the old 124's. They have speed sensing that works, and a set of English commands like CLEAR, DEFAULT, DIAL, SET, READ, etc. The parameter list is as long as some phone books I've seen. I was about to tell you things are fine, but this is my second try at leaving this message. On the first try, the session suddenly began spewing garbage consistant with baud rate and/or parity mismatch. (Sigh). At the risk of seeming ungracious, I hope the problem was at your end. RSTS SIG Message # 280 0 replies Reply to # 278 Left by: Phil Anthony On 19-Mar-88 At : Here Subject: CK Errors Another thought occurs to me: Does the .RTS you're chaining to work cor- rectly the rest of the time - i.e., when you're not chaining to it? Maybe you have a clobbered ??????.RTS, and the solution is to reload it from your distribution. Good luck! UTILITIES SIG Message # 232 0 replies Reply to # 231 Left by: RICH MCFATE On 19-Mar-88 At : (203)728-6777 Subject: MENU MAIL I recall reading/hearing the same thing a while back. I don't remember what language it was going to premier in though. If you get that BRAND-X publication Charlie Matco writes for, you might check his columns over the last couple of months. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 66 0 replies Reply to # 65 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 20-Mar-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: BAR CODE READERS Don, we have been using CAERE bar code readers on our 8300, actually, I should say they are connected to the VT220 (clones - we use Micro-Terms, and a few others, but they all work with the unit) - anyway, we have been using CAERE Model #612 bar code reader, and either a light pen, or a laser gun (the gun is from Symbols Technologies) - the gun costs approx 10x more that the pen, and ome consider it cumbersome to use. I do not have their address, or phone number, but CAERE is located in San Jose, Calif... Call me if you need any more info. VMS SIG Message # 545 0 replies Reply to # 534 Left by: PETE FOX On 20-Mar-88 At : 202 377 6084 Subject: REPLY ON MANUALS We are moving soon and are throwing away old manual, including lots of the big ones. I will see if any are left for 4.x VMS and give you a call. EDITORS SIG Message # 161 0 replies Reply to # 40 Left by: JERRY TVRDIK On 21-Mar-88 At : (312) 510-7586 Subject: EDITOR IBM/PC There are an nbr of PD emulators available. The PC-VT, VT220 or CTRM from AT&T. PD copies can be D/L or purchased from Blue Sail out in Mass or Public Brand Software(PBS) or Meta Brand Software. These are all 3rd party software suppliers for PD Shareware. CTRM is a AT&T product. The big problem is whether or not they will function in keypad mode from you PC, all terminals are different; I'm using the AT&T6300 and the PD versions don't work with it. Good Luck! jt UTILITIES SIG Message # 234 0 replies Reply to # 225 Left by: Hunter Goatley On 21-Mar-88 At : (801) 224-5306 Subject: MAIL filenames I don't think it's possible for incoming mail to be directed to any file other than one named MAIL.MAI (I'm pretty sure the source for MAIL uses "MAIL.MAI" when it is building the file name. Is it possible that messages were moved to these files by someone who read them and decided who should get them? Using SET FILE, you can set file to any filename. Maybe the messages were moved to other files? If anybody out there knows anything different... Hunter Goatley Clyde Digital Systems VMS SIG Message # 546 2 replies Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 21-Mar-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: POST-DEFRAG PROBLEM Here's a problem that happened to me: I defragmented my system disk by doing an image backup to an unused disk (using standalone backup), then restoring (also using standalone). Upon re-booting, the SHOW DEVICE command showed something like 6 free blocks, when I knew there should have been >200000. I booted several more times, and each time SHOW DEVICE showed a small number of free blocks (not always the same number). after which it showed 4 free blocks. To make a long story short, I booted about 4 times, after which it came up correctly. This has happened several times to us, on both our 785 and our 8700, under VMS versions 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5. It only happens after using standalone backup on the system disk, never on a user disk using online backup. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 237 0 replies Reply to # 235 Left by: GARY WOLFER On 21-Mar-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: LAVC BOOT PROBLEMS. Thanks, the problem, as I discovered after I re-read the documentation, was that I had not set EXECUTOR SERVICE ENABLED. I kind of skimmed over the section on installing DECNET in the documentation because I figured I knew how to do that already ... Oops! Well, live and learn. VMS SIG Message # 547 0 replies Reply to # 546 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 21-Mar-88 At : Subject: DEFRAG Sorry for that premature message termination. Anyway, once the problem clears up, it never happens again until a subsequent standalone backup. The questions is: has anyone else seen this before and what can be done to avoid this annoying problem. John. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 191 0 replies Reply to # 128 Left by: DR. DEC On 21-Mar-88 At : Subject: TU78 UPGRADE IF YOUR TAPE DRIVE IS USING MANY DIFFERENT BRANDS OF TAPE OR, YOU GET TAPES CREATED ON TAPE DRIVES FROM OTHER SITES, YOU WILL GET NUMEROUS ERRORS ON YOUR TAPE DRIVE. DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW EACH TAPE DRIVE WAS MECHANICALLY AND ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTED, THERE CAN BE A GREAT DIFFERENCE IN TAPE DRIVE OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS. BESIDES KEEEPING YOUR TAPE DRIVE CLEAN (clean read/write head after each tape) AND USING HIGH QUALITY TAPES AND A CLEANING MACHINE, THERE IS ONE MORE OPTION TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM. HAVE YOUR TAPE DRIVE UPGRADED TO A TX78-U. IF YOU ARE A DEC CONTRACT CUSTOMER YOU CAN ASK YOUR LOCAL F.E. ABOUT IT. THIS UPGRADE SHOULD SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. GOOD LUCK!! VMS SIG Message # 548 2 replies Left by: JOSEPH CRUM On 21-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION I just re-read the article on page file fragmentation in the latest Vax Pro after testing the program on an 8700 today. It seems that my 8700 started out with a large block of free page file space (at about 0900 it had one segment of around 110000 pages), but as the day progressed, it fragmented the page file to the point where the largest free segment was about 90 pages by 4:00 p.m. We had just re-booted, which accounted for the large block of free space this morning. I might add that the amount of actual total free space in the file didn't change that much. At 0900 it was about 130000, and at 4:00 p.m. it was about 110000. This out of a total page file size of 200000 blocks. So we were nowhere near running out of page file at any time during the day. It seems like the allocation/deallocation mechanism just chews up and spits out the page file data structure in little pieces. I talked to one of our friendly DEC support personnel in Colorado late this afternoon, and told him of my nice new program which helped me find this "feature" of VMS (thanks to Lee Gleason of Control-G Consultants), and he did not seem overly impressed. He did acknowledge that page file fragmentation of this type would have some small effect on performance, but he figured that most of our performance problems were due to the amount of I/O we were doing, and said that we were CPU-bound. We ARE doing a lot of work with the machine. We had about 90 heads-down data-entry people on the system all day, all running the same COBOL application program which updates about 20 indexed files, most of which have a number of global buffers. However, I inquired several times during the day about the users' perceived response time. What I found was that the system performed very well in the morning, and as the day wore on (and the page file became more fragmented) the users began complaining about performance. I myself saw a noticeable difference in response time when the largest free chunk of page file was less than a thousand or so pages. From what I was able to gather, global buffering may contribute to the fragmentation of the page file, since that is where the buffers reside. Does anyone know what I can do to try to prevent the fragmentation of the page file, or to reduce it, without eliminating global buffers? Or am I wasting my time? Maybe the performance degradation is not really associated with the fragmentation??? Does anyone really know? (besides those guys in Maynard who are not talking) I did see in the editor's note at the beginning of the article mentioned above that DEC had acknowledged the fragmentation problem, but I wasn't at that Symposium. What did they say? When will it be corrected, or will it? (we are on v. 4.5) I would appreciate any help anyone could give me, because I have been told that we are not going to be allowed to reboot every night. Joe Crum SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 117 0 replies Reply to # 105 Left by: JOE CRUM On 21-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: RWSWP The swap file space IS allocated for each process as the process is created, and the allocation will increase when the process size increases, according to one source in Colorado. Therefore, your swap file should be at least as large as the WSEXTENT totals of all users you expect to log on to your VAX. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 118 0 replies Left by: JOE CRUM On 21-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION I left a message under the VMS sig, and it was kind of long. This was before I realized there was a sig entry for performance. Please read my other message if you know anything about this subject. Thanks. VMS SIG Message # 549 0 replies Reply to # 531 Left by: Mike Mosko On 22-Mar-88 At : Digilog Inc., 215-628-4530 Subject: Monitoring of Terminal I/O Thanks for the info. In the mean time, Ive decided to explore a little. The System Dump Analyzer really opens up VMS for prying eyes. I've located my input buffer and output buffer but haven't figured out how to locate these pointers (like the UCB and the SVAPTE pointers) from within a PASCAL program. I started looking at the Device Drivers manual to get some hints. Perhaps the way it is done is by changing the pointer to the interrupt trap routine, catching the character and restoring the pointer. This miht be interesting to check out from a pure interest view point, butsound like a hairy situation to actually program. I guess I'll give Clyde Digital a call!. Thanks. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 238 0 replies Reply to # 236 Left by: Mike Mosko On 22-Mar-88 At : Digilog, Inc. 215-628-4530 Subject: Synchronizing Node Clocks I can't tell you what DECPRO issue had the article you mentioned, but I do have a DCL program which I wrote that synchronizes our node clocks. It uses Kevin Barkes TELL_DRIVER program to do most of the hard part. However, my program is intended strictly for a LAN and not a cluster. Also, it won't synchronize them perfectly; usually within a few seconds depending on how loaded the system is or how high a priority you run it. I can make it available to you or I can upload it to this system if your interested. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 205 0 replies Reply to # 2 Left by: WILSON On 22-Mar-88 At : (613)952-1082 Subject: HITMAN Jaeger Industries of Calgary, Alberta, Canada has a product called Hitman which can be setup to terminate processes selectively. You can protect certain processes, terminate automatically others etc. If you would like any further information you can call me or the company itself. Alan Clifford is the contact and the phone number is (403)259-0700 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 119 1 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: PETE HAYES On 22-Mar-88 At : HERE OR 613-7223411 Subject: DISK DE-FRAGMENTERS Barry: I've been using SQUEEZEPAK (on a 8650, 4 RA81's) for over a year. I run it every night from a batch job. Works great! The only problem I had was when I acted as a beta test site for DEMAC. Pete VMS SIG Message # 550 0 replies Reply to # 546 Left by: PETE HAYES On 22-Mar-88 At : HERE OR 613-722-3411 Subject: STANDALONE BACKUP John: Did you boot Standalone backup from your system disk? If so - boot it from your kit on floppies (or whatever) then do the restore of your system disk. Pete COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 150 0 replies Left by: SCHWAMBACH On 22-Mar-88 At : (513) 778-8600 Subject: RAD MULTIPLEXORS HAS ANYONE USED RAD'S FLM-1 MULTIPLEXORS WITH FIBER OPTICS CABLE? I AM INTERESTED IN ANY COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT AS WE ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE HIGH QUALITY LOW COST ($500.00-$1500.00) MULTIPLEXORS WITH THE CAPABILITY OF CONNECTING BETWEEN 8 AND 16 TERMINALS TO A VAX 8000 SERIES. ANY COMMENTS ABOUT FIBER OPTICS AND ITS HANDLING WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK U! APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 206 0 replies Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 23-Mar-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: MMS/CMS I would like any information available on MMS/CMS user groups, anyone have a working knowledge of the two utilities. Does a better piece of reference material exist other than the DEC/MMS User's Guide. Any help would be appreciated, thanks. RSX SIG Message # 202 2 replies Left by: CHRIS GOULD On 23-Mar-88 At : HERE ON ARIS Subject: RSX RELEASES I am trying to track down the latest release of RSX Fortran - 77. I currently run Version 5.0 and have been told that Version 5.2 is out by a DEC source. Can some one confirm or deny this for me ? UTILITIES SIG Message # 235 1 replies Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 23-Mar-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: HUNTER GOATLEY This is specifically targeted towards Hunter, but all who can help, please do. Regarding your 'login' program using symbols, logicals, and defined keys, thru Macro programs - I am finding them quite useful, and offer my thanks. The question is, I have been able to make some minor modifications regarding the defining of keys and attributes, etc., but, regarding the logical names - is there a way to define them with the attributes, like a DEFINE name translation/TRANS=(TERM,CONCEALED), something like that? I have had some problems which seem only to be problems on the surface, but they can be the dardest little buggers. I, as well as many others, use logicals for directory names, and let say I have B defined a my directory DUA0:[BRIAN] - and A defined as DUB3:[TEST] - if I do a SET DEFAULT A: I should go to DUB3:[TEST] - if I do a DIR I learn that I have gone there, but if I SHOW DEF it is listed as A:[BRIAN] - that is a problem in procedures that use F$ENV("DEFAULT") to save a directory spec and restore it when finished... I would love to answer this myself, but my MACRO knowledge does not run too deep.. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 341 0 replies Left by: NICK CECCACCI On 24-Mar-88 At : (313) 478-6200 X281 Subject: VAX ==> S36 USING 2780/3780 I am looking for some help in transfering files from the VAX to an IBM S36 using the 2780/3780 protocol emulator. We have no problem transfering the files from the S36 to the DEC, using BISYNC and a RPG program in conjunction with the 2780/3780. This works flawlessly. We have the communications port on the S36 connected to a Black Box sync. modem eliminator, connected to the sync. port on a DBM32. We have the RPG program on the S36 that should be used to receive files through the communication port, and have properly set up the SEND in the 2780/3780, but when we initiate the send on the VAX and the receive on the S36 nothing happens, the state of the 2780/3780 shows active and the S36 shows that no connection was made. Has anybody had any luck in getting files back to the S36. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 339 0 replies Reply to # 143 Left by: BILL WEISSBORN On 24-Mar-88 At : (214) 980-7924 Subject: FCC COMPLIANCE If NJ has such a thing as a public utilities commission, which regulates what the phone companies can charge, you might check with them. Here in Texas, they can and have forced local phone companies to comply with the specs or no rate increase and have even been known to force them to lower the rates!!! Good luck UTILITIES SIG Message # 236 0 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: WREN HUNT On 24-Mar-88 At : (703)669-1181 EXT. 289 Subject: CODE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM I am currently in the process of cleaning up a set of programs we use here for source code management to submit to DECUS but anybody wanting a copy is welcome to have it if you want to send me a magtape and return postage. Wren Hunt Morrison Molded Fiber Glass 400 Commonwealth Avenue. Bristol, VA 24203 VMS SIG Message # 551 0 replies Left by: DAN GROLEMUND On 24-Mar-88 At : 714-351-5821 Subject: DIAL OUT ON DF112 MODEMS hat the computer is attached to has the "call-back" feature if the local circuits are busy. We sometimes wait 6-8 minutes for the system to ring the phone back and make the connection. My question is can I set the df112 to handle this situation. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 239 0 replies Left by: DR. DEC On 24-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: HSC50 SOFTWARE UPGRADE BEFORE I GO INTO DETAIL ON HOW TO UPGRADE HSC SOFTWARE, I HAVE TO KNOW THREE THINGS. ONE IS, WHAT VERSION OF HSC SOFTWARE DO YOU HAVE NOW? TWO, DO YOU HAVE AN HSC50 UTILITY TAPE? AND THREE, DO YOU HAVE A BLANK TU58 CARTRIDGE? THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO MAKE A BACKUP OF A TU58 TAPE, IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE TIME, THAT'S ALL. UTILITIES SIG Message # 237 1 replies Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 24-Mar-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: CMS/MMS I would like any infrmatin available on the Vax utilities CMS and MMS. Does documetation exist other than the user's guide? Does anyone really use these utilities, and to what extent. Any information will be greatly appreciated. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 120 1 replies Reply to # 107 Left by: KEVIN MCGRATH On 24-Mar-88 At : 718 403-2910 Subject: DANGEROUS COMMAND I JUST TRIED THIS COMMAND OUT ON MY VAX SYSTEM AND IT WORKS FINE. VMS RESPONDS AS SOON AS I HIT THE RETURN KEY. MAYBE YOUR SYSTEM IS IN NEED OF SOME TUNING? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 151 0 replies Left by: DAN GROLEMUND On 24-Mar-88 At : 714-351-5821 Subject: DIAL OUT ON DF112 MODEM Our phone system has local circuitry that "calls back" when the cicuits are busy, and then initiates the actual dialing of the number. The problems is adapting the DF112 modem to this situation. Does any one know of a way to get the modem to wait for the dial back, "answer" the outgoing call, and connect with the modem on the other end? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 251 0 replies Reply to # 250 Left by: DUANE D KRAHN On 24-Mar-88 At : 414 782-3945 Subject: VMS C LIBRARIES I have seen some good C tools and utilities on recent DECUS symposium tapes from the VMS and Languages & Tools SIGs. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 207 1 replies Reply to # 18 Left by: J. TIM JOHNSON On 24-Mar-88 At : (214) 969-1208 Subject: QUERY INGRESS FORM FOCUS Do you have anything that will easily enabe a FOCUS routine to read and/or write to an Igress data base? We are looking at moving to an application industry specfic package written in INGRESS and already have special function routines that we would like to preserve and continue to use that go against the existing package data bases. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 340 0 replies Left by: RICHARD KNOX On 25-Mar-88 At : 805 257 8081 Subject: TK50 I NEED TO BOOT A TK50 ON A PDP11/23 THAT DOES NOT HAVE A BOOT ROM FOR TK50. IM IN DEEP TROUBLE SINCE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON SITE NEXT MONDAY, AND DONT SEEM TO HAVE A WAY TO INSTALL OUR SOFTWARE. TIME WAS WHEN EVERY DEC REPAIR MAN HAD A NOTEBOOK WITH BOOT SEQUENCES FOR ALL DEC DEVICES. I CANT FIND ANYONE WHO HAS ONE. TIME WAS WHEN YOU GOT A LITTLE BOOK FROM DEC WHICH TOLD YOU THE MEANINGS OF THE BITS IN THE CSR (EG BIT 14 OF THE CSR FOR THE RX211 IS INITIALIZE, ETC) IM SURE THESE STILL EXIST, BUT DARNED IF I CAN FIND ONE. DO YOU HAVE A BOOT SEQUENCE FOR ME? (BY THIS I MEAN A SET OF COMMANDS I CAN DEPOSIT IN MEMORY AFTER HALTING THE PROCESSOR, ETC). OR DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT TO ASK FOR TO GET THE PROGRAMMING INFO ON THE TK50? TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 198 3 replies Left by: DAVID WEIL On 25-Mar-88 At : 212-715-8946 Subject: ESC CHARACTERS TO PRINTER WE HAVE A NEW MILTOP LASER PRINTER FOR OUR VAX. IT WORKS GREAT AND CUTS OUR MONNTH END PRINTING DOWN BY DAYS. THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE IS WE PRINT SOME OF OUR REPORTS IN CONDENSED PRINT (212 CHARACTERS TO A LINE RATHER THEN 132) THE ONLY WAY I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CHANNGE TO CONDENSED IS TO MANUALLY GO TO THE PRINTER AND CHANGE THE SETTINGS ON THE PRINTER KEYPAD. IN THE MANUAL THEY GIVE ESCAPE CODES SO THAT YOU CAN CHANGE TO CONDENSED FROM THE SOFTWARE SIDE. I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO SEND THE ESC CODES VIA THE VAX TO THE PRINTER. IT MUST BE SIMPLE BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. ANY IDEAS OUT THERE?? THANKS DAVID APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 208 0 replies Reply to # 60 Left by: DENNIS DUGGAN On 25-Mar-88 At : (617)256-2300 X360 Subject: MORIA Bill: I would also like to get a copy of this game.... I am bringing up a vax/vms developing environment in a company full of UNIX programmers....any interest in VMS that I can generate would be a great help for me...so a good game may come in handy. THANKS SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 121 0 replies Left by: TOM SKIPPER On 25-Mar-88 At : 215-842-4633 Subject: DE-FRAGMENTERS Since there seems to be great interest in Disk Defragmenters, I thought I would relay my experience within this area. I have used both RABBIT-7 and DISKEEPER V2.0 (from Executive Software). Both will get the job done quite well but I decided to go with DISKEEPER for a number of reasons... 1) It has a start and forget method of running. 2) Any time I had questions, Executive Software was very prompt. 3) It uses very little CPU 4) No problems since purchasing the product about 7 months ago. Currently, I am using DISKEEPER on a VAX 11/750 with 2 RA-80's and 1 RA-81. I think it is a great product and one that is without doubt worth the price. Feel free to call for any other info. Tom, Systems Manager Medical College of PA SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 122 0 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: TOM SKIPPER On 25-Mar-88 At : 215-842-4633 Subject: DE-FRAGMENTERS Barry, See message #121 in the SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG. Tom PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 252 0 replies Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 25-Mar-88 At : (303)-492-2490 Subject: OPS5 WRITE TO TERMINAL Does anyone know how to send ascii codes to a terminal from an OPS5 program. Specifically, I am trying to clear the screen and would also like to position the cursor without a series of (WRITE (CRLF)..). Also, is there an easy way to call DCL command procedures from the RHS of a production rule? Thanks, Kent SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 193 2 replies Left by: TONY PEREIRA On 25-Mar-88 At : (213)921-5542 Subject: LAT 5.0 BUG When I am listing the contents of backup tapes, using the command: bac/lis mua0:* at a certain point all the sessions logged in thru the network or thru the DEC Server just end, with unlimited amount of pain from my users. All users in all nodes with a remote node login loose their sessions, no warning, nothing. I sent a SPR to DEC, but since we are not anymore on Software Maintenance contract, after several years, they don't think it is worth replying! On the users logged thru the LAT and DECServer, the message reads like this: Local -206- Connection to terminated No response within timeout period By the way, there are no timeout timers either on LATCP or NCP. On sessions connected thru DECnet, the message is just 'Control returned to node ', and that's that! I can't get over being always a bit nervous about my backpu tapes, and I check them regularly after doing full backups. But I have to stay late and wait until all users have stopped using DECnet or LAT to do this. Sometimes it KILLS my session too. That's too much, really. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 209 0 replies Reply to # 187 Left by: WALTER LUKHAUP On 25-Mar-88 At : 716-381-4900 Subject: FOCUS WE ARENT USING ASK, BUT WE DO HAVE FOCUS AND ARE RUNNING SOME STUFF FROM MCBA (DIBOL) AS WELL AS SOME HOME BREWED SOFTWARE. EQUIPMENT IS A VAX 750 8MB , 2 RA81 40 TERMINALS ON 4 DZ-11 AND 1 DMF32 WE USING FOCUS AS A REPORTING TOOL AND REALLY LIKE IT, BUT WHEN WE HAVE ABOUT 14-18 USERS WORKING AND FIRE UP FOCUS THE SYSTEM JUST DIES. I HAVE RESORTED TO RUNNING THE STUFF IN THE BATCH QUES AT A LOWER PRIORITY SO THAT WE DON'T DEGRADE PERFORMANCE FOR INTERACTIVE USERS. THE NICE THING ABOUT FOCUS IS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE ALL THE FILE DESIGNS AND DATA STRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE HERE. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 210 0 replies Reply to # 207 Left by: Phil Anthony On 26-Mar-88 At : Here Subject: FOCUS Help At the risk of suggesting the obvious, your best source for information might be Information Builders, the people who sell FOCUS. I suspect they may have had other customers with similar convesion problems. Good luck! TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 199 0 replies Reply to # 198 Left by: Phil Anthony On 26-Mar-88 At : Here Subject: Characters Assuming the printer's running off a serial line, one method might be to embed the escape sequence at the beginning of the report itself (rememering to reset it at the end). An alternative, if you're not spooling the re- ports, might be a simple program in whatever language you have handy that would send the appropriate sequences to the port in question, along the lines of 10 OPEN device$ AS FILE 1% 20 PRINT #1%, CHR$ (27%) + whatever$; ! Or CHR$ (155%) + ... 30 CLOSE #1% 32767 END Good luck! SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 194 0 replies Reply to # 193 Left by: Phil Anthony On 26-Mar-88 At : Here Subject: LAT and BACKUP Don't think it's a LAT bug. It sounds more to me like a problem I used to encounter at a VAX site where the 11/750 was doing syncronous communica- tions. The problem turned out to be simply that VMS BACKUP uses system resources like they're going out of style. With the priority of the BACKUP process set to any reasonable value, it hogged the system (mostly the bus) to such an extent that the sync driver timed out and dropped the line. The solution was to drop the BACKUP process' priority - we used a priority of 4 running against user processes at priority 7. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 152 1 replies Left by: Phil Anthony On 26-Mar-88 At : Here Subject: RSTS Kermit Upload To the gentleman who called a couple of weeks ago asking for an upload of Kermit-11 for RSTS: I was in the middle of a crash project, and when I'd finished, I couldn't find the paper where I'd written your phone number. My sincere apologies; please give me another call at (215) 884-9128, and I'll do better this time. What I plan to do is upload BASIC+ source code for XModem, pulled off CompuServe, via ASCII transfer (ain't PIP wonderful?). Then I'll tokenize ("compile") it and use it to uploa the non-RMS-reslib Kermit-11 executable. If anybody else would like the XModem source, give me a holler. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 253 0 replies Reply to # 240 Left by: MARK BARSOUM On 26-Mar-88 At : 302 453-5960 Subject: THANXS FOR LINT Thank you very much for the info on lint. VMS SIG Message # 552 1 replies Reply to # 548 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 26-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION Joseph, Three things suggest themselves to me. You can reduce paging by increasing the working sets for users. This only helps if you have enough memory. Consider buying more memory! One of the easiest performance fixes is to add memory. It won't fix everything but it's a help for a lot of problems. I believe there are some SYSGEN parameters that determine the number of blocks read/written in a paging operation. You might try increasing this number and see if it helps. Finally, you could try adding an auxilliary paging file on another disk. This may help in two ways. First; it should improve performance by spreading the paging I/O across two disks (or three with two auxilliary files). Second, I believe that a process is assigned to one paging file for life (couldn't swear to this, anyone know for sure?). Reducng the number of users of a page file may help reduce the fragmentation. It is not necessary to make any vast increase in your total paging file space, try reducing your primary paging file in size when you add one or more secondary files. (Don't get carried away. Several hundred midget paging files would be worse than useless!) PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 255 1 replies Left by: MIKE RODGERS On 28-Mar-88 At : (703)620-7421 Subject: SMG FROM VAX ADA I am trying to use the SMG routines from VAX Ada. I have found the constatn in package STARLET but have not found any procedure/function specifications. Any help or examples would be appreciated...exit GRAPHICS SIG Message # 62 0 replies Left by: JOHN PULLINS On 28-Mar-88 At : HERE - ARIS Subject: GIF CONVERTER Anyone know of a GIF (Compuserve's Graphics Interchage Format) translator for the VAX? Tektronix 4129 compatibility would be nice, but any display device will do. I can convert it. I'm trying to transfer color images from a Mac II to a VAX 8530 for display there. VMS SIG Message # 553 0 replies Reply to # 548 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 28-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION Joseph, One more idea. If the COBOL program that all your data entry people are using is not INSTALLed /SHARED, go do it. Right now! If it is not installed shared, you have 90 copies of that program being paged in and out of your memory. I'll give you one guess what that will do to your performance. I hope I'm not doing you an injustice with that one. :-) TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 200 0 replies Reply to # 198 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 28-Mar-88 At : (406)245-3191 Subject: SETTING UP THE PRINTER Another option is to use the /SETU=(module) qualifier on the form definitionn if you are using VMS print. The module, which is a file that has been loaded into the SYS$LIBRARY:SYSDEVCTL.TLB library, is sent to the printer before the report is sent. It can therefore contain the escape sequence for setting up the printer in the way that you want it. JIM TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 201 1 replies Left by: THOMAS R. VASQUEZ On 28-Mar-88 At : 713-741-6078 Subject: VT300 TREMINALS Just traded my VT220 for a VT320, and some what of a problem getting into this system. Do you have the support for such terminals? Thanks Tom Vasquez TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 202 0 replies Reply to # 171 Left by: THOMAS R. VASQUEZ On 28-Mar-88 At : 713-741-6078 Subject: VMS RECONIZE VT3NN Justreceived fifteen VT320 and attached to the VAX 8650 on the Ethernet and if you are at VMS 4.7, it will under stand the New terminal configuration and set the terminal characteristics as a VT300 terminal SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 123 0 replies Reply to # 120 Left by: DENNIS DORSEY On 28-Mar-88 At : (609)983-7255 Subject: INTRESTING I'm afraid I agree with Kevin. Though the matter sounds very interesting. I have used the command line for quite a while and have never found a problem in using it. Should you happen to investigate further, I would be curious as to the outcome. It helps more than it hurts. Cheers, Denni TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 203 0 replies Reply to # 198 Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 28-Mar-88 At : (312) 867-9600 X231 Subject: CHARS Another way to do it is to create 2 files with escape characters: one with condensed setting and another with default and -$COPY filename1 device_name: -print your file -$COPY filename2 device_name: where filename2 has default specs. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 204 0 replies Reply to # 201 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 28-Mar-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: VT320 VS VT220 I've no problem using either a VT320 or VT220 accessing ARIS. Are you sure the SETUP is the same on the new tube? It's easy to skip over such a mundane thing in the rush to get the new toy up and running. Kitty :-) SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 195 0 replies Reply to # 170 Left by: RYTIS BALCIUNAS On 29-Mar-88 At : DECUS VAX SIG Subject: SYSMGR Join DECUS and attend the symposia (given twice a year) and participate in the local users' group! In my 3 years of taking care of our VAXen, DECUS membership has paid for itself many times over in the wealth of information shared by members... A week at the symposium is worth just about all of the DEC courses rolled together - you get bombarded from all angles, but you also get to TALK WITH people in your situation and get to see things from all kinds of perspectives. And the members are most willing to share their knowledge... VMS SIG Message # 554 2 replies Left by: DAVID JASANY On 29-Mar-88 At : 216-464-6688 Subject: SET HOST/DTE I have a MVII and a Racal-Vadic 2400VP modem. I would like to dial out on a terminal port but apparently SET HOST/DTE works only with DEC modems. How would I do this with a Hayes compatible modem? SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 124 0 replies Reply to # 111 Left by: DR. R On 29-Mar-88 At : Subject: Null and Void! The null process will go away when VMS version 5 and the much-vaunted VAX 6000 (Calypso) SMP series is announced. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 257 1 replies Left by: DAN KARAS On 29-Mar-88 At : (904) 371-8035 Subject: FORTRAN FILETYPES I'M LOOKING FOR A QUICK WAY TO CHANGE THE FILE ATTRIBUTE ON OUTPUT FILEs which are created using FORTRAN-IV. When we go to download these reports to PC's using KERMIT, we get an udesirable line wrap. Regular text files created with EDT transfer fine. Our current workaround is to create a null file using EDT, then use PIP to append the fortran output file to the null file, then transfer the result. This is very time consuming, and error-prone. Our fortran version is IV version 2, our operating system is RSX-11M. Any help, ideas, or suggestions would be appreciated. Apologies for the style of this message, but my keyboard and this editor don't seem to match very well. RSX SIG Message # 203 1 replies Left by: DAN KARAS On 29-Mar-88 At : (904) 371-8035 Subject: FILETYPE CONVERSION IDoes anybody know a way to convert the attribute of FORTRAN output files to ASCII or document? We are running RSX-11M and creating reports with FORTRAN-IV version 2, but when we try to download these files to PC's the linefeeds get scrambled (using Kermit). Text files created using EDT download fine. Our current workaround is to create a null file using EDT, then PIP/AP the fortran output file to the null file, then Kermit the result. ALl of this is troublesome, time consuming, and error prone. Is there a better way? Can the EOL character be changed while using Kermit? VMS SIG Message # 555 0 replies Left by: DR. R On 29-Mar-88 At : Subject: VMS V5 AND CALYPSO DANCING According to several very knowledgeable--and equally loquacious--compadres, the much vaunted VMS version 5 is slated to debut just in time for DECUS Cincinatti. But wait, there's more--the VAX 6000 CVAX-based SMPs will be inducted into the VAX family at the same time that V5 is announced! Yes, Polarstar soon will have a little brother--a one to four processor low-end SMP that will deliver up to 9.6 VUPS to timesharing users. How much would you pay? From as little as $250K for a CI-node Calypso equipped with four CPUs and 96MB of memory to about $520K for a fully configured standalone system complete with mass storage (mayhap an RA90 or some RF-series DSSI devices). And of course, for the economy-minded giftgiver, there's always the PVAX . . . VMS SIG Message # 556 1 replies Left by: STEPHEN STORMS On 29-Mar-88 At : (301)771-4950 Subject: DCL PROGRAM: $GETPROMPT. I read somewhere in the past few months of a DCL program called $GETPROMPT, which when run in your directory, prefaces the name of the directory and any subdirectory to the normal prompt. I believe this program was described in the DEC professional in a department specializing in DCL. The program is equivalent to the IBM PC's $p$g entry in AUTOEXEC.BAT: you always know where you are in a tree-structured directory. Does anyone know where this DCL program was published, and which issue? RSX SIG Message # 204 1 replies Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 29-Mar-88 At : (617)237-0238 Subject: RSX OBSOLETE? One of my clients, running A-to-Z with MicroRSX 3.1 on an 11/23, has been told by a consultant (grr...) that RSX is "an obsolete operating system", which "inherently slows down when more than one user gets on it." I have been charged with comin up with some "independent" evidence to the contrary. Now, aside from the fact that the consultant in question seems to have his own strong biases towards PCs ... and aside from "innocent until proven guilty" ... and aside from the fact that this task seems to me sort of like proving that your spouse isn't obsolete, or that the Pope isn't Presbyterian... I am in need of some facts and/or statistics. Anybody out there know anything about the number of RSX licenses that continue to be sold, annually; or, how man $$ or developers DEC has working on RSX, today; or, how many companies outside DEC have employees working on RSX software development; or, what proportion of the roughly 500,000-machine PDP-11 installed base is running RSX; or, how many current RSX licenses there are; or, how many current RSX _users_ there are? Or, anything else that seems germane? Thanks in advance. Answers can be left here, or to my account on the DECUS RSX SIG BBS (use MAIL to B_MAYHEW), or to my account on the Pageswapper (MAIL to US175845), or to my account on CompuServe ([76464,117]), or via phone. RSX SIG Message # 205 0 replies Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 29-Mar-88 At : (617)237-0238 Subject: A-TO-Z, MICRORSX, DECUS C FYI to other participants in this SIG ... I don't get the opportunity to check in here very often (long distance call and lots of other competing BBS services which I already use too much!)... but I have a good deal of experience in using DECUS C, A-to-Z, and MicroRSX on PDP-11s, including close to 4 years application development experience in that environment. I would be happy to throw my two cents in on any problems you folks are having. Somehow the last time I checked in here I must have missed a lot of stuff in this SIG; there were "interesting questions" from early- to mid-1987 which I haven't bothered to answer because I assume they were no longer germane... but I'll be happy to take a stab if they're re-posted. FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 45 0 replies Reply to # 41 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 29-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: Backing up PDP-11 to VAX using COPY over DECnet I have done this occasionally and not experienced any problems, as long as the specified username in the DECnet access control spec indeed has access to the files. Can you be a little more specific about exactly what is happening (i.e. any error messages, or info on what files aren't being copied like owner, protection codes, etc.)? You might also check the NETSERVER.LOG file which is left on the VAX as the result of any file access operation. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 341 0 replies Left by: ROBERT LAMAR WHITNEY On 29-Mar-88 At : 202-293-4300 OR 301 567-5117 Subject: OTR BBS #'S $$ KILLING ME Does anyone out there know of any local BBS numbers that I may take advantage of? I am getting murdered by C&P of Maryland. I need a local number. Signed, WILDMAN! VMS SIG Message # 557 1 replies Reply to # 552 Left by: JOE CRUM On 29-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION The problem is not really that we have too much paging activity, as far as I can see. The page fault rate rarely goes over 100, and usually stays around 50-70 in Monitor PAGE. However, the global valid fault rate seems kind of high (30-40), I guess because of the large number of global buffers assigned to our indexed files. But even that is not too bad. The system disk I/O rate is very low compared to most of the application drives, so spreading I/O load out over several drives doesn't seem to be the answer. Our page file is quite large, too, with abundant free space. The problem is that the free space is in very small pieces, according to the PFRAG program I got from Aris. I guess my main question is this: does the internal fragmentation of the page file seriously affect performance when a system is nearing the point of being fully loaded? It seems to, based on an attempt to correllate displayed fragmentation with the perceived response time reported by our data-entry users. Increasing the page file size seems to slow the fragmentation process, but in a few days, it always comes back. In response to your comment about a process being assigned to a page file, I think you might be thinking of the swap file allocation method. I am pretty sure that swap file space is allocated for a process in a swap file when the process is created. Anyway, thanks for your response. Maybe I'll bring this question up at DECUS. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 196 1 replies Leftby: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 30-Mar-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: SERVER NAME VIA SYS CALL I remember reading somewhere about an undocumented system service call (maybe $QO or $GETDVI) that can return the terminal server name and port number of a specified terminal. However, I can't seem to find the article again - does anyone have any info about this? I can do it easily enough through LATCP, but I would like to use this information from within a basic program. VMS SIG Message # 558 0 replies Left by: DR. R On 30-Mar-88 At : Subject: POSIX Word from a recent DECUS get-together indicates that a POSIX-compliant version of VMS is in the works. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 258 0 replies Left by: JACKSON WALKER On 30-Mar-88 At : (615)482-0064 Subject: FOCUS ON MICROVAX II I am looking for some information from FOCUS and UNIX gurus. We are performing work in FOCUS on a MICROVAX II which is interfaced by PCs. The PC is attached to a printer buffer which has a seven (7) second on-line time before the buffer faults out. Characters must be sent within those seven seconds. The question that we are running into is whether or not we can print from UNIX rather than being tied to printing from FOCUS? We realize that FOCUS has a table file hold command, but we still need some further information. Thanks for all the help in advance. Jack Walker COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 153 2 replies Left by: KENDALL KIRBY On 30-Mar-88 At : (501)372-4181 Subject: MODEM "DATA OVERRUN" Recently I have experienced a problem with my Paradyne 2400 plus modem involving "data overruns". I realize the problem should be solved by using a ALTYPEAHD buffer on the SET TERMINAL command, but unfortunately it was not. Is there any other way to solve my problem? My SYSTARTUP.COM file has the following terminal command : SET TERMINAL TXA0:/MODEM/HANGUP/SPEED=2400/PERM/ALTY I connect to the port with the SET HOST TXA0:/DTE command. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 154 1 replies Reply to # 152 Left by: CHRIS GOULD On 30-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: KERMIT FOR RSX Can you provide any Kermit source I can run under RSX11M 4.2 ? I have struck out so far in all my attempts to find some. One problem is that I don't have tape access, only RL02's. I have heard that there is a Fortran Boot routine that can be used ( downloaded as ascii and compiled ) to get started but again can't find a copy. Any help or directions you can point me in would be appricated. PC'S SIG Message # 146 0 replies Reply to # 2 Left by: EUGENE CHARLES On 30-Mar-88 At : 312-369-3000 Subject: WAYNE'S 5 1/4" PROBLEM WAYNE THE INTERFACE 88 SHOW IS AT MCCORMICK PLACE NOW. THERE WERE PLENTY OF VENDORS FOR 5 1/4" DISKS. EUGENE VMS SIG Message # 559 0 replies Reply to # 554 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 30-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: SET HOST/DTE SET HOST/DTE works independently of the MODEM you are using. SET HOST/DTE/DIAL works only with DEC MODEMs. You need to be able to allocate the serial port which requires SYSPRV, a system account, or that the protection on the port be set W:RE. Try something like the following: $ ALLOCATE TXA0: $ SET TERMINAL /NOAUTOBAUD /SPEED=1200 TXA0: $ SET HOST /DTE TXA0: ATDT1,2155429458 This should get you started. VMS SIG Message # 560 0 replies Reply to # 557 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 30-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: PAGE FILE FRAGMENTATION Joe, I'll be at DECUS. Look for a "USER HOSTILE" button. :-) If you don't have an auxilliary paging file, give it a try. It can't hurt and might easily help. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 259 1 replies Reply to # 257 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 30-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: CARRIAGE CONTROL Dan, Try putting CARRIAGECONTROL='LIST' in your OPEN statement. By default, Fortran uses Fortran carriage control which is the wrong thing for your application. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 155 0 replies Reply to # 153 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 30-Mar-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: DATA OVERRUNS Kendall, Put /HOSTSYNC /TTSYNC in your SET TERMINAL command to enable Xon/Xoff flow control. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 156 0 replies Reply to # 154 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 30-Mar-88 At : HERE Subject: KERMIT FOR RSX Kermit for RSX is available on-line on CompuServe in the PDP-11 Forum along with tools necessary to bootstrap it onto your system if you have no present communications software that "counts". You do need some way to capture the data coming down the line into a file on your system, or be prepared to hand-type the bootstrapping tools (which if memory serves are in Macro). CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 240 1 replies Reply to # 231 Left by: KERRY POWELL On 31-Mar-88 At : 319-263-0093 Subject: DIALUP SECURITY WITH DECSERVERS We wound up moving all our dial-in modems to DMF-32 type ports on our 785. We tred defining an 'applications port' in LAT, but that seems to only support one way communications such as spooled printers. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 157 0 replies Left by: BILL FINCKE On 31-Mar-88 At : ARIS Subject: DELQA VS. DEQNA We are buying a VAXStation 3200 and also adding Ethernet to an existing uVAX II. A DEC distributor says we can order a DELQA, but DEC is shipping DEQNAs only, including in the VAXStation 3000 series, where DELQAs are spec'd. The only difference between the two I can find in the literature is that the DELQA supports MOP (Maintenance Operation Protocol) in firmware, relieving the CPU of some overhead. Does anyone know if that is of any significance, and would anyone ever notice the difference? Is a DELQA worth waiting for? The distributor says DEC has never shipped any to their knowledge, and they have no expected ship date. Shades of the H4005 transceivers a few years ago. RSX SIG Message # 207 1 replies Left by: RICHARD KNOX On 01-Apr-88 At : 805 257 8081? Subject: RSX OBSOLETE WE SELL AN RSX BASED PRODUCT AND COME UP AGAINST THE NOTION THAT THE PDP IS OBSOLETE! FOR ON LINE RESPONSE, AND TRANSACTION PROCESSING, NOTHING IN THE DEC LINE COMES CLOSE TO PDP WITH RSX. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DOLLAR VOLUME OF THE PDP SIDE OF DEC IS GREATER THAN THE ANNUAL SALES OF EASTMAN KODAK. AND OF COURSE RSX IS THE PREMIER OP SYS ON PDP11. RSX SIG Message # 208 0 replies Reply to # 202 Left by: PHIL TRIPP On 01-Apr-88 At : (804)528-7629 Subject: FORTRAN-77 According to my DECdirect plus catalog, you can get "Technical Pre-sales Assistance" at 800-343-4040. The Order Nos. are QJ668-UZ/FP for UNIBUS and QY668-UZ/FP for Q-bus. RSX SIG Message # 209 0 replies Reply to # 204 Left by: PHIL TRIPP On 01-Apr-88 At : (804)528-7629 Subject: PDP FUTURES Liked the digital review article of March 7, 1988, p. 69. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 260 0 replies Left by: TIMOTHY P. MARTIN On 01-Apr-88 At : 404-262-3491 Subject: DATATRIEVE & DBMS FILES My company has a project which requires development of a dozen or so permanent reports for an end user. Data for the reports resides a in DBMS (hierarchial) database. The specifications imply that these reports be written as Datatrieve procedures. Besides the fact that Datatrieve is a real hog, there are several things which I want Datatrieve to do which it apparently just cannot do. For example: 1) When defining a view domain consisting of DBMS records, Datatrieve does not allow the use of the "COMPUTED BY" and "REDEFINES" clauses. 2) Datatrieve has no built-in function to calculate the day of the week ("SUN", "MON", etc.) based on a date stored as characters in the format "DD-MMM-YYYY". If any Datatrieve/DBMS experts exist out there, I would sure like to hear from you! UTILITIES SIG Message # 238 1 replies Reply to # 235 Left by: HUNTER GOATLEY On 01-Apr-88 At : (801) 224-5306 Subject: LIB$SET_LOGICAL Hello, Brian. Sorry I took so long to answer, but I've been busy. The RTL function LIB$SET_LOGICAL will accept an item list (and an attribute mask) that you can use to change the attributes of a logical name. This routine is documented in the VMS manual "System Routines: Run-Time Library Part I and Part II through LIB$." For examples of coding an item list in MACRO, see the "System Services" manaual, section "Logical Name Services." I've never encountered the problem you're describing with A: and B:. Are these things that have happened when using the program? It sounds like they may be getting defined with the attribute LNM$M_CONCEALED, which indicates the logical name is an RMS concealed device and won't be translated by DCL or the system services. I hope this helps. I have just submitted another article to Vax Pro based on the LOGIN program I use. Because of the interest generated by the inclusion of the short LOGIN with the DCL Keys article, I decided to write an article that discusses other things the LOGIN program can do. This particular item is one thing I neglected to mention in it, though. If accepted, it'll probably be out near the end of the year. If I can help any more, please let me know. Hunter Goatley Clyde Digital Systems RSX SIG Message # 210 1 replies Reply to # 202 Left by: PHIL TRIPP On 01-Apr-88 At : (804)528-7629 Subject: FORTRAN-77 Further research shows that according to the "PDP Software Source Book", Sixth Edition, October 1987, PDP-11 FORTRAN-77/RSX, Version 5.2 can be purchased from DEC, Maria Hance at (617)480-3418, "Price: Available upon request". CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 242 0 replies Left by: ERIC CHI On 01-Apr-88 At : (617) 923-1150 X289 Subject: USENET I am interested in joining USENET. Does any body know where should I applied for, and what software I need? Our system is VAX 785. Thanks. UTILITIES SIG Message # 239 1 replies Reply to # 237 Left by: KEVIN VERBLE On 01-Apr-88 At : 714-998-5500 Subject: MMS I use MMS and will probably use CMS soon. I don't know of any further documentation than the manuals you get with them. I really like MMS. We have a number of programs that are highly modularized and have a lot of included files. I've written MMS command files that have all the particlars in them on the various source files. I can change any of the included files and have MMS compile all the modules that use that file, then link the main program. Also when I'm making a lot of changes, I don't have to remember which modules I've changed,MMS will take care of it. ................................................. Kevin Verble UTILITIES SIG Message # 240 0 replies Reply to # 189 Left by: ALAN MACARTHUR On 01-Apr-88 At : (206)655-1834 Subject: SITE-SPEC. MAIL UTIL. Reply to Harry Nicholos, msg # 189: We also have that problem when user TOM has not used his account for 6 months, we remove his account, and a year later another TOM is added. As previously mentioned, SYS$SYSTEM:VMSMAIL.DAT is not cleared when the UAF entry is removed. In this case, the new-mail count was 109! I wrote several utility programs that work with VMS mail which you may have if you want them. This one is called ZERO_MAIL; others are CHECK_MAIL to see if a user has read messages that you sent (may be installed with BYPASS so all users have access), and CLEAN_VMSMAIL to remove entries from VMSMAIL.DAT that have no corresponding entry in SYSUAF.DAT. Let me know if you are interested. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 158 3 replies Left by: MICHAEL S. TERRAZAS On 01-Apr-88 At : (801)240-3246 Subject: 8200 DROPPING CHARACTERS We have an 8200 running VMS4.6, a Unibus which has a DMF32, DMZ32, DELUA, a TK50 controller (I always forget tape controllers for some reason), and a TU81 controller (ditto). Our users are mainly using PCs with Reflection 2 Plus or VT220s to connect, using an Intecomm data switch. any time more than 3 users start doing heavy screen processing (EDT, TPU, SQL*Forms, file transfers) all users start experiencing screen break-up due to lost characters. This is even true of the users attaching via the DECserver 200s. One other point -- other people using the same terminal server will be hooked into another 8200, using the same products, don't experience the missing characters. Has ayone else experienced similar problems? We've had this problem ever since VMS 4.3 and none of our other machines have it. The major difference between our machine and the other 8200 is the Unibus, theirs doesn't have one. But then we have an 8250 with a Unibus and a DMZ and they don't have the problem. DEC has suggested we cut our baud rate to 4800 from 9600, but that would kill our file transfers to and from the PCs. Any help would be appreciated. Mike Terrazas LDS Church - 27th Floor 50 E. North Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84150 (801) 240-3246 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 261 0 replies Reply to # 90 Left by: MIKE TERRAZAS On 01-Apr-88 At : 801-240-3246 Subject: LEARNING MACRO32 I realize the original sender probably has learned MACRO by now, but DECUS has a Pre-Symposium Seminar every 6 months on MACRO-32 for beginners. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 262 0 replies Reply to # 230 Left by: MIKE TERRAZAS On 01-Apr-88 At : 801-240-3246 Subject: INSTRUCTION TIMINGS It is true that DECCIES can't give you those numbers because they've gotten burned in the past when they've tried to do it. After all, the VAX doesn't have a truly real-time operating system so there is no way to predict (from their viewpoint what will happen in your environment as conditions evolve (as entropy increases). In order to solve this problem myself, I ran a process with every privilege available on a machine with all interrupting devices turned off (except the system disk, the console [where I was running], the clock and the bus). I then sampled the clock, ran an empty loop, sampled the clock, ran the same loop enlarged by the instructions in question, and sampled the clock again. This is very crude, and I know that it can be shot full of holes, but the results showed a pretty good correlation to what we got through our optimizations. One problem, however, the timings weren't necessarily cosistent when you cross processor lines. The timings on a uVAX II weren't always strictly proportional to a 780, nor to an 8200, nor to an 8650. I know this doesn't help, but you've got to tough it out for each processor you're thinking of using. RSX SIG Message # 211 1 replies Reply to # 207 Left by: Phil Anthony On 01-Apr-88 At : Here Subject: PDPs Obsolete? Can't agree with you about RSX being DEC's premier operating system; personally I prefer both RT11 and RSTS. But that all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I certainly agree about the PDP being one of the most underrated computer products on the market today, particularly for depart- mental type clients who don't want to hire a systems programmer to support four to 0 users, don't want to be hassled by things like fragmented paging files, and want decent response time with inexpensive, off-the-shelf hard- ware. Despite the fact that DEC salesmen don't try to sell PDPs any more, and despite DEC's trying to kill off PDP-based operating systems at least three times in the past eight years to my knowledge, their installed PDP customer base keeps growing .... COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 159 0 replies Reply to # 158 Left by: Phil Anthony On 01-Apr-88 At : Here Subject: Dropped Characters Can't give you any suggestions about the dropped characters, but I think you might not lose as much as you think in file transfer time dropping back from 9600 to 4800 Baud. My own experience with PCs receiving data with XModem, YModem, and Kermit protocols is that the PC hardware and operating system get swamped by the throughput at anything over 2400 Baud - on direct connections running about 15 feet between machines. The symptoms I see are CRC errors and timeouts in the transfer, usually about once every six to eight packets using YModem (1024-byte packets). The recovery time plus retransmission brings a 9600-Baud transfer down to something approaching 240 Baud anyway. UTILITIES SIG Message # 241 0 replies Reply to # 238 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 02-Apr-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: LOGIN.MAR Hunter, Thankyou - I will try and poke around with Macro a little bit to see what I can do.. Mainly, with a few of the logicals, I want to have both term and concealed translations set, while the rest, I dont want anything other than default characteristics. like a DEFINE name trans would give me. Any hints as to what is included in the article? Looking forward to it, we hope.. Brian... RSX SIG Message # 212 1 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 02-Apr-88 At : (617)237-0238 Subject: RSX OBSOLETE? Well, "premier" I guess depends on how you define it. DEC seems to view RSX as premier PDP-11 operating system; it seems that RSX adapts more quickly to new hardware developments than either RSTS or RT (the latter of which doesn't apply since it isn't multi-user, TSX-Plus, being a non-DEC product, notwithstanding). Clearly VMS evolved from RSX, and RSX is also the system that hosts Digital's primary small-business PDP-11 commercial computing environment, A-to-Z. RSTS was originally "crippled" because of the fact that it could only run BASIC, a problem which has long since gone away, but the perception of which still persists, to some degree. Interesting, too, that RSTS saw fit to add RSX emulation, presumably to meet some need, but the reverse is not true. This doesn't mean RSTS is not an excellent system, just that it seems RSX has had more development resources recently, and seems to have positioned itself more in the "open architecture" spirit that made the PDP-11 great. What I would really like to find are some numbers indicating how many CPUs are licensed (in the field) under each opsys, and the rate at which those licenses are being issued, now (again, broken down by opsys). COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 160 0 replies Reply to # 158 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 03-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: DROPPING CHARACTERS Mike, I have an 8200 with a UNIBUS, 2-DMB32, DEBNT, KDB50-RA81, KLESI-TU81. We have run VMS 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7 without seeing this problem. We connect terminals via both the DMB32s and a DECServer 200. Do you have X-ON -- X-OFF flow control enabled (SET TERM /HOSTSYNC /TTSYNC)? The PC's doing file transfer should be set up with /ALTYPAHD as well. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 342 0 replies Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 03-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: CATALOGS Does anybody know how the supply companies line Inmac, MIS, DeVoke, etc. can afford to send out all those color catalogs? I get deluged with catalogs! Some companies seem to send out one each month, others send catalogs every other month or, in rare cases, quarterly. Those things must cost a mint to print and mail. Personally, I'd like to get half or a quarter as many catalogs and get better prices! EDITORS SIG Message # 163 0 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 04-Apr-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: NEWER TECO AND/OR VTEDIT Does anyone have or know of a newer version (than V36) of RSX TECO-11; one that supports the named directories in M-Plus and Micro/RSX? Also, does anyone have a version of VTEDIT newer than the hoary old V03.01 that I pulled off of RSTS/E V8.0? Or does someone have an interface that they prefer to VTEDIT that they'd like to share with me? One that understands VT2xx terminals, perhaps? Finally, does anyone have CRTRUB.MAC and the object code required to build RSX TECO for foreignerminal support, as you could with RSTS?S? UTILITIES SIG Message # 242 0 replies Reply to # 239 Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 04-Apr-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: MMS/CMS Kevin, Thank you for the reply. We are trying to build a load module from several hundred sources, including assembler and higher order languages (Fort ran, Pascal, etc.). We also have many include files that we have to contend with. If it's not to much trouble could you upload a description file for us to look at. It would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions about CMS we would be glad to help. CMS seems to be a little more straight foward than MMS. Thanks again for the info. Joseph Oreste VMS SIG Message # 561 0 replies Left by: DR. R On 04-Apr-88 At : AT THE OFFICE Subject: CALYPSO According to a well-placed pal, the Calypso series will be announced within the next two or three weeks. The series includes 1,2,3 and 4-CPU versions called the VAX 6210, 6220, 6230 and 6240 respectively. The systems are based on KA650 (CVAX) CPUS running at 80 nanoseconds instead of 90 nanoseconds as with the standard MicroVAX 3xxx. All four Calypsos include the 100 megabyte per second XMI bus. Interestingly enough, a 4-processor Calypso will offer more processing efficiency than a 4-processor Polarstar because of the faster internal bus (when you go from three to four CPUS on a Polarstar you get a non-linear performance boost). WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 64 0 replies Left by: JOHN PULLINS On 04-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: WPS TO MACWRITE Anyone know of a WPS to MacWrite or Microsoft Word translator for the Macintosh? Must be very inexpensive since we need it only once in awhile. RSTS SIG Message # 281 1 replies Reply to # 280 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 05-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: CK ERROR REVISITED Phil, I'm pretty sure the RTS is OK; if it weren't, I'm sure I'd have seen far more serious results well before now, since it gets used very regularly for I/O-intensive work (i.e., one little bug and all my files would be garbage by now). I don't think the error popped up particularly close to my upgrade to V9.5, so that doesn't seem to be the culprit, and I know the chaining program hasn't changed in a couple of years. Since what you and Bruce suggested don't seem to be problems, I guess I'll assume that I'm safe--for now. I do repeat my question, though: Exactly what is the error "CK - RTS Declared" supposed to mean? APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 211 5 replies Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 05-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: MACHINE-INDEPENDENT DBMSS Our company is looking at putting together a new software product, which we would like to make available on a variety of machines and operating systems (DEC and non-DEC, especially including Big Blue--too big a market to ignore). We tend to think that setting it up in a DBMS is the best way to be able to port it to several systems (not to mention that it should be faster than programming in a 2nd or 3rd generation language--another important consideration with a tight window of opportunity). Any suggestions on the best way to go? I've seen several comments on DBMSs in here, but some of them are VAX-specific ones. Has anyone had any experience with using a single DBMS in different environments? Are there specific things I should look for--or look to avoid? Any comments will be most appreciated. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 212 0 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 05-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: "MACHINE-INDEPENDENT" DBMS We have been looking at some of these things, too. The following editorial opinions are worth what you paid for them: 1. Assuming by Big Blue you do mean BIG Blue... The DBMS products that cross machine boundaries tend to be substantially more expensive than corresponding VAX-only products. This follows through to the "runtime" portion you would have to sell with, or embedded in, your application. Some of those we've been looking at would add $10K in costs to each MicroVAX application we sell! The market rules seem to be applying here -- charging what the market will bear, and all that. There are relatively few applications these days that will run across VAX/IBM environments, but an increasing demand, and the tool vendors are making hay. This problem is less severe when you're looking at products that cross, say, high-end PC (e.g. 80386, PS/2-80 type systems) with VAXen. 2. There is of course an obvious risk about "overgeneralizing" your product. Doing too much to make it "environment independent" runs the risk of producing a product that doesn't run well in ANY of the target environments. My hunch is that choosing an "environment independent" DBMS heightens this risk -- unless you choose one that is actually re-implemented (as opposed to cloned) for each target environment. 3. Follow-on to (2): You may well want to decide that ONE architecture is your PRIMARY architecture -- optimizing your product for that environment, and choosing tools that are similarly optimized, without eliminating the possibility of porting to others. (E.g., choose a DBMS that was developed and pioneered on a VAX, but now runs on IBM as well... most likely it has subtle architectural features embedded in it which optimize it for VAX and "de-optimize" it for IBM.) DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 342 1 replies Left by: KHALID BAIG On 05-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: ASCII UPLOAD I am using PCPLOT on an AT to download ARIS programs in ASCII format to my hard disk. The question is how do I upload these programs to my microVax which is also connected to the AT? PCPLOT instructions say I must prepare the host to receive a file by running a program on it. Can any one explain that? Thanks. RSTS SIG Message # 282 1 replies Reply to # 281 Left by: ANDREW DUGGAN On 05-Apr-88 At : Subject: CK ERROR I'm not sure which RTS is doing this to you, but if I remember correctly both Rt11 and Dcl RTSs will log those errors if control is transfered to the P.BAD PseudoVector. I have noticed that Rt11 will log it if you $ SW RT11 . . . E 5 This will cause an "??Odd Addr Trap" and then Rt11 will log its "Ck - RTS Declared". It has been at least a year since I was playing with this so I may be mistaken. One thing I am quite certain is that DCL.RTS will log this error after a memory parity error, or at least i did around V9.1. Please forgive any mis-spellings, or other errors. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 343 0 replies Reply to # 342 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 05-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: ASCII UPLOAD Khalid, You can use the DCL CREATE command to capture a file. Thus: $ CREATE MYFILE.TXT $ This is usable for text files only. Once you start sending binary files you need to use a protocol transfer - Kermit or XMODEM. I hope this answers your question. EDITORS SIG Message # 164 0 replies Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 05-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: DECUS TEX/LATEX TAPE I just received the DECUS TeX/LaTeX distribution, VAXSP-58. The tape appears to contain _two_ TeX/LaTeX distributions, one in [VAXSP58.DRF.TEX...] and the other in [VAXSP58.TEX82...]. So far, I have found no explanation for this apparent duplication (many of the files have the same names but not all are identical). Anybody know why two sets of files and which one to use? MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 172 1 replies Left by: JOHN WHITACRE On 05-Apr-88 At : Subject: EMULEX DRIVES I AM INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM ANYONE WHO HAS HAD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH AN EMULEX DRIVE. WE ARE CONSIDERING REPLACING A RA81 DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL STORAGE AVAILABLE. VMS SIG Message # 562 1 replies Left by: JAMES REFFELT On 06-Apr-88 At : 914-246-3461 Subject: ASK'S APPOINTMENT PROG I RECENTLY DOWNLOADED THIS PROGRAM AND HAVE BEEN HAVING A REAL HARD TIME TRYING TO GET IT TO RUN CORRECTLY. I RESET ALL DIRECTORY POINTERS AND AM NOT GETTING ANY "FILE NOT FOUND" ERRORS. IF ANYONE CAN PERHAPS TELL ME HOW THIS THING IS SUPPOSED TO WORK YOU WOULD REALLY MAKE MY DAY ! THANKS. JIM RSX SIG Message # 213 0 replies Reply to # 201 Left by: PAUL BUBLITZ On 06-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS FOR DECUS C Thanks for your offer of DECUS C. I have sent you a tape, postage, etc. Please let men know if you need anything else. MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 31 2 replies Reply to # 28 Left by: LARRY YURTH On 06-Apr-88 At : 1-(801)-531-4183 Subject: KERMIT WEAKNESSES I work in the Development Center at the LDS Church headquarters in Salt Lake Ci and did the evaluation work necessary to select a VT-220 terminal l emulation software package as a standard product for use world-wide by the Church. One of my greatest concerns lay in the area of file transfer. Kermit was obviously quite attractive to us a potential file transfer method simply because it was so pervasively used, and its use is understood by a fairly wide base of mini- and microcomputer developers. In our early tests of the Kermit protocol, we were generally pleased with the results, until we began sending binary files from PCs to a VMS or UNIX host. Especially where the file was more than 256K in size, or was an ORACLE database export, Kermit was signally unable to perform. We not only used the most recent versions of Kermit on the PC side (windowing and non-windowing, with and without Tektronix emulation, etc.), but we also had at the time the most recent version of Kermit on the host side. We also found Kermit unable to handle many VMS executable (*.exe) file transfers. We are pleased to have discovered Reflection 2 Plus from Walker, Richer & Quinn. It is a PC-based VT220 emulation package which includes, among other signally excellent features, the WRQLINK file transfer protocol. WRQLINK is a modification of Kmit which we have used both locally and over long-distance e connections (e.g., SLC to London, SLC to Australia/New Zealand) to transmit files of significant size. WRQLINK offers many error-correcting features (including MNP emulation in software, as an option) that I would really like to see in Kermit. I hope someone who can effect an upgrade of the Kermit protocol to include, as a superset, qualities similar to WRQLINK, is listening here and can predict a schedule for this kind of enhancement. Also, is there a bulletin board someplace where someone like me can dial straight in to keep up to date on Kermit developments? I really have to scrounge around for info sometimes. Thanks. Larry R. Yurth Level 2/3 Development Support LDS Church Office Building 50 E. N. Temple 27th Floor Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 344 0 replies Reply to # 271 Left by: LARRY YURTH On 06-Apr-88 At : 1-(801)-531-4183 Subject: POLYGON WEAKNESSES I have evaluated several VT220 emulation packages as part of my work to select a standard emulation package for use around the world by the LDS Church. My experience with PolyCOM and the Xfr product was less than positive, especially when I wanted to do the kind of thing you're talking about. I find the product acceptable for casual use, but for high-volume production use it is fairly difficult to work with. Furthermore, file transfer seems to be awfully flakey, especially if you 1) are running the package on a non-turbo PC/XT type and/or 2) the VMS host is running in a degraded mode (a lot of other users are on doing a lot of other things). There really was no way, in my experience, to adjust the pacing parameters in the XFR portion of PolyCOM 220 to make it able to handle the situation. Have you tried Reflection 2 Plus from Walker, Richer & Quinn? We are extremely pleased with the file transfer capabilites of the product, including the ability to initiate the sort of file transfer you are talking about from the VMS host, even while R2+ is running in the background and your user is doing some other very PC-ish sort of thing on the same PC. File transfers seem to be just as reliable over multiplexors (which tend to steal the 8th bit of every byte) over leased lines, ethernet and interrupt-14 based PC LANs, as it is over a dial-up asynch connection. I really don't own stock in the company, but R2+ seems to be one of the better kept secrets of the industry. Larry R. Yurth Level 2/3 Development Support LDS Church Office Building 50 E. N. Temple 27th Floor Salt Lake City, Utah 84150 1-(801)-531-4813 MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 32 0 replies Reply to # 31 Left by: CHARLES RANSOM On 06-Apr-88 At : 202-646-2400 Subject: .EXE FILE RANFERS If you want to transfer VMS execuatbles via kermit, the easiest way to do it is to Back it up in a save_set, then transfer the save_set itself. That way, when you restore from the backup, the execuatble file's attributes will be remain intact. -charles- UTILITIES SIG Message # 243 0 replies Reply to # 239 Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 06-Apr-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: MMS Dear Kevin; Thank you for your reply it was informtive. I have some other questions about MMS if you don't mind. 1. Does MMS automaticaly recompile a source file if an include file that it references is modified? 2. Would all of the sources that reference the include file have to be specified in the description file? Thank you for your time Kevin, we appreciate the information. Joseph Oreste. UTILITIES SIG Message # 244 0 replies Reply to # 239 Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 06-Apr-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: MMS Dear Kevin; Thank you for the information on CMS/MMS. You said that you have used these utilities with many include files. Well our application has an abundance of include files. We have a question about using include files with MMS. 1. Does MMS automaticaly recompile a source file if a referenced include file has been modified. 2. Have you had any success using wildcards in setting up or in using your description files. Thank you again for your time and information. Joseph Oreste APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 213 0 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: MICHAEL FORD On 06-Apr-88 At : (312) 480-9270 Subject: MACHINE-INDEPENDENTS DBMSS You may want to look at SIR/DBMS; portable, scientific, engineering, and research data base management system with relational, hierarchical, and network data modeling facitlities. Current systems which SIR/DBMS will run under: (1) Apollo DN300/660 under AEGIS (2) Control Data Corporation Cyber Series under NOS & NOS/BE (3) Cray systems under COS (4) Convex under Unix 4.2 (5) Data General MV series under AOS/VS (6) DEC VAX system under VMS & Unix (7) DEC DECsystem-10/-20 under TOP-10/-20 (8) Hewlett-Packard 9000 series under HP-UX (9) Honeywell DPS 8/88/90 (10)Level 66 under GCOS, MULTICS, and CP-6 (11)ICL 2900 under VME, VME/B, and EMAS (12)IBM 4300 and 30xx-class computers operating under MVS and VM/CMS (13)PCs XT/AT System 30 - 60 under PC-DOS or MS-DOS (OS/2 under deve- lopment) (14)Perkin-Elmer 3200 series under OS 32 (15)Pyramid systems under Unix (16)Prime 2200 and 9900, 750 series under PRIMOS (17)Siemens systems under BS2000 and BS3000 (18)Sun Microsystem under Unix (19)Unisys (Sperry) 1100 series under EXEC 1100 and Series 7000 under Unix 4.2 The current 2.2 version carries SQL+ relational query language, its own 4GL language called PQL (procedural query language), on the back burner is embedded SQL (SQL code embedded in 2nd & 3rd gen. language). SIR provides the user with an alternative screen-oriented query language called SIR/FORMS, which utilizes a template and screen formatting facilities to set up ad hoc or formalized reports. Also SIR/HOST allow access by Cobol, Fortran, C and many other 3GL to SIR/DBMS data files. Botton line SIR/DBMS can be ported over a very wide range of computer systems- from the very largest to some of the smallest. Applicaltions can be developed without regard to the computer on which it will eventually run. Oh well, hope this helps you out. For more sales hype call Steve Calloway at Inter Systems, Inc. at 703-642-1600, for more tech. stuff call me. MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 33 0 replies Reply to # 31 Left by: Phil Anthony On 06-Apr-88 At : Here Subject: Kermit Weaknesses Larry, I've used Kermit on a variety of systems, transferring both text and binary data, and with very few exceptions it's performed flawlessly for me. (The exceptions have been implementation-specific bugs, such as wildcarding not working correctly in RSTS Kermit, K11NRS, T2.29.) Two possibilities oc- cur to me: The first is that you needed RMS attributes on the VMS side, which just don't exist under UNIX or PC-DOS - you have to kludge them manually (see Charles Ransom's message) - and the second is that you forgot to set both Kermits for binary file transfer (SET FILE TYPE BINARY on Kermit-32, SET FILETYPE BINARY on C-Kermit, SET EOF NOCTRL-Z on MS-Kermit). I agree with you, though - file compression in Kermit would be lovely. So would larger packet sizes, and I understand that an extended protocol has just come out to handle up to 1 Kbyte packets (a la YModem). As for a bulletin board for new releases of Kermit, check the ARIS index. The latest message giving the phone number, etc., is Jonathan M. Prigot's, No. 339, in the Data/File Transfer Sig, dated 11-Mar-88; there have been several others that are still posted. I understand that Brian Nelson up- dates that one from the Columbia University distribution practically every time a new version for any system comes out. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 205 3 replies Left by: DOUG BATCHELOR On 06-Apr-88 At : (817) 924-5318 Subject: CENTRONICS (PARALLEL) PORT I'll soon be getting a Microvax II. Does anyone know if DEC or 3rd party make a Centronics (parallel) printer port? I would like to have one to be able to use some of the more popular PC type printers, but have been unable to locate a good source of knowledge in this area. Would greatly appreciate any tips along these lines... EDITORS SIG Message # 165 0 replies Reply to # 163 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 06-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: VTEDIT ENHANCED I can't help you with anything specifically for RSX, since I run a RSTS system, but I do have a locally enhanced version of VTEDIT (complete with documentation of the enhancements). The enhancements aren't the kind of thing you're going to cut your editing time in half with, but I've found them useful (upper to lower case conversion and vice versa, delete to a specific character, additional numeric argument options, etc.). If you're interested, call me and we can arrange either a Kermit download or a tape transfer. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 214 0 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: Phil Anthony On 06-Apr-88 At : Here Subject: Portable DBMSs Kelvin, what your message suggests you're looking for is a means of produc- ing portable code, rather than portable data files. As you say, DBMSs de- signed for one machine/operating system tend not to be so efficient when they're ported to another (Informix, Oracle, Focus); and as Bill Mayhew points out, what there is tends to come at a premium price. One possibility you might consider would be to do all nteractive access of your database(s) via standard, vanilla SQL. It isn't precisely the same from DBMS to DBMS, but it comes pretty close. Now, SQL doesn't really pro- vide a means of generating reports, and each DBMS has its own extensions to SQL for report generation. But since most DBMSs provide some form of inter- face with some combination of C, Fortran, and COBOL, you could create re- ports using the interface. (COBOL would probably be the language of choice in this regard.) The result would be a reasonably portable application that isn't tied to one particular DBMS. You'd have to modify both your SQL and your COBOL code somewhat to allow for different dialects and interfaces, but you'd have the advantage of not being tied to a particular DBMS over the range of machines and operating systems you want to support. The discussion I've heard, especially around ARIS, indicates that VMS is a particular problem in this regard: None of the DBMSs that run on other op- erating systems are particularly efficient under VMS, while the ones that were hand-tailored to VMS just aren't available on other systems. In this respect, VMS seems to be the odd system out. So a mixed-DBMS strategy, while hardly ideal, would appear to be the best compromise between portabil- ity and efficiency. VMS SIG Message # 563 1 replies Reply to # 562 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 07-Apr-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: APPT Jim, I had no problems with it at all... Are you sure you defined everything correctly, etc? If you want to give me a call, we can go over the changes you should make to your version- prefer you call later afternoonish (from 2-5pm) - that seems to be when i am there the most.. :-) EDITORS SIG Message # 166 2 replies Left by: HARVEY SCHOENMAN On 07-Apr-88 At : 412/288-1734 Subject: EVE LINE WRAP HELP !!! We are trying to make a transition from EDT to EVE. EDT allows records longer than 80 characters to automatically extend to subsequent lines (if the nowrap option is used). This is necessary for editing program lines for languages which allow lines in excess of 80 characters. EVE will support this, but only by using the shift command to view different segments of the record (windowing). Is there a way to have EVE work like EDT with regard to line wrap? Using the set right nn and fill commands does not accomplish this. Thanks. Harvey PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 264 0 replies Left by: JOE MCDANIEL On 07-Apr-88 At : (301) 821-5980 Subject: PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS I am trying to figure out how to implement performance analysis in a FORTRAN program without having to edit in the code to do it. Apparently, one can somehow use the $SETEXV process to set an exception vector on TBIT (trace bit pending) and gain control (after every instruction, after every call/return?). I tried a very simple program to do this but was never successful in getting an interrupt even though there were no errors reported in my calls. anyone know how to do this type of thing? UTILITIES SIG Message # 245 1 replies Left by: YOGESH TIWARY On 07-Apr-88 At : 301-286-3253 Subject: MAG TAPE DRIVE I WOULD LIKE TO DO BACKUP ON THE MAG TAPE OF A RA81. SINCE IT TAKES ABOUT 5 TAPES, SOMEHOW I WOULD LIKE TO BE NOTIFIED THAT ONE TAPE HAS FINISHED AND BACKUP NEEDS A SECOND TAPE TO BE MOUNTED. CURRENTLY, THE ONLY SOLUTION I HAVE IS TO MONITOR THE IO COUNT OF THE TAPE DRIVE EVERY 5 SECOND (BY A SUB- PROCESS) AND RING THE BELL ON THE TERMINAL WHEN NO CHANGE HAS OCCURRED FOR PAST 15 SEC. THIS IS BRUTE FORCE SOLUTION WITH PROBLEMS. AN ELEGANT SOLUTION WOULD BE WELCOME. THANK YOU RSX SIG Message # 214 0 replies Reply to # 203 Left by: P R O'GRAMMER On 07-Apr-88 At : 617 332 8880 Subject: CONVERTING RSX FILE TYPES The problem with your file transfer is probably that FORTRAN produces files with the "carriage control" attribute. These files can be converted using TECO to copy them. As I remember, to copy file A to B, use the commands >TEC/NOMEM *EWB$$ !open B for output first to make default file attribute !NOT carriage control *ERA$$ !open A for input *EX$$ !exit For more details, see the TECO manual (TECO is available thru DECUS and is sometimes distributed by DEC with system software. Of course, there is also some way to do this with QIO thru RSX itself. MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 34 0 replies Left by: WILLIAM HUTCHISON On 07-Apr-88 At : (215) 542-6634 Subject: VAX-TO-UNIX I am looking for a library of C functions which run on UNIX System Vv but emulate VAX/VMS system calls. . . in other words , a cheap efficient way to make VAX/VMS C programs run on UNIX without extensive recoding. Thanks, Bill Hutchison, DP consultant, {ihnp4,rutgers}!{bpa,cbmnvax}!temvax!pacsbb!whutchi APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 215 0 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: WILLIAM HUTCHISON On 07-Apr-88 At : BPA!TEMVAX!PACSBB!WHUTCHI Subject: MULTI-OS DBMS Some good multi-OS DBMS s are Oracle, Ingres, and Informix. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 161 0 replies Reply to # 153 Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 07-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: "DATA OVERRUN" Here is what DIGITAL REVIEW (April 4, 1988) p. 85 said about your problem: "If you don't get enough CPU time, you will have a 'data overrun' and your remote session connection will be aborted... ...Even with a larger typeahead buffer you can still have a data overrun. To prevent other user processes from denying you the CPU, you can increse priority of your process during a remote session. Of course, you need the appropriate privileges to adjust your process priority... Here's the command procedure that raises your process priority (assuming that the typical process priority level is 4): $set process/priv=(sysprv,altpri) $set process/priority=6 $allocate ttax: $exit At the end of your remote session: $deallocate ttax: $set process/priority=4 $set process/priv=(nosysprv,noaltpri) $exit Hope this helps. RSX SIG Message # 215 0 replies Reply to # 212 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 07-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: RSX INSTALLATION DATA I just want to wish you luck in getting those numbers. DEC will probably not be in the mood to reveal how many customers continue to insist on PDPs and RSX for new development. DEC announces new PDP hardware and enhanced RSX opsys like it's always the last time they will do this, but it has been going on like that for six years. DEC TSC in Colo. Springs use to have VMS persons answering the DECnet-RSX calls, but that has changed, as of late, for the better. RSX and PDP are not going to fade away quietly. VMS SIG Message # 564 0 replies Reply to # 554 Left by: TOM SKIPPER On 07-Apr-88 At : 215-842-4633 Subject: SET HOST/DTE David, This command will work with hayes compatible modems. I used this command to log in to ARIS. If you can get your hands on the March 21 issue of Digital Review, there is an article addressing this issue on page 82. The article name is "VT, Phone Home: VMS and Modems". If you still have no luck, you may want to make sure the modem is set for dialing out. A lot of the compatibles have to be manually switched from answer mode to dial mode. This of course, would be explained in the modems user guide. If you can not get a copy of this article, I can mail a copy to you. Let me know. Tom, Systems Manager Medical College of PA UTILITIES SIG Message # 246 1 replies Left by: JOSEPH ORESTE On 07-Apr-88 At : 516-346-8802 Subject: LSE I am interested in any information about the VAX tool LSE (Language Sensitive Editor). I am particularly interested in creating my own templates. I want to use the LSE for programming with the VAX Assembler. Has anyone already done this? Has anyone created their own templates? Thank you for ny information that could be provided. Joseph Oreste UTILITIES SIG Message # 247 1 replies Reply to # 245 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 07-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: BACKUP NOTIFICATION Yogesh, Do your backup in _batch_. Make your terminal an operator terminal with REPLY/ENABLE. You will recieve the standard VMS mount message when backup wants a new tape. Don't you wish all your problems were that easy? :-) CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 244 1 replies Reply to # 234 Left by: BOB BRUHIN On 07-Apr-88 At : ADVANTA CORPORATION Subject: REMOTE DECSERVER PORTS Unfortunately, setting the port REMOTE does note allow for local login attempts. This problem remains unsolved here, too! VMS SIG Message # 565 1 replies Left by: GARY WOLFER On 07-Apr-88 At : HERE OR (800) 835-2221 Subject: NO CRASH DUMP ON VMS V4.7 I am currently experiencing problems with a LAVC running VMS V4.7. I have 2 MicroVax II's running off a common system disk, with the page and swap files of the satellite system on a local disk. I have been getting some system crashes lately on the satellite system and I haven't been able to see what is causing them because I am not getting a crash dump. It appears that the crash dump file is written to when I shutdown the system using the SHUTDOWN procedure. I have the DUMPBUG and SAVEDUMP paramaters set in sysgen, even though I don't think SAVEDUMP needs to be set since I am not using the PAGEFILE for the system dump file. Anyone else heard of a similar problem any where and maybe have some suggestions? P.S. When the system crashes, it does not print out the registers, just says: ? 04 ISP ERR RSTS SIG Message # 283 0 replies Reply to # 282 Left by: ANDREW DUGGAN On 07-Apr-88 At : Subject: CK My caveat on my memory with the RT11 examples was neccessary. But my Errlog does support the CK error after a memory parity error. EDITORS SIG Message # 167 1 replies Reply to # 123 Left by: JRRY C. HUDGINS On 07-Apr-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-606 Subject: LOCAL.TEC I tried to leave this reply a few days ago, but the lin noise was incredible... Sorry to get back to you so late, but I just noticed your inquiry. I don't know of a translation of LOCAL.TEC to TPU, but I do know that the original macro will renumber MACRO-32 just fine. The valid-symbol-constituent match control character in TECO-32 has been changed to reflect MACRO-32's rules, and the old macro can be used unchanged because of this. I still find LOCAL to be invaluable. Even if you don't use TECO on your VAX, it's worth popping into it occasionally just for the renumbering capability. If you have a MicroVAX (like me) or an 8xxx-series VAX, you can obtain the native version of TECO-32 (like I did). Of course, I'm still one of the prehistoric types that prefers TECO. You may find translating LOCAL to TPU to be a better option for you; you could bind it to a key sequence from within an EVE-type interface. RSX SIG Message # 216 1 replies Left by: MARK MATLOCK On 07-Apr-88 At : 217-424-2460 Subject: RSX V4.0 DECNET PROBLEMS Anyone have any experience with the new DECnet that goes with RSX V4.0 ? I talked to one idividual who said SET /HOST got broken. Also I've heard using the old DECnet patched to work with the V4.0 RSX as supplied with the RSX distribution does work ok. What is the scoop ? MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 174 0 replies Reply to # 173 Left by: HARRY MOSKOWITZ On 08-Apr-88 At : (818)888-4329 Subject: EMULEX DRIVES I CURRENTLY HAVE AN EMULEX CONTROLLER ON A FUJITSU SUPER EAGLE 2361 DRIVE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN INFO ON EITHER PIECE OF HARDWARE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT THE ABOVE NUMBER MONDAY THRU FRIDAY. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 197 0 replies Left by: ROBERT PECKHAM On 08-Apr-88 At : (213) 849-4082 Subject: DONATIONS DON'T DUMP OLD EQUIPMENT OR SELL IT FOR 5 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR. DONATE IT TO MARSHALL FUNDAMENTAL SCHOOL'S COMPUTER EDUCATION PROGRAM!!! THE PASADENA PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEED WHATEVER YOU CAN DONATE!!!! ANY AND ALL Q-BUSS EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED. (CPU,DISKS,MEMORY,DZV,DHV,ETC) CALL: ROBERT E. SIMON, VICE PRINCIPAL (818) 798-0713 WRITE: ROBERT E SIMON MARSHALL FUNDAMENTAL SCHOOL 990 N. ALLEN PASADENA, CA 91104 VMS SIG Message # 566 0 replies Reply to # 563 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 08-Apr-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: APPT. After further fiddling, I found the problem with the APPT_TELL.COM part of the Appointment programs. The procedure obtains the username from the UIC member. If you do not have an identifier, just a number, like the SYSTEM account is [1,4], the program will try to send the REPLY to USER 4 instead of SYSTEM. I commented out the F$USER() lines (3 lines) and inserted a $ USER = F$EDIT(F$GETJPI("","USERNAME"),"TRIM,COMPRESS") to obtain the username of the user who submit the procedure to batch. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 216 0 replies Reply to # 3 Left by: DOROTHY STINNETT On 08-Apr-88 At : 301-332-5637 Subject: DECUS INFO & BBS I have just learned of the ASIS electronic bulletin board service from DEC professional. This is the first time I have used it. I am not sure of the editors so this is written in n-edit mode. We have just purchased VTERM software to connect our PC to our VAX 11/750. So far, so good. I would like information on software that is availabe from DECUS and bbs . Any information you can supply will be helpful and appreciated. Thank you. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 345 1 replies Reply to # 313 Left by: DOROTHY STINNETT On 08-Apr-88 At : 301-332-5637 Subject: KERMIT PC TO VAX 11/750 I have just obtained modem and software (VTERM) to connect one of our PC's to our VAX 11/750. I also have kermit but no documentation. If you can provide information on were to get documentation for both PC and VAX, please let me know. This is the very first time I have used an electronic bulletin board and I am not sure if I am doing things right. I am wingin' it using PC KERMIT and hopin' that this message gets thru. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 346 0 replies Reply to # 321 Left by: DOROTHY STINNETT On 08-Apr-88 At : 301 923-2024 Subject: KERMIT DOS I recently (last two days) got to hook up a pc to our vax 750 as well as using the modem to contact bulletin boards. Someone gave me a copy of PCKERMIT but I have no documentation explaining how to use it. Can you help me. I would like to learn kermit and beable to talk with other computer persons and exchange programs, files if possible. I have VTERM 220 to talk to the vax but that is all it talks to. If there is a charge, please let me know. My mailing address is: Dorothy Stinnett P.O. Box 379 Crownsville, MD 21032-0379 Also if you know of anyone with information on computer security and des.recovery please have them drop me a line. I am writing a paper on both subjects. Thanks again for your help. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 217 0 replies Reply to # 213 Left by: MARGARET PETERSON On 08-Apr-88 At : UNIV CONNECTICUT HEALTH CENTER Subject: DBMS I can support Michael Ford's Comments on SIR DBMS. We used it for years on a UNIVAC 1100. Had to pay Data Services cpu time and it became too expensive. Tried it on a VAX 8200 for a month. Moved a 3000+ variable data base and 150 cases over in two days, no problem. However found Ethernet too slow and charges again high. Have now moved everything to Leading Edge PC with Bernoulli box. Not impossibley slow and no cpu charges. Looked at Oracle, Informix etc but found them to be accounting type data bases. We need clinical research data bases. Also SIR interfaces well to statistics packages such as SPSS, SAS and BMDP. Now if only it were freeware! PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 265 0 replies Left by: MARGARET PETERSON On 08-Apr-88 At : UNIV CONNECTICUT HEALTH CENTER Subject: EXPERT SHELL Does anyone have a public domain expert shell which will run on a Rainbow? Or a small one which will run under UNIX? I can be reached at 203-679-3834 and will be checking this board. I will be out of town some of next week. EDITORS SIG Message # 168 1 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: MICHAEL MIKOWSKI On 08-Apr-88 At : (313)524-8678 Subject: EVE I don't know about using a wrap around with EVE but you can set your terminal width to 132 at the EVE command line. This will allow you to make all the changes and see the whole line across your screen. VMS SIG Message # 567 1 replies Left by: BONNIE AUCLAIR On 08-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: IMAGE FILE Does anyone know the purpose of a library image called UTC_SSV.EXE? I have an application that spawns to a command procedure. With my privs (syspriv, what else), everything goes as expected. With normal privs, the spawn fails with DCL, CLI and SYS errors that say "protected images must be installed". I can't find anything anywhere that tells me what's going on. This thing used to work. The only change is that I'm translating one additional logical from the system table. Can't find anything in the system/library services manual specifically relating to this image. But, it must have something to do with quotas or process space because privilege wasn't an issue before. Or, am I way off the track? Thanx RSX SIG Message # 217 0 replies Reply to # 216 Left by: SANDY CHANG On 08-Apr-88 At : (213) 812-0072 Subject: RSX11M DECNET V4.X We've been running RSX11M V4.3 with DECnet V4.2 (Autopatch V4.8.2) with no problems. SET HOST (DCL Command) works fine. We only have difficulty with linefeeds not showing up in VAX MAIL until we type the next character after the . PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 266 0 replies Left by: WREN HUNT On 08-Apr-88 At : (703) 669-1181 Subject: CALLABLE CDD PLEASE! I am interested in how to use the undocumented/unsupported callable CDD interface from within my programs. I have seen some examples in the sort routine in the fiche but am not too comfortable with Bliss code. If anyone knows how to do this or if you have some example code I would like to see it. Thanks. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 347 1 replies Left by: WREN HUNT On 08-Apr-88 At : (703) 669-1181 Subject: DTE_DF224 DRIVER? I am trying to find out how to control a DF224 ("Scholar") modem from program control (preferably MACRO). DIGITAL supplies the DTE_DF03 template but does anyone know of a DF224 template? In particular I would like to use the syntax $ SET HOST/DTE/DIAL=(NUMBER:number,MODEM:DF224). Wren Hunt Morrison Molded Fiber Glass 400 Commonwealth Avenue Bristol, VA 24203 DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 348 0 replies Reply to # 345 Left by: PHIL TRIPP On 08-Apr-88 At : (804)528-7629 Subject: KERMIT PC TO VAX 11/750 We have been using VTERM successfully for the last couple years. The VTERM documentation provides KERMIT instructions plus the Colombia University address to get the full distribution which includes the documentation. Contacting any local BBS will provide you with unlimited communications software alternatives, such as the shareware prog6J¯ÎxøÕram PROCOMM. KERMIT has the appeal of being available almost universally, but it has its limitations and overhead. XMODEM has less overhead, and VTERM's VTRANSÿû is quite good. Hope this helps. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 125 1 replies Left by: STEVEN L. BAREMAN On 08-Apr-88 At : HERE OR (616) 394-7670 Subject: RMS BUFFERS, NOT FOR EVERYONE I ran into a problems when I used the following command: $ SET RMS_DEFAULT/BUFFER_COUNT=20/INDEXED/SYSTEM We are using software from IA (Information Associates) and some of the shared files seem to give us some strange types of file locking errors Maybe I should be using Global Buffers? Any suggestions? Steve DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 349 0 replies Reply to # 347 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 08-Apr-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: DF224 We got a Fortran routine to control a DF224 by calling our DEC salesman. He got is from someone in the DECorganization. (It was fee) Jim COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 162 0 replies Reply to # 101 Left by: BILL HALBERSTADT On 08-Apr-88 At : (302)695-3825 Subject: 9600 BPS MODEMS You asked for information from anyone using the U S Robotics "HST" 9600 bps modems. At my site we have 60 of them installed for dial-in, 20 for dial-out, and hundreds in the hands of users (mostly at homes). After an evaluation last year, we worked with the vendor to remove a few bugs from the design and to add a couple of features (for instance, in command mode, recognizing the DEC "DEL" ("RUBOUT") key for "destructive backspace" as well as control-H). We now consider them great success, giving the users what seems to them to be full duplex 9600 (and above!) access over normal dial-up circuits. Actually, the modem is 9600 bps one direction and 300 bps the other, but it assigns these channels dynamically, so it can switch if your pc starts sending info fast to the host. Normally you (the keyboard) get the 300 bps channel and never notice the difference. For those of you who have this modem, we found the ideal initial setup (configuration) command to be AT&FX6&B1&H2&I5S15=32S19=60&W Thank goodness you only have to type that once in the life of the modem, and it then reconfigures itself on every power up (the "&W" in that command tells it to store the setup in nonvolatile RAM). For anyone who wishes more detail on setting up these modems, call, and I can send our writeup on configuring the HST. VMS SIG Message # 568 1 replies Reply to # 567 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 08-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: Bonnie, Check the VMS Software Installation Guide. In one of the appendices, there is a list of all the modules comprising the VMS distribution with a one line description of each. That might get you started. VMS SIG Message # 569 1 replies Reply to # 568 Left by: BONNIE On 11-Apr-88 At : HERE Subject: Thanx, Richard. (I was expecting to hear from you!) But, no go. I'll keep on the trail. If you think of anything else, let me know. Thanx again. BSA DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 350 0 replies Left by: DAVID ALEKSINSKI On 11-Apr-88 At : (216) 586-8138 Subject: PRINTER DRIVERS Looking for a WPS printer driver for the H.P. Laser Jet II. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 351 0 replies Left by: DAVID ALEKSINSKI On 11-Apr-88 At : (216) 586-8138 Subject: QVT.EXE (VT220 EMULATOR) I'm trying to contact the person or persons who wrote QVT.EXE. This program was found on a BBS near Phily. The program ran on a PC. It is a VT220 emulator with built in Kermit and Xmodem. This version was mapped for the PC-XT keyboard. The author had other versions for the AT and 101 style keyboards, he also had a version for MS-Windows. The companys name was QPC Software out of Penfield,Ny. So far they have yet to respond to my letter of inquiry. They are not listed. Dave Alex. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 175 0 replies Reply to # 174 Left by: JOHN WHITACRE On 11-Apr-88 At : 216 4945504 Subject: EMULEX NO NEED TO BOTHER YOU WITH A PHONE CALL. WE ARE LOOKING AT A EMULEX SM832-1 THE DRIVE IS A CDC9783. WE HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THE SUPER EAGLE AS OF YET BUT SHOULD WE DO SO I MAY CALL YOU THEN. THANK YOU MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 343 0 replies Left by: DAN DONOHUE On 11-Apr-88 At : 215-439-3276 Subject: EDCS,SHERPA,DATA CONTROL SW Are there any EDCS users out there I can contact for some help? We are currently evaluating it. Also are interested in a similar product called Sherpa, but do not know who markets it or where we can get info. For those of you unfamiliar with these products, they are data control systems, fancy DBMS' that allow files to be tracked and access levels specified, even notify a list of users via MAIL when a file has been modified. I'd appreciate any info if anyone knows these products or something similar which would fit the bill. Thanks in advance, Dan ^_^ DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 352 1 replies Left by: DAVID ALEKSINSKI On 11-Apr-88 At : (216) 586-8138 Subject: VAX TO BURROUGHS DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WITH BURROUGHS TO VAX FILE TRANSFERS? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 267 1 replies Reply to # 204 Left by: DEAN W. ANNESER On 11-Apr-88 At : 203-565-5558 Subject: KXT/KXJ BUG IN Z8036 CTR/TMR <<< please do not publish >>> Mike -- If you're going to be using the counter/timers 1 and 2, in a linked fashion (32 bit counter), are you aware there is a bug ?? Give a call for more details. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 268 0 replies Reply to # 255 Left by: JIM MCKELVEY On 11-Apr-88 At : 1-818-397-7246 Subject: SMG WITH ADA The problem with Starlet is that it only provides interfaces to the system services, not even the run-time library. For SMG, you must write your own interfaces usg the rious import pragmas. Starlet is a guide for you, but you must have the manual for SMG and al the Vax Ada manuals. Also, it's a bit confusing at first. I haven't used SMG from Ada, so I have no special information on SMG specifically. Give me a call if you have any specific questions, or I could mail you some examples of RTL interfacing. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 218 0 replies Reply to # 216 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 11-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: DECUS PROGRAMS AVAILABL The DECUS library publishes a catalog of programs currently available, containing several hundred programs and collections. You need to be a member to buy the stuff, but since membership is free, that's not a hassle. DEC has a flyer on DECUS in the back of most of its manuals, with addresses and that fun stuff. By the way, DECUS probably wouldn't like me to say that you "buy" the programs. They say the charge is merely the cost of distribution. It certainly won't break your budget--they tend to be in the $50-100 range. For the vast majority of items, this includes source code, which can be useful for gaining new ideas. At the same time, the software has no guarantees. . . . EDITORS SIG Message # 169 0 replies Reply to # 168 Left by: HARVEY SCHOENMAN On 12-Apr-88 At : 412-288-1734 Subject: LONGER THAN 132 W/EVE Thanks for your reply, but setting the terminal width to 132 to "get around" the lack of a line-wrap mode with EVE will not do much good for lnes that are longer than 132; 255 for example. Harvey VAX/ELN SIG Message # 14 0 replies Left by: MIKE HIGGINS On 12-Apr-88 At : (315)456-1058 Subject: DRV11-WA USING ELN CPU - uVax II Anyone out there using DRV11-WA qbus 22 bit addressable 16 bit dma interface. The ELN documentation says it(the driver utility)should be modified to correctly get the driver calls to function correctly. What changes? There is also a nebulous statement in the ELN documentation about the DRV11-WA using the "user reply lines" correctly. The DRV11-WA has no such lines labeled as such in the hardware documentation. My solution so far has been to build my own driver, but would like to ferret out what the DEC DRV11-WA utility calls need to function correctly. I don't have time to play with this if someone else has solved this. EDITORS SIG Message # 170 0 replies Left by: A. REED MIHALOEW On 12-Apr-88 At : (703)739-0630 (WORK) Subject: TPU EDITING IN A WINDOW? TPU Users/etc.- Is there any way to use TPU from within a window on a VT-style terminal; I can set up the windows fine, and start and end in particular rows, but when I use the editor it blanks out the screen first, then edits within the scolled area. How can I get it to just use the defined window area? Thanks in advance, Reed PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 269 0 replies Reply to # 259 Left by: DAN KARAS On 12-Apr-88 At : (904) 371-8035 Subject: FORTRAN FILETYPES THANKS FOR THE TIP RICHARD-I LOOKED THAT OPTION UP IN THE REFERENCE MANUAL, TRIED IT OUT, AND IT SEEMS TO WORK OK. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 126 0 replies Reply to # 125 Left by: KEVIN VERBLE On 12-Apr-88 At : 714-998-5500 Subject: RMS BUFFERS We also had a problem with setting local RMS buffers. I don't remember the error but it would happen in programs that did a large amount of gets, like a report program that reads every record. Also it happened more often the more buffers we allocated. All DEC said is that we should be using global buffers if we need a lot of them. DEC told me how to calculate the amount of global buffers for indexed files. You first need a statistics report of the the file, use "ANAL/RMS/STAT/OUT='listing name' 'file name'. Look in the "Key descriptor #" section for the index bucket size and look in the "Statistics for key #" section for the count of index blocks. Divide the count of index blocks by the index bucket size and do this for each key in the file. Total these numbers and add one for each user that would have the file open. This is the amount of buffers to allocate to the file. You can do this with "SET FILE/GLOBAL=" command or in the FDL file. Also set a few local buffers, this is suppose to help. This works good for us, hope you can use it. ---------------------------------------------------- KEVIN VERBLE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 270 0 replies Left by: JOHN SNODGRASS On 13-Apr-88 At : (813) 381-2000 X2051 Subject: DTR AND VARIOUS FILE TYPES DEAR MR PRIGOT I AM LEAVING THIS MESSAGE IN REFERENCE TO YOUR MESSAGE #224 STATING THAT YOU HAVE USED DATATRIEVE WITH FILE TYPES OTHER THEN INDEXED AND FIXED LENGTH. I HAVE HAD A USER ASK ME ABOUT USING DATATRIEVE TO GENERATE REPORTS FROM DATA FILES THAT WERE GENERATED FROM AN ADA PROGRAM IN VARIABLE LENGTH FORMAT. THE ONLY HELP I COULD GET OUT OF COLO WAS THAT ONLY THE LAST FIELD IN EACH RECORD COULD BE VARIABLE LENGTH BY USING THE OCCURS CLAUSE. ANY HELP IN THIS AREA WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. JOHN SNODGRASS RSX SIG Message # 219 0 replies Left by: THOMAS C. EAST On 13-Apr-88 At : (601) 982-6504 Subject: SLU2 USE ON 11/24 Does anyone know how to get slu2 to work on rsx version 4.1 on an 11/24? We gen'd for it as a dl device with proper vector, etc. but can't seem to get it to respond at any baud rate. The only thing we get when we broadcast to it (at tt1:) is the message we sent and then constant bells until we shut off the la36 it is talking to. The console works perfectly (at tt0:) and no problems with any other ports on our DH or DZ. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks! VMS SIG Message # 570 0 replies Reply to # 569 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 13-Apr-88 At : (617)861-6600 Subject: MYSTERY FILE I can't find the file on any of my systems, so I would suspect it to be part of some non-system software installed on your system. Happy hunting! PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 271 0 replies Reply to # 267 Left by: MIKE HIGGINS On 13-Apr-88 At : (315)456-1058 Subject: LINKED CTRS 1 AND 2 KXT/KXJ thanks for info. I did not know of the bug. i am using ctr 1 with ext trigger to bring in a interrupt to the kxj from outside. it works fine. only prblem i had was when i tried to use the dma device. it has a two deep interrupt buffer and if you don't check to make sure it's empty after an isr the ctr interrupt is blocked forever. these kinds of problems i don't need. i will call when i can on the linked operation solution. RSX SIG Message # 220 0 replies Left by: MIKE HIGGINS On 13-Apr-88 At : (315)456-1058 Subject: 11S DECNET <-> VMS DECNET Need decnet gurus help. Have 11/23 running 11S and talking V4.1 decnet (DMV11-AC) to 11/750. Using two logical links over te net Am using transparent task to task calls from macro 11 on the 11/23 side and transparent F77 calls on the VMS side. Problem is that the VMS side (user task will crash) and the 11/23 side task has no way of getting the fact the links are gone, kaput! Question - Any way to help the 11S machine know that the logical decnet links have gone away. This would prevent the present solution of rebooting the 11/23 all the time. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 353 0 replies Reply to # 352 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 13-Apr-88 At : (406)245-3191 Subject: VAX/BURR XFER Applied Information Systems has a package for Burroughs to VAX transfers. We have not tried it nor do we have need for it, but you might try calling them. Their number is 1-800-334-5510. They are located in Chapel Hill, NC. Jim DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 354 0 replies Left by: MIKE SCHMIDT On 13-Apr-88 At : ARIS & (314)553-4773 Subject: MAC TO VAX I WANT MY EDT ! Does anyone know how to use EDT keypad editting within MacTerminal? I have a Macintosh SE with an extended keyboard, and I would love to be able to use the numeric keypad funtions. I would appreciate any help or alternate communication software recommendations. Also, can Macintosh text files be transferred to a VAX via MacTerminal software only. Going from VAX t MAC is simple, but how does one transfer vice versa? Many Thanks to any responses, Mike VMS SIG Message # 573 0 replies Reply to # 556 Left by: MIKE SCHMIDT On 13-Apr-88 At : ARIS & (314)553-4773 Subject: REPLY TO STEPHEN Stephen, I have a copy of a short DCL command proceedure that always sets the prompt to the current default directory. Additionaly I have a command proceedure that displays an indented output of the defualt directories sub-dir nesting structure. Feel free to call me, as I would gladly mail you a copy. Credit goes to Digital News, who published the DCL routines in 1987. Mike UTILITIES SIG Message # 250 0 replies Reply to # 189 Left by: GREG KAINZ On 14-Apr-88 At : ARIS Subject: MAIL ERROR COUNT Harry: I duplicated at least one example of your mail count error. I have two VAX accounts, with account A forwarding mail to account B. I logged in under account A mail, read and deleted a new message and then logged in to account B. In deleting the message, I found the mail count in account B was not decremented. Sarah McNeally's reply (MESS 193) has worked for me in the past. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 344 0 replies Reply to # 12 Left by: GREG KAINZ On 14-Apr-88 At : ARIS Subject: ORACLE DON'T DO IT!!!! We have ORACLE on an 8200, upgrading to an 8350. What a HOG! But, it gets the job done. Anyone in the San Diego area interested in starting a VAX/ORACLE LUG? VMS SIG Message # 574 0 replies Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 14-Apr-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: WOLLONGONG I am looking for any sites that have used Wollongong TCP/IP to communicate between VAXen and Bridge Corporation Terminal Servers. A part of our company is pushing this as a solution to some terminal server problems, and I need to gather reports on how it works as a solution. I would also be interested in hearing reports from sites that are using Bridge Communications terminal server products - especially sites that have DECservers on the same Ethernet as the Bridge boxes. Let's trade stories... Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 Phone 713/528-1859 "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain..." TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 206 0 replies Reply to # 205 Left by: WAYNE RIDLEY On 14-Apr-88 At : GE CANADA Subject: PARALLEL PORTS YoU COULD BUY A SERIAL ? PARALLEL CONVERTER FROM INMAC OR A SIMILAR SOURCE AND CONNECT IT INLINE BETWEEN YOUR VAX SERIAL PORT AND YOUR PRINTER PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 272 0 replies Left by: JERRY WALTON On 14-Apr-88 At : 219-696-2454 Subject: 4GL FOR ORACLE does anyone know if there is a true 4gl that can be used to access an Oracle database ??? Oracle is a widely accepted database product primarily because it is available on over 50 operating systems, and is fully relational. However, being a developer of end-user DBMS applications I need a faster system turnaround (development time) than can be realized using traditional 3rd generation languages and SQL calls. Wouldn't it be great to have a 4Gl like NATURAL to access the DBMS that corporate America and the Gov't have embraced ! Any information, or any takers on the develpment of such a product please reply!!!! Thank you! Jerbone PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 273 0 replies Reply to # 53 Left by: JERRY WALTON On 14-Apr-88 At : 219-696-2454 Subject: ADABAS DBMS PERFORMS I have the pleasure and the misfortune of being intimately involved with Many of Software Ag's products especially the VMs product line. I used the product as a programmer for 2 years at Inland Steel, in East Chicago, IN, and as a DBA for about 1.5 yrs. at RJReynolds Tobacco in Winston-Salem, NC. I also developed a system for the NCTR Center in Jefferson, AR. I would be morew than happy to speak with you off-line about the SAG products. On VMS, Natural is really a screamer compared to FORTRAN w/RMS. Adabas/Natural was coded in MACRO especially for the VAX architecture. It does not use the VMS distributed lock manager, and does it's own logical i/o. Quite simply, it is very sound, simple engineering that performs. At first the company needed a little VAxination so to speak, but now they are fully wheaned of the blue bottle. The latest release allows you to use TPU or EVE as an editor, and has some other features the Decies will find themselves right at home. The langauge does support all data types including floating-point. The language is easy to learn as VMS like help is built within the product. Support can be weak at times, and the documentation still has some references to JCL. For quality DBMS system development, the DBMS doesnt' break, intended for production databases. It's not a toy !!!!! Drop me a line. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 274 1 replies Reply to # 106 Left by: JERRY WALTON On 15-Apr-88 At : 219-696-2454 Subject: VAX DATABASE FROM "C" Checkout adabas for VMS You can call it with direct calls, or SQl or... have "c" do a NATCALL to an interface process which will let you access the database with a NATURAL 4gl program.. it's written in MACRO and is very fast and easy to use... APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 219 1 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: JERRY WALTON On 15-Apr-88 At : 219-696-2454 Subject: PORTABLE DBMS...? I have been a similar study...the real question is what architecture has the vendor chosen and is it consistent across operating systems ??? When a vendor used his/hers own product to develop much of his/her product they have siad something about there product...Oracle is pretty common but does not have a true 4GL. For a PC to Supermini platform Oracle wins.. For a mini to mainframe platform Adabas (Software Ag) wins. MICROVAX SIG Message # 110 0 replies Reply to # 106 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: DMA TO QBUS MEMORY VMS version 4.n only uses the first 496 (out of 8192) map registers. I believe this makes (Q-bus) addresses 00000000-00775777 unavailble as true Q-bus memory. If the memory is at a higher address, and the device driver sets the registers correctly (there are usually an extra 6-bits in some register for the high-order Q-bus address), the memory boards should respond to the read/write requests. To access the Q-bus memory from the MicroVAX CPU, you will have to set up some map registers to map VAX memory to Q-bus memory. You could use standard VMS calls (IOC$ALOUBAMAP, IOC$LOADUAMAP, IOC$RELMAPREG); or you could use some of the 7696 that aren't used by VMS. Call me if I can help. VMS SIG Message # 575 0 replies Reply to # 565 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: SYSTEM CRASHES (ISP) I think the ISP error indicates that the interrupt stack has overflowed. I've seen on DSIN (Digital Software Information Network) some information on this error, but can't remember any details. Try increasing the number of pages dedicated to the interrupt stack (a SYSGEN parameter). TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 207 0 replies Reply to # 205 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: CENTRONIX INTERFACE Digital has a Q-bus interface for Centronix or Dataproducts interface - called the LPV11. DEC generally sells it only with an LG01 or similar printer, but I think you can order one separately. (By the way, the LPV11 has a switch that must be set to select either Centronix or Dataproducts interface.) Other vendors, including ABLE computer and (I think) MDB manufacture LPV11 compatible controllers. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 198 0 replies Reply to # 193 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: LAT 5.0 BUG Check your non-paged memory allocations, especially the initial counts. We found lots of Decnet, LAT, and LaVC problems cleared up after we increased the initial counts of these (SRPCOUNT, IRPCOUNT, LRPCOUNT, and NPAGEDYN). Apparently some software (MSCP stuff, LAVC, and LAT seem to be culprits) allocate structures at points where pool cannot be expanded; in these cases, weird things happen if there's not enough. After your system's been up for a while, do a SHOW MEMORY and check the current counts against the initial counts; if highter, set your initial counts at least as high as the current in SYS$SYSTEM:MODPARAMS.DAT and AUTOGEN. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 199 0 replies Reply to # 196 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: DECSERVER NAME FOM PROGRAM To read the DecServer name and port name from a program, issue a QIO with the following parameters: CHAN = Channel assigned to the port (SYS$INPUT?) FUNC = IO$_TTY_PORT+IO$M_READPORT IOSB = Address of an IOSB to return I/O status P1 = Address of buffer (at least 30 or so characters) P2 = Length of this bufer Assuming no errors, the buffer passed as P1 will contain a counted-ASCII string with the port name (default is PORT_n), followed by another ASCIC string with the server name (such as LAT_08002B059F32). CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 245 0 replies Reply to # 240 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: DEDICATED DECSERVER PORTS You can use an application port as an interactive port if you set up a program that: 1) Performs some type of output to the application port. 2) Waits for input. 3) Upon input, initiates a process (SYS$CREPRC) running LOGINOUT on the port. 4) A termination mailbox can be associated with the port; when the job exits, the program returns to step 2). UTILITIES SIG Message # 251 0 replies Reply to # 246 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: LSE FOR MACRO One big problem using LSE with MACRO is the MACRO32 will not generate a diagnostics file for error handling. I've heard a rumor that DEC will support MACRO with LSE and various other VAXset products later this year. EDITORS SIG Message # 171 0 replies Reply to # 167 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: MACRO RENUMBER IN TECO Thanks for your reply - will I get LOCAL.TEC if I get TECO? Does TECO-32 come from DECUS? VMS SIG Message # 576 0 replies Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 15-Apr-88 At : (704)333-1276 Subject: HANGING VAXEN I encountered a problem recently which may be of interest to some of you. Our MicroVAX II and 3600 systems occasionally would "hang" - no crash dump, couldn't force one, etc. The only solution to reboot. While testing and timing various terminal multiplexor boards, I found a problem in the VMS YFDRIVER (for DHV11 and DHU11) that causes the system to lose track of Q-bus map registers. If a DMA operation to a DHV or DHU port is cancelled and another one started before an interrupt is received, two map registers are lost. Since there are only 496 of them, eventually they run out and no DMA can be performed. DEC's support was no help at all, wanting to send hardware engineers, etc. I have submitted an SPR to Digital, along with my patch to YFDRIVER. If any of you are having problems with system hangups on VMS 4.4-4.7, let me know and I'll post the patch here. RSX SIG Message # 221 0 replies Reply to # 210 Left by: CHRIS GOULD On 15-Apr-88 At : HERE ON ARIS Subject: RSX FORTRAN Thanks to every one who left a response. Since posting my Q I have found out that DEC has not kept our site updated with the latest versions of RSX and FORTRAN 77 ( as per our software update contract / paid in full ). We are still running RSX 4.2 level c and Fortran 77 version 5.0 ( patched to RSX c ). Our sales rep is having as much trouble correcting the problem as I had descovering it. Hopefully by the end of May we will be running 4.4 RSX and Fortran 77 5.2 . ( thank goodness DEC has deceided to forgo the update route in further releases. EDITORS SIG Message # 172 1 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: ROLIN O'NEAL On 15-Apr-88 At : Subject: EVE LINE WRAP The following TPU procedure will wrap a single line while in EVE. It can be compiled into an "EVE/SECTION" file and bound to a key, or perhaps put in the "EVE/COMMAND" file. When executed it will wrap the current line 80 characters out. A little tweeking and it coud wrap entire file. I hope it can help you: Procedure L_Wrap Line_length := Length(Current_line); If Line_length > 80 then Move_horizontal(80); Split_line; Endif; Endprocedure COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 163 0 replies Reply to # 121 Left by: MARK STONE On 15-Apr-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: XYPLEX IS NOT LAT Sorry to be contrary but, XYPLEX does NOT speak LAT. It uses it's own protocol but shares that same Ethernet with LAT, DECNET, TCP/IP, whatever. (A packet is a packet is a packet...) XYPLEX can also share the same Ethernet adaptor in your Vax (no "special" controllers). I've found that terminal response (keyboard echo) is noticeable in our DECSA (LAT machine) but non- existant with the XYPLEX MAXserver 5000. The XYPLEX is not perfect (some minor annoying "new product" software bugs) but I like it. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 164 0 replies Reply to # 158 Left by: TOM BYRNE On 15-Apr-88 At : 312593-5706 Subject: 8200 DROPPING CHARACTERS We have the same problem using an Emulex CS21 (I think) controller on our Unibus Adapter. The device worked fine on a 750. Then we bought an 8200 and clustered! Yow! We had problems with ALL the Unibus type stuf that we tried to move over, INCLUDING DEC's stuff. At first everyone had the same fix! "Put our board in the FIRST slot." Thre being nly one of those, we saw a problem wihthat solution! Finally, DEC said the problem was in incompatible board revision levels in the CPU. That did fix some of the problem. Then they said the DMF's needed to be brought up to current rev level, and that fixed that. Emulex sent new chips, after 6 months of run around, and they only fixed some of the problem. We find that if you lower the speed to 2400 most everything will work. We still get an occasional device time out, lots of errors, and irritating pauses while trying to paint screens. Evidentally, the real problem is timing synchronization between the BI and Unibus. Anyway, point 1 - tell your field service guy to get ALL your boards up to current rev. levels, including your com boards. point 2 - upgrade to highest vms you can. Errors DID go down as version levels went up. point 3 - get rid of unibus if you can. I'm told the overhead is much greater on the BI than anyone will admit. point 4 - DMF's, DHU's, and ABLE VMZ32's seem to work acceptably if you have to stay with unibus. Emulex was very late with ANY answer and it DID NOT correct major problem. We have just added an 8250 to the cluster and are going to be trying Decserver 200's. This machine will be BI only. If it works to our satisfaction, we will dump all unibus devices on the 8200 and make it a BI only machine also. Anyone have any advice on that? EDITORS SIG Message # 173 0 replies Reply to # 172 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 16-Apr-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: EVE LINE WRAP I believe the original question was how to emulate the EDT method of >80 character line wrapping. EDT had the ability to VISIBLY wrap one "record" onto two screen "lines", without causing the "record" to be PHYSICALLY separated into two "records". Using the TPU methods of "filling" or using the Split_Line procedure cause the line (record) to be physically split, but what we'd like is a way to display the line on two lines without actually splitting the record in the file itself. John. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 246 0 replies Left by: PAUL KEEGAN On 17-Apr-88 At : 713-783-6060 Subject: LAVC FILE ACCESS I AM THINKING OF SETTING UP A LOCAL AREA VAX CLUSTERTO OFF LOAD MY MICRO VAX. THE PROGRAMS I AM PLANNIN ON RUNNING ON TH REMOTE VAX ACCESS ONLY 5 FILES ON THE HOST SYSTEM. THERE WILL BE 20 OF THESE PROGRAMS RUNNING ON THE SERER. WHAT WILL BE THE NUMBER OF PROCESSES ON THE HOST REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE FILE ACCESS ? MY CURRENT EXPERENCE WITH DECNET IS THAT IT WOULD REQUIRE 100 PROCESS ON THE HOST (20 * 5). IS THIS THE CASE WITH LAVC ? THANK YOU. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 356 0 replies Reply to # 345 Left by: F. SCOTT JOHNSON On 17-Apr-88 At : Subject: VTERM Vterm has a kermit built in. ALT-K gets you there. ALT-H (several pages down) has a command summary for their kermit. - Scott. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 345 0 replies Left by: RANDY HAEFLI On 17-Apr-88 At : 817 4292277 Subject: LINK SOFTWARE I AM LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A SOFTWARE PRODUCT CALLED "LINK", I BELIEVE. THIS PRODUCT IS SUPPOSED TO ALLOW SEVERAL MICRO 11'S TO BE NETWORKED TOGETHER TO SHARE CPUS AND DISKS. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON THIS? ALSO WOULD LIKE TO LOCATE A KNOWLEDGEABLE HACKER WITH 1173 EXPERIENCE FOR ASSISTANCE WITH OUR SYSTEM. RANDY HAEFLI 6333 AIRPORT FWY FORT WORTH, TX 76117 CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 247 0 replies Reply to # 228 Left by: JIM HEID On 17-Apr-88 At : (505) 667-8406 Subject: DECNET-DOS NETWORKS Gary, We have a DECNET-DOS network here connecting 7 Zenith PCs or IBP PCs using both thinwire and thich wire. Other than figuring out how to download the software to the DEMPR (for use with the thinwire), we haven't had any real problems. We have found, however, that loading software from the virtual disks is slower than we were led to believe. You can expect the process of loading software from the virtual disk to be as slow as loading from a floppy, if not a little slower. Of course, it beats the heck out of loading over RS-232. I'd be interested to hear any of your war stories, especially about twisted pair thwire. We may try to move to twisted pair sometime in the future. im Heid Los Alamos National Laboratory Box 1663 MS-P222 Los Alamos NM 87544 CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 249 1 replies Left by: SCOTT MACPHERSON On 18-Apr-88 At : 609-863-6555 Subject: PACKET SWITCHING Does anybody have any experiences with DEC's P or any other vendorser vendors product (good or bad)? I would like to hear about them! We are currently evaluating PSI pro.DYNA-PACK is another product we are looking at. Scott APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 220 0 replies Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 18-Apr-88 At : (312) 867-9600 X231 Subject: MAXCIM SOFTWARE Are there any MAXCIM users? I would like to know of any problems upgrading to V4.0 of MAXCIM. UTILITIES SIG Message # 252 1 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 18-Apr-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: MONITORING MEMORY I would like to know the proper MONITOR command sequenc(s) to issue to obtain information on the allocation of memory resources. For example, we would like to look at data that would tell us if a user process requested a certain amount of memory, and could not get it, but rather had to wait for it. Is this information contained in the MONITOR SYSTEM command and process state category? We need to have this information to justify the future needs of added memory. At the present time, we are running VMS 4.7 on a VAX 11/750 and 8250. Ant information is appreciated. Thanks. Bob. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 250 0 replies Reply to # 249 Left by: PAUL KEEGAN On 18-Apr-88 At : 713-783-6020 Subject: VAX PSI KMV1A I am currentily running vax psi on a uVAX with a KMV1a. I am using TYMNET with an X.25 interface. The primary use of the packet switch network is to transfer message between smart boxes and the VAX. All messages are inbound in bound to the VAX. Most sessions last lest then 25 seconds. The packet switch network is currently supporting 10 concurrent sessions with little inpact in cpu overhead. I like the product. Any other questions give me a call. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 221 0 replies Reply to # 99 Left by: RANDY ROTH On 18-Apr-88 At : 616-982-6267 Subject: CRITIQUE OF 20/20 We've used it on our 785 and are very pleased. While RS232 connections will never compete with a PC/monitor direct-connect (e.g. Lotus123) for responsiveness, it's satisfactory. It doesn't appear to be any major system load. It's graphics are good. It's macro's are weak, but acceptable. Customer support is good. Lotus-->20/20 conversion works great, but the 20/20-->Lotus conversion doesn't work at all (Access Tech. admitted that to us; told us to use their PC-version's converter instead). Data sorting is limited to 1 key. All & all, a good spreadsheet for VAX (vs. PC) users. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 201 0 replies Reply to # 199 Left by: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 19-Apr-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: SERVER/PORT NAME It took a little poking around to find that the IO modifer should actually be IO$M_LT_READPORT. Thanks for the info - it's just what I needed. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 165 0 replies Left by: STEPHEN MEYER On 19-Apr-88 At : 1-215-355-3300 Subject: DEC TO HP3000 WE HAVE A VAX 8300,MVAX3600, AND A MVAX2000 RUNNING IN A LAVC ENVIRONMENT. WE ALSO HAVE TWO HP3000 SYSTEMS RUNNING MPE(UB-DELTA IV) ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COMPUTER ROOM. THE HP3000'S ARE LINKED WITH A HP 802.3 TCP/IP NETWORK. (I THINK). WE WOULD LIKE A NETWORKING INTERFACE TO THE HP SYSTEMS TO TRANSFER FILES, SEND AND RECEIVE MAIL . ANY IDEAS?? PC'S SIG Message # 147 0 replies Left by: WILLIAM CRAWFORD On 19-Apr-88 At : (216) 782-2204 Subject: LK250 KEYBOARD MAPPING WE ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO TOGGLE THE NUMLOCK KEY SO THAT IT WORKS THE SAME WAY AS IF PRESSING THE KEY MANUALLY, THAT IS, SO THAT THE NUMERIC KEYPAD ONLY IS AFFECTED AND NOT THE ARROW/CURSOR PAD... WE ARE USING A DEC LK250 KEYBOARD ON A IBM PC/XT. VMS SIG Message # 577 1 replies Left by: GABRIEL R. TORO On 19-Apr-88 At : (303)2789800 Subject: TAPE RECOVERY I accidentally initialized a TK50 backup tape that contained important information and wrote a small short saveset in it. Is all information from that tape lost?. If not, is there a way to recover that information? Is there a piece of software that can be used for this purpose? VMS SIG Message # 578 0 replies Reply to # 577 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 20-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: TAPE RECOVERY Gabriel, You can probably recover some of your data. You will need to write a program to do the job. Read the tape with a QIO call. When you receive SS$ENDOFVOLUME in the IOSB, issue another read. This will probably get a parity error and the data are probably garbage. The next read should get the first record of the remainder of your data. You will have to sort out the file structure on the tape yourself. See "Guide to VAX/VMS Disk and Magnetic Tape Operations" (included in the full VMS doc set, you'll have to buy it if all you have is the uVMS doc set) for details on tape labels and such like. RSX SIG Message # 223 3 replies Left by: JOHN T. YOUNG & MICHAEL D. STEMLE On 20-Apr-88 At : 1 (419) 884-1128 Subject: NEED TT: I/O SUBROUTINE We need a FORTRAN callable routine that will allow a program to wait a secified time for the user to enter a character. If no character has been entered in that time the routine needs to return control to the calling program. We would appreciate any help, Thanks! VMS SIG Message # 579 2 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 20-Apr-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: ELAPSED TIME I am interested in a quick and dirty way in DCL via lexical functions, to calculate or translate the elapsed time between two given time stamps. I've looked at F$CVTIME, and haven't seen anything that would do this. Does anyone have any ideas to extract an elapsed time? Any input is more than welcome. Bob. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 251 0 replies Reply to # 246 Left by: GARY WOLFER On 20-Apr-88 At : HERE (IRIS) Subject: LAVC PROCESSES LAVC is the way to go. I also did some experimenting with accessing remote files over DECNET before I got our LAVC up and discovered (as you did) that there was a FAL processes for each file open. However, now that our LAVC is up, that is no longer a problem. I have a satellite node that is accessing an RA81 with about 15 users running a program which has 15 files each open. The only processes running on the boot node (which have anything to do with the network) are CACHE_SERVER, CLUSTER_SERVER and CONFIGURE for the LAVC software plus the normal 3, NETACP, EVL and REMACP for DECNET. That's a far cry from what you would need with only DECNET. (It's much faster too!) VMS SIG Message # 580 0 replies Reply to # 575 Left by: GARY WOLFER On 20-Apr-88 At : Subject: VMS CRASH Thanks! After reading your reply and looking at the documentation, that looks like that may take care of it ... we shall see! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 166 2 replies Left by: TONY WOODS On 20-Apr-88 At : 217-226-4421 Subject: SHORT HAUL MODEMS We have a PDP 11/84 with 2 DHU11's and an EMULEX CS23. We also have some terminals 1/2 mile from our computer installation. We have been sucessfully communicating between the 84 and remote terminals over 4-wire telephone cable using AC powered short-haul odems. We cannot, however, communicate when we use and interface powered line driver (MICOM 430). MICOM tells me that the driver requires +12 volts on pin 4,6 or 20. I'm not sure I have that on the 84 end. Does anyone have any previous experience along these lines?? Any suggestions would be appreciated. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 346 0 replies Reply to # 345 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 20-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: SOURCE OF "THE LINK" Contact Northwest Digital Software for information on their "Link" product to "cluster" PDP-11s. They've had ads in recent issues of the DEC Pro. They can be reached at: W. 405 Walnut, P.O. Box 1797 Newport, WA 99156 (509) 447-5631 A couple of notes based on information which I received from them when I inquired: Essentially any PDP-11 computers can be used. The advertising claim that it "requires no application program modification" is not entirely true--whenever you play with the monitor, you have to expect a few restrictions. One significant concern can be the fact that two jobs can have the same job number (on the two separate systems) but use the same disk; if you like to create temporary files with supposedly unique names based on the job number, you can run into problems. Overall, though, it looks like a setup with a lot of merit. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 347 0 replies Reply to # 345 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 20-Apr-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: LINK, CONTINUED One other detail I remembered as soon as I exited the message: The Link is a RSTS-specific product. Of course, my biased opinion is that RSTS is the best operating system anyway, but I don't know what you're using. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 348 0 replies Reply to # 10 Left by: RON WAGNER On 20-Apr-88 At : 1-818-397-7221 Subject: ORACLE USER GRP/SAN DIEGO IN RESPONSE TO GREG KAINZ'S REQUEST FOR ORACLE USERS GROUP IN SAN DIEGO WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP START ONE. THATS THE ROYAL WE - I AM THE SOUTHWEST ORACLE USR GROUP PRESIDENT AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE IT A REAL REGION AND NOT JUST LA AND A FEW DROP INS. SO FAR ALBUQUERQUE IS COOKIN AND PHOENIX IS TALKIN. IF YOU ARE WILLING TO DO SOME LOCAL LEGWORK/PHONE CALLS - CALL ME AND LETS SEE IF WE (NOT THE ROYAL THIS TIME) CAN START SOME TROUBLE FOR THE SALESMEN RON WAGNER (ALTERNATE PHONE MACHINE 213-322-5545 AND ONE OF OUR USERS IN LA HAS VOLUNTEERED TO ALSO FACILITATE COMM. - TOM ALLEN OF BHRM 213-627-6557) RSX SIG Message # 225 0 replies Reply to # 219 Left by: GARY GEHRINGER On 20-Apr-88 At : (609) 235-7300 X 6125 Subject: SLU2 We also have an 11/24 and are using the second port as a terminal line. The hardest part about getting the thing to word was configuring the dip switches so SLU1 used baud rate 1 and SLU2 used baud rate 2. Another thing that you might look for is a little item that got us. On the rear of the metal bracket holding the connectors and Pc board, their might be a maintance plug installed. Our's contained two yellow wires with a blue "berg like" connector. This should be removed to get the terminal line to work properly. VMS SIG Message # 581 0 replies Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 20-Apr-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: LOOKING FOR VAXSTATION 100 HELP Anyone out there have any experience with a rather short lived DEC workstation product called the VAXstation 100? I recently acquired most of one, and am trying to put it back on the air. It looks like an interesting product. The piece that is missing is described in the literature as a "UNIBUS window fiber optic transceiver board". Apparently, this hex height board plugged into the host VAX UNIBUS, and downline loaded the workstation software. As I don't even know the module number, it is proving to be a little difficult to find. Any information about that board, or any left over manuals, software, hardware, or wiring diagrams from any now defunct VAXstations would be much appreciated. Leave a message for me here, or call or write... Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 Phone 713/528-1859 UTILITIES SIG Message # 253 2 replies Left by: STEVE KINSEY On 21-Apr-88 At : 1-817-273-2574 Subject: DUMPER AND THE VAX I am a faculty member at the Univ. of Texas at Arlington. Recently we changed from a DEC-20 to a VAX 8700. I am pleased with the change. All went smoothly with the installation and the switch to the new system. That is all except that there are a large number of users that had DUMPER type backup tapes from the DEC-20 system that they failed to convert prior to the switch. Is there a method where the Dumper tapes can be read on the VAX 8700? Will BACKUP do the trick? Thanks, Steve Kinsey CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 252 0 replies Reply to # 246 Left by: PHILLIP CREWS On 21-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: LAVC DISK SERVICE In an LAVC, the host system serves disks (as opposed to files); a single process (CLUSTER_SERVER) is present to provide a context for running; most of the actual work occurs on the interrupt stack. File access via cluster is essentially transparent, and MUCH faster that DECNET. UTILITIES SIG Message # 254 0 replies Reply to # 252 Left by: PHILLIP CREWS On 21-Ap-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: MEMORY MONITORING Here are a few things you can look at from VMS MONITOR: 1) High page fault rate (especially page read I/Os) (from MONITOR PAGE) 2) Low free page count (<10% of total pages) (from MONITOR PAGE) 3) Processes in COLPG, PFW (from MONITOR STATES or MONITOR PROCESSES) If you have lots of page faults but plenty of free pages, or few page faults and few free pages, your system needs tuning at least as much as memory. For more detailed information on memory tuning, there's a VMS manual about system tuning (System Performance, or something similar; one of the small books). If you can get your hands on one, the best braod description of VMS memory management I've seen was in the version 3 manual set, in a section called the Summary Description. UTILITIES SIG Message # 255 1 replies Left by: STEVE KINSEY On 21-Apr-88 At : 1-817-273-2574 Subject: DUMPER & VAX Hello, I am a new ARIS user. I'm a faculty member of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Texas at Arlington. Recently, our computing dept. replaced an old DEC-20 with a VAX 8700. This complements the several VAX 11/785's that the school has in various locations. My problem is that several of my colleagues and I have DUMPER format tapes from the DEC that we failed to convert prior to the change. Does anyone know of a method to read DUMPER tapes on the VAX? Will BACKUP in interchange mode do it? Thanks, Steve Kinsey UTILITIES SIG Message # 256 0 replies Reply to # 253 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 21-Apr-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: DUMPER --> BACKUP Digital used to have a project out of Marlborough, MA called Integration Tools. It was not well publicized. One of the things you could get from them was a set of tapes with various integration tools, among which was a DUMPER reading program for the VAX. The tools were offered on a DECUS-like, no warranty implied, "What you get is what you get (WYGIWYG?)" basis. Ask your sales rep to try to get you the tapes for TOPS-20 and for VMS. RSX SIG Message # 226 0 replies Reply to # 223 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 21-Apr-88 At : (408) 291-3364 Subject: Wait Routine Can you call a BASIC-PLUS routine from FORTRAN? If so, you can use BASIC's WAIT statement. For example, if you wanted to give the user 15 seconds: 100 ON ERROR GOTO 110 & \ WAIT 15 & \ INPUT "nter password:"; P$ & \ WAIT 0 ! To cancel for next input & \ ON ERROR GOTO 0 ! To cancel trap & \ GOTO 120 & 110 ON ERROR GOTO 0 IF ERR <> 15 ! Crash if not ?Keyboard wait exhausted & \ PRINT "Not fast enough" & \ STOP & 120 ! Rest of code . . . If you can't call a BASIC-PLUS routine, you may be able to do the same thing in assembly -- check the manual (I don't have them available). Hope this helps, Bruce UTILITIES SIG Message # 257 0 replies Reply to # 253 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 21-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: DUMPER TAPES Steve, If you have access to CompuServe, there is a program available on the VAX forum there, in Data Libary (DL) 5. The files are DUMPER.DOC and DUMPER.C. You will also need access to a VAX C compiler. Good luck. VMS SIG Message # 582 0 replies Reply t # 581 Left by: JOHN RICHES On 22-Apr-88 At : U.K. 0753 840281 Subject: VAXSTATION 100 We use the two VAXstation 100 fir publishing material. The module you require is M7452 VWS100 board. You also need VSTA softyware - Ithink the latest rev is 1.2 Good Luck ! They are pretty good machines, but now probably easilty surtpased by the new VAXstation prioductas. Sorry for all the typos ! John WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 65 1 replies Left by: ROBIN BIRCH On 22-Apr-88 At : ENGLAND 0793 483900 8.30-6.00PM Subject: TEX UTILITIES Does anyone know of the following: 1. A spelling checker for TEX 2. A facility or utility for drawing graphs and diagrams for inclusion in TEX prepared documents. 3. Shortcomings in the metafont program distributed by DECUS. It crashes whenever any errors or emergency stops are processed. Regards Robin Birch VMS SIG Message # 583 0 replies Reply to # 579 Left by: LOU LANGE On 22-Apr-88 At : 203-336-7661 Subject: TIMER FUNCTIONS Bob- Will probably have talked to you, but in any case... I came across 3 LIB$ functions: LIB$INIT_TIMER LIB$SHOW_TIMER LIB$STAT_TIMER Hopefully these will be of some help... By the way..I don't think there any lexical function equivalents for these...I may be wrong though... Lou :-) FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 67 0 replies Left by: JACK LEHNHARDT On 22-Apr-88 At : (412) 256-1942 Subject: LOGICRAFT BOARD Has anyone used the logicraft cardware board on an 8700? We need to have access to a dBase III application by several users on site who also run various applications (ingres) on an 8700 running VMS. Our system manager is reluctant to try the Logicraft card for fear of crashing VAX. Any problems? Reply here or call me at the number above between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm EDST. Thanks CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 253 0 replies Left by: PHIL TRUESDALE On 22-Apr-88 At : WHEATON COLLEGE 312/260-5019 Subject: DUPLICATE LAT PACKETS We have both DECserver 100's and 200's (a dozen all together) on our Ethernet, along with two DEC 20's, 2 MicroVAX's running Ultrix, and an 8250 and a MicroVAX running VMS. Almost anytime I look, the "duplicate messages" counter on one of them is increasing steadily, sometimes dramatically. This can start and end at any time, with no cause discovered to date, and no server is immune. Has anyone seen (and solved!) this problem? There are times when it can get bad enough to cause stray characters to display on the terminals and even cause disconnects. Any comments or suggestions would surely be appreciated. RSX SIG Message # 227 0 replies Left by: DOUG MORRISON On 22-Apr-88 At : 512-722-8031 Subject: NEED DBMS FOR RSX11M V4.0 HELP. I AM LOOKING FOR A REASONABLE DBMS FOR RSX-11M V4.0. ALL VENDORS FOUND SO FAR EITHER DO NOT SUPPORT RSX OR NEED A LATER VERSION. ( HAVE TRIED SATURN, RDM AND INFOCEN). ANYONE KNOWING OF AVAILABLE PACKAGE PLEASE REPLY OR MENTION IT TO THE NEXT SALESMAN THAT CALLS TRYING TO SELL YOU ONE. THANKS. RSX SIG Message # 228 0 replies Reply to # 223 Left by: DOUG MORRISON On 22-Apr-88 At : 512-722-8031 Subject: TT: I/O ROUTINE I HAVE A SUBROUTINE USING QIOS THAT CAN TIME OUT FOR NO RESPONSE. PLS. CALL IF A QIO ROUTINE IN F4 WILL HELP YOU. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 276 0 replies Left by: FRANCOIS J BODHUIN On 22-Apr-88 At : (609)825-5620 X226 Subject: TRANSLATION OF ASCII DATA IN C I AM LOOKING FOR A SUBROUTINE WRITTEN IN C THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO TRANSFER ASCII DATA INTO PACKED DATA (PIC S9(9)V99 FOR EXAMPLE) FOR USE BY A PROGRAM WRITTEN IN COBOL (FOR INTERFACE PURPOSES). THANK YOU FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 66 0 replies Reply to # 65 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 22-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: TEX Robin, There is an excellent spelling checker on the DECUS VAXSIG Fall 1985 Symposium tape (VAX85D). The files are in [VAX85D.VASSAR.SPELL]. The program will recognize either TeX or RUNOFF commands. The DECUS TeX/LaTeX distribution contains two programs for doing crude drawings. They are [VAXSP58.TEX82]PICMODE.EXE and LXGRAPH.EXE. VMS SIG Message # 584 0 replies Reply to # 579 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 22-Apr-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: ELAPSED TIME FROM DCL Hi. Here is a procedure to calculate the elapsed time between two VMS times, which can be in either absolute or delta format. (Whether it is quick and dirty is up to individual interpretation, I guess.) $ time1 = $ time2 = $ h1 = f$integer( f$cvtime( time1, , "hour" ) ) $ h2 = f$integer( f$cvtime( time2, , "hour" ) ) $ m1 = f$integer( f$cvtime( time1, , "minute" ) ) $ m2 = f$integer( f$cvtime( time2, , "minute" ) ) $ elapsed = ( ( h2 - h1 ) * 60 ) + ( m2 - m1 ) This produces the number of minutes between the two times, assuming they are in the same day. If time1 comes after time2, you get a negative number of minutes. If you specify either time as "", then it should assume you mean the current date-time (I think). The f$integer()'s are required because f$cvtime() returns a string, whereas we want DCL to do numerical arithmetic on the values. You could adapt this to calculate seconds or hundredths of seconds, depending on what granularity you need (you didn't say). If the two times aren't in the same day, you could also figure in the days, so long as the dates are within the same month. Beyond that, I don't know. You'd have to figure in the number of days in each month, and that probably goes beyond "quick and dirty". Maybe there is an easier way out there? Hope this helps. - John. RSTS SIG Message # 284 0 replies Left by: DOUGLAS R. STIGALL On 25-Apr-88 At : 713-974-4323 Subject: 11/73 WITH RSTS 7.2-04 11/73 WITH RSTS 7.2-04 WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND COMPENSATED IF THE PATCH WORKS. THANKS IN ADVANCE.... VMS SIG Message # 585 0 replies Left by: NICK NEFEDOW On 25-Apr-88 At : ARIS Subject: WHO IS DR. R ??? It seems ARIS now has it's own DEC rumour generator. Somewhat like the infamous C. Matco. Great !!! I hope that the Doctor will keep up informed about DEC's little soon to be announced secrets. I also hope that the Doctor's sources are reliable. I'm sure everybody wants to know what is up the collective sleeve from the folks in Maynard ... COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 167 0 replies Reply to # 158 Left by: NICK NEFEDOW On 25-Apr-88 At : 1-613-738-1440 Subject: DROPPING CHARACTERS (I wonder if the start of this message is floating around somewhere ... ny first attempt was killed by line noise ...) We've experienced a similar problem when we moved from a 785 to a 8530. The intermittant loss was especially noticed during editing sessions. The users were starting to get annoyed at typing CNTRL/W all the time. We still haven't found the source of the problem, but we're still looking. Tom Byrne's message (#164) contains some hints and we'll be exploring them. In our case we are using DMF32's on a UNIBUS (we couldn't afford or justify replacing the existing communication system we have inhouse). We have noticed that the problem is less noticeable after a re-boot. Since our operations group always re-boot our machines after each full backup (once a week), the problem is not that critical. But it would be nice to solve it !!! We'll (line noise is getting bad again ) ... Hoping to have this problem resolved soon. RSX SIG Message # 229 0 replies Reply to # 204 Left by: KIRBY MOYERS On 26-Apr-88 At : COMPUSERVE (76310,35) Subject: RSX HEALTH Well, I don't have any stats but my own: - PDP 11/44 under M+ V3.0E - 32 users - every conceivable business function in custom fortran - RA81 (80% full) - RA60 (50% full) - Lots of screen updates and data base inquiries - 6 to 8 hours of batch-ish processing per night The result? Incredibly, this system runs rather well, all things considered. I could buy another one for a song. To get this much data accessable by this many users using PC's would cost alot more and be a system manager's nightmare. RSX is old, and short on sexy features, but far from useless. RSX SIG Message # 230 0 replies Reply to # 223 Left by: KIRBY MOYERS On 26-Apr-88 At : COMPUSERVE 76310,35 Subject: READ WITH TIMEOUT I have a quite nice routine written in Fortran 77 that does that trick and a few more too. I would be happy to send you a 9 track mag tape, source listing, or whatever. It's just a bit long to put up here. I also have a version that compiles under Fortran IV. You can get me at 516-737-2900 9AM-4PM on the east coast. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 277 1 replies Left by: SIMON BROWN On 28-Apr-88 At : HERE ONLY! Subject: TRACEBACK RECORDS When a program (C for example) generates an Access Violation, I get a display of the call stack generated (I think) from the traceback records included in the EXE. I know how to trap the access violation via exception handlers etc.. What I want to do is to get the documentation reference so that I too will be able to access the debug info (DST) in the EXE file, and write this information to a printer or somewhere. The reason for this seemingly bizzaarree request is that I'm working with guys whose code crashes all the time, the never leave the displays alone when this infor is dsiplayed and most of the time they never know where their output is going. Also it would be good for our testing - beats having to write it down all the time when your screen is covered in function names etc. So where's the info I need? Please help a puzzeled hacker in Brussels. Cheers, Simon APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 222 0 replies Left by: SCOT SHAW On 28-Apr-88 At : 615-377-1707 Subject: ACMS WE HAVE A NUMBER OF USERS IN AN ACMS ENVIRONMENT AND WE PERIODICALLY NEED TO GATHER SOME INFO ON THESE USERS (IE, USER NAME, TASK BEING RUN, AND DEVICE). AN "$ ACMS/SHOW USER" COMMAND WORKS, BUT WE NEED A METHOD SIMILAR TO A $GETJPI SYSTEM SERVICE CALL. ANY HELP? WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 67 0 replies Left by: FRANK REMKIEWICZ On 28-Apr-88 At : 714-623-5251X2289 Subject: FILE TFRS FROM WP TO CAN ANYONE HELP WITH A FILE TRANSFER PROBLEM FROM ONE WORDPROCESSOR TO WPS/ALLIN1. I NEED TO TRANSFER FILES FROM MUSE (NOW CALLED COMPOSER) ON A PRIME TO WPS+/ALLIN1 ON A MICROVAX II. DO I NEED TO TAKE IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ASCII FILES OR IS THERE A NIFTY PROGRAM SOMEWHERE THAT CAN TRANSLATE FOR ME. THANKS. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 205 2 replies Left by: VIC RODRIGUEZ On 28-Apr-88 At : (213)535-9805 Subject: MODIFYING PROCESS USERNAME was wondering what the mechanisms are for modifying the USERNAME for an interactive process. From a priviledged account I would like to use a utility that would enable me to modify my USERNAME. I know there is a utility from DECUS that was written to enable modification of USERNAME and UIC ("SLY")Is there anyone out there, who can give me insights as to how this is done? Can a utility be written in Fortran to do this, or would it have to be in Macro? PC'S SIG Message # 148 0 replies Left by: SARAH On 28-Apr-88 At : 404-639-3595 Subject: CHEMICAL SAFETY DBASE Am looking for a commercial package which contains Material Safety Data Sheet information and a system for keeping track of when and to whom information was released. This package was described SOMEWHERE within the last two months but I have lost the information. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 209 2 replies Left by: DOV LEVY On 28-Apr-88 At : (202) 737-7900 Subject: INFORMATION ON LASER PRINTERS I am looking for a good laser printer for heavy duty application. We print about 2000 pages a day and do a lot of printing at night. Therefore, we need 750 - 1000 pages in the in and out trays. Since we are doing work at nigt unattended I am looking for a very reliable printer. Can you people give me some good advise what to look for, which brand is really good so that I don't have to listen to all these sales people trying to convince me that "their" printer is the best? I will appreciate hearing anything on this subject. Please give me a call at (202) 737-7900 Thanks Dov Levy PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 278 0 replies Reply to # 277 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 28-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: CAPTURE TRACEBACK Simon, There is a very simple solution to your problem. $ ASSIGN ERROR_MESSAGE.TXT SYS$ERROR. This should capture the whole thing in ERROR_MESSAGE.TXT which you can then print at your convenience. If you only wish to do this for one program, then add a /USER qualifier to the ASSIGN statement. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 68 0 replies Reply to # 67 Left by: JOHN MCGLINCHEY On 28-Apr-88 At : AT DEC PRO OFFICE (215)542-7008 Subject: LOGICRAFT Give me a call. We have run both the Logicraft cardware and the newer 386ware here at the DECPRO lab. Both are fine products. Give me a call at (215)542-7008 and I would be glad to give you some insight. John McGlinchey MIS Manager Professional Press, Inc. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 210 0 replies Reply to # 209 Left by: JOHN MCGLINCHEY On 28-Apr-88 At : DEC PRO OFFICE Subject: LASER PRINTERS WE USE We have a 4 lasers here at the DEC Pro office. The Talaris 1590 that we purchased a few months ago chugs all day long with hardly a burp since we got it. The beasty is sturdy and fairly quick. You can hook it up either RS-232 or Ethernet. We do about 2K pages a day on it too, more on days when you guys circle all those numbers on reader response cards! UNIX/ULTRIX SIG Message # 29 1 replies Left by: ANDREW J. RERKO On 28-Apr-88 At : MCS INC. 412 823-7440 Subject: DCL TO UNIX/XENIX IA AM INTERESTED IN A DEC DCL CONVERTER TO XENIX COMMAND PROCESSOR. I REMEMBER READING THAT THERE IS SUCH A MACHINE. IN OUT CURRENT ENVIRONMENT WE USE TSX+ RT-11(CTS-300), RSTS, VAX, AND XENIX. ALL OF THE OPERATING SYSTEMS HAVE SIMILAR COMMAND LINES AND CONSTRUCTION EXCEPT FOR XENIX. APPROX 20 PEOPLE MOVE FROM MACHINE TO MACHINE SEVERAL TIMES DURING ONE DAY ALONE, AND XENIX LOOK LIKE IT WAS DEVELOPED ON MARS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE SYSTEMS. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.....THANKS SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 206 1 replies Reply to # 205 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 28-Apr-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: CHANGING USERNAME We have a routine to change the user name - involves changing one's mode to KERNEL, so it's in MACRO. It's only about 8 lines long - I'll try to remember to post it here soonest. UNIX/ULTRIX SIG Message # 30 0 replies Reply to # 29 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 29-Apr-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: DCL-UNIX CONVERTER Andrew, Boston Business Computing, Ltd. (617)683-7920 has a product called VCL for MS-DOS and UNIX. There seems to be a bit of a delivery problem as we ordered one for MS-DOS about two months ago and we haven't received it yet (the EDT emulator that we ordered at the same time arrived in two days)! VCL is supposed to emulate a fairly large subset of (VMS) DCL commands (58 by my quick count). It also supports logical names and symbols. Mars? Mars seems quite friendly and homelike compared to UNIX! The guy who called UNIX multi-user TECO hit the nail on the head. VMS SIG Message # 586 0 replies Reply to # 577 ûß Left by: FRANK J. MANION On 29-Apr-88 At : THE FOX CHASE CANCER CENTER Subject: RECOVERING DATA FROM TK50'S I just tried to do this for a friend with a microvax-II who had inadvertanly wiped out a tk50 with several backup savesets on it. The answer appears to be that it can't be done on a tk50. On most tape drives you can do it by reading past the end of volume mark using qio's (you can also use DUMP and SET MAGTAPE if you know what the tape structure looked like). Unfortunatly, the TK50 driver doesn't seem to allow you to position the tape past the end of volume mark. Whether this is a "soft" restriction imposed by the driver, or a "hard" restriction impossed by the device itself is unclear. I suspect, based on what I saw happen during my attempt, the restriction is in hardware. My suspicion is that critical device sync timing blocks are written after end-of-file marks, and that these sync blocks are out of phase with the old data. The drive can't ever sync up with the old data. Again, this is just my thoughts on what is happening, I may be wrong... TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 211 0 replies Left by: LINCOLN CHANG On 29-Apr-88 At : 408 727-8222 Subject: DIGITAL VISORFAX LASER PRINTER Help! I would like to know if any one has experienced with a laser printer named Digital VisroFax (or Videograph) laser printer made from France!! It is an video and digital hardcopy image printer and we have problem connecting to our MicroVAX II using the MDB MLSI-LP11 printer interface board. The driver is from DEC (ie. LPA0:). When connecting to a centronices printer, then there is no problem. But to this laser printer then we cannot print out anything. The laser printer port is claimed to be centronics compatible and the pin assignment is itdentical to the printer port of IBM-PC. THANKS COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 168 1 replies Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 01-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: DECTALK i am attemting to install dectalk, through it's multiline (max 8 lines) unit, i dont know how many line cards to buy based on expected traffic volume etc.. there does not seem to be a reliable formula. DEC would certainly reccomend more (hardware sales) and management less (save $$) but i want the system to function "out of the box" without too many/few lines. each line card is approx $3,200. as a consultant, i could wind up buying extra and then be stuck with them carrying signs "DECTALK FOR SALE"! any advice or anyone in a position to absorb an extra dtc03 board if this should come about? trying to cover my ### ! ken miglionico, consultant, currently at callcenter services in cresskill, nj. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 212 2 replies Reply to # 209 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 01-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: LASER PRINTER DILEMMA I HAVE GONE THROUGH A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE REGARDING LASER PRINTERS. FORTUNATELY I CAME ACROSS A PUBLICATION "WHAT TO BUY FOR BUSINESS". IT DEALS WITH GENERAL BUSINESS ITEMS BUT THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE DEALT ONLY WITH DTP, LASERS, AND THE SCANNERS YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM. IF YOU CALL I CAN TELL YOU THE EXACT ISSUE (NOT VERY OLD). IT IS EXCELLENT IN CONTENT AND TAUGHT ME MANY THINGS ABOUT LASERS. WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR HOWEVER IS VERY HEAVY DUTY. MOST ARE RATED AT 8PPM OR 3000 PAGES PER MONTH, LOOK OUT FOR OPERATING COSTS! AS FOR MYSELF I STILL CANNOT GET AN ANSWER AS TO A DIGITAL LN03 BEING CONNECTED TO A DECSERVER200. WILL IT PRINT WP FROM WORDPERFECT RUNNING ON A VAXMATE ON THIN WIRE ETHERNET??? UNDER VMS/DOS/SERVER SOFTWARE WITH PCSA SOFTWARE FOR THE PC SIDE??? TRY THAT ONE! KEN MIGLIONICO PC'S SIG Message # 149 3 replies Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 01-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: PC'S ON PCSA I AM CURRENTLY INSTALLING PC'S ON THIN-WIRE ETHERNET RUNNING UNDER VMS/DOS/SERVER SOFTWARE AND PCSA SOFTWARE (NOT SIMPLY FILE TRANSFER). THE VENDOR RECCOMENDED AWYSE PC/AT COMPAT. NO WAY! IT MUST BE AN "IBM" OR A DIGITAL VAXMATE. THE DOCUMENTATION IS POOR, THE SYSTEM IS COMPLICATED, AND IT MUST BE MANAGED BY A KNOWLEDGABLE PERSON. HOWEVER, ONCE UP IT IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE SYSTEM. ALL SOFTWARE AND DATA FILES RESIDE ON YOUR VAX. THE PC ACCESSES EVERYTHING THROUGH MS-WINDOWS VIA THE VAX DISKS. NEAT, ONCE YOU GET IT FUNCTIONING. MY SYSTEM MANAGER LEFT FOR ANOTHER POSITION IN THE MIDDLE O THE INSTALLATION. IS THERE ANYONE THAT HAS BEEN THROUGH THIS AND CAN POSSIBLY PROVIDE SOME HELP. THERE ARE NOT VERY MANY SITES USING THIS AND GETTING TIPS IS DIFFICULT, EVEN DIGITAL HAS DIFFICULTY. I AM CURRENTLY SEARCHING FOR A NEW SYSTEM MANAGER AND WOULD LIKE VERY MUCH TO HAVE some EXPERTISE AVAILABLE WHEN HE COMES ABOARD. OR PERHAPS WE CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR STARTUP (DELNIS'S DESTA'S PCSA DECNET NODES DOS/SERVER ETC.) KEN MIGLIONICO, CONSULTANT, CURRENTLY AT CALLCENTER SERVICES, CRESSKILL NJ SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 127 1 replies Left by: MARK STONE On 02-May-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: DISKEEPER - YEAH! Here's another opinion on disk defragmentation products. I had previously run my cluster (3 RA81s) for 3 years without ever defragmenting them (I know it's against the law of nature, OK?). I got JUICER from DECUS for next to nothing. It had some nasty bugs (creating its own ACLs for files, stuff like that). But you get what you pay for with DECUS. It had some OK ustility programs with it, I still use them. Anyway, two months ago, I bought DISKEEPER. I installed it (simple), read the manual (yes, I read it BEFORE I ran the program!), and ran it. I ran it attached to the console terminal and had it list every file that it moved. It moved almost every file on my disks (Don't ever have it list the files, paper you'll never read anyway). The only thing that alarmed me was that during its initial run, it ran for 24 hours straight. My disks needed a lot of defragmenting. It's been running detached continually now for two months and the disks are in great shape and the system "seems" faster (it's had to quantify, really). So, that's my two cents worth. P.S. I run it on ALL my disks, system disk too. VMS SIG Message # 587 1 replies Left by: PETER GERACI On 02-May-88 At : 513-576-2672 Subject: BUILDING A RAM DISK USING PDDRIVER I am trying to find the article for building a RAM disk using the Psudo driver provided within VMS. I have extracted the code from STABACKIT.COM and created a disk using nonpaged dynamic memory. I would like to build it using memory that is on the free list. I was told that there was an article in DEC PROFESSIONAL in august of 1986 but could not find it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 349 0 replies Reply to # 346 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 02-May-88 At : HERE Subject: "THE LINK" I have assumed that "The Link" was NOT for "all" PDP-11s, but only for those PDP-11s which happen to be running RSTS... an assumption made largely because RSTS is what those folks at Northwest Digital are known for. Yes? No? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 169 1 replies Reply to # 168 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 02-May-88 At : HERE Subject: DECTALK ORDERING Aren't the DECtalk boards available from DEC's FAST-SHIP program on 48-hour shipment, from DECdirect? In which case, buy the reasonable minimum, and add more as you need them. Just don't let "the boss" take that money out of your budget 'til you're sure you've got all you need... Better yet, tell the boss you're going to need "n", order .75 * "n", and look like a hero when budgeet time comes around again! PC'S SIG Message # 150 1 replies Reply to # 149 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 02-May-88 At : HERE Subject: PCSA Note that version 2 of the PCSA software is scheduled to ship within the next week (roughly) and is supposed to include CONSIDERABLE improvements in the areas of documentation, performance, and functionality. (Let's see, that leaves out cost... but since PCSA is "virtually free" if you have DECnet anyway...{grin}) SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 207 0 replies Reply to # 206 Left by: VIC RODRIGUEZ On 02-May-88 At : (213) 535-9805 Subject: CHANGING USERNAME Philip, thanks for the reply. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's done and what the source of the utility is like. I'll be checking back on the BBS later. Vic VMS SIG Message # 588 1 replies Left by: LINCOLN CHANG On 02-May-88 At : (408) 727-8222 Subject: LASER PRINTER Can any one give me suggestion on how to set up a laser printer in PRINT QUEUE? When I send an image picture through our program to the laser printer (without print queue setup), VMS add an extra byte to the eleventh record (the image file contains 512bytes/record) such that the laser printer stop printing. I use the $SET PRINTER command to set up the printer characteristic as /NOCR /PASSALL /NOWRAP /LOWERCASE. I am wondering if I use the PRINT QUEUE feature can elimate this error. The laser printer is from France! and we use a parallel interface board to connect to it as an centronic parallel port. The device name is LPA0: and the OS is MiroVMS. Thanks. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 208 0 replies Reply to # 205 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 02-May-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: MODIFYING USERNAME Vic, I have a Macro program which allows you to change your username online. You can make it anything you like (blank characters included). If you like, I can copy it to you on either ms-dos or vax magtape.. just send to: Brian DeSantis  Bergen County Computer Consortium 30 Garber Square  Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450  (201)670-0286  DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 357 3 replies Left by: SIMON BROWN On 03-May-88 At : HERE AND (SEE BELOW) Subject: UUCP FOR VMS !! (yes really) Hi there, Does anybody know where I can lay my hands on some software (purchase if required) which will allow me to make a uVAX II running VMS into a UUCP node ? This requirement comes from an AI chappie. All our VAXen run VMS here, and we ain't got no unix machines. All replies welcomed to this mailboard or to Simon Brown, S.W.I.F.T. Corporate Research Avenue Ernest Solvay 81, B-1310 La Hulpe, Brussels, Belgium BELGIUM 2656 ext 3102 Cheers, may your software run and run and ... SIMON DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 358 1 replies Left by: BEN GREENBERGER On 03-May-88 At : 216-586-3957 Subject: VAX TO IBM RJE 80 CHARCATER LIMIT We have just installer DEC's SNA RJE link to our IBM mainframe. We see that transfer of files from the VAX to the IBM will be limited to 80 column images that the RJE protocol limits you to. Has anyone encountered this problem? Do you have a 'quick and dirty' dis-assembler for VMS sequential files to break them into 80 columns and the required IBM 'assembler' to recreate these files? Any help would be appreciated. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 176 3 replies Left by: ALAN CRARY On 03-May-88 At : 212-272-6276 Subject: 3RD. PARTY DRIVES ON CLUSTERS We currently have a large cluster of 8650's and 8800's with about 40 RA82's. I'm looking for a larger (greater than 1000 mb) disk with better performance than the RA82's. Does anyone know of any disk that is supported off the HSC70??? MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 350 0 replies Left by: RANDY DOP On 03-May-88 At : 612/830-5912 Subject: SLOW SYSTEM TIME ON 785 Does anyone know why the time of day clock on my 785 looses about 5 minutes every hour?? I'm stummped. Thanks, Randy L. Dop VMS SIG Message # 589 1 replies Reply to # 587 Left by: LINCOLN CHANG On 03-May-88 At : (408) 727-8222 Subject: RAM DISK Peter, Following are articles regarding RAM DISK: *VAX PROF. 8/86 vol 8.4, page 30 VAX PROF. 10/86 vol 8.5, page 10 VAX PROF. 2/87 vol 9.1, page 46 VAX PROF. 6/87 vol 9.3, page 27 VAX PROF. 10/87 vol 9.5, page 4 Hope it helps. VMS SIG Message # 590 1 replies Reply to # 496 Left by: EDWIN M. OOSTING On 04-May-88 At : (313) 468-9161 Subject: SYSTEM HANG -- FULL PAGING FILE We encountered the same problem on our VAX Cluster some time ago. The problem is associated with the poorly documented effects of secondary paging files and the order of which you start up your system. ALL processes that start BEFORE you install the secondary and subsequent paging files are assigned to the primary paging file and can use IT only for paging. What is probably happening on your system is that the primary paging file is too small to handle the processes that are assigned to it. What happens in the case where the primary paging file fills up is the following. When the system gets a little buisy and needs more pages from the modified page list, the swapper attempts to move the contents of some of the pages on the modified page list to the paging file assigned to the process that owns the pages being moved. If that paging file fills up, the modified page writer loops in an attempt to write more pages from the modified page list to the paging file. Of course that can't happen since the file is full. Processes go into the page writer buisy wait state due to this activity by the swapper. In this case, things can only get worse -- and they do. The swapper consumes all the CPU time in it's attempt to do it's job and locks up the system. The solution to the problem is for DEC to allow you to specify the paging and swapping files on a disk other than the system disk (promised in a future release). In the mean time, increase the size of your primary paging file by 2X until you see that your primary paging file is running 1/4 full. Also, you can decrease the size of your primary swapping file on the system disk to regain some space. I hope this helps. Happy VAXing. Ed VMS SIG Message # 591 0 replies Reply to # 590 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 04-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: DEC HAS IT NOW The version that allows this is Version 4.7. Check pages 2-8 and 2-9 in the Suppleental Information, V4.7 manual that came with the Release Notes. MICROVAX SIG Message # 111 0 replies Reply to # 89 Left by: CHRIS H. RUHNKE On 04-May-88 At : (919) 361-1696 Subject: MICROVAX II BUGCHECK I work with Dennis Merrill (the originating author). He was quite abreviated when he described the original problem. We DID ANA/CRA the dump files. What we found was that the exception was being taken within YFDRIVER (the DHV11 asynch multiplexor driver). The scenario was that there was very high speed long burst terminal traffic coming into the uVAX at about the same time as heavy disk I/O was occurring on the 3rd party ESDI disks. Specifically I could cause the crash by running KERMIT and transfer a large file to the uVAX at 9600 baud while performing an ANA/DISK/READ on the ESDI disk. We contacted DEC TSC (both Denver and Atlanta) and their response was that they were aware of a bug in YFDRIVER that caused this crash, but it was fixed in VMS V4.4. We are running VMS V4.5. After much checking of the configuration, calculating the power load (well within specs), etc. I came across an interesting statement in the DHV11 Tech Manual. Under the section "Priority Selection", specifically "Interrupt Request", it reads: "Because the DHV11 is a Level 4 device which does not monitor higher request lines, it must be positioned after all devices that do." The Qualogy QE2 controller comes factory configured as a Level 5 device. This controller is identical to controllers marketed by Webster, Sigma, Aviv, System Industries and probably many others. The documentation we received with the controller does not describe how to configure the interrupt level for Level 4 (I have since contacted Qualogy and obtained this info) so I have left it at Level 5. In keeping with the positioning statement from the DHV11 Tech Manual, I moved the QE2 closer to the CPU than any other DEC devices (by the way, a check with a DEC tech consultant revealed that ALL DEC Qbus devices on the uVAX are set for Level 4 interrupts). Since that time I have not seen any INVEXCPTN crashes no matter how hard I load the disk or the DHV11 down. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 351 0 replies Left by: DANIEL J. MOORE On 04-May-88 At : (513) 255-8783 Subject: CHANGE O ADDRESS The address of my DEC PROFESSIONAL needs changed. It currently says "AIR FORCE ASD/VPPI-1" it should red "AIR FORCE ASD/YPPI-1". I hope you can help. Daniel Moore PC'S SIG Message # 151 2 replies Reply to # 149 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 04-May-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: PC'S & PCSA/DECNET I am trying to hook up a PS/2 60 into my DECnet network. I would like to know what Ethernet boards and software I would need to accomplish this. I'm mainly intereste transferring information from my VAXcluster to the PC and vice- versa. I have a line on Etherlink MC boards from 3COM and would like to know if there are any other boards out there that will accomplish t. I would also like to know if I have to use DECnet/Dos and will DECnet/DOS work with a 3rd party board like 3COM's ? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 359 1 replies Reply to # 358 Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 04-May-88 At : 303-492-5262 Subject: RJE LIMITATIONS Ben, you can send up to 250 characters through RJE by specifying /RECORD_SIZE=nnn as a qaulifier on SUBMIT. The SNA software however will break these up into multiple records with an 80 byte maximum record length. What you are submitting, of course is a job and possibly instream data which the job will manipulate in some fashion. The job itself could reconstruct the records, but they are stored on the spool (read QUEUE for DEC) as fixed length 80 bytes as if they were coming from a physical card punch. RJE overall is not an efficient vehicle for file transfer. A better option would be DTF, but the economics would depend on what use you have intended. Kent COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 170 0 replies Reply to # 169 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 04-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: DECTALK THANKS FOR THE TIP BUT THE BOSS THINKS THIS IS AN EXACT SCIENCE. ORDERING HARDWARE SHOULD SIMPLY BE A MATTER OF HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED AND THEN BUY IT, DONT RETURN ANY AND DONT BUY MORE. A MIND SET I HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY WITH. QUITE DIFFERENT THAN ORDERING PAPER CLIPS!!! MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 177 0 replies Reply to # 176 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 04-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: RA82 ALTERNATE AVAILABLE FROM EMULEX OR SYSTEMS INDUSTRIES ARE UNITS THAT WILL HOLD JUST ABOUT ANY FUJITSU OR CDC DRIVE. THROUGH THEIR OWN PROPRIETARY BOARDS THEY WILL LOOK LIKE RAxx AND ARE ATTACHABLE TO HSC50/70. WE ARE USING THE EMULEX "SMDI" PRODUCT WITH TWO LARGE FUJI DRIVES CONNECTED TO A KDB50 ON OUR 8350. WHEN WE GO TO A CLUSTER THE "SMDI" UNIT WILL SIMPLY BE ATTACHED TO THE DISK CHANNEL ON THE HSC. SO EVEN WITHOUT A CLUSTER YOU CAN USE YOUR NON DIGITAL DRIVES ON THE KDB50 CONTROLLER. WHEN CLUSTER TIME COMES AROUND IT IS A VERY SIMPLE SWITCH TO THE HSC (I KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE IT). THE CDC "SABER" DRIVE HAS BECOME VERY POPULAR. CALL THEIR SALESPEOPLE! WE HAVE HAD TREMENDOUS SUCCESS WITH OUR EMULEX UNIT, ROLLED IT IN, PLUG AND PLAY. KEN MIGLIONICO UTILITIES SIG Message # 258 0 replies Reply to # 128 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 04-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: DEFRAGMENTERS AS MENTIONED, RABBIT-7 IS AN EXCELLENT DEFRAGMENTER. IT OFFERS A "WORK DISK" OPTION THAT ALLOWS FOR VERY QUICK DEFRAGMENTATION. THIS MAY NOW BE OFFERED BY OTHERS BUT WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE COMPETITION TRIES TO KEEP UP WITH RABBIT. WE RUN IT EACH EVENING TAKING TURNS ON 1 DISK EACH NITE. ONE THING FOR SURE IS "DEFRAGMENT YOU MUST". RMS IS VERY UNFORGIVING. KEN MIGLIONICO PC'S SIG Message # 152 0 replies Reply to # 107 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 04-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: VAXMATE BEWARE OF IBM PC/AT CLONES! DEC DOES NOT SUPPORT THEM. WE HAVE TRIED A WYSE AND A COMPAQ. NO GO. HOOKUP THE IBM PC/AT AND AWAY YOU GO. WORKS AS ADVERTISED. I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE PS/2 YET. KEN MIGLIONICO RSX SIG Message # 231 0 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 05-May-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: TECO AND NAMED DIRECTORIES Does anyone have a version of TECO for RSX that understands the named directory format in Micro/RSX and M-Plus? I still have the old V36 that only works with numeric directories. Perhaps someone made this modification for P/OS, since it's had named directories for some time. Please help a stubborn old TECO user! PC'S SIG Message # 153 0 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 05-May-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: TECO AND NAMED DIRECTORIES This is a duplication of something I left in the RSX SIG, but I was hoping that maybe some of you PRO folks can help me. I'm looking for a version of RSX TECO that supports the named directories in Micro/RSX and M-Plus. It occurred to me that someone must have a version of TECO for the PRO, which of course also has named directories. It might work for RSX, too. Does anyone have such a thing? I certainly would like to try a copy. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 361 0 replies Reply to # 359 Left by: BEN GREENBERGER On 05-May-88 At : 216-586-3957 Subject: DTF FILE TRANSFER We will be getting DTF (it's always 'on order'). The problem with DTF is that it will only transfer files between the VAX node and the adjacent MVS node. Our requirement is to get the file to an IBM VM system which is connected to the MVS system. With RJE, I can specify a remote nodename and use IBM's NJE to forward the file anywhere within the IBM SNA network. I'll never thought of letting the DEC SUBMIT/SNA break up the file. I will give it a try! Thanks. VMS SIG Message # 592 0 replies Reply to # 585 Left by: CURT SNYDER On 05-May-88 At : 714-752-4760 Subject: DR. R I have it on good authority that Dr. R's sources are more reliable than C. Matco's, although Dr. R doesn't happen to drive a Porsche. (Don't tell Charlie you say this). CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 254 1 replies Left by: JOHN L. HOLLAND On 05-May-88 At : (214)591-3393 Subject: DECNET MSG: FILE TRANSFER FAILURE I have installed a Thin Wire Ethernet network, being used for electronic publishing. I have 12 PC/AT's networked into a VAXSTATION II/GPX; which is used as the File Server. The PC's are split between two thin wire segments which are connected to a DEMPR, as is the GPX. The problem has become much worse since the DEMPR was introduced into the network. The message is from DECNET and states that the file transfer - sending the file from a PC back to the GPX - failed: file server down! The file server is in fact up, and, other PC's have no problem during this time. The problem is not PC dependent (happens on different ones at different times), and has no noticable pattern to it's occurance. Since I am new to the distributed network world, I am without a fix! Can someone help me to understand what I am experiencing and make suggestions? Thanks for your help. John L. Holland Catalog Graphics System Manager JCPenney Company, Inc. 1 Lincoln Center 7th Floor 5400 LBJ Freeway Dallas, TX 75240 (214)591-3393 WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 68 2 replies Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 06-May-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: TEX/LATEX I have a request and I hope somebody can help... I am searching for a copy of the LaTeX software - I will supply tape, and postage for anyone who has it. You may be wondering why I am not going thru DECUS, well, at the present time, 'the boss' is keeping the budget at a minimum (so we can get a bigger budget for next year!) Thanks! Brian DeSantis  Bergen County Computer Consortium 30 garber Square  Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450  (201)670-0286  PC'S SIG Message # 154 0 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: KEVIN VERBLE On 06-May-88 At : 714-998-5500 Subject: ETHERNET BOARDS I know Decnet-Dos supports the 3-Com and Micom ethernet boards. I don't know how a PS/2 would fit in with either Decnet-Dos and/or the ethernet boards. You can also use synchronous Decnet. We did some file transfer testing over a DEPCA ethernet board connection and a 9600 null modem cable connection using Decnet-Dos. The ethernet came out roughly 10 times faster. Other than the speed, you can't tell the difference. ---------------------------------------------------- Kevin Verble ---------------------------------------------------- TRW SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 129 4 replies Left by: LOU SOLOMON On 06-May-88 At : 212-964-1414 Subject: CAPACITY PLANNING Well, this is my first message to ARIS! I've been reading VAX Proffesional for about a year and enjoy it immensely and find it very useful. I just finished reading CAPACITY PLANNING & SYSTEM DESIGN in May 88 VProf (vol7 #5) by David Bynon (managing your uVax) and had some questions about the article. I manage a VAX750 system with 6 meg of RAM and 1 RA81. Software consists of BASIC,FMS,DATATRIEVE,DECNET, where DECNET just manages terminal servers. Applications are all custom, inhouse developed. Currently, about 15 users at any given time are running large applications, while another 15 are in Mail, Edt, Datatrieve. According to Mr. Bynon, when 'configuring' a uVAX, multiply the large Working Set requirement by # of users, add VMS memory overhead, to get memory requirements. From my calculations, our 750 would need over 15 megabytes to support our users, yet in fact, it does fine (alright sometimes its a little slow)! Does the 750 I/O make up for the fact that its CPU is 40% slower than the uVAX? Do I need less memory than a uVAX? I always thought that the vax architechture is 'virtual', meaning no specific memory requirements exists (other than some minimums), if you have enought disk space to swap and page out memory! My company was thinking about getting a uVAX for 'redundancy' purposes, but according to Mr. Bynon, we will need a uVAX III instead of a uVAXII, which is quite a bit of $$ difference. I am an advanced novice @ VAX configuration but his article did shake some assumptions I had about purchasing a uVAX II. Can any of you shead some light on this issue? Thanks, and I hope to be using ARIS more often! Lou Solomon UTILITIES SIG Message # 259 0 replies Left by: STEPHEN TOY On 06-May-88 At : (613)236-3920 Subject: DECUS TAPE VAX-287 PROJ ACNTG Has anyone tried to install the Project Accounting DECUS tape VAX-287? I seem to be missing a file_qta.mar. Can anyone give me a hand thanks. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 362 1 replies Left by: DAVE MARLIN On 06-May-88 At : AEP 614-223-3489 Subject: THIN WIRE MESTA Dave Mallery answered the Kluge of the year letter in the May 1988 DEC Professional by using that rumored MESTA device that , I assume connects a thin wire node to a thick wire backbone. What is it, where does one find it, and how much is it. In the past I have pluged a DESTA into the 9th port on a DELNI and run my thin wire system out from there where a DELNI is available. I would like to be able to hook up MV2000s and PCs on a thick wire backbone without the (recommended) DEMPR. Thanks in advance MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 178 2 replies Left by: JIM ANDERSON On 06-May-88 At : (314) 647-7500 Subject: RM05 DISK PACKS Does anyone know of a service which will verify the quality of used RM05 disk packs which I am afraid to mount as is. VMS SIG Message # 593 0 replies Left by: CRAIG TEA On 06-May-88 At : 503-226-4211 Subject: FOCUS ON VMS We have started to use FOCUS on a VAX 8300, we are finding that even with a single user using FOCUS with nothing else going on, it is very slow. Slower than on a PC. When we use MONITOR to watch the system, we see the system in USER mode most of the time, which makes us believe that the problem is with FOCUS and not with system performance. We have talked with IBI, with no help. Any suggestions???? Or do you need an 8800 to run FOCUS??? We have check for possible paging problem, but we have WSEXTENT set at 10000. Should be plenty of room. Thanks PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 280 0 replies Reply to # 179 Left by: JOHN ANDREA On 06-May-88 At : (613)998-6738 Subject: MODULA-2 COMPILER I've used a good compiler under VMS for several years Some of the code is actually written by Prof. Wirth Its available from the source to $200(US) by contacting J.W. Schmidt Fachbereich Informatik, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet Dantestr. 9, D-6000 Frankfurt am Main Federal Republic of Germany PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 281 0 replies Left by: PHIL GALKA On 06-May-88 At : 201 648 2417 Subject: SCHEME PROGRAMMING LANG We are in the process of creating a course for novice user and the project group has reviewed programming languages such as LISP and Prolog. I understand that a language of similar features can be found in the public domain and is called SCHEME. Thus my plight is to find someone who knows where to find a copy of SCHEME that runs under VMS. All help would be greatly appreciated. Constantly searching...................Phil Galka 201 648 2417 PC'S SIG Message # 155 0 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 06-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: PC DECNET GOOD QUESTION! THERE ARE SEVERAL BOARDS/SOFTWARE AVAILABLE TO DO THIS. ONE IS COMMUNITY-DOS FROM TCI (ETHERNET BOARD) AND ANOTHER FROM 3COM, NOT TO MENTION DEC'S DEPCA BOARD. OTHERS ARE RAF, AND MOBIUS. I HAVE AN ARTICLE COMPARING THE AVAILABLE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE AVAILABLE AND WILL BE GLAD TO SEND IT TO YOU IF YOU SHOULD REQUEST. WE CHOSE THE DEC SOLUTION OF THE VMS/DOS/SERVER WITH PCSA SOFTWARE. WE ARE ONLY IN THE INFANCY OF THIS PROJECT BUT INITIAL RESULTS ARE VERY PROMISING. KEEP IN MIND SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE "FILE TRANSFERS" AND DO NOT ADDRESS VT COMPATABILITY, E-MAIL AND SOME OTHER FEATURES. THE DEC SOFTWARE LACKS NONE OF THESE AND USES EXISTING VAX DISKS AS THE STORAGE MEDIUM, THEREFORE YOUR PC CAN BE DISKLESS (EXCEPT FOR A FLOPPY FOR UPLOADS) AND USE YOUR VAX/xxx AS A FILE SERVER FOR THE PC SOFTWARE AND THE DATA FILES. NO EASY CHOICES! KEN MIGLIONICO WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 69 1 replies Reply to # 68 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 06-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: BRIAN HELLO BRIAN, THIS IS YOUR OLD BOSS, KEN MIGLIONICO. GLAD TO SEE YOU ACTIVE IN THE VAX WORLD. ARE YOU BEHAVING? WE HAD SOME VERY STRANGE BREAK-INS NOT LONG AFTER YOU LEFT. HOPE YOU ARE USING YOUR TALENTS PRODUCTIVELY, HAVE YOU BROKEN INTO THE USSR EQUIVALENT OF NASA YET? FBI TERRORRISTS FILES? STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND MISSLE SILO'S? SHEARSON HAMMILL FUNDS TRANSFER? BE A GOOD BOY! I KNOW IT ISNT EASY. YOU ARE A SMART GUY, YOU COULD'A BEEN A GREAT CONTENDER!!! SAY HELLO TO KIM FOR ME!! KEN M. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 130 0 replies Reply to # 129 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 06-May-88 MAY I SUGGEST YOU CONTACT NEMONIX LOCATED IN MASS. THEY PRODUCE A PRODUCT THAT CAN ADD 4-6 MEG OF MEMORY TO A MAXED OUT 8 MEG 750 ALONG WITH AN ACCELLORATOR THEY CLAIM WILL BOOST MIPS BY ABOUT 25%. THE 750 SIMPLY RUNS OUT OF GAS (MIPS) NOT NORMALLY I-O CAPACITY. THE 750 IS A GEM, NEVER GET RID OF IT (OR CALL ME FIRST) WE HAVE A VARIETY OF VAXES AND THE 750 IS THE MOST RELIABLE OF ALL AND TAKES ON MORE THAN ITS SHARE OF PRODUCTION. ALSO, RA81'S ARE NOT KNOWN TO BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER. OTHER VENDORS OFFER SUPERIOR PRICE/PERFORMANCE At : 201-567-9314 Subject: PERFORMANCE. ALSO, YOU MAY VERY SERIOUSLY CONSIDER A SECOND DRIVE. EVERYTHING ON ONE DRIVE IS VERY TAXING TO THE SYSTEM. BOTTOM LINE.... YOU CAN GET A LOT MORE OUT OF THE 750 THAN YOU MAY BELIEVE.....BUT YOU MAY HAVE TO SPEND A FEW DOLLARS TO GET IT. THE NEMONIX I MENTIONED ABOVE COST APPROX $9,000. FAR LOWER THAN ANY NEW PROCESSOR. YOU DECIDE! KEN MIGLIONICO 750 LOVER CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 255 2 replies Reply to # 255 Left by: PHILLIP CREWS On 06-May-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: DECNET ERRORS I don't recognize your exact problem (we don't run any PCs), but you may want to try increasing the number of buffers allocated for DECnet on the VAX. I don't remember the exact syntax, but it's something like: $ MCR NCP NCP> DEFINE CIRCUIT QNA-0 RECEIVE BUFFERS nn I've seen recommendations for as many as 20 (vs. the default 6) for heavy network traffic. Also, check your non-paged memory (NPAGEDYN) and LRPs (LRPCOUNT) in SYSGEN and be sure they're not being expanded while the system is running. DECNET is not too good at expanding pool on the fly. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 131 0 replies Reply to # 129 Left by: PHILLIP CREWS On 07-May-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: MEMRY REQUIREMENTS The main problem I see with the method you mentioned for computing memory requirements is that your working set includes pages that are shared with other processes; for example, in our application at least half of every user's working set is dedicated to global sections in shared library files (such as LIBRTL, MTHRTL, and a few of our own). These pages only count once, even if 50 users have them mapped (and counted in their working set). For an accurate memory assessment, these pages must be taken into account. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 133 1 replies Left by: KEVIN MATTHEWS On 07-May-88 At : 415 540 7057 Subject: ADJUSTING VIR MEM I need some (hopefully) specific system tuning advice. We are running a high end CAD system(McDonnell Douglas GDS, version 4.9) on seven microVAXes, teaching CAD to architecture students and doing architectural modeling research. Our typical configuration is a microVAX II/GPX with 11MB RAM and two RD52 (70MB) hard drives and a TK50 tape drive. Each microVAX supports one GPX workstation. The boxes are not networked (due largely to proUNIX campus funding policies) although each has a DEQNA board. We have dua0 set up with VMS 4.5 and the swap and page files, and some application utilities, and dua1 holds GDS and the project data files (user files). All the drives have been recently rebuilt to minimize fragmentation problems. We've experimented around enough to improve performance by about a factor of four above the default system tuning, but we haven't made much progress on one important bottleneck. When we try to compute shaded renderings of our larger 3D models, GDS crashes with a consistent VMS error message of 'insufficient virtual memory'. The swap file is now 20,000 blocks and the page file is at 50,000. I've raised virtualpagecnt from 25,000 in steps up to (don't laugh) 300,000 without noticable effect. I'm running with wsdef=8192 and wsquo=12288. If I raise the working set values higher, GDS won't start up. I feel like I'm missing something obvious, but I'm pretty lost. Could someone explain which parameters govern the available virtual memory? Any good references for learning more about this stuff would also be appreciated. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 70 0 replies Reply to # 68 Left by: JOHN PULLINS On 08-May-88 At : ABEX CORP. Subject: TEX/LATEX BRIAN, I BELEIVE I HAVE THE TAPE AND DOCS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. YOU CAN CALL ME TO ARRANGE TO SEND A TAPE, OR IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY YOU CAN DROP BY. WE ARE LOCATED IN MAHWAH 15 MIN. AWAY. JOHN PULLINS ABEX CORPORATION 65 RAMAPO VALLEY ROAD MAHWAH, NJ 07430 (201) 529-3450 MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 179 1 replies Reply to # 178 Left by: STAN BARNDT On 09-May-88 At : (215) 743-4653 Subject: RM05 DISK PACKS JIM, DEC HAS A MEDIA MAINT. PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES A DISK SPECIALIST COMING ON SITE TO INSPECT YOUR PACKS. WE HAD THIS SERVICE AT MY LAST JOB FOR OUR RMO5 DISKS. GIVE THEN A CALL. STAN MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 180 2 replies Reply to # 178 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 09-May-88 At : HERE Subject: MEDIA MAINT We have SCOPUS come in on a quarterly basis and inspect all of our packs. If they find any that are crashed, they give a credit towards a new (actually rebuilt) pack. MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 35 0 replies Reply to # 2 Left by: DOUGLAS BLAIR On 09-May-88 At : 703-847-6340 Subject: HP3000 TO VAX TRANSFERS I know this isn't an advertising center, but our HP3000 product lets any HP3000 talk TCP/IP over Ethernet. TCP/IP is a DoD- sponsored communications protocol that support a number of utilities, including file transfer, remote logins, mail, and much, much more. We (and a number of other vendors) also sell a VAX/VMS TCP/IP package. If anyone has questions, you should call our sales department at 1-800-USA-UNIX. Thanks, Doug Blair Wollongong COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 171 1 replies Left by: DOV LEVY On 09-May-88 At : (202) 737 - 7900 Subject: X.25 FOR VAX 8200 Currently I have the PSI software running on my 8200 to interface to Telenet. Since it is resource demanding (8200 isn't the strongest machine available...) I am looking to replace it with some hardware that will do the interfacing to Telenet for me (and hopefuly will offload all this extra work from my CPU). I am looking for some suggestions on proven hardware that can do the job for me. If you have company name + phone number that's great. Thanks Dov Levy (202) 737 7900 COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 172 1 replies Left by: STEPHEN C. LUCCHETTI On 09-May-88 At : (313-)845-7839 Subject: VT-100 ==> ASCII PROGRAM I have a program which insists on writing to VT-100 terminals. The problem is that I would like to have straight ASCII terminals access the program and view intelligible information. Does anyone know of any sort of terminal driver which would intercept all of the VT-100 escape and control sequences, collect them until an appropriate time and then flush them out to a vanilla terminal in a meaningful way?? I find it hard to believe that such a program doesn't exist but I have been unable to locate one. Any information would be greatly appreciated. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 257 0 replies Left by: JAMESREFFELT On 09-May-88 At : COMAIR ROTRON (914)246-3461 Subject: CONFIGURING MICROVAX LAVC ? I am currently running a cad/cam application with four full time graphics terminals and eight VT240's on a fully configured BA123 microvaxII. The vt240's are used for word processing (eve), mail, and some DCL command editing. Performance has been adequate until a solid model is requested and an engineer crunches some fortran. I've been asked to add: 1. A Logicraft 386 to make the vt240's more useful 2. A fifth graphics station - preferably a second microvax or GPX 3. A network for 4 existing pc's, 4. three modems for sales and marketing field data access 5. a DEC 3270 terminal emulation board with a "Vaxlink" software product for communications to our MIS 9370. I have been considering a lavc with the 2nd microvax or GPX mentioned above. The three RD53's would be replaced with third party disk subsystems since the cad/cam is very disk intensive, and I was considering cpu accelerators for the modeling and fortran number crunching. I understand clustering steals alot ofsystem overhead. My questions are: How much overhead? What disk subsystems should be considered ? What microvaxII cpu ? How much overhead is lost to MS DOS serving? Has anyone had any experience with accelerators ? How is performance of the Logicraft 386? Thanks to anyone who can help. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 224 0 replies Left by: RICK BRUBAKER On 09-May-88 At : 301-863-6617 Subject: XWINDOWS Does anyone know where I can get "documentation" on the XWINDOWS standard? EDITORS SIG Message # 174 1 replies Left by: NORA MILLER On 09-May-88 At : 503-222-5161 Subject: EDT PROBLEMS/UVMS 4.6 I recently upgraded my MicroVAX II to version 4.6 of MicroVMS and EDT is not working properly anymore. Using KP1 to move one "word" at a time, the cursor now stops at colons, brackets, equals signs etc., while skipping over the beginning of a word preceded by a tab! Worse yet, with the cursor on the last "word" in a line, pressing MINUS to "delete word" causes the word to be deleted, but ALSO the EOL character AND THE FIRST CHARACTER ON THE NEXT LINE!! This is not how EDT on my 785 works, even under VMS 4.6. It is driving my users CRAZY!! Anybody else had this problem? I have asked DSIN about it but have not heard back yet. HELP!! Nora Miller DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 363 4 replies Reply to # 357 Left by: ELAINE KIERNAN On 09-May-88 At : 808-244-5565 Subject: UUCP FOR NON-UNIX Hi, I have something callhich is uu -DOS, and I noticed in the documentation, something about a VMS version. I don't have the documentation at this location, but I'll check on it later today. I don't have the source code, but apparently it is available public domain and is written in C. I got the program from somebody else, and I believe they got it from Usenet or some such place. I'll get back to you some time this week The -DOS version works great. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 364 0 replies Reply to # 363 Left by: ELAINE KIERNAN On 09-May-88 At : 808-244-5565 Subject: It looks like my last message got trashed out by noise. The program I have is called "uupc" and it runs on MS-DOS, I'll get you more info on the VMS version later this week!! Hope this is readable, Elaine. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 71 0 replies Reply to # 69 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 10-May-88 At : Subject: HI! Hi Ken.... Kim told me about the breakins and my first thought was that I was going to be blamed. Let me just say that the one thing I said to myself after leaving, was that I would not go anywhere near it - mainly because I would be blamed. Whether or not you believe it, I am glad to say that I have a clear conscious. (I dont think the Aris people intended this as an e-mail board but...). Thank you for the compliments (I think...?...). Yes, I have stayed in the DEC world... I am running the system for the county libraries - which you may or may not know have computerized their circulation and inventory. I brought the system up from the start, and have brought it a long way in the last 14 months. We are running an 8300, with a DCA (Digital Communications Assoc) 355 Telecommunications system connecting the libraries via digital phone lines (which have been the death of us!). Anyways, dont be a stranger... and thanks again for the words (I never got to thank you before so...) Brian.. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 365 0 replies Reply to # 363 Left by: SIMON BROWN On 10-May-88 At : HERE'S BEST (SEE 357) Subject: UUCP FOR VMS Elaine, Thanks - I wait in eager anticipation for the information - in fact we have a couple of aged IBM compats which sit here all day printing out PERT charts and the like. UUCP for one of these would do at a pinch, but disk space becomes a problem. We've tons spare here, and what with the TK50 and my natural? aversion to IBM <> I think the VMS approach would be best for us. When I get the code converted to VMS I'll let you know. Contact info as before. Cheers - Simon DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 366 1 replies Left by: PIERRE THOMSON On 10-May-88 At : (914)658-3141 OR HERE Subject: DIALOUT FOR THE VAX I am looking for a program which provides dialout communication from a Microvax II. I'm sure it's been written, but where is it? It would be used for database scans, electronic mail, etc. and would have to support a UDS 212 A/D or Hayes compatible modem. Any info would be appreciated. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 209 1 replies Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 10-May-88 At : 312 867 9600 Subject: FMS VERSION Can anyone tell me what version of FMS runs under VMS 4.6 and 4.7? We are currently running VMS V4.5 and FMS V2.3 and are planning to upgrade to VMS 4.7. I have update tapes for CDD, DTR, etc., but not for FMS. Am I missing a tape or nothing was done to FMS in VMS 4.6 and 4.7? Thanks. VMS SIG Message # 594 0 replies Reply to # 589 Left by: PETER GERACI On 10-May-88 At : 513-576-2672 Subject: RAM DISK INFO Lincoln Chang -- Thanks for the references ! Pete Geraci RSX SIG Message # 232 0 replies Reply to # 220 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 10-May-88 At : 212-460-2640 Subject: NETWORK ASTS A SND$ or REC$ will fail with a code of IE.ABO if the link is disconnected. There is also a DECnet macro SPAW$ for specifying a network ast routine. Network ASTs are generated when a connection is requested, aborted, disconnected, the remote node crashes, or the local node is shutting down. The task specifies this AST routine address once. Upon entering the AST routine a GND$, get network data macro, is issued and the message type of the data item will identify the cause for the AST. If the task that needs to know if the link is up is the sender or receiver, it should know. I'm guessing that you have an intermediary task handling the DECnet calls, and that the application senders and receivers are not establishing their own DECnet connections. (I have designed a safe-store message services system that removes the business of DECnet away from the application.) In this case, you would need to set up some handshaking between the application and the DECnet task to feedback the status of the link to the application. Please feel free to call me, 9-3 EDT. RSX SIG Message # 233 0 replies Reply to # 223 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 10-May-88 At : 212-460-2640 Subject: QIO W/TIMEOUT Input w/timeout is provided by DEC in the TTDRV terminal driver. Using the executive directive QIOW$ (Fortran CALL WTQIO), the third parameter is the number of ten second intervals desired, and setting the I/O function to IO.RVB!TF.TMO ("10600) enables the timeout. The QIO will complete with an I/O status of IS.TMO (2) in IOSB(1) and the number of characters read before timeout in IOSB(2). The following is a FORTRAN code fragment that will issue a read with a timeout of sixty seconds to lun 5 , usually TI:. INTEGER*2 IOSB(2),PARMS(6) CHARACTER*80 BUFFR CALL GETADR(PARMS,BUFFR) !GET ADDRESS OF BUFFER AS PARM ONE PARMS(2)=LEN(BUFFR) !LENGTH OF BUFFER AS PARM 2 PARMS(3)=6 !TIMEOUT AFTER ONE MINUTE IN PARM 3 CALL WTQIO("10600,5,5,,IOSB,PARMS,IDSW) IF(IOSB(1).EQ.2)GOTO 200 !TIME OUT HANDLER IF(IOSB(1).LT.0)GOTO 300 !I/O ERROR HANDLER C NORMAL I/O TERMINATION There really isn't a whole lot to timeouts. The only problem is if an interval of ten seconds is not fine enough, and a finer interval can lead to timing windows where your I/O will always timeout. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 173 0 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 10-May-88 At : 212-460-2640 Subject: +12V My experience is all with DZ11s, but I think it's relavent to your problem. The ports should be set to /REMOTE, if not, the DHU will not assert +12v on any pins. If after SET /REMOTE, you get IE.DNR, device not ready, for those ports, then the DHU is now looking for DSR to be asserted by the short haul modem and the modem does not supply it (unlikely, but...), you can get around that by a jumper (pin 20 to pin 6) on the connector at the PDP. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 367 1 replies Reply to # 366 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 11-May-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: DIALOUT FROM VMS Have you considered using the SET HOST/DTE facility that came with your MicroVMS distribution? While it doesn't normally support the Hayes protocol, I've seen (here in ARIS, I think) folks offering a Hayes dialing module for it. Or you can write one yourself; it's not difficult if you use the DF03 example (DTE_DF03.MAR) included in SYS$EXAMPLES on a full-blown VMS distribution. I cobbled one up for the DF224 in an evening. You could set one up for your UDS modems, too. RSX SIG Message # 234 0 replies Reply to # 223 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 11-May-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: RSX TT READ WITH TIMEOUT I'd add (to Wayne Steffen's comments) that on an M-Plus or Micro/RSX system, you can obtain 1-second timeout resolution by using the IO.EIO!TF.RLB QIO service. It's a little more complicated to set up than the standard IO.RLB!TF.TMO QIO that Mr. Steffen described, but it's well documented in the I/O Drivers manual and works just fine. You should have no problem setting it up from FORTRAN, using the same techniques. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 181 0 replies Reply to # 176 Left by: CHRIS RUHNKE On 11-May-88 At : GESCAN SYSTEMS (919) 361-1696 Subject: 3RD PARTY HSC DISKS System Industries has been supplying DSA compatible disks for several years now. They are plug-n-play replacements for RAxx drives. The last time I looked (last year some time) their biggest drives were approx. 600 Mb but that's probably changed by now. I don't use them myself, but I know several people who do and they work fine. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 174 0 replies Reply to # 171 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 11-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: X.25 PROCESSORS You could go either of two ways: either go with DEC's DECnet Router/X.25 Gateway to go on the Ethernet (about $19,000 if I read things right), or Simpact Associates, Inc. (619)565-1865 sells a network processor that sits on the BI bus and can be loaded to do X.25 processing ($7,500 - $8,500 according to DEC). The first way is totally supported by DEC (of course), while the latter is a company licensed by DEC for use of the BI bus. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 283 0 replies Left by: TOM BRENNER On 11-May-88 At : 718-565-2300 Subject: ADA PRAGMA PSECT_OBJECT I'm having trouble using the Ada Pragma Psct_object to share global data between Ada Vax processes. I successfully link to the installed shared image, but I get %system-F-accvio, access violation; when I access the Psect_object. If I link in a fortran subroutine using the same psect as a global common, I sucessfully access the global common, but the Ada access still gets the access violation. P.S. The installed psect is actually a fortran common block. EDITORS SIG Message # 175 2 replies Reply to # 174 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 11-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: .INI FILE? Since you say that it occurs only on the MicroVAX and not on the 785, I would suspect that someone may have implemented an system-wide EDTINI.INI file. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 210 0 replies Reply to # 209 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 11-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: NO CHANGE FMS V2.3 is the current version. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 368 0 replies Reply to # 367 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 11-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: VAXNET We have had better luck with VAXNET which you can find on the various DECUS tapes. It is coded in Fortran, has dialing modules for various modems, has various file transfer protocols, and is generally less apt to blow you out of the water than SET HOST/DTE. It isn't as free as the SET HOST/DTE program, but I think that it is well worth it. (And if you aren't a DECUS member, then you should become one!) CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 258 0 replies Reply to # 226 Left by: KEITH PROCTOR On 11-May-88 At : (714)6845110 Subject: DECNET-DOS ON NON-IBM PCS WE ARE RUNNING DECNET DOS ON TANDON PCAT CLONES. WE HAD PROBLEMS SIMILAR TO YOURS WHEN WE WERE RUNNING VERSION 1.1 OF DECNET DOS. SINCE VERSION 1.2 WE HAVE NOT HAD THOSE PROBLEMS. TO GET AROUND THEM WITH V1.1 WE SET SOME OF THE NCP TIMERS ON THE PC TO VERY HIGH NUMBERS. SPECIFICALLY: DELAY FACTOR = 10; RETRANSMIT FACTOR = 30; INCOMING TIMER = 1500; RECEIVE PIPE QUOTA = 6; INACTIVITY TIMER = 120. WE NEVER TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHICH OF THESE ACTUALLY SOLVED THE PROBLEM BUT THE COMBINATION DID SOLVE THIS PROBLEM FOR US. GOOD LUCK. EITH PROCTOR MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 182 1 replies Reply to # 180 Left by: JIM ANDERSON On 11-May-88 At : (314) 647-7500 Subject: THANKS FOR THE CONTACT I have heard of SCOPUS before, but I have not been able to find a telephone number. I would appreciate it if you would reply with one. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 183 0 replies Reply to # 179 Left by: JIM ANDERSON On 11-May-88 At : HERE Subject: I SHOULD HAVE GUESSED DEC seems to keep most of the bases covered. Thanks for the info... RSTS SIG Message # 285 1 replies Left by: JOHN HEINZ On 11-May-88 At : (513) 866-3300 Subject: KERMIT AFTER USING KERMIT ON MY 11/70 (RSTS/E V8.0) HOOKED TO A MICROVAX II, THE 11/70 WILL COME TO ALMOST A COMPLETE HALT. I HAVE NARROWED THE PROBLEM DOWN TO THE KB: PORT I USED FOR THE TRANSFER. ONCE I UNHOOK THE CABLE FROM THAT PORT THE SYSTEM RESUMES AT A NORMAL PACE. DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHY THIS IS HAPPENING??? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 284 0 replies Left by: PETER HAYES On 11-May-88 At : HERE OR 613-722-3411 Subject: EXPERT SHELL FOR VAX DOES ANYONE HAVE OR KNOW OF A SUPPLIER OF A VAX EXPERT SHELL? THANKS, PETE EDITORS SIG Message # 176 1 replies Reply to # 175 Left by: NORA MILLER On 11-May-88 At : 503-222-5161 Subject: EDT PROB-UVAX 4.6 NOT .INI Thanks for the suggestion--unfortunately, the .INI file is identical on both systems. I am leaning towards a tt driver problem... but frankly, I am stumped! Nora Miller UTILITIES SIG Message # 260 2 replies Left by: MARIA HOLT On 11-May-88 At : Subject: MULTIPLE SESSIONS ON VT220 Is there a way to log in a number of times on a vt220/320 simultaneously? Something like multiple sessions on vt330/340? I would like to run different commands in different sessions and be able to switch to any session using a minimum set of keystrokes. EDITORS SIG Message # 177 0 replies Reply to # 175 Left by: NORA MILLER On 11-May-88 At : 503-222-5161 Subject: BOY IS MY FACE RED This shows how blind we can be. I've been trying to resolve this EDT problem (message 174) and discovered that the word entity had been redefined. Gee, I said, that sound like another kind of initialization must be done--I mean, I am POSITIVE that my .INI file is the same as on the other machine where EDT still works. Then, just for fun, I looked at the .INI file. IT WAS DIFFERENT! It must have come with the upgrade?? I have renamed it out of the way and SURE ENOUGH, EDT works like the old editor I know and love. Thanks for the suggestion, Jon, and accept my apology for being so positive it could not be something so simple! I plan to ask at DECUS if this file came with the distribution and if so WHY???? VMS SIG Message # 595 1 replies Left by: DANIEL T. FREY On 11-May-88 At : LEAVE MESSAGE IN SIG Subject: BOOT STANDALOAN BCK/DISK I HAVE BUILD THE STANDALOAN BACKUP KIT ON DISK AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW I WOULD MODIFY THE CONSOLE FLOPPY SO THAT I CAN BOOT MY STANDALOAN BACKUP FROM DISK.. I AM RUNNING ON A VAX 11/780 VMS VERSION 4.5 AND HAVE (2) RA-81 TYPE DISK..AT THE PROMPT '>>>' I WOULD LIKE TO ENTER >>> B STB AND HAVE PROCEDURE LOAD FROM DISK INSTEAD OF LOADING FROM FLOPPYS. ANY AND ALL REPLY'S APPRECIATED DAN 71684 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 134 1 replies Left by: PHILLIP J. GALKA On 11-May-88 At : (201) 648-2417 Subject: VAX 8500 PERFORMANCE I have been running ALLIN1 and INGRES on a VAX 8530 for a little over a year. My current configuration is 48 meg of memory with 3 ra81's and Ethernet communication into DEMPERs for PC terminal emulation and DS200s for VT200 terminal communications. We currently see between 40-50 concurrent user sessions utilizing about 80% of memory and 75% of CPU. Okay now you have the backgroud let me get to the point. I understand that I should be able to bring up 100 concurrent user sessions on this system. But as i plot my utilization curve I find that I peak out at about 70-80 concurrent users. Is there any one who has Allin1 and can tell me if my expextations are too high. I am interested in all comments and suggestions. PC'S SIG Message # 156 0 replies Reply to # 149 Left by: PHIL GALKA On 11-May-88 At : (201) 648-7068 Subject: PC-VAX SERVER-LNO3 VIA DS200 I understand part of what you are doing . We currently have the IBM PCs connected throught thin wire ethernet. We also have been successful with disk server under DECnet and DECnet dos. The big problem with DECnet's implementation of virtual printer is they reference a IBM PC device NPRN. Most pc software will not see this as a valid device so you must us the PC and print to a file and then " type file.txt > nprn" . I hope this helped UTILITIES SIG Message # 261 1 replies Reply to # 260 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 11-May-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: Maria, 1 option you have is to bring your network up, if it isnt. This way, you can set host to your own node, and log in, using the comma n$ d SET HOST 0 o $ r SET HO nodename - it should be very easy to bring your network up, using the procedure SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET.COM - just follow the prompts and you should be on your way. Keep in mind however, that when your network is running, and you only have 1 node, your mail usernames as well as phone usernames will be preceded by the nodename:: - ie: BERGEN::BRIAN. The one good point about bringing up your own network, is that you can log an entire session using the command $ SET HOST/LOG[=filename] nodename UTILITIES SIG Message # 262 0 replies Reply to # 261 Left by: B. DESANTIS On 11-May-88 At : Subject: Ooops... my last message got garbled - the command to set host to your own node are: $ SET HOST 0 or $ SET HOST nodename SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 135 0 replies Reply to # 133 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 12-May-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: INSUF VIRTUAL MEMORY Check the page file quota (PGFLQUOTA ???) in AUTHORIZE for the specific user(s) running the software and adjust upward. I would assume 3D graphic stuff would require lots of working storage, which must be allocated from page file space. Each user has a page file quota that sets the upper limit on the number of pages his processes can allocate from the page file (whether or not they ever actually have to be paged out). RSTS SIG Message # 286 1 replies Reply to # 285 Left by: PHILLIP A CREWS On 12-May-88 At : SAI (704)333-1276 Subject: DRAGGING 11/70 It appears from your description of the problem that the 11/70 and the MicroVAX are each trying to log into the other. The MicroVAX thinks that the 11/70 is a user trying to log in, so displays the "Username:" prompt; the same thing is happening on the 11/70. I don't know from which direction you are making the connection, but if it's from the MicroVAX you can avoid the situation by setting the terminal port to /NOTYPEAHEAD during system startup. Then, whenever you want to use the connection, ALLOCATE the terminal and SET it to /TYPEAHEAD (don't use /PERM). When done, DEALLOCATE. This will restore the original /NOTYPEAHEAD. Unsolicited input (login attempts) are ignored on terminals set to /NOTYPEAHEAD under VMS. If you're initiating your connections from the 11/70, there may be a similar method of telling RSTS to ignore unsolicited input. Maybe a RSTS expert out there can help?? MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 184 0 replies Reply to # 182 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 12-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: SCOPUS PHONE # Scopus Corp. 333 Aiken Street Lowell, MA 01853 617-454-8033 VMS SIG Message # 596 0 replies Reply to # 595 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 12-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: RA-BASED STANDALONE BACKUP 1. @SYS$UPDATE:STABACKIT, and specify SYS$SYSDEVICE: as the target. This will create and populate [SYSE...]. (Warning! [SYSE.SYSCOMMON] is your SYS$SYSTEM directory. Do NOT delete any files from it!) 2. Get a copy of your DEFBOOfile by using EXCHANGE. 3. Change the lie that says DEPOSIT R5 0 to DEPOSIT R5 E0000000. 4. Copy it back to your console volume as STBBOO.CMD All of this is documented in the "Guide to VAX/VMS Software Installation", Section 4.7 on pages 4-39 to 4-42. RSTS SIG Message # 287 0 replies Reply to # 286 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 12-May-88 At : 408/291-364 Subject: 11/70 brought to its knees On the 11/70 end, if the KB: port you're using is only to connect out on, try setting it to NOINTERACTIVE (I forget the V8.0 SET parameter; we went to V9.0 three years ago). If you need people to connect in on that port, then you'll have to SET the KB: port for NOINTERACTIVE just before you go into your connection and set it back after you finish. If this doesn't help, let me know and I'll see what else I can come up with. Good luck! VMS SIG Message # 598 1 replies Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 12-May-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: CHANGING ALPHANUMERIC UIC Hi. I created a new user with the COPY command in AUTHORIZE. This of course gave him the same UIC as the original user. Then I used the MODIFY/UIC command to change the UIC. This worked; however the alphanumeric representation of the first user was eliminated, and that of the second user was changed to be that of the first. So now user SMITH's UIC shows up in numeric form only, and user JONES's UIC shows up as [SMITH]. This is not desirable. The actual numeric UICs are set up as desired, it is merely the alphanumeric representation (as stored in the Rights Database?) which is wrong. I'm sure this can be fixed by deleting users and re-creating them, but there oughtta be a direct method. The manuals give no clue. Thanks for any suggestions anyone may have. John. EDITORS SIG Message # 178 1 replies Reply to # 176 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 12-May-88 At : 408/291-3364 Subject: EDT not working right I hate the line noise on this system! Anyway your problem sounds like the new EDT you're using has a different "SET ENTITY WORD" parameter than you're used to. The default is supposed to be: SET ENTITY WORD '' You might try putting that into your EDTINI.EDT file. Also, the culprit might be the system-wide EDT initializatile, LB:EDTSYS.EDT. Check for it on your system. If you have one, it will be the only initialization file used -- if EDT sees an LB:EDTSYS.EDT file, it will not process the local EDTINI.EDT file. To get EDT to use both, add the line: SET COMMAND EDTINI.EDT to the end of the LB:EDTSYS.EDT file. This tells EDT to transfer to that file, if it exists. Good luck! EDITORS SIG Message # 179 0 replies Reply to # 178 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 12-May-88 At : 408/291-3364 Subject: EDT not working right Ignore my last message -- I should have finished reading all the messages before I replied. VMS SIG Message # 599 1 replies Reply to # 599 Left by: DAVE RATHNOW On 12-May-88 At : 604-736-9241 Subject: RESOURCE WAITS (RWMPB) RWMPB (Resource Wait Modified Page Writer Busy) has nothing to do with space in your page file. The problem is caused by the number of pages on the modified list exceeding the SYSGEN parameter MPW_WAITLIMIT. When the modified list reaches this threshold, a process wanting to fault a page onto it can't until the number of pages on the modified list drops below MPW_LOLIMIT. Try raising the value of MPW_WAITLIMIT to MPW_HILIMIT. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 136 0 replies Reply to # 134 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 12-May-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: ALL-IN-1 Phil, I don't have All-in-1 but I recall reading that, as a rule of thumb, you should allow 4MB of physical memory for the first user and 1MB of physical memory for each additional user. That suggests to me that you may be a little short on memory to run 100 concurrent users. If your are doing a lot of paging or swapping, remember that this will show up as a load on the CPU as well as a load on the disk. VMS SIG Message # 601 0 replies Reply to # 598 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 12-May-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: UIC Well, first of all, when you use the COPY command, I recommend using the /UIC qualifier, COPY SMITH JONES/UIC=[x,y]. If the uic you give for JONES does not exist or have an identifier, you should receive a message similar to Identifier JONES added to uic [x,y]. You can fix SMITH's identifier by MOD/ID SMITH/VALUE=UIC:[x,y] making sure that x and y is SMITHS's uic. You can also do the same for JONES, using JONES' uic. Modifying or adding alphanumeric identifiers can be done to any user - but keep in mind, that all users with the same uic will get the alphanumeric. You cannot have different identifiers for the same uic (at least I havent been able to do it). Hope this is of some help - feel free to give me a call if you need some more advice. Brian DeSantis APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 225 0 replies Left by: STEVE MOSS On 12-May-88 At : (714) 621-8027 (VOICE) Subject: SYSTEM 1032 Is anyone interested in Talking about Compuserve Data technologies (formerly software House) System 1032? Or, does anyone know of a bulletin Board or SIG for it? It's my Bread and butter here, so I would be glad to swap procedures, tips, etc. I'll check back here, or you can call me at the number above. Thanks - Steve PC'S SIG Message # 157 1 replies Reply to # 147 Left by: DAVID NOSS On 12-May-88 At : Subject: INFO ON THE DEC LK250 KBRD Apparently the only documentation for the DEC LK250 keyboard (DEC standard VT220 style keyboard for IBM PCs and compatiles) s locted in the VAXmate Technical Reference Manual. I don't have the part number on hand at the moment. Anyway, a chapter in this manual describes the scan codes and the programability for the keyboard. If you know BASIC or "C", you can write a small program to make the keyboard do anything you dsire. Some other tidbits on the keyboard that mat be of interest: - The LK250 will usually fail the COMPAQ boot-up self test with either a "301" or "304" error code. However, it does appear to function properly thereafter. I reported this problem to DEC, however, them seemed to have no interest whatsoever in reporting the problem to the appropriate product manager. It should also be noted that the keyboard does pass the self test and diagnostics on the Zenith Z248. - Even though the LK250 has been available for many months, there have been very few vendors who support it directly. There are a few who claim they do, but closer investigation shows that they merely guarantee that the keyboard will in fact work with their software. They do not take advantage of the special function keys or inherent similarities to the "standard" DEC keyboard. This is a real shame in that the LK250 is an excellent kbrd which has excellent action and has the potential to provide a consistent user interface to VAX/PC users (.i.e. I'm tired of having to press the F1 key on the far left side of the keyboard when using my xyz terminal emulator when there is a key labelled PF1 right where any DEC user would expect it to be). I suspect this is either because 1) software developersdo not appreciate the meaning of consistent user interface or human factors engineering or 2) they do not know where to locate programming information for the keyboard (it took my DEC sales rep 3 months to find the location of the documentation). When you talk to software developers, please demand that they provide proper interfaces for their products to the LK250. - The stock LK250-AA comes with a cable for the VAXmate. This cable uses an RJ type modular connector. This connector will not work with an IBM compatible. You must purchase DEC LK250 PC kbrd cable part #BCC37-06 @$25. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 369 2 replies Left by: JIM O'KEEFE On 12-May-88 At : 212-944-9230 OR 215-464-2882(PM) Subject: TIMEOUTS WITH DECNET WHEN USING DECNET FOR MVII TO MVII TRNSFERS REMOTE TO HOST WE ARE EXPERIENCING DEVICE TIMEOUTS WHEN THE FILE BEING TRNSFRD FROM THE HOST EXCEEDS 225-230 BLOCKS. DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY IDEAS. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 370 0 replies Reply to # 369 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 13-May-88 At : (617)861-6600 X2148 Subject: DECNET TIMEOUTS Generally DECnet timeouts seem to occur on heavily loaded systems (like ours!). The best fix is to try to identify the heavily loaded system and try to tune it. Failing that, you can try increasing the RETRANSMIT FACTOR for the nodes. The default is 10 (trys before failing). DEC notes in the Networking Manual that you SET EXECUTOR RETRANSMIT FACTOR rather than DEFINE it. (i.e., Make the change temporary rather than permanent.) RSTS SIG Message # 288 1 replies Reply to # 287 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 14-May-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: TURNING OFF GARBAGE ON THE LINE If you want to avoid getting spurious logins on a terminal and nothing else works, you can always set the baud rate to 0 until you really want to do something on the line. . . RSX SIG Message # 235 0 replies Reply to # 225 Left by: THOMAS C. EAST On 16-May-88 At : (601) 982-6504 Subject: USE OF SLU2: ON RSX SYSTEM Thanks for your suggestion about the "Berg" connector. Sure enough, removing it made SLU2 operate normally. Why Field Service couldn't tell me this is unknown. Thanks again! GRAPHICS SIG Message # 65 0 replies Left by: BRUBAKER On 16-May-88 At : 301-863-6617 Subject: XWINDOWS I would like to find documentation on the XWINDOWS standards definition. Anyone who knows of a contact or documentation please let me know. RB COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 175 1 replies Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 16-May-88 At : (303) 492-5262 Subject: NONVOLATILE ROUTER Has anyone heard of a Router that can be configured such that it doesn't require software to be downline loaded? We have a requirement for this type of beast to allowing to communicate via DECnet with a small "cluster" of terminal servers without the need for a processor being present to boot the Router, e.g. if the power goes off. (once the router had established links we could download to the servers). Unfortunately, fiber optics to our new site would be cost prohibitive and we don't have line of sight for microwave. I guess we could use T1 and locate the servers locally but was hoping we could configure a small autonomous worksite. Any ideas? Thanks. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 211 1 replies Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 17-May-88 At : 312-867-9600 Subject: CSA1: DISAPPEARED I need help. I wanted to read one of my TU58 cartriges, but when I try to ALLO CSA1: or do anything with CSA1, I get 'no such device available' message. And in fact it's missing from $SH DEV. We have 11/750 with VMS 4.5 now. The last time I did something with CSA1 was a couple of years ago when I upgraded BASIC (V2.3). It was there then. I'm not sure when it 'disappeared'. Does anyone know what happened and how to get it back? I want to upgrade BASIC again (to V3.2). Thanks. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 212 1 replies Reply to # 211 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 18-May-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: MISSING DEVICE Lucy, do the following: $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSGEN SYSGEN> CONNECT CONSOLE SYSGEN> EXIT The device CSA0: and CSA1: (if you have both) should show up and be ready for whatever you'd like to do with them... TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 213 0 replies Reply to # 212 Left by: GARY WOLFER On 18-May-88 At : HERE Subject: LN03 ON DECSERVERS Since I don't know the exact type of LN03 you have, I don't know if this will be of any help or not, but I have had some experience with the LN03 on our VAX attempting to use it with MACS and application software which is developed in-house. We have an LN03R ScriptPrinter (PostScript). The only way I found to be able to use the sucker with non-postscript files was to buy the DEC LPS print symbiont (a handy little item that is left out of most literature about these babies!!). And I do know that the LPS symbiont WILL NOT work over a DS200 (at least according to the documentation). If you are not using the LPS symbiont, you should be able to set it up on the terminal server just like any other printer, with logical assignments pointing to the device name. PC'S SIG Message # 158 0 replies Reply to # 157 Left by: Phil Anthony On 18-May-88 At : Here Subject: LK250 and Software Developers David, I think you're under couple of misapprehensions about the economics of software development for PCs. - The VAXmate is (at best) a niche market; most PC users who also have VAXes (or PDPs) don't have VAXmates and don't want 'em. Most of the PCs hooked into DEC minis are IBMs, and the vast majority of the remainder are IBM compatibles (Compaqs, PC Limiteds, Leading Edges, Unisyses, etc.). Develop- ers go where the market is. - PC software developers have enough trouble supporting the three, count 'em, three standard keyboards found on genuine IBM PCs (original PC and PC/XT, original PC/AT, and new PC/AT-cum-PS/2 with the twelve function keys) to consider writing to anybody else's nonstandard keyboard, no matter how admirable it may be for some specific purpose. It takes as much time to write to a nonstandard keyboard with limited distribution as it does to sup- port what the majority of potential customers have. - DEC certainly isn't interested in understanding the BIOS of another vendor when it disagrees with their own. And if DEC has provided enhancements that somebody else doesn't support, DEC considers that a sales tool for VAXmates, not something to be corrected. (The older IBM PC/AT BIOS doesn't support the IBM twelve-function-key keyboard either, if that makes you feel any bet- ter.) This may be shortsighted, but it's standard sales strategy; and for all I know, DEC is right (they have to have *some*thing going to sell their nonstandard, not-completely-compatible PCs). - Almost all software vendors officially restrict their support to IBM PCs, PC/ATs, PS/2s, and "100% compatibles". This is the "consistent user inter- face" they're interested in; the majority of PC users spend most of their time running PC programs and a relatively small proportion using them as workstations for a mini or mainframe. The fact that they provide any sup- port at all for machines that don't fit that restriction is gravy. In fact, a fair number don't really support PS/2s at this stage of the game, despite the fact that there are more of them in the market than there are LK250 key- boards, or VAXmates for that matter - and PS/2s have been around for "many months" too. - The major thrust in PC software development today is upgrade to OS/2, which is taking all of most developers' resources. - The difficulty of locating DEC documentation for non-mainstream (mostly meaning non-VAX) documentation is notorious. Users have been complaining about it for years, to little avail. Now, having painted a bleak picture indeed for VAXmate/LK250 users, I might make a suggestion. Why not write your own TSR to intercept all keystrokes and translate the LK250's PF1 scan code (or whatever's appropriate) to the corresponding scan code the terminal emulator expects? Just make sure you can remove the TSR from memory after using it so you don't blow away any programs that do respond to the real PF1 scan code. It's better to light one candle than to stand and curse the PC software developers .... RSTS SIG Message # 289 0 replies Reply to # 288 Left by: Phil Anthony On 18-May-88 At : Here Subject: Avoiding Spurious Logins And if you're using DHs or their successors (DHUs, DHVs) that support split speeds, you could simply set the outgoing Baud rate to 0 .... SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 213 0 replies Left by: MIKE MCKINNEY On 18-May-88 At : 803-223-8357 X 271 Subject: RECORD DESCRIPTION FOR SYSUAF.DAT DOES ANYONE HAVE A DATATRIEVE RECORD DESCRIPTION FOR SYSF.DAT THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO SHARE? IF NOT, HOW DO I GO ABOUT FERRETING OUONE? MIKE APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 226 0 replies Left by: JAMES J RONALD On 18-May-88 At : 619 485 5599 X7125 Subject: USING RMS WITH C I AM LOOKING FOR AN EXAMPLE ON HOW TO USE RMS WITH C. I WANT TO CREATE AN*HNAi VMS SIG Message # 602 0 replies Left by: STEVE WILLIAMS On 18-May-88 At : (212)613-8737/(201)963-0298 Subject: VMS MESSAGE UTILITY THIS IS IN REGARD TO THE ARTICLE "VMS MESSAGE UTILITY", VOL10, NO2 (APRIL 1988) Paragraph 7 of the above article gives erroneous information concerning error message severity levels. The correct information is that the five error levels have low-bits values of 0 thru 4 (not 5) and that the even values (not odd values) indicate that something is wrong. The odd values (not even) indicate everything is OK. To begin an article based on creating error messages by giving incorrect data on how error messages should be interpreted is a crime! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Mesage # 176 1 replies Left by: RICHARD DEVENEZIA On 18-May-88 At : SPECIAL METALS CORP Subject: KERMIT / X-MODEM I am looking for executables that will andle Kermit and/or X-modem transfers on a MicroVA running uVMS. Where is the best place to find something like this? Willing to send TK50 and handle postage to get this going... APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 227 1 replies Left by: RANDY L. DOP On 18-May-88 At : 612/830-5912 Subject: TDMS SCROLLING REGIONS I am in the process of using TDMS to front-end some FORTRAN code using scrolling regions. I would like to be able to scroll through the data and then when the cursor is on the line that the person wants, press to select that data. I'm having problems figuring out how to make the request work to perform that function. We've got Version 1.7 of TDMS on a 11/750. If anyone has done anything close to this, I would like to talk to you. Thank you. Randy L. Dop TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 214 0 replies Reply to # 212 Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 18-May-88 At : (303) 492-5262 Subject: LN03/SERVER/PC Ken, I haven't gotten into VMS services yet so no guarantees on the elegance of this solution. One way to print to an LN03 attached to a Decserver from a PC is to define the printer as a service, connect to the service from the local prompt at the server, then "hotkey" out of your terminal emulator and print to the com port. You may have to assign the com port to LPT1, etc. VMS services may have another way of packaging this function, I'll know in a month or two. Kent SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 214 0 replies Reply to # 212 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 18-May-88 At : Subject: OOPS.. If you have one drive, it will be CSA1 and if you have another it will be CSA2, not CSA0 and CSA1 like I said... PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 285 1 replies Left by: BILL WEISSBORN On 19-May-88 At : (214) 980-7924 Subject: SYS SERVICES & C I am new to the world of C on a VAX and am having a difficult time in calling system services that require an item-list, ala getjpi, etc. I would be very grateful to anyone who could show me how to construct the item-list so that I can call routines such as $getjpi. Thanks DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 371 0 replies Reply to # 357 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 19-May-88 At : HERE Subject: UUCP FOR VMS DEC's VAX/Shell product also includes some level of support for uucp (i.e. I've seen it in the manual.) DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 372 0 replies Reply to # 362 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 19-May-88 At : HERE Subject: MESTA The MESTA is simply another vendor's clone of a DESTA; it has nothing to do with thickwire Ethernet. The big difference between the MESTA and the DESTA is that the DESTA hangs off a transceiver cable that runs from the CPU I/O bulkhead, while the MESTA plugs right into the bulkhead directly. Depending on the logistics of your environment, one or the other might be preferable (e.g. the MESTA might require more thinwire cable, while the DESTA requires a transceiver cable). The only "official" ways to connect thin-to-thickwire are with a DEMPR or the relatively new single-port DESPR. However, within some limits, and recognizing that you're potentially breaking quite a few Ethernet rules, it is possible to hang a connector-converter on the end of a thickwire cable and attach a thinwire cable to it... only recommended if you know what you're doing. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 286 0 replies Reply to # 285 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 19-May-88 At : HERE Subject: SYSTEM SERVICES FROM VAX C There are quite a few examples of using system services from VAX C on the Digital Software Information Network's VAX C on-line database. If you don't have software support, that won't help you much, though. There are _some_ examples in the VAX C documentation as well. I can't launch into a discussion here without knowing more precisely what your problem is. Most people have trouble with the system services that require "descriptors", since descriptors are not a builtin data type in C. There are examples in the documentation, though. The major guidelines are: 1. A system service parameter which is specified in the VMS docs as "by value" can be passed by value, e.g. i = 3; sys$whatever(i); /* or sys$whatever(3), whichever */ 2. A system service parameter which is specified in the VMS docs as "by reference" must be passed using the address-of operator, e.g.: sys$whatever(&i); 3. A system service parameter which is specified in the VMS docs as "by descriptor" must be passed using the address of a "descriptor" structure, e.g. sys$whatever(&foo); /* where foo is declared as * struct dsc$descriptor... as * described in the C docs */ 4. You cannot leave out parameters; if a system service requires "placeholders", you must use an explicit 0 instead, e.g. sys$whatever(param1,0,0,param2); /* NOT param1,,,param2 */ I hope this is of some help... SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 215 0 replies We are about to upgrade to a 6210 from a 780. We are mainly running allin1 and SAS. Has anyone experienced any problems or can offer any advice? . Thanks Left by: GREG SMITH On 20-May-88 At : AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH Subject: 6210 VMS 5.0 TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 215 3 replies Reply to # 201 Left by: MICHAEL SULLIVAN On 20-May-88 At : 212-794-7484 Subject: VT320 I am interested in your experience with the new VT320. I had one for about a week and had to send it back. There were numerous problems which caused headaches and eye fatigue for myself and others in my office. The most significant problem was a general fuzziness of the characters on the screen which caused severe eye strain in a very short period of time. We also do alot of work in 132-column mode and the VT320's character set in that mode was unreadable. We couldn't distinguish "m" from "n" and "w" from "u". It was awful. There was also a definite "bowing" of both the left and right margins I assume that some of these problems could be adjusted, but the problems in 132-column mode would not be adjustable. Luckily for us, DEC took back the terminal (our DEC representative took a look at the terminal and agreed with us) and I'm now using my trusty old VT220 again. Have you, or has anyone else out there, suffered the same fate? UTILITIES SIG Message # 264 0 replies Left by: MIKE MCKINNEY On 20-May-88 At : 803-223-8357 Subject: DTR RECORD DESCRIPTION FOR SYSUAF OOPS! STILL LEARNING ABOUT ARIS. DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECORD DESCRIPTION FOR THE SYSUAF.DAT? IF SO WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SHARE? IF NOT, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO BUILD A DTR RECORD DESCRIPTION FROM A RECORD DUMP, GUESS, ETC? I SURE WOULDLIKE TO BE ABLE TO GET LAST LOGIN, LAST PASSWORD CHANGE, PRIVS, ETC WITHOUT USING AUTHORIZE -- ONE USER AT THE TIME! THANKS, MIKE CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 259 0 replies Reply to # 249 Left by: MIKE MOSKO On 20-May-88 At : DIGILOG Subject: VAX PSI 4.1 COMMENTS We have used DEC's VAX PSI 4.1 in several installations of our product. In general, it seems to work quite well. We had some initial up front problems just understanding all the parameters and configuration options. But our problems were more programmer oriented than from a user's point-of-view. I've notice some sluggishness across the packet network, but this seems to be due more to the packet network than to PSI. NJ Bell uses VAX PSI and we can access their VAX through a PAD, run our application (which is very screen intensive), and exit cleanly. I don't know what you have in mind, but at least I can say that it does work. We have not tried VAX-to-VAX over a packet network yet, however; strictly remote terminals. ALthough, allow extra time for a learning curve and installation. UTILITIES SIG Message # 265 0 replies Reply to # 260 Left by: MIKE MOSKO On 20-May-88 At : Digilog, Inc. (215)628-4530 Subject: VT-320 PROCESS SWITCHING I use a VT-320 and I have not found a way to do actual process or task switching except for what Brian mentions. Although, what he is talking about is not true process switching since you have to log on and off, etc. The only way I have done true switching with this terminal is with two terminal lines - I do the switching manually!! This terminal is not documented as supporting that facility, so I doubt if we'll have the ability unless a program is written that can detect a special string sequence and change processes in midstream. Sounds good to me. If anybody knows of such a program, I'd be real interested also. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 373 0 replies Reply to # 369 Left by: MIKE MOSKO On 20-May-88 At : Digilog, Inc (215)628-4530 Subject: DECNET TIMEOUTS We had similar problems with our DECnet network. I increased the INCOMING and OUTGOING TIMERS and that solved our problem. I increased them to 180 on all of our nodes. Note that I did not touch the RETRANSMIT FACTOR. Increasing this (if you have problems already) is that it will just take longer until the link is disconnected. At least increasing RETRANSMIT FACTOR did not help our situation which is why I left it at 10. Give this a try and see if the problems go away. UNIX/ULTRIX SIG Message # 31 0 replies Left by: GEOFF CRAWFORD On 20-May-88 At : 516-243-1700 Subject: FLOPPY CONVERSION I currently have a floppy formatted for MicroVaxII Ultix but my system doesn't have a floppy drive. My software vendor says floppy or nothing so now I'm searching for some kind of conversion to TK50 or TK70. My DEC rep says there are people out there doing such conversions but I have yet to hear from any. CPU'S SIG Message # 38 0 replies Left by: TOM WOOD On 20-May-88 At : 813 585 9806 Subject: 11/24 UPGRADE I'm looking for information/comments regarding upgrading a 11/24 with any third party CPU system. The only one I have some info on right now is Nissho Elec N1100 and N100 Plus. Can anyone give me some pros/cons regarding this approach or any other vendors hardware. You may call at any time and I thank yuo for any help/comments you may be able to offer. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 352 0 replies Left by: TOM WOOD On 20-May-88 At : 813 585 9806 Subject: BACK ISSUES DEC PRO To Any one who has a need I have several years of back issues of DEC Pro, RSTS Pro, Personal & Professional. if yuo want to pay the postage there are yours. Send me a list of what yuo want. Tom Wood P.O. Box 1327 Largo, FL 34649-1327 DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 374 1 replies Left by: LINCOLN CHANG On 20-May-88 At : (408) 727-8222 Subject: NEED KERMIT FOR/TO SUN MICRO Help! I have Sun Micro 286 workstation and MicroVMS (also VAX/VMS) and I need to transfer files between SUN and VAX, anyone can help me would be greatly appreciated. Is there any DECUS tape that have KERMIT source code to SUN ? How can I get a tape cartridge with KERMIT on it such that I can load KERMIT to SUN? Thanks. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 288 1 replies Left by: DAVID GRAY On 20-May-88 At : 301-768-2188 Subject: FORTRAN RECORD STRUCTURES Help, I need the advise of a veteran VMS fortran programmer>. I'm currently working on an application project where I need to use the library function LIB$TRA_EBC_ASC to translates an EBCDIC record into an ASCII record using fortran record structures. My problem is that I'm a C programmer and I just can't get them to work. They don't want to work with equivalencs or assignments or being passed to a subroutine. I tried equating a record structure to a character string to avoid the problem, but it did not work either. HELP!!!!!! DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 375 0 replies Reply to # 374 Left by: Phil Anthony On 21-May-88 At : Here Subject: Kermit for Sun Can't help you with a tape, but source code for C-Kermit (UNIX/XENIX) is available on Brian Nelson's University of Toledo bulletin board. See Mes- sage 261 in this SIG for details. Or you could get the nine-track magtape with source for multitudes of Kermit implementations from Columbia University, if that would be suitable. PC'S SIG Message # 159 1 replies Left by: MENACHEM ROSENBLUM On 21-May-88 At : APTOOLS INC. Subject: DECNET-DOS Would like to get some information about DECNET -DOS product. If You have any ... Please let me know. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 185 2 replies Left by: FRAN SHIELDS On 21-May-88 At : 215-293-0410 Subject: MAXTOR DISKS AND 8MM TAPES I currently have a MICROVAX11 and 3 RA81's. Unfortunately, this system is not in a "conditioned" environment and the room is generally at about 70-80 degrees. Rather than upgrading the environment (which cannot be done in the near future) I've considered getting MAXTOR disks which will reduce the amount of heat generated by the system (RA81's generate approx 2200 BTU's per hr. where MAXTOR is about 300 BTU's). Therefore, I can get about 4 MAXTOR's to replace my RA's and reduce the heat 3 fold. Sound's pretty flashy huh? (by the way, I have another location which needs the RA's). I've also considered getting an 8mm tape drive from SI - one of the RA's was used as a "backup disk". Any thoughts on: 1. MAXTOR drives? 2. 8mm from SI? 3. Environment? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 177 0 replies Reply to # 176 cLeft by: ROBERT UNDERWOOD On 21-May-88 At : 302-695-1053 Subject: KERMIT ON MICROVAX I've got KERMIT running on my MicroVAX. If that's what you're looking for, give me a call M-F, 8am-2pm and I'll see what I can do for you. Regards PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 289 0 replies Reply to # 288 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 22-May-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: STRUCTURE FOR LIB$TRA_EBC_ASC David - here's your solution to setting up a /structure/ to translate your data records from EBCDIC to ASCII. I think your problem is that you need to pass a character string descriptor to LIB$TRA_EBC_ASC, rather than using the name of the /record/ defined by the structure. From your description of the problem, I assume you want to read in a string of bytes as a record from a file, translate from EBCDIC to ASCII, then do something with the individual fields within the record. Suppose you have a 100 byte record containing five separate data fields of varying length, the total length adding up to the number of bytes in a record (100 bytes). Verily ........ Structure /myrec/ union map character*100 a_rec ! assume 100 byte rec end map map character field_a*20 ,field_b*10, field_c*20, 1 field_d*40, field_e*10 end map end union end structure record /myrec/ foo c ... read in a record from tape, disk, whatever into foo.a_rec call lib$tra_ebc_asc (foo.a_rec, foo.a_rec) c (NOT "call lib$tra_ebc_asc (foo, foo)" ) c ... at this point you can diddle with the individual fields in the c record, referenced as foo.field_a, foo.field_b, etc. This is off the top of my head - I'm not 100 percent sure of how many arguments you need for LIB$TRA_EBC_ASC, but the rest should be correct. Good luck ! Kitty :-) MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 186 1 replies Reply to # 185 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 22-May-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: YOU NEED A BACKUP DEVICE Fran-- I don't have any experience with an 8mm tape drive, although I've heard good things about them. But I strongly encourage you to get some sort of a tape drive for backups. It's pretty hard to use an RA81 for an offsite backup--as you describe your current setup, you're safe if a disk dies on you, but if something happens to your computer room, you sound like you're in very tough shape. I'm also surprised you're able to keep the room temperature below 80 degrees in the summer with an MV and 3 RA81s. You must have some pretty good office air conditioning equipment. The Maxtors sound like a good bet to lower the strain. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 187 0 replies Left by: CHARLIE BOSCO On 23-May-88 At : 2B Subject: DISK BENCHMARKS To David W. Bynon: Upon reading your tests on the Micropolis 1500 series, I was very interested in the benchmark you used. In fact I do a lot of benchmarking at our site and would like to know if I could get a copy of it or at least some more information on it. VMS SIG Message # 604 1 replies Left by: MARTIN KING On 23-May-88 At : 1-813-541-6411 Subject: UNIX "TAIL" COMMAND IN DCL I am looking for a way to get a DCL equivalent of the "tail" command in UNIX. Basically I want to be able to type only the last page of a long file to see the status of a batch process. This would be useful to check a log file without having to scroll through the whole thing. Thanks! Martin J. King Baxter Healthcare Corp. Largo, Florida VMS SIG Message # 605 2 replies Left by: MARTY KING On 23-May-88 At : 813-541-6411 Subject: MODEM DIALING PROG. I am looking for a public or private program that will store telephone numbers and then dial out on a Hayes type modem on a MicroVAX II . The modem is on a modem serial port. I am using the $set host/dte command. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 188 0 replies Reply to # 186 Left by: FRAN SHIELDS On 23-May-88 At : (215)-293-0410 Subject: BACKUP Kelvin, Thanks for the input. You are correct about the room temperature - it gets above 90 degrees in the summer. The 70-80 is the current temp. About off-site storage. We have another location with several VAX's and strict backup which we net masterfiles to on weekends to accomplish the off-site storage problem when using an 81 as daily backup. We do have a TK50 on-site - but se it sparingly. I agree with your comments, we need an 8mm! TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 216 0 replies Reply to # 215 Left by: Steve Thomas On 24-May-88 At : (714) 974-7676 X286 Subject: VT320 Terminal I'm using a VT320 right now, and it has proven itself worthy of it's $450 price tag. I have henceforth had no problems with the terminal, and I am very pleased with it otherwise. The terminal looks very sharp, is extremely inexpensive (by DEC standards) and has that DEC "toughness" to it, like the VT220. From what I understand, DEC has almost buried the third party terminal market with this little gem, too. Usually, you expect to pay a little more for a piece of DEC equipment, and usually get what you pay for. What a pleasent suprise it is to see the terminal beating most other terminals in the area of price! Mabey there's hope for Big Brown after all... Steve Thomas (0qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq(B RSTS SIG Message # 290 0 replies Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 25-May-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: FILE TRUNCATION FUNCTION In RSTS V9.5, I remember reading that a new function had been added to allow a user to truncate a file open on a channel. As I remember, it was a new SPEC% function. I know I saw a description of how to use it, but now that I need it, I can't find it. I've looked in the release notes and the Software Dispatch, but either it's not there or I've got a blind spot. Can anyone tell me where to find the info? I'm sure I have the documentation needed--I just can't figure out where to look. Thanks in advance. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 137 2 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: BOB CHRISTENSON On 25-May-88 At : (515) 754-3854 Subject: DISK OPTIMIZERS I evaluated 4 optimizer ackages over a 3 month period earlier this year. The packages were RABBIT-7, Squeezpak, Diskeeper, and Diskit. I also read extensively on the subject form any source I could get my hands on. The one truth I learned from this experience is to NEVER believe what you read, NEVER, NEVER trust ads and be highly suspicious o all product evaluations by anyone except yourself. Each computing environment is different and the requirements of each will dictate the best solution for your site. An example .... If I were to believe the evaluation, hype and hoopla advertising surrounding the product DISKEEPER, I would have bought it without an evaluation. After all, winner of (another mags) NEW DISK SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR AWARD. Highly recommended by DEC Professional, "No more weekends at work for system managers" advertising approach by the company. Does it do windows? The product would NOT run on our systems. Fatal error. No estimate on the problem solution. Too busy selling software. The point being, there is "another side to the story". ANY body out there having problems with the package? I have heard many horror stories of large multivolume databases being made garbage by some packages. I would get as many references as possible from all sources and check them. You are turning loose a package that has the power of destruction in its innards. I would suggest reading the information in the DECUS Pageswapper articles concerning disk optimizers, gettrial software to run on non-production or recently backed up (image) packs, (they all should provide it for FREE, If you have to pay, tell them to forget it.), and scrutinize the bejeebers out of it. Use the analysis utilities supplied with each package to cross check the other packages. Providing self evaluation software is like the wolf being left to guard the sheep. If you wish to further discuss this, please call me at the number listed above between 7:30 and 17:30 Central time. P.S. Oh yes, no matter what any one says, the only way to fully defragment a pack (within the normal resource limitations most of us have) is to BACKUP/IMAGE to a different media and then BACKUP/IMAGE/INIT back to the pack. P.S.S We bought RABBIT-7. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 217 0 replies Reply to # 215 Left by: MIKE MOSKO On 25-May-88 At : Digilog (215)628-4530 Subject: VT320 COMMENTS I am using a VT320 and have no complaints. I used to use a VT102, so this is a nice step up. I particularly like the black on white better - less eye strain because of the non-glare tube. I've seen none of the issues you have mentioned on this tube, nor does the 132 column mode pose any real difficulties except for requiring the magnifying glass. I'm in agreement with the other fellow concerning this tube. DEC will cause a lot of panic in some manufacturers with this price/performance ratio. Note that some doctors (optometrists) suggest the black-on-white is better for your eyes while preventing less headaches. This is particularly noticeable when looking at a listing printed in the same way (black-on-white) and switching back-and-forth with the tube, etc. Just a little hint. I've notice a dramatic reduction in headaches since. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 290 2 replies Left by: DAVID LAZARUS On 25-May-88 At : 201-709-7542 Subject: NEW USER I am a new user to ARIS and I think it great. I guess it took going to my first DECUS in Cincinnati that has opened my eyes to the wealth of information available to DEC users. I transferred my first program today MODIFY from the DEC 1987 VAX PRO and encountered two problems. 1) I transferred the file using the ASCII option and found numerous NAKS and ^M's in my file. How can I remove these. Neither EMACS,EVE/TPU, or EDT would do the trick in a mass-change mode. I would appreciate any insight on this. By the way,I took the file out of the VAXNET.LOG file,is there a better way? 2) My compile of the MODIFY program yielded 85 errors. Since this program far exceeded my FORTRAN knowledge,I wonder what I was doing wrong. Or are there problems? I thank you for your patience. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 228 0 replies Reply to # 227 Left by: CURT SNYDER On 26-May-88 At : 714-752-4760 Subject: TDMS SCROLLING REGIONS Bad news. You can't get there from here. At the Decus Symposia in Anaheim last year, this concept was presented as a wish list item in a session I gave. The TDMS software development manager wrote it down and indicated this had been expressed many times before. Perhaps in a later version.... I finally gave up and used FMS to accomplish the same thing. FMS requires more coding, but provides a higher degree of functionality. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 291 1 replies Reply to # 290 Left by: Phil Anthony On 26-May-88 At : Here Subject: Editing downloaded files Dave, I can't speak to the errors you got, but you ought to have an editor that can do a global search-and-destroy on funny characters in your file - TECO. Sometimes I think it's the most all-around useful editor known to man, at least for text files ... uses less CPU than either EDT or TPU, too, though I'll admit that EMACS has also worked well for me. Your description of the results, by the way, makes me think that something was amiss either in your communications parameters or in your capture procedure. The ^M's I understand - it's a standard problem of capturing output from RSX-based systems, such as those using VMS, which terminate lines with instead of a combination. But the NAKs puzzle me. It couldn't have been escape sequences you were seeing, could it? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 292 0 replies Reply to # 290 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 26-May-88 At : Subject: MODIFY David, your errors most likely came from the ^M's at the end of each line. VAXNET when keeping 'logs' will put the carriage return at the end of the line. Which version of VAXNET do you have? Since ARIS supports both Kermit and now XMODEM, you should be covered - my version of VAXNET supports both Kermit and XMODEM so... The easiest way I have found to delete the carriage returns, is to go into EDT, or SEDT, and use your keypad 2 and the delete key. hit the keypad 2 to put you at the end of the line, then delete key to delete the last character (which would be ^M) then you can just start hitting those keys as quickly as you and the terminal can handle it. Yes, it is sloppy, but gets the job done. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 69 1 replies Left by: TOM HUKILL On 27-May-88 At : (313)-995-6514 Subject: RA81 REPLACEMENTS We are currently running 2 VAX clusters 1 of which has a disk farm of over 50 RA81 disk drives and the other anticipated at growing to the same if not larger size. Before we invest more money in the RA81 product we are interested in hearing from anyone with experience with either the SI85C or the SI93C and possibly the Emulex version of SDI compatible drive. As part of this, we are interested in improved performance (ie SPEED) when connected to an HSC50 or HSC70 controller. Also, we plan on doing our own maintenance so if that is a problem we'd like to hear about it. Anyone with comments or questions please feel free to call William F. Oakes at (313)-995-6514. He is the manager of the Hardware Systems group here. PC'S SIG Message # 160 1 replies Left by: MARK KUEHN On 27-May-88 At : (800) 328-6830 EXTENSION 446 Subject: PC VT220 TERMINAL EMULATORS I have been assigned the laborious task my choosing between the plethora of third party emulators. Currently we are using Kermit, but since that only does VT102 emulation, I would like ato get a emulator that supports full VT220 emulation (i.e. full 132 columns, true double high and double wide characters, and download character sets). I would appreciate comments on the different products people have tryed and are using. Thanks, Mark Kuehn TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 218 0 replies Reply to # 215 Left by: GARY WOLFER On 27-May-88 At : HERE OR (316) 543-6657 Subject: VT320 TERMINALS As a programmer who always likes to see (and use) the newest DEC equipment, I was very interested in getting my hands on a VT320. I recently purchased a couple o them and let some of my users try them out. The main application we run uses the 132 column mode and I had several users complain (as you did) about the M's and W's being hard to read (the W really looks like a U). I did, however solve the problem by downline loading a new character set to the VT320's. Since I have done that, they seem to like the terminal because the resolution of these characters is greater than 220's. The greatest feature of these terminals though (as stated by others), is the price and service contract charges. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 231 2 replies Left by: JAY L BELLER On 27-May-88 At : (718) 767-2304 Subject: SHAREABLE IMAGE & COMMON I have built a shareable image with 1 transfer vector to a main routine, according to procedures in VAX Manuals and past VAX Professional articles. The image is NOT shared - nor installed. It is intended to be a single entry point into a set of routines accessed via commands passed to the main routine (i.e, status = xxshr('calculate 5*23/7') ). The main routine calls various subroutines based on command parsing using CLI. The subroutines share common data using FORTRAN "COMMON" blocks. Since I do NOT want these COMMON blocks to be shared (i.e, global sections) they are all declared with the following PSECT attributes: psect_attr = cmn_block, noshr, noexe, gbl, ovr, pic, wrt The problem which I am encountering relates to a user-program which links to my sharable image. The user program wants to transfer data to/from the sharable image using COMMON blocks of the same name and SAME PSECT ATTRIB. When the user-program is linked to the sharable image initially, EVERYTHING WORKS FINE!!! However, when changes are made the Sharable Image program the user-program DOES NOT ALIGN THE COMMON BLOCKS CORRECTLY. Note that I am NOT changing the COMMON blocks' structures, I am typically modifying a few lines of program code. I would think that by virtue of their psect names that they should always align correctly. User-programs which do not use the COMMON blocks have no problems with changes to the sharble image. If you're curious, I'm using standard option GSMATCH=LEQUAL,1,101 incrementing 101 by 1's. My goal is to be able to have a way to pass data from the sharable image to the user program using fairly simple data structures. That is why I chose COMMON blocks. There are about 15 different COMMON blocks in use, 1 for each data type and several for compound structures (records). When communicating with the sharable image there is only 1 argument passed - a command line. Any external data transfer is being performed using the COMMON blocks. It's really frustrating having to relink those programs which depend on the COMMON blocks!!! I am NOT very "internals-smart". I got this far by example and by deduction. I have asked a few people with more "internals" knowledge, but none had specific experience with what I am attempting. Please won't you help if you can or ask someone else who might help? I've been having this trouble for a while now. Thanks PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 293 1 replies Reply to # 291 Left by: DAVID LAZARUS On 27-May-88 At : 201-709-7542 Subject: TRANSMISSION Phil,thanks for your reply. About an hour after I wrote,I realized a solution. I used the LEARN command of EVE to do the editing. Are we transmitting wrong? We use ASCII transfer and then I edit the VAXNET.LOG file where everything is. If there is a better way,I'd appreciate it. On another subject. Is it possible to look into an executeable image and scan for object modules? Have a good holiday everyone. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 219 0 replies Reply to # 55 Left by: JANICE KALL On 27-May-88 At : (619) 587-0787 X441 Subject: LASER PRINTERS FOR WPS PLUS TALARIS SYSTEMS OFFERS A 15 PPM LASER PRINTER, CALLED THE TALARIS 1590 PRINTSTATION. IT FEATURES FULL LNO3 PLUS COMPATIBILITY AND FULLY SUPPORTS WPS PLUS. IT IS A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN $4,000 ($8490), BUT OFFERS TWICE THE SPEED, MACHINE LIFE AND HAS TWO PAPER TRAYS CAPABLE OF DOING WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. CONTACT TALARIS FOR MORE INFORMATION. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 138 0 replies Reply to # 137 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 27-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: DYNAMIC LOAD BALANCERS COULDNT AGREE MORE! I HAVE FOUND SALES REPS WOEFULLY INADEQUATE IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRODUCTS THEY ARE OFFERING. THIS IS ESPECIALY TRUE OF 4GL/DATABASE PACKAGES!!! CAN IT DO THIS....POSSIBLY.....DOES IT SHARE FILES.....I BELIEVE SO.....CAN IT LOCK RECORDS IN A PC LAN ENVIRONMENT...... I WILL HAVE TO CHECK ON THAT ONE.....AND SO FORTH. WE APPLIED FOR A 30 DAY TRIAL FOR A DYNAMIC LOAD BALANCER, GUARANTEED TO BE A SYSTEM'S MANAGER RESIDING IN YOUR CPU ADJUSTING THE SYSGEN PARAMETERS EVERY X SECONDS AS CONDITIONS CHANGE. WHAT COULD BE BETTER ? INSTALLED ON OUR 8350 IT CAUSED THE SYSTEM TO HANG UNEXPECTEDLY EVERY 3-4 HOURS. WHY ? THEY NEVER COULD SAY. IT TOOK A WEEK TO FIGURE THE PROBLEM WAS THE NEW SOFTWARE AND NOT A CPU PROBLEM. THERE IS CERTAINLY THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY. GET REFERENCES, NOT PROMISES. MORE IMPORTANTLY, DON'T PAY FOR IT UNTIL FULLY SATISFIED ,NO MATTER WHAT THE CONTRACT SAYS. IT IS YOUR ONLY HAMMER, AND IT IS A BIG ONE. KEN MIGLIONICO FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 70 0 replies Reply to # 69 Left by: KEN MIGLIONICO On 27-May-88 At : 201-567-9314 Subject: RA81 SUBSTITUTES THERE ARE SOME GOOD CHOICES FOR WHAT YOU SEEK. PRICE/PERFORMANCE IS A MAJOR GAIN, BUT WATCH OUT FOR MAINTENANCE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE ON THE EMULEX SMDI, AN EXCELLENT UNIT, WITH SOME RESERVATIONS. I WILL CALL YOU TO EXPLAIN IN DETAIL OR YOU MAY CALL ME AT 201-567-9314. HOME PHONE 201-537-4808, DON'T HESITATE TO CALL. MY SCHEDULE IS HECTIC SO IF YOU DO NOT HEAR FROM ME, PIN ME DOWN WITH A CALL. KEN MIGLIONICO DIRECTOR MIS CALLCENTER SERVICES VMS SIG Message # 606 0 replies Reply to # 605 Left by: DAVID BYNON On 28-May-88 At : Subject: DIALING A HAYES MODEM Several programmers have modified the DTE_DF112.MAR file, provided with VMS, so that it will dial your HAYES modem for you using the SET HOST/DTE command. As I remember, one of the DECpro authors even published an article on how to patch the existing file, so as to not violate Uncle Digital's copyright. I have a modified version (who knows where it came from...), which I use on a daily basis. To make like easier, I command procedure which searches for a free modem line, as I have several, allocates the port, sets the baud rate and then dials the number I supplied as a parameter, i.e., $ CALL 1234567 or $ CALL DECPRO where DECPRO is a symbol. Look back through your DECpros, you'll find it. David Bynon MicroVAX Editor SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 139 0 replies Reply to # 129 Left by: DAVID BYNON On 28-May-88 At : Subject: VAX CONFIG & CAPACITY Lou, You are correct, a VAX is a virtual memory computer. However, as the cost of hardware (and in this case memory) goes down, we should begin to change the way we configure our systems. Capacity planing is difficult, as you must pull together all of the variables. The fact is, most of the time we miss something and get caught with our pants down. It's always better to make the system a little large for the application than a little small. emory is one of those resources that you can never have enough of. Even though the VAX is capable of paging, i.e., moving pages of memory into and out of a processes working set, it shold not be forced to do so excessively. This is what happens when your working set is too small. If memory is available, it should be given to a process as fast as possible when it needs it. Now, in order to live up to this scheme, a system must on hand enough memory to fulfill the average working set quota for the number of users who will be using the system. All of this is based on what I use to design a system that will perform well. It is not to say that a VAX, or rather its processes, must be given a wealth of memory. We know this isn't true, but when we short a process of the amount of memory it could freely consume we rob the system of CPU cycles due to memory management overhead. David Bynon MicroVAX Editor UTILITIES SIG Message # 266 1 replies Left by: TERRY CARTER On 29-May-88 At : 202-268-5105 Subject: DISK DEFRAGGERS Reading through the messages about disk defrag utilities, such as RAXCO's Rabbit-7, leaves me wondering: Are there any horror stories out there? Since the dialogs on this subject took place about a year ago, do any of you have anything to add now? I'm studying the possibilty of using one of these products on a VAXcluster. Endorsements interest me --particularly when someone has been using one for at least a year-- but there MUST be some horror stories to be told. For instance, has anyone first hand experience with any of these programs being terminated while doing the defragmentation? Any problems due to user error? How do these programs affect system performance while they're working? Any response will be greatly appreciated! MICROVAX SIG Message # 113 1 replies Left by: BILL NADDY On 29-May-88 At : 907-276-4245 Subject: MICROVAX II TO III UPGRADE Does anybody know if DEC has any plans to offer an upgrade package from the MicroVax II to the MicroVax 3000...for a reasonable price. We're CPU bound and I'd much rather upgrade my CPU than cluster. Bill Naddy USKH Anchorage, AK. 907-276-4245 PC'S SIG Message # 162 0 replies Reply to # 160 Left by: Phil Anthony On 30-May-88 At : Here Subject: VT220/PC Emulation Mark, I wish you well. To the best of my knowledge, the best VT220 emulator in the business at present comes from Polygon Software, though SoftKlone (developers of Mirror II) has a VT220 emulation driver in beta test - you might call them at (904) 878-8564. Last I heard, though, neither of these will handle true double height-double width, 132 column display, or downloadable character sets, nor will any other I know of. The problem isn't that software developers couldn't do it in a stable hard- ware environment, if the hardware in question had the capabilities you need, but that the hardware isn't stable. Are we talking CGA, VGA, EGA, or Hercules boards? or maybe a nonstandard one from Wyse or another of the clone manufacturers? or CGA/EGA emulation on a mono CRT (e.g., Compaq, or the Toshiba or Grid laptops)? How do you handle a plain ol' IBM mono (nongraphics) board, of which there are still a whole lot around? The an- swer is that, to the best of my knowledge, nobody has even tried to do true emulation of these features for VT10x, much less for the relatively uncommon VT220/VT240 tubes. If you really need these features, your best bet might be to get hold of the source code for MS-Kermit and write your own emulator into it based on a standard (for you) graphics board. Then be prepared to rewrite it com- pletely if your company ever switches to OS/2. Your second best might be to pay one of the communications software companies to create a custom VT220 emulation for you, though I wouldn't expect it to come cheap; the folks at SoftKlone might be most receptive to such a proposal, since they're a smaller company that seems to have a greater following among software devel- opers and integrators than among the general public. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 353 1 replies Left by: G N WILLIAMS On 30-May-88 At : (613) 584-3311 (VOICE) Subject: E The subject should be RE: An article in a back issue of DEC Professional A colleague of mine was interested in an article called "A B Tree in C" by Philip G. Anthony in the November 1986 issue of DEC Professional. I could not find it in the downloadable section of ARIS. Is is not available in computer- readable form? My local telephone extension is 3249. Thanks. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 354 2 replies Left by: FRED HERZOG On 31-May-88 At : (201) 878-7864 Subject: DISABLE CONT We are running Ingres based applications on a VAX 8650. Use of control Y's within INgres ar dangerous since they tend to leave back-end processes running (the processes which do the actual DB I/O) , thus rendering the ingres database unusable. We can d works fine. Our problem is that users tend SET NOCONTROL=Y w to hit multiple Control C's which escelate to a Control Y. Is there any semi-simple way to disable the use of Control Cs before an application is run? Thanks! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 179 0 replies Reply to # 172 Left by: CHARLES RANSOM On 31-May-88 At : 202-646-2400 Subject: ASCII<>VT100 If you are using pc's there are a number of good terminal emulator's that would take care of your problem. Charles MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 189 0 replies Left by: NEAL GARVIN On 31-May-88 At : (203) 482-9511 Subject: 5-1/4 DRIVES IN MV/BA123 Does anyone have any experience with any of the third party 5-1/4" high capicity drives in a MicroVAX II BA123 cabinet configuration? I am looking for an alternative to DECs Q6 Microvax ^ SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 140 0 replies Reply to # 74 Left by: MARK SHAFFER On 31-May-88 At : (302)-366-8211 Subject: PRIORITIES/SWAPPER Re message 74: You are mistaken on two points: 1) There is no problem whatsoever with user processes with base priorities of 16 through 31. These are termed "real-time" processes, as opposed to "normal" processes with priorities 0 through 15. The difference is that real-time processes do not have their priorities adjusted from base as normal processes do (as you noted), and are not subject to rescheduling due to quantum end events (hence there is no round-robin scheduling of real-time processes of the same priority, as with normal processes). 2) The SWAPPER process is never in any danger of attempting to swap itself out. SWAPPER chooses an outswap candidate from amongst the processes on the various scheduler queues, and it will never find itself on any of these queues because while it is looking it is, of course, the CURRENT process. All of this is explained in the "VAX/VMS Internals and Data Structures" manual (available from Digital Press, order number EY-8264E-DP), which is a very important, albeit expensive, book to have around. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 260 0 replies Reply to # 255 Left by: JOHNH L. HOLLAND On 31-May-88 At : (214)591-3393 Subject: DECNET FAILURE Pete, Thanks for the suggestions. I changed the modparams.dat file (pagedyn and some others) which seemed to help. I will be monitoring it very closely. John L. Holland JCPenney Catalog Graphics System Manager Dallas, TX MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 355 1 replies Reply to # 353 Left by: Phil Anthony On 31-May-88 At : Here Subject: A B Tree in C Ah! my public! I *knew* somebody out there must be reading this stuff! I was just never sure who .... If the good folk of DEC Professional can't locate a machine-readable copy of the code, give me a call at (215) 884-9128 - late Friday afternoon, 03-Jun, would be a good time according to my current schedule - and I'll arrange for you to download it. It may have changed a little bit; if I recall, I re- tooled it slightly for Microsoft C on PCs instead of the DECUS C compiler of 1980. But you'd be welcome to pick it off my system. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 356 0 replies Reply to # 354 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 01-Jun-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: CONTROL Y Fred, its a shot in the dark, but how about: $ ON CONTROL_Y THEN CONTINUE one would logically assume a multiple control/c or control/y would rebound and just continue with what it was doing... Of course you know how logic works- the most logical solution is often illogical. UTILITIES SIG Message # 267 1 replies Left by: JOHN A. ASTARITA On 01-Jun-88 At : (201) 474-4837 Subject: DATATRIEVE USING TIME FIELDS I AM TRYING TO GENERATE A REPORT IN WHICH I NEED TO FIND THE DIFFERENCE OF TWO DATE FIELDS. I AM SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN THE TIME DIFFERENCE. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE DTR HAS THIS FUNCTIONALITY BUILT INTO IT OR ONE OF ITS FUNCTIONS??? I AM A NOVICE DTR USER, BUT I HAVE ALREADY SPENT MANY HOURS SEARCHING THROUGH THE MANUALS FOR SOME GUIDANCE. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW OF AN EASY WAY TO MANIPULATE TIME WITHIN DTR??????? JOHN A. ASTARITA UTILITIES SIG Message # 268 0 replies Reply to # 266 Left by: ALAN ALTO On 01-Jun-88 At : 804-490-5269 Subject: DISK DEFRAG I HAVE USED THE RABBIT-7 PACKAGE FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR, AND HAVE NOT ENCOUNTERED ANY BAD PROBLEMS. WE RECENTLY PURCHASED THE SQUEEZPAK SOFTWARE, AND I HAVE BEEN USING THIS FOR ABOUT A MONTH. I LIKE THE PERFORMANCE OF SQUEEZPAK BETTER THAN RABBIT. SQUEEZPAK HANDLES OPEN FILES, (SYSTEM DISK) BETTER THAN RABBIT, AND THE DEFRAGMENTATION SEEMS MORE EFFICIENT. SQUEEZEPAK ALSO HAS A RECOVERY ROUTINE THAT WILL FIX ANY FILES RUINED IF THE SYSTEM WENT DOWN DURING A RUN. (HAVEN'T TRIED OR EXPERENCED THAT YET). THE SQUEEZEPAK ALSO HAS A SOFTWARE CALLED PAKMANAGER WHICH WILL AID YOU IN THE MONITORING OF YOUR DISK USE (OR ABUSE). GOOD LUCK, BUT AS SAID BEFORE, GET A TRIAL FIRST TO BE SURE YOU ARE SATISFIED. MICROVAX SIG Message # 114 1 replies Reply to # 113 Left by: JEFF CORBETT On 01-Jun-88 At : ARIS (EVENTUALLY) Subject: BE REASONABLE If you can believe magazines other than DEC PRO, it was reported that the uVAX II to uVAX III upgrade kit made an accidental, short lived appearance on the Electronic Store, but they didn't report the listed price, so I can't say whether the price will be reasonable. DEC will probably hold out on officially announcing this gem until they can sell some 3600 and 6210's to this world's impatients. Why don't you want to cluster? My LAVC is great. (I wish my 750 was a 3600, but, who doesn't?) APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 232 0 replies Reply to # 231 Left by: JEFF CORBETT On 01-Jun-88 At : ARIS (EVENTUALLY OR 803/297-9290) Subject: WHERE IS IT LOCATED From your discussion, I think I see the problem. You must have declared the common blocks in the shareable image, otherwise it would not have linked. Therefore your programs expect these common blocks to be located in the same place they were when your programs were linked with the shareable image. When you change the code in the shareable image routine, you change it's size and therefore relocate the common block data, which is evidently located after the routine. Your (already linked) programs have no idea that this has occured and therefore look in the location that the linker told them, which is now wrong. I'm not sure (yet) how to work around your problem. I think you may be able to create the equivalent of a transfer vector for the starting location of your data; however, FORTRAN is not a language with which I have much experience. If I have any great revelation on this matter, I'll try to add it to this conversation. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 72 0 replies Left by: PAT CONNORS On 01-Jun-88 At : ARIS Subject: DECPAGE LOGO HELP Does anyone out there know the correct format for LN03 font files. DECpage requires this format for it's logo files, and nobody at DEC support (atlanta) has any idea what it is. We already have a sixel file that puts the logo on the LN03 printout, I just need to know how to get into a format that DECpage recognizes. Any help would be appreciated. Pat UTILITIES SIG Message # 269 0 replies Reply to # 267 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 02-Jun-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: TIME MANIPULATION IN DTR I know of no direct way for Datatrieve to calculate the time difference between two USAGE DATE fields. (Subtracting the dates gives you the integral number of days between the dates.) How 'bout an indirect way? (Usually the ONLY way to get anything done in Datatrieve.) Assume D1 and D2 are two date fields, containing date and time. DECLARE H COMPUTED BY FN$HOUR( D2 ) - FN$HOUR( D1 ). DECLARE M COMPUTED BY FN$MINUTE( D2 ) - FN$MINUTE( D1 ). DECLARE S COMPUTED BY FN$SECOND( D2 ) - FN$SECOND( D1 ). DECLARE ELAPSED COMPUTED BY ( H * 3600 ) + ( M * 60 ) + S. The ELAPSED variable will give you the number of seconds between the two times. This works so long as the two times are within the same date. If that is not the case, you can figure in the days by using FN$JULIAN(), assuming the two dates are within the same year. If that is not the case, then give up. This can be adapted to calculate to the minute, hour, hundredth of second, or whatever granularity you need. John. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 357 0 replies Reply to # 354 Left by: STEVE THOMAS On 02-Jun-88 At : 714-974-7676 X286 Subject: INGRES/CONTROL-C I tried to do exactely what you're doing a long time ago using an old version of Ingres. I tried everything I could. I failed. The basic problem is that Ingres tries it's own ^C handling, and really gets in your way when trying to do things like get around what they've done. I haven't played with Ingres in a long time, and perhaps they might have changed things by now--but I doubt it. Note: I was using embedded C/QUEL (or whatever it's called), and I had a great deal of flexibility too; it came down to this: you can get rid of their exit handlers, but you don't necessarily want to do this, since data integrity might be at stake. For now, I would yell as loudly as possible at RTI (I had the same problem three YEARS ago!), mabey they'll finally do something. S.R.T. MIGRATION ISSUES SIG Message # 36 0 replies Left by: HERB BEDWINEK On 02-Jun-88 At : 201-284-2753 Subject: WANG VS COBOL TO VAX/VMS COBOL I am interested in contacting any users converting WANG VS COBOL online screen ce Manual" or SMG$ routines. I would also like to know if any user's have used any third party conversion packagesfor this task. Herb Bedwinek ITT Avionics Dept 63601 Nutley, New Jersey 07014 201-284-2753 COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 180 2 replies Left by: BRENT COVINGTON On 02-Jun-88 At : 213-689-9888 Subject: VAX TO IBM COMMUNICATIONS I would like my VAX to interactively communicate with an IBM mainframe. I am not able to hook any hardware to the IBM since it does not belong to our company. What I would like is for the IBM to think that the VAX is a 3270? Is this type of connection possible with software/hardware on only the VAX? Regards, Brent Covington VMS SIG Message # 609 0 replies Reply to # 604 Left by: BAAKE On 02-Jun-88 At : (619) 450-4343 Subject: UNIX "TAILS" COMMAND I created a program to do this in FORTRAN. The algorithm is to simply cycle through the file with reads and save the last N lines to an internal buffer, where N is a user supplied number or a default of 20. Then when the end of file is reached, the program will dump the buffer to te screen. This will work on any ASCII file. However, if all you are interested in is the batch log file, you could use the DCL SEARCH command, and look for a string which you know will be at the end of the file, such as "Accounting information" or "Charged CPU time" as follows: $ SEARCH/WINDOW=40 BATCH.LOG "Charged CPU time" This could also be encoded into a short DCL program with the log file name as the P1 argument, and the number of lines as P2. VMS SIG Message # 610 0 replies Reply to # 604 Left by: DON BAAKE On 02-Jun-88 At : (619) 450-4343 Subject: UNIX TAILS COMMAND The quick and dirty way to do this is to use the DCL SEARCH command, and look for a string you know will be at the end of the file. For batch log files, this could be something like "Charged CPU time". The command would then be as follows: $ SEARCH/WINDOW=40 BATCH.LOG "CHARGED CPU TIME" This could be coded into a short DCL program giving the file name and number of lines to type as arguments. The harder way would be to write a program in the language of your choice, have it open and read the file to be searched. As it reads each record, the program should store the last N records to an internal buffer. When is reaches the end of the file, it can then dump the results to the output device. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 358 0 replies Reply to # 355 Left by: G N WILLIAMS On 02-Jun-88 At : (613) 584-3311 X 3249 Subject: RE: A B TREE IN C Thanks Phil. I'll try and phone late tomorrow afternoon. We are in Ontario, Canada so I presume the time is the same or at most one hour behind Philadelphia. Regards, GNW VMS SIG Message # 611 1 replis Left by: CHARLES PRUDENCE On 03-Jun-88 At : (703) 876-8021 Subject: CHECKSUMS NEEDED Folks, I need a checsum utility. This utility should accept as input a file name and return as its output a large (say 10 digits) number based on the INVARIANT contents of the file. The invariant contents of the file include the text for source files and the executable portions for executable files. Thus, the checksum must ignore the time stamps, debugger information, etc. I need this in order to verify the correctness of site configurations. We deliver source files to our customer, who compiles them on the target machine. When the customer reports an error, I need to be able to confirm that he compiled things correctly. I would like to run the checksum on the executable suite at the target and confirm that the suite matches the suite on the development machine. Help! Charlie COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 181 0 replies Reply to # 180 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 03-Jun-88 At : HERE ON ARIS Sbject: ASCII -> 3270 EMULATION Much of the answer depends on how many terminals need to access the IBM system at the same time. If only one or a few terminal(s) need to access the IBM system, then you could probably put any one of a number of vendors' protocol convertors on a few lines and have your users SET HOST/DTE or Kermit or whatever through them. If you have a number of users that need to be on the IBM, then a better solution would probably be to use (I've forgotten at this point, are your users on a VAX? If so, then read on.) VMS/SNA, with 3270 Terminal Emulation layered o top. Your system would then look like an IBM 3274 Terminal Controller, in that case. You would also have to add a synchronous communications boar of some flavor in your VAX backplane. PC'S SIG Message # 163 0 replies Left by: DON KOOKER On 03-Jun-88 At : (215) 243-1564 Subject: BREAK SIGNALS ON PC I've been trying to send output from my pc/xt to a laser printer through a decserver 200. I need some way to send a BREAK signal out the COM1 serial port s that the server can automatically disconnect from the printer service when it is no longer needed. Does anyone have a few lines of assembler, turbo pascal, or turbo C code that will send a BREAK signal on the COM1 serial line? SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 141 0 replies Reply to # 127 Left by: BOB ZISEK On 03-Jun-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: DISKEEPER Mark; I have evaluated DISKEEPER for the past 45 days, and will definitely buy it! I just wanted to tell you that the product is worth every penny,simply because it saves the system manager hours and hours of thankless time doing image backup/restore operations in order to keep the disks defragmented. What I really am impressed with is the way DISKEEPER runs. I, like yourself, had it running as a hibernated process, and never had to worry about it from there. The only thing I did do was to every day list the output file that it creates to list the files DISKEEPER did or could not move. The action algorithm that it uses is also quite nice. DISKEEPER knows when to "kick in" and start another defragmentation pass. Once I have the product in house for all of my Vaxes, I know that I won't have to concern myself with disk fragmentation any more!!! Also, the people at Executive Software seem to be very nice and helpful. Regards, Bob Zisek MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 190 0 replies Reply to # 185 Left by: Bruce A. Grembowski On 03-Jun-88 At : 408/291-3364 Subject: MAXTOR Disk Drives Fran, I have seen very few problems with the Maxtor drives my clients use. In fact, only one problem has been definitely pinned down to a Maxtor drive in three years. These are smaller (140MB) than the RA81, but hopefully Maxtor will have the same degree of reliability in their bigger drives. As for environment, I've been told that up to 80 is okay, as long as there isn't a big flucuation in temperature. Our PDP's air conditioner broke down one Friday night, and the thermometer was broken when I got in Monday morning (above 100). We only lost one of the four RA80s in there. I don't know if the MAXTOR could handle that kind of heat, but the ones my clients have are never in climate-controlled rooms, and they seem to do okay. Hope this helps, Bruce PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 295 0 replies Left by: DAVID GRAY On 03-Jun-88 At : 301-768-2188 Subject: THANKS KITTY Kitty thanks for the great advise. Your suggestions worked great PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 296 0 replies Left by: DAVID GRAY On 03-Jun-88 At : 301-768-2188 Subject: EBCDIC INTEGER CONFUSION Help, does anybody know if ibm integers are stored in the same fformat as VAX integers? I'm trying to read an IBM tape consisting of data stored as 2*binary???? Can I read this data with a simple fortran read with a format of I2? A associate suggested that IBM's integers are stored in backward notation? Oh, Kitty if you are reading this message thanks for the great advice.You have made a friend for life. Thnanks, Dave Koramt PC'S SIG Message # 164 0 replies Reply to # 160 Left by: BOB SHERMAN On 04-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: VT-220 EMULATOR I HAVE USED SEVERAL EMULATORS THAT COME WITH PC COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGES SUCH AS PROCOMM, BITCOM, ETC. MOST OF THEM LACKED LUSTER. AM CURRENTLY USING VTERM 220 AND LIKE IT A LOT. RECOMMENDED. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 182 0 replies Reply to # 180 Left by: Phil Anthony On 04-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: VAX/IBM Communications Not enough information, Brent. What does the remote IBM mainframe expect to find coming in? If the remote site has protocol converters on dial-in phone lines, you're in luck. All you have to do is write a VMS program that as- signs a port, dials out over an asynchronous modem, and hands the protocol converter what it expects to see - e.g., the appropriate codes generated by a VT10x or whatever; just make sure to read what the mainframe sends back through the protocol converter and handle all possible error messages, ABEND codes, etc. If the remote system speaks only 3270, however, you have more of a problem. You may be able to hang a protocol converter and synchronous modem off your VAX, or you may have to go the whole nine yards with DEC 3270 emulation on a synchronous port. Why don't you talk to whoever manages the remote mainframe and find out what that system is prepared to receive? Then talk to your DEC sales rep about what you need to accomplish it. VMS SIG Message # 612 0 replies Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 06-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: BUG IN VMS BACKUP V4.6 For general interest, there is a bug in BACKUP V4.6-V4.7 which requires you to have PHY_IO privilege to write to a tape drive (although TK50's seem to work without it). The Digital CSC states that it should be fixed in V5.0. A quick fix is to install BACKUP with PHY_IO privilege. You must also install ENCRYPSHR as /OPEN/SHARE/PROTECTED. VMS SIG Message # 613 1 replies Left by: JAY SHAH On 06-Jun-88 At : (212)306-8445 Subject: TERMINAL DRIVERS On VMS, does anyone have source for VT, TT, PTY or similar terminal drivers? I haven't seen examples of such drivers anywhere. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 220 2 replies Reply to # 220 Left by: WES LEATHEROCK On 06-Jun-88 At : 405 291-6196 Subject: LQP02 ON VAX WITH VT-320 We are running a MicroVax II with All-In-1. Recently we added a VT-320 terminal with an LQP02 attached to the printer port. When we try to print (using destination "PORT LQP02") we get the first couple of lines OK, then it turns to junk. The logical thing would be that the data is overloading the buffer in the LQP02, but it should have given the VAX an XOFF in plenty of time. It might also be relevant that the VT-320 gets access through a modem (Hayes 2400) through the telephone network to the MicroVax. Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 221 0 replies Reply to # 185 Left by: WES LEATHEROCK On 06-Jun-88 At : 405 291-6196 Subject: SHEET FEEDERS FOR LQP02 We have bought several sheet feeders for the LQP02 recently from Midwest Systems, 800-328-7000 VMS SIG Message # 614 0 replies Reply to # 588 Left by: DON KOOKER On 06-Jun-88 At : (215) 243-1564 Subject: PRINTER CHARS You should look at the extra character being included to get some idea what attribute is causing the extra character. Im using hp laser printers and have no problem. It sounds about the right place for the print symb. to be putting a form feed. What is the form length for that device? When I encounter problems like this, I usually hook a pc onto the line and capture the characters and look for things like carriage returns or form feeds. Hope this helps. VMS SIG Message # 615 1 replies Reply to # 604 Left by: DON BAAKE On 06-Jun-88 At : (619) 450-4343 Subject: UNIX "TAILS" COMMAND The quick and dirty way to get to the bottom of you batch log file would be to use the SEARCH command with the /WINDOWS= option. You should specify a search string which you know will be at the end of the file. This could be something like: $ SEARCH/WINDOW=40 BATCH.LOG "CHARGED CPU TIME". This could also be encoded into a DCL procedure which could be called with the file name and number of lines to type as arguments. The long term fix would be to write a program in the higher level language of your preference which would work on any type of file. It would have to store the last N records read to an internal buffer, then dump the buffer when the end of file is reached. Good luck. Don Baake SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 216 0 replies Left by: CRAIG MCINTIRE On 06-Jun-88 At : (703)620-7188 Subject: UNIBUS MONITOR LOOKING FOR A UNIBUS PERFORMANCE MONITOR, EITHER SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE WELCOME. THANKS, CRAIG MCINTIRE UNISYS CORPORATION RESTON, VA MICROVAX SIG Message # 115 0 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: BILL NADDY On 06-Jun-88 At : 907-276-4245 Subject: MICRO UPGRADE Jeff, nothing against clustering but dollars are dollars and I'd rather have a raise than lots of wonderful hardware! I didn't know this had shown up in the Electronic Store...wish I had been looking when it did. I know they will someday - even at $20K how may MicroII owners would sign up? I asked our regional DEC manager and he declined to comment. Anybody else heard any rumors? VMS SIG Message # 616 0 replies Reply to # 611 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 06-Jun-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: Shall we assume you have tried VMS's CHECKSUM command???? $ CHECKSUM filename and the checksum will be stored in the symbol CHECKSUM$CHECKSUM... MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 191 0 replies Reply to # 156 Left by: STEVE FLEAGLE On 07-Jun-88 At : (319) 335-7672 Subject: TAPE PERFORMANCE In message 156 Jeff Corbett says that a MVII will not stream @75 ips. This seems reasonable. As I get ready to purchase a 9 track tape for my MVII what should I consider for performance? Should I get something with resonable start/stop performance if tape capacity is important to me? Most popular drives for MVIIs are of the streaming variety, when am I buying too much speed? Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 222 0 replies Reply to # 220 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 07-Jun-88 At : HERE ON ARIS Subject: CHECK FOR THIS Make sure that the characteristics are properly set between the LQP02 and the VT320. By that I mean check the number of data bits, the parity and (rarely) the number of stop bits. If these are not correct, then even though most of the characters being printed are correct, the LQP02 cannot do flow control since the VT320 doesn't see the proper XON/XOFF characters. We have seen this sort of thing happen, and that was the fix. VMS SIG Message # 617 1 replies Reply to # 613 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 07-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: DRIVER Other than source fiche I have no idea where you can get the driver code since it is licensed material. Also, note that VT devices are part of TTDRIVER (CONNECT VTA0/NOADAPTER/DRIVER=TTDRIVER) so you don't need to find two drivers. What is PTY? VMS SIG Message # 618 0 replies Reply to # 615 Left by: MARTY KING On 07-Jun-88 At : 813-541-6411 Subject: TAIL COMMAND HELP Thank you very much Mr Baake. I will give this one a try! Marty King Baxter Healthcare Largo, Florida VMS SIG Message # 619 1 replies Left by: MIKE MCKINNEY On 07-Jun-88 At : HERE OR 803-223-8357 Subject: DTR LAYOUT FOR SYSUAF.DAT I MANAGE A 750 IN A COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT I HAVE ACCOUNTS COMING OUT OF MY EARS (SOME OF THEM VERY OLD.) I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO USE DATATRIEVE TO ACCESS SYSUAF.DAT (READ ONLY!) AND PRODUCE REPORTS, FIND "DEAD" USERS, ETC. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO BUILD A RECORD DESCRIPTION FOR THE SYSUAF?? THANKS! UTILITIES SIG Message # 270 0 replies Reply to # 46 Left by: TOM ALLEN On 07-Jun-88 At : (213) 627-6557 Subject: COMPRESSION UTILITY I realize this a a rather late response to message #46 dated 1986, but I just became aware of a new commercial product which sounds like what you were looking for. FCX is a file compression utility which archives multiple files into a single, compressed file. It includes functions for listing the contents of the compressed file, and extracting files from a compressed file. FCX is available from Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. 72 Crooked Lane Cherry Hill, NJ 08034 (609) 779-1422 I haven't used this, I'm only passing on the information from a mailing I just received. I myself am looking for such a product, and might give it a try if I can find the money in the budget. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 261 1 replies Left by: JOHN LAPPETITO On 07-Jun-88 At : (313) 353-3300 Subject: EXCESSIVE SEND/RECIEVE ERRORS FOR DECNET LINE USING THIN WIRE COAX CABLE WE HAVE RECENTLY RELOCATED OUR COLLECTION OF VAXSTATIONS AND MICRO VAXES TO ONE FLOOR OF OUR BUILDING. IN SETTING UP THE NETWORK WE CHANGED FROM A STAND ALONE DELNI CONFIG USING TRANSCEIVER CABLES TO THIN WIRE COAX CONNECTED TO THE VAXSTATIONS VIA DESTA'S. WE HAVE THREE THIN WIRE SEGMENTS COMING OFF A DEMPR. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO GO SMOOTHLY. ALL THE STATIONS CAME UP UNDER THE NEW CONFIG WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. EXCEPT FOR ONE, WHICH COULD NOT BE PERSUADED TO TALK TO ANY OF THE OTHER NODES. WE RAN ALL THE DIAGNOSTICS AS SUGGESTED IN THE GUIDE TO NETWORKING, WITH NO CLEAR RESULTS. WE RE-RAN NETCONFIG AND RE-CREATED THE DEFAULT DECNET ACCOUNT. ALL TO NO AVAIL. IN CHECKING THE THINWIRE GOING TO THIS NODE IT APPEARED THAT THE CONNECTOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PUT ON VERY SECURELY. BUT THE NODE IMMEDIATELY DOWN STREAM FROM THE ONE HAVING PROBLEMS WAS WORKING JUST FINE. IT FACT THERE WAS ONLY THIS ONE NODE IN THE ENTIRE SEGMENT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS. SO WE MOVED THE STATION TO A DIFFERENT SEGMENT AND IT WORKED FOR AWHILE. WE CALLED IN THE HARDWARE PEOPLE AND THEY GAVE THE VAXSTATION A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. BUT THE SERVICE GUY DID NOTICE THE CONNECTOR ON THE CABLE. NOW SINCE THE CABLE IS THE ONLY PART OF THE NETWORK THAT IS NOT DEC IT IMMEDIATELY BECAME SUSPECT. ALSO IN INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM IT WAS NOTICED THAT THERE WERE AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF SEND AND RECEIVE RRORS INCLUDING SHORT CIRCUITS ON ALMOST ALL THE NODES IN THE NET. WHICH WE ARE TOLD ALSO SUGGESTS THAT THE CABLE IS BAD. THE THING THAT IS HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE CABLE THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO USE IN OUR DECNET WORKS QUITE WELL IN OUR PC NETWORK (NOVELL). ARE THE TOLERANCES SO FINE FOR DECNET THAT STANDARD RG58 CABLE WON'T DO THAT IT HAS TO BE DEC SUPPLIED CABLE? ARE WE AT THE MERCY OF DEC AND HAVE TO HAVE THEM MAKE THE CABLES FOR US? SO FAR, EXCEPT FOR ONE NODE THE NETWORK IS WORKING BUT STILL LOGGING ERRORS. WE WOULD BE INCLINDED TO LEAVE IT ALONE. BUT WE HAVE PLANS OF ESTABLISHING AN LAVC AND ALSO WANT TO INTEGRATE OUR PC NETS WITH THE VAX NETWORK. SO WE MUST RESOLVE THIS BEFORE WE STARTING LOADING THE SYSTEMLSO WE ARE GETTING STRONG SIGNALS FROM OUR DEC SERVICE GUY THAT THEY MAY BE HESITANT TO CONTINUE SERVICING A NETWORK THAT HAS NOT RECEIVED THEIR BLESSING. NOW I CAN APPRECIATE THEIR RELUCTANCE TO SPENDING A GREAT DEAL OF TIME FIXING PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SOME ONE ELSE BUT AT THE SAME TIME I AM A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS OF THEIR MOTIVATION --- IF IT'S NOT DEC WE WON'T FIX IT! SO I NEED TO BECOME EDUCATED IN THE FINER ASPECTS OF SETTING UP A DECNET ETHERNET. SO, IF ANY ONE HAS ANY INFO REGARDING CABLE TOLERANCES OR ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES FOR THIS PROBLEM I WOULD APPRECIATE HEARING FROM YOU. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 183 0 replies Reply to # 2 Left by: BOB GUSOVIUS On 07-Jun-88 At : 215-467-3299 Subject: DF03 INFO REQUEST I was wondering if anyone has info on the (old) DF03's. a friend just bought one used, for use at home with his Amiga (via it's RS-232 port). it's marked : P/N -0df03-AA REV UA-E we would like to hook it up for Asynchronous Operation at 300 & 1200 baud There are a few pages of Doc's here, but many pages are missing. We have the chart for setting up the 'modem' board for some of the dip switches , but not all. there are also (on the 'main' board) 7 locations for jumpers , where there used to be dip switches soldered (badly) in place , but, I removed them, because of the connections were not too good . If anyone could help out , we would appreciate it much. Catchya later, Bob Gusovius VMS SIG Message # 620 1 replies Reply to # 619 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 08-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: SYSUAF RECORD FORMAT Sounds like you want to do it the hard way! I have a record definition in BASIC for SYSUAF.DAT. If you can read BASIC you should be able to translate the code into DATATRIEVE format. I wrote a program some time ago which allows me to see who logged into the system after a user specified date. It could be modified, very simply, to see who logged in before a certain date. Give me call if you are interested in any of this code. I can FAX it to you or send by mail. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY 914-335-9792 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 144 0 replies Reply to # 137 Left by: GUY OLIVA On 08-Jun-88 At : LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Subject: DISK DEFRAGMENTERS We have been using Diskeeper for over a year at Lotus and haven't had any disks corrupted up to this point. We have it running on a variety of Vax models in two different clusters and on three different types of disk drives, RA81s, SA482s, and SI93Cs. It's running on user disks, shadowed disks, and a shadowed system disk. We haven't had any problems with their support services either. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 192 0 replies Reply to # 176 Left by: GUY OLIVA On 08-Jun-88 At : 617-225-1122 Subject: 3RD PARTY DRIVES We have been using SI93C drives sice they were released. I currently have 16 spindles installed, running off of HSC50s and 70s. They've been working so well that we just ordered an additional 24 spindles and hope to replace the remaining RA81s. The installatin was completed within 1-2 hours and their support has been very good. Of course, I don't see my engineer much since the drives have been running fine!! MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 193 0 replies Reply to # 185 Left by: GUY OLIVA On 08-Jun-88 At : LOTUS - 617-225-1122 Subject: 8MM TAPE DRIVES We just purchased a Transitional Technologies Inc. TTI 8mm tape drive. We'll be installing it this week on an 8700 with a Unibus controller. Then we'll test it to death!!! We chose TTI because of their Unibus controller option and some good references. Hopefully the testing will go fine and we may purchase other units, one of which might be the SI59 is they get a Unibus controller. Ideally, I'd like a BI or HSC interface but no one has that right now. Based on some reviews in "other" publications, 8mm and VHS are definitely worth a look as a means to backup large disk farms. We'll see... PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 297 0 replies Left by: CURT SNYDER On 08-Jun-88 At : 714-752-4500 Subject: VAX C CURSES The VAX C Curses library is giving me some strange interactions that I don't understand. I create a WINDOW which fills the entire screen. I then create another window (not a subwindow) which uses 6 lines by 20 columns. The new window is not rectangular when it appears. one or more lines are skewed by a few characters left or right. When the new window is deleted, the old window is not properly refreshed. This is on a VT220. Code follows: #include #include WINDOW *big,*small; main() { int i; initscr(); big = newwin (0,0,0,0); /* fill the large window with text */ wrefresh (big); small = newwin(6,20,10,20); /* this clears the small window, which is NOT rectangular */ i = getchar(); /* fill the small window with text */ wrefresh (small); i = getchar(); delwin (small); i = getchar(); endwin(); } Any ideas and can others replicate this? VMS SIG Message # 621 0 replies Reply to # 617 Left by: JAYESH On 08-Jun-88 At : 212-306-8445 Subject: PTY DRIVER The PTY driver is part of the DEC TEST MANAGER. It captures all terminal i/o and stores it in a file. The file is later used in regression testing. PC'S SIG Message # 165 0 replies Left by: LOU TAKACH On 09-Jun-88 At : UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL Subject: DATATRIEVE TO PC TRANSFER Hello out there ! This is my firts time using ARIS and I am really glad that this utility exists. I am the syste manager of a PDP 11/70 computer and am faced with a problem. Upper management wants to migrate to the PC world and eliminate the 11/70. Alot of us here at the SWITCH use DATATRIEVE extensively for a variey of applications. Does anyone know of a translator or a PC based database program that will use the DATATRIEVE data ? Any help would be appreciated. THANKS UTILITIES SIG Message # 271 2 replies Left by: LISA-EMR CANADA On 09-Jun-88 At : Subject: MODIFY UTILITY I I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 2 DAYS TO INSTALL THE MODIFY UTILITY PRESENTED IN I HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 2 DAYS TO INSTALL THE MODIFY UTILITY PRESENTED IN VAX PROFESSIONAL IN THE DEC/87 ISSUE. I AM LOOKING FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED THIS UTILITY. MY PROBLEM IS IN COMPILING THE FORTRAN CODE AS DOWNLOADED FROM ARISTALK. PLEASE PLEASE LEAVE A NAME AND NUMBER AND I WILL CONTACT YOU. UTILITIES SIG Message # 272 0 replies Reply to # 235 Left by: BRIAN T. CARCICH On 09-Jun-88 At : 617 747 8551 (soon to change to area code 508) Subject: SET DEF logical / MSG 235 This has nothing to do with translation characteristics of logical names, but it is a good example to enhance understanding of what "default" means. The problem was stated in message 235 something like this: ========================================================================== $ SET DEFAULT DUA0:[BRIAN] $ DEFINE LOGNAME DRB3:[CHARLY] $ SET DEFAULT A: $ SHOW DEFAULT A:[BRIAN] $ DIRECTORY Directory of [[1;7mDRB3:[CHARLY]... Why do SHOW DEFAULT and DIRECTORY seem to indicate different defaults? ============================================================================= Well... When you define a logical to be a device:[directory.subdir], you do not need to add the colon to the "SET DEFAULT logical-name" command. i.e. try "SET DEFAULT A", not "SET DEFAULT A:" I'm not sure, but I think that SET DEFAULT sees the colon and interprets A: as a device which gets prefixed onto your current default diretory. Then when RMS (or whatever) gets called via the DIRECTORY command, it translates the A (before the colon) in your default, "A:[BRIAN]", and finds "A" is "dev:[dir]". It then drops the extra directory and "dev:[dir]:[BRIAN]" becomes "dev:[dir]". I don't know why it drops the extra directory, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the way the $TRNLNM system service interprets colons. So if you start with your default as "dev1:[dir1]" and logical "A" is "dev2:[dir2]", then "SET DEFAULT A:" replaces the device of your current default, dev1:, with A: so your default is "A:[dir1]" which really translates to "dev2:[dir2]:[dir1]. The interesting thing is that SHOW DEFAULT gives the "A:[dir1]" response with no warnings, but of course that is just the way the DCL default works. It is important to remember that your default is just a string of characters in a certain syntax "node::dev:[dir.subdir1.subdir2.etc]", and the SET DEFAULT command only checks the syntax and does not care if the default specified really exists. SHOW DEFAULT used to be the same way; since VMS 4.0, however, it checks if the directory specified exists on the node and device, and issues a warning if it does not. In the case in the message I am replying to, SHOW DEFAULT's check must give the same result as DIRECTORY did in the previous paragraph, and so does not issue the warning. You might want to prove that with the following: Assumptions: - directory [REAL] exists on DRB3: - directory [FAKE] does not exist on DUA0: $ DEFINE A DUA0:[FAKE] $ SET DEFAULT DRB3:[REAL] $ SET DEFAULT A: !default is now A:[REAL] = "DUA0:[FAKE]:[REAL] $ SHOW DEFAULT A:[REAL] zzzzzzz-WARNING-RMS DUA0:[FAKE] does not exist !this response from ! SHOW DEFAULT would ! verify my above ! theories. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 298 1 replies Left by: SANEMING HUNG On 09-Jun-88 At : (408)988-5550 X.2169 Subject: CALLING FORTRAN RNT FROM C Help! I hope that someone can come up with a better solution to my current problem regarding calling a Fortran routine/function from C. My current solution involves establishing common blocks to serve as an interface between the Fortran and C routines. Can any one out there have any ideas on how to pass parameters (descriptors, references, etc.) between Fortran and C routines? Your help would be very appreciated! APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 234 0 replies Reply to # 231 Left by: BRIAN T. CARCICH On 09-Jun-88 At : 617 747 8551 (AREA CODE 508 AFTER 16.JULY) Subject: #235: POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ACTUALLY, SEVERAL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. The reason you are having problems was well described in the first reply to your message. This is essentially the same problem that you get around with by transfer vectors when you change the code in the shareable image code. So what you need is the equivalent of a transfer vector for COMMON blocks, or more generically speaking, for data areas. Well, the function of a transfer vector is to have a constant size "front-end" to your shareable image so the user program only links once to the transfer vector location which never moves even though the shareable image is relinked. Then you can do whatever you like to the actual subroutine transferred to by the transfer vector because the transfer vector jump to the main subroutine is set at shareable image link time. The problem you are having is apparently caused by the COMMON blocks being at a location after the subroutine. Since the linker crams all program sections nose to tail, changing the size of your code moves your COMMON blocks within the image at its link time, while the user programs only remember the location of the COMMON blocks at their own, now outdated, link time. This can be confirmed by looking at the link maps of shareable-image-#1, of user-program-linked-to-s-i-#1 and of modified-s-i-#2 (s-i = shareable-image). So to sum up, you need to have some way to keep the location of your COMMON blocks constant relative to the beginning of the shareable image that they are in. Sorry I am so verbose, but I'm trying to make sure you understand so you can debug and/or experiment. Anyway, Solution # 1 Put the COMMON blocks into a separate shareable image to which the tranfer vector'ed shareable image is linked as well as all user programs. You would do this with FORTRAN BLOCK DATA modules which have no executable code. This way, the COMMON block "transfer vector" equivalent is determined at link time. I'm not sure what hoops you will have to jump through to get the subroutine's shareable image to realize he only has to map to the COMMON block areas and not reserve room for them inside himself, but this may be this solution's Achilles heel. By the way, if you have a problem at run time with some error message that makes no sense, try inserting a dummy non-zero variable at the beginning of your first common block. I have had past experience (VMS 3, mind you), where VMS apparently gets confused when certain types of installed shareable images have "DEMAND-ZERO" data areas as the first byte. Solution # 2 Fix the total size of all sections of the shareable image that reside at locations in front of your COMMON blocks, as determined by the link map. In other words, as your subroutines shrink or grow from link to link, you have a buffer that grows or shrinks to keep the location of the first COMMON block constant. What I would suggest is a dummy COMMON block before all other COMMON blocks. After you change any executable code, do your compile and link wih a map. Then adjust the dummy COMMON block size so that the address of your first real COMMON block is restored to that of the previous link map, then compile and link again. This may get very complicated if all COMMON blocks are not contiguous. You will be using a lot of link maps with this solution. An alternative to a dummy COMMON block would be a data area defined in and assembler routine. Incidentally, I would make the dummy COMMON block about 5, or preferably 10 times bigger than all your executable code. Memory is cheap, especially when it's virtual. Solution # 3 Some how force the COMMON block location to be lower than any code which may be changed in the shareable image. Maybe a BLOCK DATA program module before the executable code would do this. This is what really throws me and may invalidate all of these solutions: I thought that the VMS linker always put the common data areas in an image before the executable stuff. If that is the case, my whole theory about why you are having this problem may be off. Maybe some of the special link options you are using affect the placement of the various program sections in the image. If that is the case, use those same statements to implement Solution 3. Another possibility is that when you said you were keeping the structure of your COMMON blocks, you might not have included "size" in "structure", but I doubt it. By the way, for your shareable image with only 1 entry point, I have a feeling you don't even need the transfer vector because the location of the 1 subroutine you use would never change because it is the only one. In essence, your main subroutine entry is already a transfer vector. I could easily be wrong about this, though. I have only read about transfer vectors, but the key here is to remember that VAXen only work with Addresses (locations)! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 185 0 replies Left by: DENNIS WOOD On 09-Jun-88 At : GARCO 509 244 5611 Subject: DECSERVER200 DYNAMIC MODEM In trying to configure a Racal-Vadic modem on a Decserver, I'm having a difficult time establishing what the server documentation claims should work for a dial-in & dial-out application. I have a port set to dynamic mode, etc., and made up a modem cable per their specs. that is with pins, 1->8,12,20,22,23. The outcome is that it works fine in answering calls, but when attempting to dial out, everything is fine up until th remote connection, where I just get garbled characters. In trying to isolate the problem with a break-out box, I've found that the DSR signal appears to be the problem. If I disable it, I have no problem making an out-going connect. But then it refuses to answer an in-coming call. I've tried all the VADIC modem's DSR signal options. The only option the server wants anything to do with is "DSR normal", which has the effect of holding DSR low until the call is initiated, all other settings leave DSR high when the DECSERVER conncts to the modem, and it does not seem to like it at all. Any suggestions more elegant than an in-line DSR-pin switch would be most appreciated. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 299 0 replies Reply to # 298 Left by: Phil Anthony On 09-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: C-FORTRAN Argument Passing First off - whose C implementation, whose FORTRAN implementation, and what operating system? If it's VAX/VMS, check your documentation for the passing mechanisms FORTRAN expects; I seem to remember that ints, longs, reals, and doubles get passed by address, while strings get passed by descriptor. I don't remember how arrays get handled, but the documentation should have that information. Passing one of the numeric arguments, then, would look like main () { . int i; /* An integer */ . double d; /* A double */ . void ftnroutine (); /* The FORTRAN routine */ . . ftnroutine (&i, &d); /* Pass address of i, address . of d - and note that register . variables don't have addresses . to pass */ . exit (0); } Since C doesn't know anything about descriptors, you'll have to roll your own, as in There is more... to continue?  main () { . struct desc { . char *addr; . long size; . } d; /* Standard VMS descriptor */ . char string[72]; /* The string */ . void ftnroutine (); /* The FORTRAN routine */ . . d.addr = string; /* Address of the string . (which C thinks of as . an array of char) */ . d.size = sizeof (string); /* Size of the string */ . ftnroutine (&d); /* Address of descriptor */ . exit (0); } Good luck! UTILITIES SIG Message # 274 0 replies Left by: JOHN ASTARITA On 09-Jun-88 At : (201) 474-4837 Subject: TIME MANIPULATION IN DTR Sorry the last message was trashed. Thanks for the tip on the time manipulation within DTR. I thought I had to create a macro within DTR to get the job done. I will try your suggestions tonight. Thanks again.....John LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 3 0 replies Left by: JOHN LAPPETITO On 09-Jun-88 At : (313) 353-3300 Subject: FLAG PAGE MODIFICATION I have an LN03Pls and would like to use the Flag separation option, but I cant find out how/or what to modify to print something that is readable. The best we've been able to do so far is to use the default flag page layout but to modify the the form associated with the printer so that the 132 colun format is truncated. I also have an LN03R postscript printer that generates a really slick flag page and I would like to do something similar. I've caled Colorado support and have gone thru all the manuals but I can't find any details as to how to do this. Help! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 186 0 replies Left by: DANIEL T. FREY On 09-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: AUTO DIAL DF126 MODEM CAN ANYONE SUGGEST HOW I CAN SET UP A COMMAND FILE THAT WILL AUTO DIAL MY DF126 USING THE 2780/3780 EMULATOR. IN ORDER TO CONNECT TO A REMOTE NODE I NEED TO EXECUTE THE FOLLOWING: $ R SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]REMOTE * SET LINE/ID=XGC * SET ON 3780 NOCOMPRESSION - * RECORDSIZE/TRANSMIT=80 - * RECORDSIZE/PUNCH_NONTRANSPARENT AT THIS POINT I CAN DIAL THE PHONE MANUALLY AND I CAN CONNECT, THE CONTINUE TO * SEND SIGNON*.JCL * RECEIVE/PUNCH< fiename> * SEND I WANT TO PUT THIS PROCEDURE INTO A BATCH AND HAVE IT EXECUATE EVERY DAY AT THE SAME TIME. PC'S SIG Message # 166 0 replies Reply to # 159 Left by: JOHN LAPPETITO On 09-Jun-88 At : (313) 353 3300 Subject: DECNET-DOS We have been using DecNet-DOS for about 2 years now, starting with v1.0. We use it primarily for file transfers between our PC and VAX networks. Version 1.0 was not bad but did not handle block image transfers properly (it did not give you the correct end of file, so you always had garbage in the last block). Version 1.1 corrected this problem. We have had v2.0 for a month now and they improved the interface significantly they now provide a menu system. We are having problems in using it as a terminal emulator, we can't get SetHost to work. But we haven't played with it a lot since we really only use it for file transfers. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 217 0 replies Left by: LUCY ALKHOVSKY On 10-Jun-88 At : (312)867-9600X231 Subject: UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLIES I would like to hear from any system manager with Uninterruptable Power Supply on their VAX. We need to get one ASAP and there are too many of them on the market. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated. Lucy. RSX SIG Message # 236 0 replies Left by: LOU TAKACH On 10-Jun-88 At : UNION SWITCH 412-369-2574 Subject: DATATRIEVE TO PC TRANSFER Does anyone out there know of a way to enable a PC based database program to use the data file from a DATATRIEVE database ? Upper management has the bright idea that everyone here should be working on a PC and that we should elimenate the 70. Since alot of us use DATATRIEVE, we need to be able to transfer the data to the pc. Any help would be appreciated ! THANKS..... MICROVAX SIG Message # 116 3 replies Left by: ART WELLMAN On 10-Jun-88 At : 602 483-0701 Subject: TK70 / TK50 TAPES HAS ANYONE SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF NOT BEING ABLE TO WRITE TO A TAPE WITH A TK70 ON A TAPE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN ON BY A TK50. WE HAVE PURCHASED A NEW 3600 AND INCLUDED IT IN OUR CLUSTER. TO OUR SURPRISE, WE CAN NOT USE OUR PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN TK50 TAPES AS OUTPUT ON OUR NEW TK70 ON THE MV3600. WE HAVE 90 SOME OF THESE TYPE TAPES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO USE FOR BACKUP... CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 90 0 replies Left by: STEVE OLFE On 10-Jun-88 At : MCDONNELL DOUGLAS - (314) 232-6132 Subject: MEMORY BOARD MANUALS DOES ANYBODY HAVE AN EXTR A COPY OF AN MS-11MB MEMORY BOARD MANUAL? IF SO THEN PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE æ*ABOVE NUMBER. THANKYOU..STEVEN OLFE VMS SIG Message # 622 0 replies Reply to # 620 Left by: TOM BYRNE On 10-Jun-88 At : 312-593-5706 Subject: SYSUAF IN DTR the record layouts you want are on the vax sig tape and the dtr sig tape. also some management procedures. also lots of references to this in the decus newsletter. if you can't get these, call me. i have some names and addresses. PC'S SIG Message # 167 0 replies Reply to # 87 Left by: JOHN P. ERBLAND On 11-Jun-88 At : 203-524-9596 Subject: THE GOOD OLD PRO 350 What has happened to the PRO users' group? If it exists, count me in! Although DEC has not been much help, I have put in a lot of sweat into my machine. Consequently, I am not ready to toss it into the attic just yet. Nonetheless, I would like to see more software for the PRO that I don't have to write myself. Topping my fantasy wish list is a fast Pascal compiler and linker ala Turbo Pascal for the PC. I am (also) reachable via BITNET: ERBLAND@HARTFORD UTILITIES SIG Message # 275 0 replies Reply to # 271 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 12-Jun-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: MODIFY Lisa, I have a few hunches as to what your problem is and what needs to be done to correct.... Please call me at the above number any Monday, Thursday, or Friday, and we can walk thru it... I had some problems too at first, and the solution was simple so hopefully... MICROVAX SIG Message # 117 0 replies Reply to # 116 Left by: BARTON BRUCE On 13-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: TK70 CAN'T USE TK50 TAPES Not only are all your old TK50 tapes useless for writing with your TK70, but guess what DEC will continue to send you for any software updates - MORE unusable TK50 cartridges!! This is the sort of stupidity that should get users FURIOUS! DEC should soon be out with their version (actually CYPHER's) of the IBM cartridge drive, and all smart users will be getting their software on CD rom, so we can soon forget our TKxx problems. MICROVAX SIG Message # 118 0 replies Reply to # 116 Left by: BARTON F. BRUCE On 13-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: RECOVERING TK70 CARTRIDGES After answering 116 I realised I had left out the way to write on a TK70 cartridge that has been written on a TK50 drive. You must BULK erase it. Consider seriously if you want a bulk eraser lurking around at your site, though, before buying one. As far as I know there is NO way to write on TK50 cartridges using a TK70 drive. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 262 0 replies Reply to # 261 Left by: BARTON F. BRUCE On 13-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: THINWIRE GREMLINS First you MUST realise that DEC's Thinwire cable in NOT RG58. It is close, but better. Belden/DEC went through about 25 or 26 different versions before they settled on what you now get. Ignore DEC's numbers. It is Belden 9907, or 89907 for Teflon. It has a slightly fatter center (for lower signal loss) and WON'T easily fit on standard BNC connectors. The DEC connectors are made by AMP who in their wisdom (arrogance? by someone other than DEC?!) makes them so they WILL NOT crimp reliably with the MIL spec HEX crimp tool we all have! You MUST buy their round die for the outside, which comes with a square crimp for the center conductor. Done right it won't pull off. DON'T MIX any RG58 wire or connectors or tooling with DEC type stuff without knowing exactly what you are doing! Many vendors make the cable to DEC's spec, and some BNC's are made for it (fatter center wire hole) but that will crimp with standard HEX dies. Get your stuff from a supplier that KNOWS what is going on. DEC's (only, last I heard) authorised distributor for DecConnect is Anixter. That is all mechanical problems, but they can lead to electrical ones. It sounds as though you have some easily findable electrical problems. I have run the cheapest RG58 cale and had no problems, but I wasn't pushing the 29 drop or 185 meter limits. If you have visible crushed and kinked cable, replace it. If a simple OHM meter reading at a Tee doesn't 'see' 25 OHMs (the two 50 OHM terminators in parallel), or worse sees less from a short somewhere, you have a simple problem to break your cable down into sections and isolate the trouble spot. Normally thinwire just goes in and runs. One last horrible thought. Did you run a branch cable off the side of a Tee a few feet some device? I shouldn't ask, but I have seen it done! Run your cable to a Tee that is directly on the DESTA, or whatever, and then the cable goes to the next such Tee or terminates in a 50 OHM terminator. VMS SIG Message # 623 0 replies Reply to # 605 Left by: BARTON F. BRUCE On 13-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: BETTER THAN SET HOST /DTE You really should look at VAXNET that is on the VMS (Decus) SIG tapes. It keeps getting enhanced, so get the latest. If you are feeling rich, get it from the Decus library, but otherwise beat on your local LUG librarian - he gets it free from the NLO on the general assumption that he intends to make copies for any LUG members wanting them. It was written by Robin Miller I think when was at Project Place. He since was at Northern Telecom in NH, and last I heard was at Compugraphics. Everyone uses it - good stuff. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 187 0 replies Reply to # 175 Left by: BARTON F. BRUCE On 13-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: REMOTE SERVERS I am a little confused about what you are trying to do. It sounds as though you have a remote site with terminal servers, and need 'something' to connect them to your LAN at thecomputers. DEC's routers (DECSA, DecRouter200) just won't do this. They would let Decnet host to host including SET HOST type terminal (C-Term) traffic but won't work for LAT (DS200, etc) traffic. It sounds as though you simply need an Ethernet bridge, but the remote type. The ones DEC sells are the italink Translan family. If only more people could afford them... Others now have lower priced and probably lower performance units that you can look at. ACC has units just under $5000, so an end to end pair would be just under a middle manager's $10k signing limit. These support up to 4 low speed links sharing the traffic, or can do two 56kb links. Also look at Microcom (THE MNP folks), and at Chipcom, and probably several others. If I have misunderstood your problem, maybe the following will help. There exists PC software that will boot a Dec teminal server! (call me if you need to get it). Emulex makes (or will make shortly?) a version of their LAT compatible server that has its code in ROM. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 73 0 replies Left by: STEVE SPACIL On 13-Jun-88 At : GE R&D CENTER Subject: TEX I'm trying to get TEX (PD version from Stanford) up on a mVAX II under VMS 4.6 with an LN03 laser printer. Can't get past the first step of converting GF font files to PXL font files needed by the LN03 (the GFtoPXL program says "Bad GF file: signature in byte nnnn should be mmm!"). Anyone using TEX with similar hard/software have any thoughts on this? TEX files were loaded from recent distribution tapes PC'S SIG Message # 168 0 replies Left by: PATRICK MADIGAN On 13-Jun-88 At : (206) 655-8909 Subject: VAXMATE EXPANSION BOX We recently purchased a Vaxmate for use with an image scanner. We need one expansion slot in the Vaxmate for the interface board for the scanner.The Vaxmate, of course, has no slots. Dec does offer an expansion box, but it comes with a hard drive. We will be using this system in a secret area, therefore do not want the hard drive. Dec's technicians said that they can't take the hard drive out of the expansion box, because that wouldscrew up the loading on the power supply (so get a big resistor!). Before we return the Vaxmate to Dec (they recommended that we buy it for this application) we would like to know if there ae any 3rd party suppliers out there who make a Vaxmate expansion box without a storage device built in. Vendors please call me at the above number between 6:00 AM and 2:00PM PST. thanks... Patrick Madigan DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 376 0 replies Left by: BOB KUHFAHL On 13-Jun-88 At : 17034813323 Subject: DECNET DOS & 3COMM I NEED TO KNOW IF DECNET DOS WORKS WITH A 3COMM PLUS BOARD OR ANY SMART CONTROLLER BOARDS. NOT HAVING MUCH SUCCESS WITH THE SALES REPS. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 188 1 replies Left by: JAMES REFFELT On 13-Jun-88 At : (914)246-3461 Subject: LEASED LINE SHARING (MUX?) I am looking for a device (2 devices) that would allow me to share an already installed leased line with an IBM system. Does anyone know of a manufacturer of a mux that allows two cpu's on one end and up to 32 terminals at the other ? Any leads would be appreciated. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 189 0 replies Reply to # 188 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 14-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: 2 CPUS ON 1 LINE It is easy to have 2 or more CPUs share a line, but there is all sorts of info you did not provide, so I have to make some hopefully good guesses, and give you a scatter-gun reply. CPUs are apt to use SYNC communication between themselves, but are apt to use ASYNC to terminals. That is true for the DEC world, but I have no idea what you need or the IBM hardware you have. If you have 2 CPUs at one end and they both have assorted ASYNC ports you need to haul to another site, you need a stat-mux. Statmuxes normally expect a SYNC line between them, but I think there are some that could hack an ASYNC composite link in between, even though it would be less efficient. Some statmuxes even come with built-in SYNC modems, but I think that is generally a poor idea as it limits your options and there are currently rapidly changing features and prices in the SYNC world as 14.4 4-wir modems prices plummet, and as the V.32 ASYNC/SYNC modems do true full duplex on one dialup call for backup at progressively lower prices as more companies scramble for market share. There are many many ASYNC statmuxes to choose from. If you need some ASYNC and some SYNC circuits mux'd together, it may get a little trickier. Some ASYNC statmuxes can handle some SYNC ports, but often simply split off that uch bandwidth permanently (see TDM comments below) rather than optimally using bandwidth only when actual data is present. Another way to handle mixed traffic is to use a SYNC mux and use some ports for your sync traffic and others to carry the SYNC composite (aggregate) of a vanilla ASYNC statmux. SYNC muxes used to be dumb TDMs (Tme Division Muxes) that simply split the available bandwidth into 1/2s or 1/4s or even 1/8ths, etc. An example would be one that took a 9.6kb line and gave you a 4.8, and two 2.4kb lines. The clocking can get a bit hairy, as someone (generally the highest speed port) has to beat he drums and all other ports have to march in step or at half speed, etc. Any unused bandwidth on a channel is not dynamically available to other channels. Many modems in the 9.6 to 19.2kb range have 4 or even 6 ports built in that provide this simple TDM function, and with plummeting 14.4 modem prices it may be almost as cheap to buy a 14.4 with a 6 way split as it is to buy a plain dumb TDM. But that is not the end. If you are across town, the following takes a while to pay off, but if the other end is thousands of miles away this next trick can pay off in mere weeks. There is a growing number of smart boxes that are best initially described as SYNC statmuxes, but that hardly does them justice. If you start by saying what they really are you get blank stares. A SYNC statmux would allow mixing multiple SYNC streams and would allow dynamic allocation of bandwidth to channels with live data as needed. Additionally there should be no clocking hassles. What I am about to describe does all that but also does much much more. What these are really is very sophisticated compressors. They go far beyond simple run length encoding of repeating characters, and include many different strategies all at once. They understand line protocol sync and framing bytes, and even understand some system's polling schemes. Recuring strings and popular characters are assigned symbols of less than 8 bits, and infrequent things are assigned longer than 8 bit symbols, or are left alone. This is Huffman encoding with lots of additional tricks, and the compression tables are (in the brand I will mention) dynamically created and changed as the traffic changes! A typical one of these boxes will take a 9.6 line and give you two 9.6 lines that will stay at 9.6, and 2 more that will be at 9.6, but being at lower priority might occasionally briefly be slipped back to a lower speed if buffers back up too much (in the real world this simply never happens on many installations!, but is there as a safety valve). A newer version of the box can take 8 streams and crunch them onto 2 trunks with auto dial backup for failed paths, etc. A faster version even can give ou 4 56kb lines out of one! These really work, but users seem to have some problem believing what they havn't seen before. The name generally associated with these is Symplex and the product is called a DataMiser. There are other vendors trying to catch up but I would use Symplex. Another totally different way to haul terminal and other traffic between 2 or more points is via Ethernet bridges connecting local LANs into a wide area net. Dec stuff will sure work! but I can't speak for the IBM stuff. But if the connections to the IBM CPU are async terminals, you could even use DEC terminal servers backwards (reverse LAT) with them providing service ports wired to the IBM machine to be accessed by other server ports connected conventionally to terminals. This can handle vast numbers of CPUs and terminals as long as you have fast bridges and adequate bandwidth (56kb up to multiple T1s, even). See #187 here in the COMM Sig for some such bridges. If these suggestions don't help, please be more specific about what you are doing and what wou have for equipment and lines. CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 91 0 replies Reply to # 85 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 14-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: MORE SUGGESTIONS... Where is the disk controller on your bus? Try it right after the CPU and memory, if it isn't there already. DMdrv means that is an OLD controller! Maybe old enough to not even understand BLOCK MODE DMA that a few years ago suddenly made the Q bus faster than the Unibus. I don't know what interface those disks use, but if you can you might try a newer controller. If it is SMD, try the Dilog DQ256. It can handle the latest 3megabyte/sec drives, and has 4 ports and is an MSCP controller so you use DUdrv and NO patches. It also does very clever optimizations. Emulex may have one this smart by now, too, but Dilog's 4 ports for the same price as some 2 port cards seems a good deal. I would have thought a 23+'s backplane was ok for a 73, a plain 23's might not be. But you have it, now. Is your 73 the KDJ11-Ax dual oem card or the nice KDJ11-Bx quad card? If it is the quad card, and if your new backplane has CD interconnect on the C + D fingers (as opposed to Q-Bus signals) you can get a nifty speed increase in the following way. The quad card is the same as the 11/83 or 11/84 CPU card except for clock speed. the 11/8x systems get their speed from 3 things. They use an 18mhz rather than 15mhz crystal. They use a special PMI (Private Memory Interconnect) protocol via the CD fingers of the cards to speed CPU to memory transfers. They include the hot floating point chip on the card. You need to get the PMI class memory. The MSV11-JD or JE (don't use the JB or JC early 11/84 memory as it doesn't understand block mode DMA) that is pdp11 PMI memory will work just fine (and faster than DEC wants you to go for the $s you paid for the 73) with the quad 11/73 cards but MUST (as in the 11/83) be in the Q/CD backplane BEFORE the CPU card! I.E. backwards from the normal CPU then memory lineup. Clearpoint makes a 4 meg PMI card that works well too, and theirs allows multiple 4 meg cards to coexist allowing you to bank-select 1/2 or 1 or 2 meg windows through up to maybe 64 meg! if you have many Q/CD slots before the CPU. Why are you just moving to 3.0? The RSX team sent M+ 4.1 to SDC just before Decus a few weeks ago. At least go to 4.0. Refering to MESS #87, I don't think there are NPR jumpers on the Q-bus that need removing. That is a Unibus problem. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 300 4 replies Left by: GERALD WAXLER On 14-Jun-88 At : Subject: BOOK WANTED VAX MACRO Does anyone know a good introductory to intermediate book to help me learn VAX Macro. Thanks. Jerry PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 301 0 replies Left by: GERALD WAXLER On 14-Jun-88 At : Subject: STANDARD VS K & R C DIFFS? Is there a good document anywhere that describes the differences between standard and Kernighan and Ritchie C? I am probably going to have to convert some code from K & R to standard and wanted to know what to expect. Thanks. Jerry GRAPHICS SIG Message # 66 0 replies Left by: GERALD WAXLER On 14-Jun-88 At : Subject: X11 TUTORIAL WANTED Does anyone know where to get documentation or a book on X11 window programming techniques. I would like to be prepared for the new Decwindows when it comes out. It is going to follow X11. Thanks, Jerry CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 263 2 replies Left by: JAY SHAH On 14-Jun-88 At : 212-306-8445 Subject: EXECUTING COMMANDS OVER NETWORK How can I execute a command on another VAX over DECNET without setting host to it ? For example, I am logged in SYSA and I have a file on SYSA which I want to queue to a printer on SYSB. I also want to give qualifiers (like PRINT /HEADER). Presently I have to log into SYSB. Any ideas ? TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 223 0 replies Left by: TIM DIBENEDETTO On 14-Jun-88 At : (215)-667-6100 Subject: VT220 CHARACTER SET I was reading some past issues of DEC PRO when I located an article concerning loading a new character set from the host. The article was understandable and very helpfull but I have run into a small problem. If I try to light up a pixel in the 8th column 2 pixels are lit!! I even tried the examples in the article for a resistor char and found the same problem. Is there a way around this?? By the way the article was in the 1986 December issue. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 194 1 replies Left by: BOB KUHFAHL On 14-Jun-88 At : (703) 481-3323 Subject: DECNET DOS & 3COMM+ I need to know if Decnet dos will work with an intellegent communications board such as the 3comm + board or for that matter any smart board. We are using IBM AT's on an ethernet LAN with an LAVC for the file server. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 265 0 replies Reply to # 264 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 15-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: CONTINUATION OF MESSAGE 264 Sorry about the previous message. I hit GOLD-E somehow. What you want to do is set up a DECnet task-task program. On the target node, you would create a file called, for example SERVER.COM, which opens the link and accepts command from the link. It would then execute them and pass the result back to the controlling program. Note that all output being sent to the controlling node must send some kind of character sequence (usually OK) to indicate that output is completed. Otherwise, the controlling program will hang. Give me a call if you want more info. I wrote a program sometime ago to do just such operation. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY 913-335-9792 VMS SIG Message # 624 1 replies Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 15-Jun-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: GETTING FILE CREATION DATE Hi! I'm seeking a way from BASIC to determine the creation date of a file. I know how to do it from DCL, but I need to do it directly from BASIC. I can figure out how to use the $DISPLAY RMS macro, but it looks like the file must be opened first. I don't want to open the file first. So, does anyone out there know of a way, analogous to the F$FILE_ATTRIBUTES lexical procedure, for getting the creation date of a file? Thanks in advance. John. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 377 0 replies Left by: JAMES FILLERS On 15-Jun-88 At : 205-934-1973 Subject: XMODEM WITH 1K BUFFERS VAX I wish to transfer files between my Vax750 and my MacII using a high speed modem(9600 baud). Regular Xmodem with 128byte buffers defeats the purpose of the high speed modem. Does anyone know of an Xmodem with 1k buffers for VMS? Thanx, Jim LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 5 0 replies Left by: JANICE KALL On 15-Jun-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: QUESTIONS RE: TALARIS Welcome to the new Laser Printer SIG on ARIS. A member of the Talaris staff will be logging in frequently to read messages and answer any questions you might have on laser printers in general or specific questions about Talaris laser printers. We welcome inquiries, questions, and comments about our printers. We hope that this SIG will be an information forum that can help users get the most from their laser printers. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 6 2 replies Left by: DAN FRASER On 15-Jun-88 At : (817)695-5086 Subject: LN03 MAINTENANCE SIGNAL RESET I have an LN03 printer that refuses to reset the light indicating a need for periodic maintenance on the printer. I have placed two containers of toner in the system and run two maintenance kits through it and it still flashes the 'need maintenance' light. Can anyone help me? I have powered it down and back up several times. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 378 0 replies Reply to # 372 Left by: DAVE MARLIN On 15-Jun-88 At : LITEL TELECOMMUNICATIONS Subject: MESTA REPLY Thanks Bill, I received a new MV2000 since my question was logged which has YOUR choice of thin/thick connector (delivered with both and a switch. Nice ! I have had one site runnng the DELNI / DESTA with DECnet, TCP/IP (unix and vms) CPUs plugged into the DELNI and three VAXstations run off the DESTA for a year with the only problem being that I had to move one of the MVIIs DEQNA to the head of the bus (right behind the TK50 controller) to fix some Xfer time-outs. I am planning to use the DEMPER connection in the future for MANY PC's . I also have changed companies and now have ALL the bandwidth in the world for the asking for my networking (we wholesale point to point digital fiber links) such as Wide area ethernets over T1/DS1. thanks for your reply CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 266 0 replies Reply to # 264 Left by: GREG SMITH On 16-Jun-88 At : AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH Subject: REMOTE COMMANDS If you only want to print DEC now offer Distributed Queuing Services QxZHK For other commands try copying a command file accross to the other node and do a SUBMIT/REMOTE RSX SIG Message # 237 0 replies Reply to # 187 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 16-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: RECOVERING LOST FILES If your files were lost simply because they are not in any directory, VFY will find them. BUT if you delete a file and 2 seconds later wish you had not, there is help available, but you should have it on hand before you get in trouble. Stop all writing to the affected disk and run REI (REIncarnate). It was on the RSX Sig tapes years ago. If you simply can't find it (you should look, as there is tons of good stuff on those tapes), I could be persuaded to stick it on a tape for you. RSX SIG Message # 238 0 replies Reply to # 192 Left by: BARTON F. BRUCE On 16-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: SOS SOS is an old editor some still use. SOS stands for Son Of Stopgap. RSX SIG Message # 239 0 replies Reply to # 162 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 16-Jun-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: LOG ON/OFF OTHER TERMINALS There is a task that came from an old RSX SIG tape thet was called RMC (Remote MCr) that lets you fire off a command on behalf of another terminal. This can be HEL xxx/yyy, or BYE, or anything. You have the choice of waiting for it to complete and getting its exit status, or just letting it happen asynchronously. It is a priv task that wisely checks to see if you are and does SPAWNs or RPOIs as needed. It was with the KMSKIT stuff in ([344,x], probably [344,43]) on several tapes over the years. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 7 1 replies Reply to # 6 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 16-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: THEM OLD BLINKIN' LN03 LIGHTS I had a problem similar to yours at my previous job. I called DEC and they told me not to worry. There some kind of sensor inside the LN03 which ocassionly needs to be checked over. Off hand I cannot remember what it is. Although the printer will work fine, if the light annoys you, you have two choices: 1) If the printer is under contract have it serviced. 2) Place a sticker over the light (no kidding, we did)!!. The best indicators for maintenance are the quality of the print and the number of pages printed since the last kit change. 10000 pages I believe is the recommended interval. It is a good idea to keep a log of the number from the page counter every time you install a maintenance kit. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation VMS SIG Message # 625 1 replies Reply to # 624 Left by: Robert G. Schaffrath On 16-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: FILE CREATION DATE FROM A BASIC PROGRAM Your restriction on not opening the file first does make it a bit difficult. Normally I would suggest the USEROPEN function in BASIC to perform this operation. However, I would recommend you use the read attributes $QIO function and specify ATR$C_CREDATE as the information you want returned. The difficulty with this approach is that you have to determine the FID of the directory in which the file is stored. This could mean starting at [000000] which is (4,4,0) and parsing the various directory levels until you arrive at your directory. Normally RMS does this for you and I have to admit I have been a bit lazy in resorting to using it. For more information, look in chapter 1 of I/O Part I which is Volume 10A of the VAX/VMS Doc Set. Drop me a line if you have any questions. Any reason why you don't want to open the file?? Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 8 0 replies Reply to # 6 Left by: JONATHAN M. PRIGOT On 16-Jun-88 At : HERE ON ARIS Subject: RESET SWITCH LOCATION Assuming that you do want to shut off the light and not ignore it, then open the top of the printer to gain access to the fuser unit. Unlatch and swivel up the fuser. If you look in from the back of the printer toward the front, you will see the print belt. Above that on the left (as you face the front of the printer) is the reset switch. Pull out the print drawer (with the toner and print belt), and you will see a pin on the front of the switch. Normally a breakaway tab on a new print belt will push in this pin when you replace the belt. If you push in the pin, it will have the same effect. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 9 0 replies Reply to # 3 Left by: JANICE KALL On 16-Jun-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: MODIFYING FLAG PAGES If you are using the LN03, then I have to assume that you are also using the standard DEC PRTSMB print symbiont. This routine is what is generating your flag pages. To modify it, you have two requirements: Source code and an extremely good knowledge of DCL programming. The section that you would have to modify is the flag page routine. After modifying the routine, you would then have to recompile and relink your PRTSMB. This is NOT an easy task. As far as the differences in flag pages between your PostScript printer and your ansi printer, it could be that the PostScript printer has modifications to its firmware that instruct the printer to print a ``pretty'' flag page. If this is the case, this is a modification made in the printer itself and it is not possible to change your LN03 to do the same. Good Luck! CPU'S SIG Message # 39 1 replies Let by: JERRY A. KILGORE On 17-Jun-88 At : 512-823-5359 Subject: LSI-11 POWER FAIL SEQUENCER I have a 11/23+ in a dual wide Dec backplane, and a non-Dec power supply. Does anyone know of a supplier of a circuit that will produce BPOK and BDCOK signals to the Q-bus? WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 74 1 replies Reply to # 72 eft by: LEE K. GLEASON On 17-Jun-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: FONT FORMAT This format was detailed in a SIG newsletter, about two years ago. Sorry I can't remeber which one... MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 359 0 replies Reply to # 354 Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 17-Jun-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: REALLY DISABLED Well, it ain't simple - but, you could trap the Control-Ys and Cs with an executive mode out of band AST, and prevent the normal Control Y and C asts from ever seeing them. VMS SIG Message # 626 1 replies Reply to # 625 Left by: John Flynn On 17-Jun-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: CREATION DATE Robert, Thanks for the suggestion, I shall look into this further. One reason for not opening the file is a (possibly misguided?) notion that the operation would be more efficient if the overhead of opening and closing the file were avoided. Perhaps an equivalent amount of overhead is required no matter how it is done? The main reason, however, is that I wanted a general-purpose solution, that handles file lockout, protection violation, etc. I want to be able to get the file creation date even if the file is currently opened exclusively by another process, or even if I have no privilege to open the file (but DO have access to the directory). Both of these situations would prevent me from opening the file, yes? I wanted the same access to the creation date information which is provided by the F$FILE_ATTRIBUTES lexical, not to mention the DIRECTORY command. Thanks again for the info! John. VMS SIG Message # 627 0 replies Reply to # 626 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 17-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: CREATION DATE II, THE DRAMA CONTINUES... An interesting situation. It appears that you will have to use the $QIO call to obtain the information. That will certainly handle the exclusive access problem. Protection, though, is another story. If you do not own the file and do not have read access to it, you will not be able to get the information. DIRECTORY usually returns an error message of 'No privilege'. If you do own the file, you have CONTROL access which will allow you to read the attributes regardless of the protection. You could in fact set the file's protection to (S:,O:,G:,W:) and still access the information. You can't however read anything from the file. I would recommend that you use RMS to get the FID of your directory and then pass that information to the $QIO call. You will have to read Volume 9 on RMS to figure out how to do this. Good Luck! PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 302 0 replies Reply to # 296 Left by: BRIAN T. CARCICH On 17-Jun-88 At : 617 747 8551 Subject: IBM VS DEC INTEGERS I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT, BUT A MENTOR OF MINE ONCE MENTIONED THAT IBM AND VMS MULTI-BYTE INTEGERS ARE STORED BACKWARDS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER: IN VMS-LAND, THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT BYTE COMES FIRST IN IBM LAND, LS-BYTE COMES LAST. E.G. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM TO PRINTOUT THE BYTES IN THE I*2 VALUE "A00A" (HEX) *************************************************************** INTEGER*2 I2 BYTE I1(2) !IS THERE A "BYTE" DATA TYPE IN IBM? EQUIVALENCE ( I2, I1) I2 = 'A00A'X WRITE( *, 1) I1(1), I1(2) 1 FORMAT( 1X, 'FIRST BYTE= ', Z3, ' SECOND BYTE= ', Z3) END *************************************************************** OUTPUT FOR VMS | OUTPUT FOR IBM-EQUIVALENT PROGRAM | (ACTUALLY, I HAVEN'T USED IBM FORTRAN | SINCE F-IV(?) IN 1978 BUT I'LL FAKE IT) | FIRST BYTE= 0A SECOND BYTE= A0 | FIRST BYTE= A0 SECOND BYTE= 0A | SO, FOR READING "N" I*2 VARIABLES FROM AN IBM RECORD ON THE TAPE: *********************************************************************** ... PARAMETER N= ??? PARAMETER N2= 2 * N INTEGER*2 I2(N) BYTE I1(N2) EQUIVALENCE ( I2, I1) ... READ( TAPE_IO_UNIT) ( I1(J*2), I1(J*2-1), J=1,N) !UNFORMATTED READ (I THINK) ... *********************************************************************** OR... ********************************************************************** ... PARAMETER N= ??? PARAMETER N2= 2 * N INTEGER*2 I2(N) CHARACTER*1 C1( N2) EQUIVALENCE ( I2, C1) ... READ( TAPE_IO_UNIT, 2) ( ( C1(J*2), C1(J*2-1) ), J=1,N) !FORMATTED READ 2 FORMAT( A1 ) ... *********************************************************************** EITHER ONE OF THESE SHOULD PUT THE PROPER BITS INTO THE I2 ARRAY THERE ALSO MAY BE SOME DIFFERENCE WITH SIGNED AND UNSIGNED INTEGERS, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT IS THE CASE. ANYWAY, THE SAME TYPE OF SOLUTION WOULD WORK BY MAPPING BYTES ONTO I*4'S INSTEAD OF I*2'S, AS LONG AS YOU AREN'T WORKING WITH IBM UNSIGNED I*4'S GREATER THAN (2**31-1)! DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 379 0 replies Reply to # 377 Left by: CHARLES RANSOM On 17-Jun-88 At : 202-646-2400 Subject: 1K XMODEM Why not use Kermit and set the buffer size to the max? MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 360 0 replies Left by: JAMES P. FILLERS On 17-Jun-88 At : 205-934-1973 Subject: XMODEM FOR VAX WITH 1K BUFFERS I have recently purchased a Courier HST 9600 baud modem. I have been using Xmodem for file transfer to my MacII at home. The 128 byte packets make my 9600 baud modem seem more like an 1800 baud modem. Can anyone suggest where I can find an Xmodem with 1k packets for use on my VAX? Thanks, Jim MICROVAX SIG Message # 119 0 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: DR. R On 17-Jun-88 At : AT LARGE Subject: UVAX III UPGRADE Yes, Virginia, there IS a forthcoming MicroVAX II-to-CVAX upgrade package. It was (and may still be) listed in the DEC Electronic Store (1-800-332-3366). Do a search on "KA650" and you'll be rewarded with all the lurid details on this unannounced beauty! --Dr. R VMS SIG Message # 628 0 replies Reply to # 561 Left by: DR. R On 17-Jun-88 At : AT THE GOLF COURSE Subject: CALYPSO II As the once and future Regent of Rumomongery, it is my solemn duty to inform ARIS users that a Calypso sequel is in the offing. Called Calypso/XCP, this prodigious processor will be equipped with 60-nanosecond CVAX II (RIGEL) chips, thus delivering about 4 to 16 VUPS to power-hungry system managers. Delivery date is unknown, but could be affected by the imminent Silverlake announcement. Details forthcoming when available. PC'S SIG Message # 170 0 replies Left by: DR. R On 17-Jun-88 At : AT THE MAYNARD MILL Subject: CAN YOU SAY "PVAX?" Greetings and Hallucinations-- According to several compadres who dabble in the world of personal computers, the much-vaunted PVAX is slated for announcement at DECUS Anaheim. This 3-MIPS CMOS-equipped successor to the VAXstation 2000 was originally scheduled to debut at AAAI-88 in St. Paul, but slipped to DECworld Cannes--and has, I'm sorry to report, slipped again! Details forthcoming in a DECPRO near you . . . Dr. R "Facts Not Rumours" FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 46 2 replies Left by: RICHARD DAVIS On 17-Jun-88 At : SPRINGHOUSE Subject: CHARLIE WHO? What's the story with the alleged rumor reporter C. Matco? My pals tell me that "Charlie Matco" was a pseudonym cooked up by DECUS members for use on a DECUS bulletin board. FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 47 0 replies Reply to # 46 Left by: TERRY C. SHANNON On 17-Jun-88 At : CIS Subject: DECUS FACTS In response to Richard Davis' question re: the origin of a certain pseudonynmI submit the following: Several years ago, the DECUS Systems Support Committee (SSC), the group responsible for DCS (the DECUS leadership bulletin board system), decided that they needed a pseudonymous system manager as an ALL-IN-1 user. This presented a problem--what pseudonym to use? While pondering this pressing issue at DECUS headquarters in Marlboro, one of the members of the SSC glanced out the window and noticed a "CHARLES CHEVROLET" sign gracing the front of a nearby building. "CHARLES" soon became "CHARLIE." Alas, a pseudonymous last name remained elusive, for it wouldn't be proper to have a system manager named "CHARLIE CHEVROLET." This problem soon was resolved when a big white truck rolled down Boston Post Road. Emblazoned on the side of this big white truck, in letters three feet tall, was the word MAT-CO which of course is an acronym for Mechanics American Tool Company. Consequently, it should not take a Quantum leap of genius to infer the true derivation of the name that make Jack Shields and Ken Olsen see red: "CHARLIE MATCO!" Terry C. Shannon Former Member of the DECUS SSC. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 303 1 replies Reply to # 300 Left by: CURT SNYDER On 17-Jun-88 At : 714-752-4760 Subject: VAX MACRO BOOK Try VAX-11 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING by Sara Baase Prentice-Hall, 1983. FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 48 1 replies Reply to # 46 Left by: CURT SNYDER On 17-Jun-88 At : 714-752-4760 Subject: CHARLIE MATCO The true source of the C. Matco moniker is as you suggest. Has anyone else noticed that Charlie seems to have suffered a lobotomy recently? His column seems to be made up of a lot of rather old information, with nothing exceptionally new. Seems like Dr. R, here on the bulletin board, has far better information... SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 218 0 replies Reply to # 217 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 17-Jun-88 At : (609) 452-6217 Subject: UPS Lucy, I am running my 8200 on an RTE-Deltek 7.5Kva unit. This setup runs at about 50% of capacity. No problems with it, once we got the proper output panel (All three prong connecters are not created equal! :-) CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 267 0 replies Reply to # 263 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 17-Jun-88 At : (609) 452-6217 Subject: REMOTE COMMANDS Jay, There is a command file called TELL.COM which will do what you want (I think!). It is available on CompuServe's VAX Forum (GO VAXSIG), Library 8. Be warned that TELL.COM has some of the characteristics of a virus. As far as we know, it is benign but it will propagate copies of itself to systems that don't have it. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 195 0 replies Reply to # 194 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 17-Jun-88 At : (609) 452-6217 Subject: DECNET DOS Bob, I believe that DECnet DOS supports the 3COM Etherlink plus board. To be really sure, get a copy of the Software Product Description (SPD) for DECnet DOS. The SPD is the final authority on what is supported and what is not supported. DECnet DOS also supports DEC's smart E-net card the DEPCA. This can be had in three flavors. It comes as part of the Network Integration Kit as the DEPCA-KA. It comes without the mouse and keyboard but with the DECnet and PCSA Client software licenses as the DEPCA-BA. Finally, it comes as the naked board as the DEPCA-AA. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 10 0 replies Reply to # 7 Left by: JOHN LAPPETITO On 18-Jun-88 At : (313) 353-3300 Subject: LN03 MAINTENANCE There is a difference been thMaintence light and the add toner light. When the maintence light comes on, you need to install a maintence kit (we get ours from DEC but other verdors carry them). This is more than adding toner. You change the quenching lamp, ozone filter, opc cartrige in addition to adding toner. If you can add paper, you can do maintenance on an LN03 ( I've done it several times). DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 381 0 replies Left by: JAMES MEEKS On 20-Jun-88 At : 615-756-5033 Subject: RAINBOW VT241 EMULATION Where can I find a terminal emulation program for a Rainbow 100a that would emulate the DEC VT241 color graphics terminal. The Rainbow I have has a graphic adaptor, a color monitor, and 256k memory. Thanks. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 304 0 replies Reply to # 300 Gerald, try Programming in Assembly language VAX-11 edward sowell, Addison-Wesley 1987 FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 49 0 replies Reply to # 48 Left by: TERRY SHANNON On 20-Jun-88 At : CIS Subject: VERACITY OF DR R Curt, I have to agree with you re: the rumoured lobotomy of the notorious Chas Matco. Matco used to have a pretty tight circular error probable, however of late his (or HER) pontifications have been, well, "PRECIOUS!" CPU'S SIG Message # 40 0 replies Reply to # 39 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 20-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: BPOK/BDCOK SIGNAL GENERATION Look for a KPV11-A, which is a DEC board that generates BPOK and BDCOK for you, along with a line-time clock. (There are also -B and -C variants, which include bus terminations of different types.) That's the ready-made solution, and that board is so old that it should either be real cheap or real expensive (like an old bottle of wine)! Or, look in one of the OLD "Memories and Peripherals" or "Microcomputer" handbooks from DEC. I have one in front of me dating from 78-79 which presents the circuit in general terms (i.e. every transistor and digital IC and differential amp and resistor is shown, but without part numbers or values). I'm fairly certain that one of the other books in that series, probably one of those titled "Microcomputer Handbook", contained a minimal circuit designed to generate those signals for you. Or, you might find it a lot easier and cheaper to pick up an old DEC power supply...! CPU'S SIG Message # 41 0 replies Reply to # 40 Left by: JERRY KILGORE On 20-Jun-88 At : 512-823-5359 Subject: POWERFAIL SEQUENCING Thanks, Bill. I will look around for a KPV11A. Sounds like what I need if one can be found. Any volunteers out there? VMS SIG Message # 629 1 replies Left by: MIKE SCHMIDT On 20-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: NODE NAME How can I gracefuly extract the node name of the node I am currently logged in to? I have tried using the following lexicals, but each time I am left with a null symbol: $ NODE = F$GETSYI("NODENAME") and $ NODE = F$PARSE("",,,"NODE") Both methods are outline in DEC documentation, however I am having no luck on either a 8700 or uVAX. VMS 4.6 and 4.4 respectfuly. Thanks to any replies, Mike WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 76 2 replies Reply to # 72 Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 21-Jun-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: MORE INFO LN03 font article was in the FEB 87 PAGESWAPPER (DECUS VMS SIG newsletter). Manuals can be ordered from DEC that have info you need. EK-CFFFM-UG and EK-CFFFN-RM-001 LNO3 Font file users guide, and reference manual. Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 VMS SIG Message # 630 1 replies Reply to # 629 Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 21-Jun-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: NODE NAME One way to find the node name of the DECnet node you are on is to translate the logical SYS$NODE. $ mynode = f$trnlnm("SYS$NODE") GETSYI for the node name is returning the value of SYSGEN parameter SCSNODE, which is (usually) defined only for VAXClusters, although, I usually define it to make all of the device names look more interesting when you display then ;-} RSTS SIG Message # 291 0 replies Left by: BRETT BUMP On 21-Jun-88 At : (308) 432-2828 Subject: I'M BACK Hi all, Long time no see. Well I can see that nothing is happening in this section. Has everyone in this area given up, given in *on Vax*, or have they discovered the new candy store. Yup that's right. There is an official BBs called the Decus Newsletter Board that is run by Terry Kennedy (editor for our newsletter group). The BBs number is (201) 915-9361 LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 11 0 replies Reply to # 3 Left by: SARAH TOWNSEND On 21-Jun-88 At : I.D.A. Subject: SYMBIONT MODIFICATION DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THAT LASER PRINTER IN PARTICULAR - BUT I DO KNOW ABOUT PRINT SYMBIONTS. YOU DON'T NEED THE SOURCE CODE TO MODIFY THE FLAG PAGE ROUTINE. YOU CAN SIMPLY MODIFY DEC'S BY USING THE PSM ROUTINES DESCRIBED IN VOL 8A - UTILITY ROUTINES. THEN YOU ONLY HAVE TO WRITE A FLAGE PAGE ROUTINE AND REPLACE IT. THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF DOING THIS (WITH HEADER ROUTINES THOUGH, NOT FLAG) ON SIG TAPES. IN PARTICULAR, ON THE LATEST ONE, SEE [VAX87E.NSTL.?] (NOT SURE OF SUBDIRECTORY BELOW THAT), PROGRAM CALLED FLEXISYMB. HOPE THIS HELPS! LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 12 1 replies We are new to the laser We are new to the laser printer scene. We have purchased two NEC Silentwriters with Postscript capability. Do these units need any special terminal setup characteristics? Is there a special print symbiont to use with Postscript printers to take advantage of their special capabilities? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 305 0 replies Reply to # 301 Left by: Phil Anthony On 22-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: K&R vs ANSI C Despite my fears, the ANSI C standard and K&R's description of C are actu- ally pretty close. The major difference that I can think of offhand is the type void, which has been used for years in a number of compilers to de- scribe a function returning nothing. ANSI C also calls for a type void *, which defines a function returning a pointer aligned so that anything can go there; it's mainly used in places where char * used to be used, such as malloc (). Before using what a void * function returns, of course, one has to cast it to whatever you actually want to use it for. Most of the rest of the ANSI standard defines extensions to, rather than differences from, the K&R spec. In a few places it makes explicit things that K&R left up to the interpretation of the compiler implementor. And it standardizes how lintargs are supposed to be used - as well as pushing strongly the notion of using lint, which gripes my free-form soul but prob- ably will make life easier for people running large C projects. VMS SIG Message # 631 0 replies Reply to # 628 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 23-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: ANOTHER NEW ITEM Although I don't have any information as exciting as a new CPU, there is a new Q-BUS terminal controller called DHF11 which should see light sometime in the near future. It is a 32 port DEC-423 interface. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 219 2 replies Left by: MARTY KING On 23-Jun-88 At : 813-541-6411 Subject: AUTOMATIC BACKUP PROCESS I would like to know how to create a process that runs all the time that will do a backup automatically every night. The RUN command is only for executable files and SPAWN creates a subprocess that ends when the main process goes away. Thanks ...Marty King SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 220 1 replies Left by: TOM O'SULLIVAN On 23-Jun-88 At : 406-444-6367 Subject: GROUP LOGICAL NAMES I AM TRYING TO SET UP A GROUP LOGICAL NAME AT SYSTEM STARTUP. I CREATE THE GROUP LOGICAL NAME TABLE AND PUT THE LOGICAL NAME IN IT, BUT AS SOON AS A USER IN THAT GROUP LOGS IN, THE SYSTEM CREATES A NEW GROUP TABLE AND THE NAME IS LOST. ANY SUGGESTIONS? SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 221 2 replies Left by: NICK CECCACCI On 23-Jun-88 At : (313) 478-6200 X281 Subject: USING CALL BACK CONTROLLER I have purchaseda Blackbox Security Call Back Controller (SCBC) and have it connected between two Codex 2234 modems, connecting a VT320 to a DMB32 port on a VAX 8250. As of yet I have not been able to get the call back unit to perform as it should. I do have the host modem calling back the remote site, but cannot get the modems to connect after the call has been answered. I am interested in knowing if anyone else is trying to do the same sort of thing. Also, I am looking for anybody that has used the Decus progr SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 222 1 replies Reply to # 221 Left by: NICK CECCACCI On 23-Jun-88 At : Subject: CONTINUATION I am looking for anyone who has experience with the Decus program library VAX-149 DIAL. I am planning on getting the program to se if it will work in place of the SCBC. I would appreciate any help I can get on the callback process. Nick Ceccacci Systems Administrator Little Caesar Enterprises (313) 478-6200 X281 WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 77 0 replies Reply to # 76 Left by: PAT CONNORS On 23-Jun-88 At : ARIS Subject: THANKS FOR THE INFO Thank you Lee, I had heard of the manuals you suggested, but according to DEC, they are out of print and no longer available. Since I left my request for help I talked to the DEC counterpart from our local VAX LUG, and he put me onto the right people. The only current document is the Common Font File Format Spec. I should be getting a copy of this shortly. again thanks for the help, but, if any one else asks the user guide is out of print, and the format spec has no order number. Pat Connors Litton Amecom College Park, MD SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 223 0 replies Reply to # 219 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 23-Jun-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: NIGHTLY BACKUPS What you need to do is to create a *.COM file that has your backup commands in it, then has as its last line $ SUBMIT/KEEP/AFTER="TOMORROW+02:00" BACKUP Then you need to submit BACKUP.COM to a batch queue using the same command. Then every morning at 2am your backups will be performed. Obviously you need a batch queue running on your system and if you are planning to backup to tape this will not work unless you know your backup will not consume more than one tape (depending on how many tape drives you have). If you would like a copy of the *.COM file that is run on my systems every night you can contact me at the above number and I can fax or send by slow mail a copy of my *.COM file. VMS SIG Message # 632 0 replies Reply to # 630 Left by: MIKE SCHMIDT On 23-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS Mr. Gleason, Thank you for the node name extraction tip. Works like a charm! Mike SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 224 1 replies Reply to # 220 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 24-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: GROUP LOGICAL NAME DEFINTION AT STARTUP The easiest way to create the logical names is to do the following: 1) Create a username in the specific group with GRPNAM privilege. If you are worried about security, limit it to batch logins. 2) Create a procedure in the account's directory which will define the logical names. 3) Place, in your SYSTARTUP.COM, a statement which submits the procedure to a batch queue using the /USERNAME= qualifier specifying the special username. Be sure to do this after starting the queue manager. I have a procedure on our system which does the same thing although a little more complex. It runs recursively and submits itself with parameter P1 being the procedure to submit and P2 being the username to run under. Feel free to call if you have any questions. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY RSX SIG Message # 240 1 replies Left by: CHRISTOPHER GOULD On 24-Jun-88 At : (207) 876-3331 EX 222 Subject: FORTRAN 77 PROBLEMS We run RSX11/M V4.3 and recently upgraded our Fortran 77 to version 5.2. In V5.0 wee couls add the OTS Library to the SYSLIB.OLB but that option isn't mentioned in the Auto Install used with version 5.2. When we link our existing programs to the new OTS ( F77FCS.OLB ) there are several system functions missing. One example is the SECNDS routine we use as a timing consideration in many programs. Can anyone shed some light on this problem ? Call me or leave a message here if you have a solution or need more specifics. Thanks . . . Chris Gould. VMS SIG Message # 633 0 replies Left by: MIKE SCHMIDT On 24-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: DECNET READ/WRITES Novice DECnet user looking for efficient method to READ/WRITE records to log file on remote node. GIVEN: Two uVAX II's, VM 4.4, DECnet TASK: Simply READ/WRITE 132 character fixed records to log file on remote node as directed by DCL command procedure on remote node. Also, WRITE/UPDATE of record is desired. At worst, I am considering assigning logicals on NODE_A to point to COM file on NODE_B. I sh to maintain a single log file due to size constraints and reliability of only having one log file to contend with. QUESTION: What efficient (or proven) methods exist for READ/WRITES to log file on remote node. I understand that I can possibly define the C fil as a network object using NCP. Can/should the log file also be defined as a network object? What other methods are worth considering? If anyone could provide a more elegant method, this novice would be very greatful. Thank You, Mike UTILITIES SIG Message # 276 0 replies Reply to # 266 Left by: MIKE MCKINNEY On 26-Jun-88 At : HERE (OR 803-223-8357 X 271) Subject: MY RABBIT EXPERIENCE READING YOUR ENTRY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO GOT ME TO WONDERING IF I COULD GET MY KEEPERS OF THE MONEYBAGS TO SPRING FOR A DEFRAG PACKAGE. I SUBSEQUENTLY ORDERED AN EVALUATION COPY OF RABBIT-7, INSTALLED IT AND RAN IT WITHIN THE FIRST 20 MINUTES. ABOUT 11 CPU MINUTES INTO THE RUN (ON AN RA81) I EXPERIENCED ONE OF THOSE SERIOUS FATAL BUGCHECK ROUTINES THAT KEPT ON COMING. EVENTUALLY, WE HAD TO CONTROL P AND CALL FIELD MNX. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE WCS AND WAS FIXED WITHIN 2 HOURS. WITH MY HEART IN MY MOUTH, I RAN RABBIT-7 ON THE DISK AGAIN (ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS) AND LO AND BEHOLD! --- RABBIT-7 RECOVERED THE FILES AND PRESSED ON WITH ITS DEFRAGMENTATION PGM. I WAS IMPRESSED. PS. IF ANY OF YOU RAXCO FOLKS ARE READING THIS, DOES THIS TESTIMONIAL QUALIFY ME FOR A DISCOUNT? SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 225 0 replies Reply to # 219 Left by: CHRIS GOULD On 27-Jun-88 At : ON ARIS Subject: BACKUP`S I run RSX11/M on an 11/73 CPU. For backups I have a DCL routine that is spawned by an installed task and run via the 'RUN/SCHEDULE:` option It works very well, even prompting the operator when to load and unload our disks ( we backup on RLO2's ). We have used this routine for about three years now, without problems. You might check some back issues of the DEC Professional. A year or so back there was an program labled OPS.CMD that aids in file selection and automated file selection. Another option was shown in the DECUS RSX News letter, it was a fortran routine that would selectivly run COMMAND FILES ( MCR or DCL ) dependent on the system date. What system do you run ? , and how eles can I be of help ? Chris Gould Guilford Industries Guilford, Me 04443 (207) 876-3331 MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 367 0 replies Left by: TERESA CAMM On 27-Jun-88 At : (615)377-1504 Subject: DECUS SESSION NOTES We attended the Spring DECUS Symposium in Cincinatti, OH and did not get a copy of the Business Applications (BA) SIG Notes. Is there anyone out there that might have an extra copy? UTILITIES SIG Message # 277 0 replies Reply to # 267 Left by: STEVEN P. DAVIS On 27-Jun-88 At : 714-956-9159 Subject: DTR USAGE DATE The DATE data type used by DTR (also used by VMS) is really a 64-bit integer representing the tenths-of-microseconds since the base date of November 17, 1858. To avoid having DTR view the 64-bit integer as a date, define a variable (or several) as a 64-bit integer, assign the date to that variable and then manipulate the number. For example, DECLARE X-DATE PIC 9(18) USAGE INTEGER EDIT-STRING ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ9. DECLARE YOUR-DATE USAGE DATE. YOUR-DATE = "TODAY" X-DATE = YOUR-DATE At this point, X-DATE contains the tenths-of-microsends up to today's date. Take the two dates in question, convert to integers as shown, substract the two integers, and then divide by 10,000,000 to get the number of seconds between the two dates. Call me if you need more help. Steven P. Davis Owen+Davis Systems 714-956-9159 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 306 0 replies Left by: STEVE SAUER On 27-Jun-88 At : 505-268-3379 Subject: DATA RECOVERY When a FORTRAN program terminates abnormally or tstem ces and binary file files don't get properly closed can the information in the files be recovered? DIR/SIZE=ALL will show FILE.TAG; Am I out of luck, or do tools exist tt to make the data available? information using CONVERT with no succes APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 236 1 replies Left by: CATHY DANIELS On 27-Jun-88 At : 813 224-3686 Subject: SQL OR 4GL INTERFACE RMS DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF SQL LIKE PRODUCTS THAT WILL SIT ON TOP OF RMS ISAM FILES, AND ALLOWS EITHER 1) PROGRAMMERS TO INTERFACE THROUGH IT TO RMS FILES, SIMILAR TO THE WAY THEY WOULD IF IT WERE AN RDB PRODUCT OR 2) ALLOW USERS TO INVOKE AS AN SQL AND PERFORM AD-HOC QUERIES/REPORT GENERATION? THE APPLICATION WHICH IS LOOKING TO USE SUCH A PRODUCT WOULD CONSIDER MIGRATING TO A FULL BLOWN RDB AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, BUT SCHEDULE TIME PROHIBITS THIS NOW. LIKELY RDB CANDIDATE TO BE ORACLE, BUT NOT YET A FIXED DECISION. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 269 2 replies Left by: DAVID HITTNER On 27-Jun-88 At : 513 890-1918 Subject: VT100S & EXTRA LAT SESSNS Every time we turn off a VT100 connected to a DECServer 200, we can watch the server attempt to 'LOG IN' the port. It keeps attempting to connect session after session, resulting in extremely high overhead on the ethernet and the cpu the port is assigned to. Has anyone else experienced this problem? VMS SIG Message # 634 2 replies Left by: MIKE MONTGOMERY On 27-Jun-88 At : 304/462-5741 Subject: BACKUP/LIST RECOVER? I am trying to restore some files in a save set on a TK-50 to our disk. Using the command BACKUP/LIST, I am able to get a complete listing of the save sets, but upotrying to restore the save sets, I get the error message "error opening MUA0:[000000]*.* as input, file not found". Why ca read the tape to produce a listing, but cannot restore the save sets? We are running VMS v4.6., on a mVAX II. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 226 0 replies Reply to # 222 Left by: JOHN PULLINS On 27-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: Nick, assuming you are dialing out from the VAX with a batch or detached process, you should make sure that the terminal port is configured NOHANGUP. If it is not, once the call has been completed and the batch job finishes, the VAX will hang up the line and the terminal won't be able to connect. We have tried to use the program DIAL in the past and have never been successful in getting it to work. You'll have much better luck with the program VAXNET which has a callback feature that can be used as is or modified as necessary. VAXNET is available on some of the latest VAX SIG tapes from DECUS. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 196 0 replies Reply to # 189 Left by: JAMES J REFFELT On 28-Jun-88 At : 914-246-3461 Subject: STAT MUX LINE SHARE BARTON, THANKS FOR ALL OF THE USEFUL INFORMATION. YOU ANTICIPATED MY HARDWARE AND APPLICATION PRETTY WELL. OUR IBM SYSTEM IS A 9370 THAT DEC FAILED TO SHORT-CIRCUIT IN TIME, DUE TO POOR LONG DISTANCE TERMINAL SUPPORT. I HAVE COMMUNICATION NEEDS FROM NEW YORK TO TIJUANA MEXICO BETWEEN TWO MICROVAXII'S. IT LOOKS AS IF I'LL BE GIVING SYMPLEX A CALL TO TRY THEIR COMPRESSOR THANKS AGAIN !! VMS SIG Message # 635 1 replies Reply to # 634 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 28-Jun-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: Why BACKUP is misbehaving BACKUP isn't working because after you perform the BACKUP/LIST, you are at the end of the saveset. Issue a SET MAGTAPE/REWIND MUA0: and then do the restore. You can also perform the list while you are restoring. Example: $ BACKUP/LIST/BUFFER=5 MUA0:/SAVE_SET ddcn:[...] A list will be generated as the files are restored. You can also append /LOG. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 307 0 replies Left by: DAVID LAZARUS On 28-Jun-88 At : 201-709-7542 Subject: VAX MACRO In response to message 300,a good book on MACRO is COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND ARCHITECTURE-THE VAX 11 by Henry M levy & Richard H Eckhouse, Jr. from Digital Press. RSX SIG Message # 241 1 replies Reply to # 240 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 28-Jun-88 At : Here, or (617)-868-1111 Subject: What is in your TKB .cmd file? We run M+, but are running F77 V5.2-19, so I just looked at a listing of the F77 provided .olb and found SECNDS as the only entry in $SECND. Is there a chance your command file for TKB isn't giving access to all the librarys you intend it to? Leave a typical command file here, or call if you wish. Get a full map file from TKB and see if any modules are included from each library you think you are accessing. Get a listing of each library and see if the entries you are missing are there. What hardware are you on? Vanilla M is now ancient history. If your CPU supports I/D space and Supervisor mode get your managemt to let you upgrade to M+ - FAST. DEC used to have a trade up package that made the move attractive, may still be available. F77 makes such good use of the M+ environment on the better hardware. I/D tasks are twice the size, and virtual arrays now use fast mapping. RSX SIG Message # 242 0 replies Reply to # 241 Left by: CHRIS GOULD On 28-Jun-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS I will look at my TKB map next week when I GENERATE 4.4. I will also be shure to list the F77 lib as well as the F77FCS.OLB that we link too. Alas management here will have little or nothing to do with up-grading to M+ as they feel the 11/73 on a Q-buss was a mistake to begin with. Meanwhile I run it, I love it, and I think it performes well. I let you know how I make out... Chris Gould. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 270 0 replies Reply to # 269 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 28-Jun-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: DECSERVER 200 AND VT100 Check the characteristics on that port on the DECserver 200. I could see what you are describing happening if the port would happen to be a DEDICATED port and have DSRLOGOUT enabled and have AUTOCONNECT enabled. Or possibly just AUTOCONNECT enabled and DSRLOGOUT enabled. You also might want to check to see if your line between the VT100 and the DECserver 200 is "clean". DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 382 1 replies Left by: Phil Anthony On 28-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: BREAK for PCs Some time back, somebody left a message on ARIS requesting code in C or assembler to send a BREAK out a PC's COM port. Since I can't remember what SIG he/she left the message in, I can no longer locate the request (SYSOP, TAKE NOTE!) - but it wasn't this one. If that person sees this message and still wants the code, I have some untested Microsoft C code that may serve the purpose. Call me at (215) 884-9128. PC'S SIG Message # 171 0 replies Reply to # 163 Left by: Phil Anthony On 28-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: C Code for BREAK I have a routine (untested) in Microsoft C to send a BREAK on either COM1 or COM2, based on BASICA code from PC Magazine. (As you might guess, the code to handle the length of time for the BREAK is longer than the code to toggle the UART. Don't you just love primitive operating systems?) If you'd like it, give me a call at (215) 884-9128 and we'll make arrangements. Obviously, I could also give you the BASICA code - though its timing algo- rithm is absolutely barbaric. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 383 0 replies Reply to # 382 Left by: Phil Anthony On 28-Jun-88 At : Here Subject: BREAK for PCs Found - he was (logically enough, I suppose) in the PCs SIG, which I guess makes sense for talking about printer control from a PC hooked to a DECserver .... The Aristotelian habit of classification at- tempts to impose external structures upon the intractable nature of reality. In other words, I personally prefer "Miscellaneous", "Other", and "None of the above". CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 271 0 replies Left by: PETER BLEMEL On 29-Jun-88 At : 505-255-8611 Subject: VMS TO UNIX XFERS I have two VAX 11/730s with DMF32s. VMS recognizes the sync port but Mt. XINU BSD4.3 does not. I am intereed in doing large fiautomated file transfers but don't have the budget (or the know how) for ETHERNET. I also have to remove a meg of memory for an ethernet card (730s don't have many slots.) Whats the simplest way to make the two talk without an intermediate step like KERMIT? LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 13 1 replies Left by: PETER BLEMEL On 29-Jun-88 At : 505-255-8611 Subject: TROFF/XROFF WITH LN03+ Does anyone know of an inexpensive way to do nice quality printing on the DEC LN03+ from BSD 4.3? I've heard of XROFF but its out of my budget. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 146 0 replies Reply to # 133 Left by: PETER BLEMEL On 29-Jun-88 At : 505-255-8611 Subject: VMS VIRTUAL I had the same problems on a grumpy little 730. hope this helps In authorize: WSDEF is the default physical memory working set a process gets. WSQUO is how much memory a process can try to take if physical memory is in demand. WSEXT is how much memory a process can take if physical memory is free. PGFLQUO is how much VIRTUAL memory your process can take. When an image activates, it uses up to the WSDEF in SYSUAF.DAT and puts the rest in virtual. If your process needs more than its allowed to have, you'll get a page file quota exceeded error. If you have the quota set high enough, but run out of virtual pages, then the error you got (INSUFFICIENT VIRTUAL) occurs. You must use SYSGEN or AUTOGEN to extend your file or build a secondary paging file. I don't know about MICROVMS manuals, but the information you want is in GUIDE to MANAGEMENT AND DAILY OPERATIONS. pg 11-16 in a real VMS manual. There is also a utility in SYS$UPDATE called SWAPFILES.COM that will help. There are sysgen parameters that effect your processes maximums. You should REALLY study the parameters in the SYSGEN manuals. Just because you authorize a maximum doesn't mean that VMS is set up for it. Good luck and feel free tto call. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 147 0 replies Reply to # 133 Left by: PETER BLEMEL On 29-Jun-88 At : 505 255 8611 Subject: RE: YOUR VIRTUAL PROBS If you make a new paging file, look at your SYSGEN PAGFILCNT. Depending on how many people are on your MVs, you should drop wsdef to around 2048. (1 Mb). Set wsqou to the AVAILABLE PHYSICAL MEMORY/PEOPLE USING LOTS OF MEMORY. It seems rediculous to page when memory is not in use, so set WSEXT to max physical pages - what VMS needs. The sysgen parameters PFRATH and PFRATL determine how often your working set is increased or expanded based on how much memory thrashing its doing, WSDEC and WSINC are how big of adjustments get made. WSMAX is the largest that any process can ever grow to, so make sure that it and the biggest WSEXT that authorize has are the same. Setting VIRTUALPAGECNT to sky high values wont do any good unless the page file is as big as the value you set! Each 128 virtual pages gets 4 bytes of permanent memory. You should really check the size of your dump fiand look in the BALSETCNT to make sure that the system page table can handle those kinds of values! Write the values to CURRENT and reboot (nothing that you've done will be active untill you reboot!) PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 308 1 replies Left by: SCOTT L. COCHRAN On 29-Jun-88 At : 612-830-5909 Subject: DATATRIEVE DATE PROBLEM We are using Datatrieve to generate several reports on data entered into a file from a Fortran program. We use SYS$GETTIM to load the current system time into the record. When finding a collection in Datatrieve we cannot use the FIND XYZ WITH MYDATE EQ "6/29/88" because the system date for each record is different for each record due to the resolution of the 64 bit word. The solution I'm using now is to FIND XYZ WITH MYDATE BT "6/29/88" AND "6/30/88". This works but I can't use any AT TOP OF MYDATE or AT BOTTOM OF MYDATE because each date is different. Is there a way to 'mask' the date field in Datatrieve so it only looks at the most significant part?? Is there a better way to load the date field so it has less signficat digits?? Thanks SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 148 0 replies Reply to # 114 Left by: MARTIN O'CONNELL On 29-Jun-88 At : (516) 933-8300 Subject: DISK OPTIMIZATION We have been using Rabbit-7 disk opt here for 2 years now w/o ANY problems. Really works well- we recommend it. Marty... LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 14 0 replies Reply to # 12 Left by: JANICE KALL On 29-Jun-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: USING POSTSCRIPT WITH DEC COMPUTERS You do not need a special symbiont to print to a PostScript printer, you can use the standard PRTSMB. What is important is to make sure that your APPLICATION software supports PostScript. That is your word processor, your graphics software, and your DBMS programs. If your software supports PostScript then you are in good shape. If not, you will need to write filters to translate the output from your application software into PostScript. There are some common ones on the market, such as Diablo 630 ECS, ReGIS, Tektronix 4014, etc., but in general, supporting the special features of PostScript printers is a function of how extensively your application software supports PostScript. VMS SIG Message # 636 0 replies Reply to # 634 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 29-Jun-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: BACKUP FILES MISSING Mike - There are two possible answers to your problem. The one about the tape being at the end of the save-set (as mentioned by Robert S. in another reply to your message) is a possibility - I'd use $ BACKUP/REWIND to force the tape to rewind if this is your problem. However, there's another possible error. Just last week I spent a whole morning looking for a saveset with the name HISTORY_OF_SOMETHING.BCK on a magtape, and just could not find the file when I tried to restore it. BACKUP/LIST said the file was on tape. But whenever I tried to restore the file, the tape spun merrily to and fro, and reported back to me "No such saveset" or something to that effect. Grrrrr! I repeated the above process four times, and got the same response. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!!! Finally I did _ $ BACKUP MUA0:*.* DUA0:[TEMP]/LOG and BACKUP reported _ ...now processing saveset HISTORY_OF_SOMETH and recovered the long-lost file. The conclusion - (at least for magtape, I would think TK50 as well) - when BACKUP writes filenames to the tape, it chops off the end of the file name if it exceeds 17 characters. Kitty :-) PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 309 1 replies Reply to # 308 Left by: STEVEN P. DAVIS On 29-Jun-88 At : OWEN+DAVIS SYSTEMS, 714-956-9159 Subject: DTR DATES The internal date format for VMS and DTR is really a 64-bit integer representing the tenths-of-microseconds (sometimes referred to as KLUNKS) since the base date of November 17, 1858. When you invoke SYS$GETTIM it returns the current system date/time as this value. As you stated, since the time-of-day is part of this value, it prevents DTR from making an exact date match. The time-of-day needs to be stripped from the binary date/time prior to storage in a file. Within the program this problem may be solved in this manner: 1. Invoke SYS$GETTIM to get the current system date/time as a 64-bit integer. 2. Invoke SYS$ASCTIM to convert the binary time to an ASCII string. 3. Strip out just the date from the returned ASCII string. 4. Invoke SYS$BINTIM to convert only the date to the 64-bit binary value. This leaves the 64-bit date with the time stripped off. Steven P. Davis Owen+Davis Systems 714-956-9159 MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 194 0 replies Left by: WILLIAM PATTERSON On 30-Jun-88 At : (414) 228-9393 Subject: SEAGATE ST251 ON VS2000 In the March issue of the DEC Professional, Dave Mallery mentioned that he was soon going to try a generic Seagate ST251 drive on a MicroVAX 2000. Has he done this yet? If so, what are the results? I see that there is a Seagate ST251-1 drive being advertised with an average access time of 20 msec. Will this drive work as well? Marty Galligan at Westford Systems (a clone disk drive seller) told be that he thought that there was a difference in the interleave ratio between a clone drive formatted on a Q-Bus machine and a MV/VS2000 formatted drive. He said the the interleave ratio would be 1:1 in the Q-Bus format and 1:2 in the MV/VS2000 format. If you have some benchmarks to compare sequential and random access performance under these two methods of formatted, I'd like to see the results. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 384 0 replies Reply to # 221 Left by: KEVIN MCGRATH On 30-Jun-88 At : (718) 403-2910 Subject: KERMIT ACCESS VIOLATION PROB I'M HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH ATTEMPTING TO RUN KERMIT WITHICOMMAND FILE. IT WORKS FINE WHEN I JUST RUN IT FROM DCL, BUT IT ALWAYS BLOWS UP WITH AN ACCESS VIOLATION MESSAGE WHEN I RUN IT FROM A COMMAND FILE. I AM ATTEMPTING TO SET UP A CAPTIVE LOGIN ACCOUNT TO AUTOMATICALLY BRING UP KERMIT IN SERVER MODE FOR HANDS OFF FILE TRANSFERING, BUT THIS COMMAND FILE GLICH IS A REAL PAIN IN THE ARSE. I'M RUNNING KERMIT-32, V2.0, DATED 19-SEP-1988 AND I JUST ORDERED THE LATEST KERMIT RELEASE FROM DECUS. THE KERMIT PROGRAM SEEMS TO BLOW UP IN ITS INIT_TERM (SOMETHING LIKE THAT!) SUBROUTINE. ANY FEEDBACK WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 385 0 replies Left by: Steven P. Davis On 30-Jun-88 At : Owen+Davis Systems - 714-956-9159 Subject: IBM SYSTEM 36 <--> uVAX II I would like to be able to connect up a uVAX II to an IBM System 36 for file transfer. Any guidance would be appreciated. Steve Davis. VMS SIG Message # 637 0 replies Reply to # 635 Left by: MIKE MONTGOMERY On 30-Jun-88 At : 304/462-5741 Subject: BACKUP/LIST Thanks for replying Robert. I have been using the command: BACKUP/REWIND to position the tape back to the beginning. I think the problem might be with logical name translation. I am going to try to define TAPE using /EXEC. VMS SIG Message # 638 1 replies Left by: RICHARD DEVENEZIA On 30-Jun-88 At : SPECIAL METALS CORP Subject: VMS 5.0 I have some questions about vms v5.0. When (or if) I install this version of vms how will it affect applications I have that run under vms4.6 Will my Pascal compiler still work and produce correct executables? Will my 2780/3780 emulator still function? FMS? RS/1? programs compiled under 4.6? I need to know because I want to drop support of some applications if they will run correctly under 5.0 Otherwise I feel I should continue with the support and get upgrades that will work. Thanx in advance. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 272 0 replies Left by: EMERSON BEACH On 30-Jun-88 At : (803) 745-3205 Subject: THINWIRE/IBM PC'S I am currently putting in a thinwire ethernet network with an Ultrix Micro-vax II, a VMS Micro-vax II, and several IBM PC's on DEPCA boards. I am also looking at the possiblity of using a Logicraft 386Ware box. I'm putting this system in as a Engineering Department network and I plan to use the 386Ware box to allow many of the Engineers to use a VT-320 as an IBM PC. I would really like to hear from anybody with thin-wire/IBM PC experience and find out if the DEPCA board and PCSA/DEC-Net DOS is all my salesman tells me it is. My people are not very computer literate and I want to make it as easy to use as possible. The sharing of peripheral devices is one of the biggest reasons to network but it needs to be easy to direct output or this function wont get used. If anybody with any of this experience would reply it would sure be appreciated. Thanx PC'S SIG Message # 172 0 replies Left by: MARK L. RAWSON On 30-Jun-88 At : (404)668-4049 Subject: MAC TO HP500+ VIA VMS I need help in transferring MACINTOSH(+) files (MACDRAW, regular text files) to HP500+ laser printers and having them appear legible! We plan to use Alisa's TSSNET product via asynch DDCMP connection to VMS through DECNET. We are trying to cut costs by not buying a postscript printer and using our current collection of laser printers (LNO3's also). I am aware of products that convert MAC files to sixel or regis format on the MAC, however I would prefer a symbiont on DEC which would do this instead and this would still not help me going to the HP. Does anyone have a method of doing this or can suggest an alternative??? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 386 0 replies Reply to # 363 Left by: SIMON BROWN On 01-Jul-88 At : HERE (THERE ... Subject: UUCP FOR VMS Thanks Elaine - we found uucp in DEC Shell - ta v much - ever yours, simon UTILITIES SIG Message # 279 1 replies Left by: HOWARD DIAMOND On 01-Jul-88 At : 301-427-7436 Subject: EBCDIC TO ASCII CONVERSION I am a part-time system manager of a MicroVax II system and I am looking for a utility to convert 9 Track 1600 BPI tapes from EBCDIC to ASCII. A Bill Winkworth from ATD - American Co. left a message in 1986 about such a utility, but he no longer works there. I wonder if someone may be able to help me on this one. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 237 0 replies Reply to # 236 Left by: CURT SNYDER On 01-Jul-88 At : 714-752-4760 Subject: SQL OR 4GL INTERFACE RMS PowerHouse from COGNOS will allow you to access multiple RMS files in a pseudo-relational manner. You can also interface it to RDB. SmartStar from Signal Technology does the same. Both of these allow you to develop forms which access data records quickly and easily. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 310 0 replies Reply to # 284 Left by: JOE DISSELKAMP On 01-Jul-88 At : 615-229-5836 Subject: VAX EXPERT SYSTEM SHELL I have been using a Shell called LEVEL5 from Inof Builders Inc (IBI)(FOCUS). We have trained over 60 people on it. It will use DECwindows/workstations by first q. 89. its a good package and support is good. PS. u might know it better by its old name INSITE 2+ (one of the first PC shells) hope to here from anybody.... VMS SIG Message # 639 0 replies Left by: STEVE J. DYER On 01-Jul-88 At : (812)853-1333 OR HERE Subject: TERMINAL QIO PROBLEM Situation: I have written a FORTRAN program to test QIO reads from a terminal. The program prompts the users for terminal name and number of timeout seconds. To do this, I use FORTRAN reads and writes. The program sets a timer, then issues a QIO asynchronous read. The program then synchronizes on the Event Flag to be set by the timer. When the waiting for the timer event flag is over, I check I/O status and cancel the I/O request if it is not complete. I am looking at four different conditions: 1) user responds to QIO with no response. 2) user types in characters and completes I/O by filling buffer 3) user types in character and completes by hitting carriage return, CNTRL-Z, or an escape sequence. 4) user types in a few characters, but doesn't complete I/O. ( no carriage return, etc. ) The problem is with the 4th type of response. When I run this program and specify to the program the input terminal to be the same as the terminal as I'm presently on, it dosn't work properly. I would expect it to wait for the timer event flag to be set and when it is, continue program execution. However, when trying the fourth type of response, it sits there waiting for the I/O to complete. This only happens in the case where the terminal I'm running the program on is the same as the terminal that the QIO is reading from. If I read the I/O from a different terminal. the program works as expected: the timer times out and then program execution continues, where I cancel the I/O request. I would appreciate any theories as to why this happens. Thanks. RSTS SIG Message # 297 0 replies Reply to # 291 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 02-Jul-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: DECUS RSTS SIG "BBS" Brett, welcome back. You're right, it is seeming rather lonely in this neck of the woods. However, last I knew Terry Kennedy had not set up the DECUS RSTS SIG Newsletter system to have the type of interactive message center that is available here. (He also doesn't have 2400 baud modems, unfortunately.) However, the big advantage of dialing into his system is the access to all programs and other items placed on the RSTS Symposium tapes for at least the last two years, as well as programs and articles that have appeared since last August in the RSTS SIG Newsletter. I've found many of those items to be highly useful (and one, a game called SNAKE, to be an enormous time waster!). Again, the number is (201) 915-9361; when you connect (at 1200 baud), a message prints out telling you how to log in. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 387 1 replies Left by: DAVID DEHAVEN On 03-Jul-88 At : 412-937-9367 Subject: TERMINALS/PORTS/KERMIT/PCS I am trying to use a PC connected to a port running and running Kermit as a server. I have been able to allocate the port and then use Kermit (after connecting to the port) to try to exchange characters between the port (PC) and the terminal. However, the characters are usually not the ones I type. The obvious answer i that there is a mismatch in baud rate, # of data bits etc. I have tried as many combinations as is possible though and I get the same result each time. Assuming there is no conflict in the communication parameters, is there something I might be overlooking? By the way, the idea is that once link works, then the PC will be started, Kermit will be run on it in server mode, then from the VAX side the port can be allocated, Kermit run, and then the PC can be operated by a person on the VAX without touching the PC. Any help would be appreciated. VMS SIG Message # 640 0 replies Left by: GRANT MACDONALD On 04-Jul-88 At : PRATT & WHITNEY CAN. (902)873-4241 Subject: TERMINATION MAILBOX When creating a process you can specify a termination mailbox to have an accounting record written to that mailbox when that process terminates. I am looking for a possible way to have an accounting record written to my termination mailbox if a process goes down that I haven't created. I have checked the VMS documentation and it seems it can only be done on a process that you create. Thanks. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 15 0 replies Reply to # 13 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 04-Jul-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: LN03 FROM UNIX To get "quality" printing on the LN03 from UNIX, try TeX, the public domain typesetting program by Prof. Donald E. Knuth. A distribution tape should cost you less than $200 or, if you know someone who has a copy you can copy his. The documentation is execrable but, as a UNIX user, you should be used to that. It's "The TeX Book" by Donald E. Knuth. You can do almost anything with this program that the LN03 is capable of, but you should expect to spend some time figuring out how. You will need a memory cartridge for your LN03 in order to do anything but the simplest documents. You can get information on how to obtain TeX from: TeX User's Group c/o American Mathematical Society P.O. Box 9506 Providence RI 02940-9506 VMS SIG Message # 641 1 replies Reply to # 638 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 04-Jul-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: VMS V5.0 Richard, I don't think you _can_ drop support on "some of your layered products". The last time I heard, DEC required that all of the software licensed for a CPU to be at the _same_ level of support. That is, VMS and all your layered products could be on Self Maintenance, or Basic Service, or DEC Service. You couldn't mix them. UTILITIES SIG Message # 280 0 replies Reply to # 279 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 04-Jul-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: EBCDIC TO ASCII Howard, I know of two utilities that are able to read tapes in EBCDIC. One is called TAPECOPY. It will read Fixed Length Blocked records from tape and, optionally, translate BCDIC or EBCDIC to ASCII. TAPECOPY is available from CompuServe's VAX Forum (GO VAXSIG) or, if you send me a tape and return postage, I could make you a copy. The second program is MTEXCH by Gary Grebus. MTEXCH will read a great many strange mag tape formats, including IBM's V and VB formats. I think, but I won't swear to it, that it will translate EBCDIC to ASCII. MTEXCH is available from DECUS (I think) or again, I could make you a copy. MICROVAX SIG Message # 120 1 replies Reply to # 119 Left by: BILL NADDY On 04-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: MVII UPGRADE Not any more! DEC recently made an announcement that it was a mistake to have put the upgrade in the Elect. store, that they had no plans to offer the upgrade, etc. Dirty so-and-sos! At the same time, their stock is hurting, they're offering discounts all over to make sales... They recently sold the 100,000th MVII. Figure a price of $20 to $25K for an upgrade and 20,000 buyers - half a billion dollars, lot's of happy customers running lots of faster computers. Why, I bet a few of them would even want more disk space or software or terminals to take advantage of that speed. As they say, DEC has it now. And maybe someday they'll ship it to their customers. Argggghh! RSTS SIG Message # 298 0 replies Reply to # 201 Left by: DON PERRINE On 04-Jul-88 At : 3152551751 Subject: REPLY TO TI PRINTERS THIS HASN'T BEEN A LOT OF FUN, BUT I DID MAKE ALL BUT MY TI 810'S TALK I NEVER DID HEAR FROM ARIS, OR MAYBE I JUST NEED TO LEARN TO FOLLOW MESSAGES THROUGH THIS CHAIN. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 388 0 replies Reply to # 387 Left by: Phil Anthony On 04-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: KERMIT/PCS/PORTS/VAXES David, I'm a little confused by your message. When you say you've allocated the port and used Kermit, are you talking about the VAX or the PC side? Is it Kermit on the PC side that's echoing the strange characters sent from the VAX? Assuming you're using MS-Kermit V2.29 or later with PC-DOS or MS-DOS V3.0 or later, you could set up an AUTOEXEC file that would set speed, parity, data bits, and stop bits - using the MODE command (see your DOS manual) - and then invoke Kermit. Then create a Kermit initialization file, MSKERMIT.INI (see the documentation that comes with MS-Kermit), to select the correct port and speed on the PC side and start up the server. Once you have those pieces put together, you could simply switch the PC on, walk over to the VAX, allocate the VAX port, bring up Kermit-32, and you'd be in business - at least, so far as making the PC do anything that MS- Kermit in server mode will permit. If that's what you want to accomplish, you're done. But if you want to do more - for example, if you want to run other PC pro- grams from the VAX - I'm afraid it wouldn't work too well. To do that, you might want to try an AUTOEXEC.BAT that would end up with the command CTTY COM1. This command changes standard input and output to the specified device, in my example the first serial port. The big if on this one is that CTTY works only with programs that use DOS function calls for reading and writing. That excludes a goodly number of programs, including every word processor and serious spreadsheet I know of as well as any program that runs under the BASICA interpreter. However, I believe it includes MS-Kermit, so you would be able to bring Kermit up and perform file transfers. Also, you'd be able to use line-oriented text edi- tors, such as (shudder!) EDLIN. Good luck! MICROVAX SIG Message # 121 2 replies Reply to # 120 Left by: Dr. Gonzo On 05-Jul-88 At : HERE ALSO Subject: THE SO-AND-SO'S AT DEC I agree 150% with your statement. Digital is thinking alot like IBM. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that alot of the marketing people at DEC are old IBM'ers. Well IBM has been hurt, and Digital is being destroyed. Where can they go next? Sun and HP look like companies waiting for the IBM marketing mavins!! The MicroVAX III upgrade board would be a wonderful idea. Unfortunately they probably haven't figured out how many 1000% to increase the license fee's for VMS and Layered products. Eventually they will roll the dice (or spin the wheel) and come up with a ghastly figure. As for the stock, I bought some shares at 114 3/8. Then got to watch it go up to 144 followed by that recent plunge to 97. It's no wonder, considering no one in their right mind wants to buy a VAX 8000 series when a CVAX I or CVAX II chip packaged as a Calypso and with the right clock could put out around 4 to 6 times the speed of an 8840!! The Nautilus CPU's had their day but they are outdated by state of the art. When you consider it takes a MicroVAX II to boot an 8820, 8830, or 8840, something is wrong. Watch for the Calypso/XCP and Calypso/XRP machines. The RIGEL (CVAX II) will have to be released sometime... PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 311 1 replies Left by: BOB GROHOVSKY On 05-Jul-88 At : 219-589-3111 Subject: MPP I/O REQ. TO TT DRIVER We, here at CTS, have been trying to develop a procedure that will read a TT serial port or time out if no response is received after some timeout period ( say, 20 seconds ). By using REQUEST and REPLY packets we are able to request READS directly to the TT driver ($TTADR). By using the RECEIVE_ANY procedure we are able to timeout, but there seems to be no way of terminating the pending request at the TT driver level. Therefore, the next time a read is requested, a reply packet is sent almost immediatly with nothing in it. Every READ request thereafter is wrong. If anyone has worked with READing and WRITEing directly to the TT driver we would sure appreciate any hints on how to terminate pending requests. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 312 0 replies Reply to # 309 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 05-Jul-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: DTR DATES Some more comments about the Dates-in-Datatrieve discussion: The goal seems to be to store today's date with the time part "stripped off". However, what exactly does this mean? Every VMS 64-bit date must be a completely specified date and time. It should be made clear that the time part can not be stripped off. It can, though, be set to a standard constant value, such as midnight (which is time 00:00:00.00). If all dates are stored as if they were midnight, then DTR will be able to compare and sort as desired. As for the suggested method for doing this, I have some comments. The SYS$GETTIM for getting the current VMS time is not needed. If you call SYS$ASCTIM and leave out the input date-time argument, this will result in the current date-time being used (at least this can be done from BASIC). That saves a step. Then, as suggested, the time part can be stripped off from the ASCII version of the date-time, and SYS$BINTIM can be used to convert back to VMS 64-bit format. However, if you just leave off the time part, I think BINTIM will replace it with the current time, which defeats the whole purpose! You must not only strip off the current time from the result of the ASCTIM, but you must replace it with "0:0:0.0" to force BINTIM to use midnight. I'm not positive this is the case but I'm pretty sure. I also have some suggestions for Datatrieve. Even if a date has already been stored (with a non-midnight time) by an external program, there are ways to "mask" off the time part, so that you can do comparing. Define a COMPUTED BY field, either in the record definition itself, or as a variable. E.g. if DATE is a USAGE DATE field, you can define a variable D like: DEFINE D COMPUTED BY FORMAT DATE USING NN/DD/YY. That will take the DATE field and convert it to a string using the NN/DD/YY edit-string. Then you can use the D field in reports to say things like AT TOP OF D. This isn't good for sorting, because D (being a string) will sort in ASCII, not chronological order. You can still use the DATE field for that. There's even a way to define a COMPUTED BY field which is the VMS 64-bit format version (which you CAN then use for sorting). You'd have to somehow convert the USAGE DATE field to a string, in DD-MMM-YYYY format (with the time part stripped off), then append a " 0:0:0.0" to it, then use FN$DATE to convert the string back into VMS binary format in your COMPUTED BY field. John. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 227 0 replies Reply to # 224 Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 05-Jul-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: GROUP LOGICAL NAMES I think there's an easier way to create group logical names at system startup. VMS won't create the group logical name table until the first time a process in that group logs in (or is created). So, to create the table automatically at startup, all you need to do is create a dummy process in that group. If the group is 123, then use the command: RUN/UIC=[123,0] SYS$SYSTEM:LOGINOUT That will create a subprocess with the given UIC, which will simply start and then immediately terminate, thereby creating the group logical name table. After that, you can use statements like: DEFINE/TABLE=LNM$GROUP_000123 log-name equiv-name to set logical names in that table. This is effectively the same as the suggested solution, but avoids the need for dummy usernames, batch jobs, command procedures, etc. John. GRAPHICS SIG Message # 68 0 replies Left by: LEON RISSER On 06-Jul-88 At : 414 5451270 Subject: FILM RECORDERS WHO MAKES THE BEST FILM RECORDER FOR HIGH QUALITY SLIDES-EKTACHOMES UP TO 8X10. WE ARE A COLOR LAB. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 273 0 replies Reply to # 269 Left by: JUHA KANTOVAARA On 06-Jul-88 At : 705-267-1401 EXT. 52 Subject: VT100 AND SERVER PROBLEM We have has this problem on our Decserver 200's and have found the problem to be caused by long terminal lines which had not been properly grounded. The line was wired with the shield connected to pin #1 at **both** ends of the cable. When we disconnected pin #1 at one end the problem went away. Hope this helps. MICROVAX SIG Message # 122 1 replies Reply to # 121 Left by: DR. GONZO On 06-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: OOPS Oops, the Calypso/XCP is the real name of the 6210, 6220, 6230, 6240 so they are already released. It is the XRP which is still secret. To make up for that little mistake, try these devices: RX35 RF30 RF70 RF71 RD33 ESE20 TU56 TK60 TA90 TF30 TF70 RV60 Enjoy!! VMS SIG Message # 642 1 replies Left by: SCOTT COCHRAN On 06-Jul-88 At : 612-830-5909 Subject: RMS GLOBAL BUFFERS, EDIT/FDL I have been converting applications from RSX to VMS. The FDL file definitions are for the most part similar to the DES files in RSX. In this application, most of the files are shared by a number of users typically 5 to 10 users will have shared access to the larger data files. Would performance be increased by building those files with global buffers? There is also a small (less than 100 blocks) menu file that more than 100 users will have open shared read. Would performance be increased by building the menu file with global buffers? We could build a shared location in memory and load the menu file directly into it, but if global buffers would do about the same thing why bother ????? There are a few other issues: 1) We have plenty of memory - 20 mbytes free typically. 2) The application is written in FORTRAN -- is the FORTRAN to RMS interface 'smart' enough to take advantage of global buffers? 3) Should the cache hits be monitored to see if improvements can be made? 4) When MONITOR MODES screen is displayed, the majority fo the processor time is spent in Kernel and Executive (essentially 0% User mode) which indicates that RMS overhead is going to be the most significant place to get performance. The response time for the application good now but transaction volume is expected to double in the next 6 months and I'd like to have some a tuning strategy planned if things start to get slow. Thanks WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 78 0 replies Reply to # 66 Left by: ARTHUR NA On 06-Jul-88 At : (313) 994-1200 EXT. 2854 Subject: GRAPHICS WITH TEX Someone here at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan has done binary pictures in TeX, using the \special option. I can give more details if you're interested, but basically it involves producing a binary file with our image processing language (anything dumping out a binary image will work, however) and then including it into TeX. I should point out that this uses up a LOT of memory, but images no bigger than about 3 inches x 3 inches will fit nicely into TeX. PC'S SIG Message # 173 2 replies Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 06-Jul-88 At : (303) 492-5262 Subject: VMS SERVICES...PC MEMORY Does anyone know how much memory VMS Services requires in a PC? Thanks. CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 92 1 replies Left by: RON BARALE On 06-Jul-88 At : 408-945-1600 X230 Subject: TU COMPATIBLE CONTRLLRS ANY ONE OUT THERE HAD ANY SUCCESS INTERFACING A CDC 92185 TAPE DRIVE TO ANY CONTROLLER CAPABLE OF LOOKING LIKE A TU TYPE DRIVE (OR MU DEVICE). WE SEEM TO BE STUCK WITH VENDORS TRYING TO SELL US TS COMPATIBLE COUPLERS, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO SELECT DENSITY FROM THE TAPE DRIVE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE OPS BE ABLE TO SELECT DENSITY FROM VMS, PER NORMAL... ANY INFO ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF CONTROLLER, COUPLER, ETC. WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! A NOTE: THIS CONTROLLER WILL NEED TO GO ON A UNIBUS ADAPTER HOOKED UP TO AN 8250. I AM ALSO OPEN TO OTHER IDEAS ANYONE MAY HAVE. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 274 1 replies Left by: RON BARALE On 06-Jul-88 At : 408-945-1600 X230 Subject: STALLING PRT QUEUES HELP ANY NETWORK GURUS OUT THERE! WE HAVE A CLUSTER CONSISTING OF AN 8250 AND A 750. THESE CPUS ARE DECNET/ETHERNET'D TOGETHER. WE HAVE A MUXSERVER USING THE STANDARD LAT GOODIES SERVING A GROUP OF 7 USERS IN CHICAGO (VIA LAND LINE). THERE IS ONE SERIAL PRINTER QUEUE THAT 'STALLS' ANYTIME A FILE WITH ANY BLOCK SIZE OF LARGER THAN 100 OR SO IS PRINTED. THIS PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE AN OBVIOUS FLOW CONTROL ISSUE , BUT MANY CALLS TO DEC AND THE PRINTER MANUFACTURER INDICATE THAT BOTH OUR MUXSERVER AND PRINTER ARE SET CORRECTLY. ANY HIDDEN BUGS OR TRICKS THAT ANYONE CAN ENLIGHTEN US ABOUT? NOTE: THREE OTHER PRINT QUEUES WORK FINE, AND THE 4 TERMINALS HAVE NO PROBS. THANKS! CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 275 0 replies Left by: RON BARALE On 06-Jul-88 At : 408-945-1600 Subject: ERROR ON 274 SORRY ALL, THE DEVICE WE ARE USING IS A DECSERVER, NO THE MUXSERVER! RB PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 313 1 replies Reply to # 243 Well, I've been ripping through every DEC manual I have (and, I never, ever, throw one away) to find the place where I read that DEC high level languages do not produce Position Independent Code (egomaniacs have long memories, and a lot of energy), for months now, and I finally found it...in, of all places, a DATATRIEVE manual! In the "Guide to Programming and Customizing DATATRIEVE", there is a discussion about adding user written functions to the DTR shareable library. It says (in a nutshell), that BASIC, Pascal, and PL/I compilers generate PIC - but, that FORTRAN and COBOL do not! It does go on to say, that the LINKER converts the Position Dependent Code produced by the compilers and "fixes up" the addresses. That's why I said, in my first reply (lo, many months ago), that, DEC high level languages (well, some of them) don't produce PIC, but that they can be successfully used to create shareable images anyway. Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 MICROVAX SIG Message # 123 1 replies Reply to # 122 Well, kindly Dr. Gonzo is no greybeard...the TU56 he saw in the system definitions is hardly a new device. Us old timers all have fond memories of true DECTape (not that annoying upstart, DECTape II, the TU58). Back when you could watch the console lights flicker, and see the DECTApe spin, you really felt like your program was doing something. While we are on the subject of amusing device definitions gleaned from the system libraries, I recently saw references to a BI nexus type that indicated there was thought at one time, of supporting a "BI to VenusAbus adapter", Venus, of course, being the 8600 family. It apparently was never implemented, but, it certainly would have been nice to add BI gear to my 8600s and 8650s, instead of hearing that they are obsolete. Lee K. Gleaosn Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 713/528-1859 MICROVAX SIG Message # 124 1 replies Reply to # 121 Left by: BILL NADDY On 07-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: THE BAS***** Oh, they'll do something sooner or later to allow us MVII users to upgrade . I'm the program director for the local DECUS group and I'm thinking about having somebody from COMPAQ come in and tell us why we should be using their new 25 MHz machines instead. Sun starts to look real appealing sometimes...we'll see. Funny to think that 6 months ago I'd have removed a user from the system for suggesting DEC could do something wrong. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 314 0 replies Left by: THOMAS SHAFFER On 07-Jul-88 At : 203-669-3562 Subject: VAX NATIVE 'C' Where can one get a hold of VAX native 'C' for VMS 4.7? Seems as if DEC will only offer it for their current version of VMS. Chances are good that we won't be upgrading in the near future...Better off using another vendor's version? Who'd be recommended? thanks. VMS SIG Message # 643 0 replies Reply to # 642 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 07-Jul-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: GLOBAL BUFFERS First, global buffers do not work for sequential files. We have created some of our indexed files with global buffers and yes, Fortran does use them. The advantage of the global buffers, as we see it, is a reduction in memory usage because RMS will load only one copy of the index (if it will fit) into the global buffers for all users. This will also cause a reduction in page faults because the index does not have to be read in from disk for each user. RMS is smart enough to load the index into the global buffers first. JDM MICROVAX SIG Message # 125 0 replies Reply to # 123 Left by: DR. GONZO On 07-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: TU56 Sorry about that. I am too young to know about the TU56!! Sort of tricky when dealing with the information source. Alright then, lets try another: RDBX1 and KFBTA RDBX1 a BI equivalent to RQDX3 KFBTA is up for grabs. It is a BI controller and possibly has something to do with the TF and RF devices. MICROVAX SIG Message # 126 2 replies Reply to # 124 Left by: DR. GONZO On 08-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: !! Good for you!! If DEC is out of touch with us (and the rest of the world), then perhaps we should be out of touch with DEC!! A year ago, I would have jumped down the throat of anyone who would have cursed DEC. Now after seeing more and more of their little tricks, marketing ploys, $5000 MAXTOR drives (aka RD54-A), embracing of obsolete technology (ST506, IPI), CPU lobotimizing (re: The unannounced cache-less MV 3000), it is no wonder that Compaq and Sun are doing well. The new RISC machines (ie. Motorola, SPARC, etc.) seem to be the future. Although I hate UNIX, I can get used to it at the right price. In fact, give me something similar to DCL on UNIX and I'll would probably switch. Many more people are getting the same idea. Eventually DEC will be in the same position as IBM (perhaps what they want). They will support an existing customer base but will not enter into any new accounts. So much for today's speach. I really go off the deep end when I start to think about this stuff... MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 195 1 replies Left by: CLARK STRONG On 08-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: ODS-2 Reading a description of a disk utility it stated the utility would only work with VAX/VMS ODS-2 disks. Can anyone tell me what are ODS-2 disks. Thank You. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 196 0 replies Reply to # 195 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 08-Jul-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: ODS-2 DEFINED Clark - If you've been brought up on VAXes only, you can be forgiven for not knowing what ODS-2 means. It's shorthand for On Disk Structure Level 2. In short, it's just the protocol followed by the hardware / software to lay out the bits and bytes on a disk platter. The official definition, from my old VAX TECHNICIAL SUMMARY book ... The VAX/VMS operating system supports the Files-11 On-Disk Structure Level 2 (ODS-2); ODS-2 provides the facilities for file creation, extension, and deletion with owner-specified protections and multiplevel directories. On-Disk Structure Level 2 is upwardly compatible with Level 1 (the file system currently available under the PDP-11 IAS and RSX-11 operating systems). (end of excerpt) If you lived in the days of yore when the VAX was the new kid on the block, you would be aware that in a computer room with both PDP-11's and VAX 780's (ain't nothing else but 780's back in 1980), you could move RM02/RM03 disk packs from the '11 to the 780 and read the data off the packs. The one thing to remember was that PDP-11 expected the ODS-1 (that's version 1) format only, while the VAX expected an ODS-2 format but could be persuaded to mount the ex-PDP-11 pack with the appropriate MOUNT qualifier. (end of lesson for the day) Kitty :-) LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 16 0 replies Reply to # 6 Left by: MARK STONE On 08-Jul-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: FOOLING AN LN03 FOR FUN+PROFIT The maintenance light indicates that the OPC belt should be replaced. At 10,000 pages the LN03 automatically "punches" out a plastic tab on the existing belt and signalls the light. Until the punching pin is pushed back (by a new OPC belt) the light will keep flashing. Once the punch is pushed in, the LN03 will count off another 10,000 pages and punch again. We've found that an OPC belt can last 13-14,000 pages until it gets cruddy looking. We cover the existing belt's punched hole with two pieces of scotch tape. This pushes the pin back in and no more light. And you don't get burned, dirty or cut shoving your hands inside the printer. MICROVAX SIG Message # 127 0 replies Left by: JAMES HAAS On 08-Jul-88 At : 612-348-8837 Subject: TCP/IP AND MASS-11 We currently use a MicroVAX two with more than the recommended number of users (34 terminals, 11 printers). Are considering options for networking when we add a second MicroVAX and more users. Is anyone out there running TCP/IP and Mass11 on MicroVax IIs (VMS 4.7)? Can anyone see major pitfalls to this combination? RSTS SIG Message # 299 1 replies Left by: MARK STONE On 08-Jul-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: READING SAVRES ON VAX HELP! I've migrated (or was pushed) from a PDP 11/70 RSTS V8.0 system to VMS two years ago. I need some old RSTS files from a SAVRES tape. I don't have and 11/70 anymore (my boss uses it to anchor his boat). What is the record size of a SAVRES tape so I can mount it on the VAX? PC'S SIG Message # 174 0 replies Reply to # 173 Left by: KEVIN VERBLE On 08-Jul-88 At : 714-998-5500 Subject: PCSA MEMORY The standard network code uses about 175 K of the pc's memory. You can unload a couple a programs and reduce somewhat. If you run Dec's version of windows, it takes about another 175 K or so. As I have found out, I can't run wordperfect with windows running, I have to close the windows session and run it by itself. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 197 0 replies Reply to # 194 Left by: KEVIN VERBLE On 08-Jul-88 At : 714-998-5500 Subject: NETWORK BOARDS I have just installed a 3-Com board in an AT using Decnet-dos, it works just fine. Micom boards and Decs Depca boards also work and all three are supported. The 3-Com board also works with PCSA but this isn't supported with our version of it. We are running PCSA on a satellite node of our LAVC. RSTS SIG Message # 300 1 replies Reply to # 299 Left by: Phil Anthony On 08-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: READING SAVRES Whoof! Mark, you do have a problem! I honestly don't know what size blocks SAVRES uses, but mounting it on your VAX ain't gonna do you a whole lot of good anyway. SAVRES produces an image backup of your disk - track by track, sector by sector - and the only means I could think of to pull a single file off would be first to pull off the MFD, use that to figure out where the first cluster of the appropriate UFD is, use that to trace the second, and so on; then finally read the reconstructed UFD to calculate where on the tape the clusters for your file are. Since the block size on the tape isn't likely to be the same as your disk's original clustersize, that's a whole lot of hassle. It'd be a lot cheaper, both in time and money, to locate a RSTS time-sharing system or somebody who's still using RSTS (there are still lots of us around) with a similar disk configuration and beg, pay, or bribe them to create you a new disk from your old SAVRES tapes. Maybe your local DECUS chapter can help, though in this area at least, the VMS types (and DEC poli- cies) have pretty well pushed the RSTS users out. MICROVAX SIG Message # 128 1 replies Reply to # 126 Left by: Phil Anthony On 08-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: Reach Out and Touch Someone Tsk, tsk, Dr. Gonzo! Now you're learning how us ol' PDP types have felt for quite a few years now. PDP-11/84s are nice, but where's the MASSbus? Why can't RSTS be a DECnet host, and why not a 32-bit PDP bus structure using 16-bit memory mapping registers plus the standard general-purpose registers? Why has RT11 been so short-changed in terms of programming language support? Or, for that matter, why did DEC drop support for the PDP-12, a wonderful real-time machine, when they came out with the PDP-11? That was somewhat before my time, but a good friend of mine still complains about it. Why did DEC drop the TU56, which was far superior to the abomination of a TU58? Why did DEC make a big sales pitch to unload TU58s, and then drop all PDP sup- port for them the following year? Maybe you should've been sitting in the conference room when a client of mine about a year and a half ago dropped their VAXes like a hot potato. They'd just learned that upgrading from their 11/7xx's would also mean re- placing all their mass storage devices. And what quality support do you think you'll see for VMS when DEC finally gets around to replacing its out- moded, 12-year-old VAX chip set with the rumored RISC chip that won't run VMS? Oh, some of us still support PDPs; and five years from now, people will still be supporting VAXes. Maybe we'll even be able to get replacement parts, though probably at outrageous prices. But DEC has been out of touch with their users - their installed customer base - for years. P.S. I understand there are DCL shells on the market today for UNIX .... RT SIG Message # 13 0 replies Left by: DARRELL DEUEL On 09-Jul-88 At : (805) 833-6552 Subject: RT-11 - I HAVE AN OLDER RT-11 OPERATING SYSTEM , SN AN-5752B-BC VERSION 03B. IT IS ON A RK05 DISK, I HAVE A RX01 FLOPPY ULD LIKE TO PURCHASE A COPY THAT I COULD BOOT FROM MY FLOPPY SYSTEM. ANY ASSISTANCE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. DARRELL DEUEL MICROVAX SIG Message # 129 0 replies Reply to # 3 Left by: BILL NADDY On 09-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: VSTATION VS. MVAX Bill, can't fully answer your question but I can add a little to the rumor...as I understand it, you can't run more than one user at atime while you've got the Vaxstation screen hooked up...pull it off and you're back to normal MicroVax type situations? Hope somebody knows more. MICROVAX SIG Message # 130 0 replies Reply to # 128 Left by: DR. GONZO On 09-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: THANX Thanks for the info on DCL shells for UNIX. I'll have to look around and see what's out there. Interesting point about the future of VMS. It wouldn't surprise me if in a few short years VMS will be as popular with DEC as RSTS is now. The new 64-bit cpu (Aquarius or Argonaut, can't remember) could be the beginning of the end. They say it will be microcoded to run VMS. How long before that becomes 'VAX compatibility mode' and runs as a $30K layered product on the new 64-bit O/S?? I am all for progress and would be interested in seeing what a new 64-bit system would look like, but getting left in the cold with VAX's after a few short years is rather frightening after investing $3M plus in equipment. RSTS SIG Message # 301 0 replies Reply to # 300 Although, 'tis true, that finding the tape block size is the least of your problems (the RSTS and RSX/IAS/VMS file structures look like they came from different companies...), it's easy enough to do. Just mount the tape /FOREIGN, then DUMP it, to see what size the blocks are (and simultaneously see what they look like). As to reading it, it'll be easier by far to look for a friendly RSTS site to read the SAVRES tape, and re write the files in a VAX readable format (DOS/FLX/EXCHANGE was the only one last time I saw RSTS - I hear it'll do VAX backup now). Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 93 0 replies Reply to # 92 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 11-Jul-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: MU: FOR 92185 I don't know of an MU: on the Unibus today, but the Dilog DQ153 does it on Qbus now and should have its Unibus sibling (DU153) out by Sept., if you can wait. If you do go the MS: route, watch out for the older Dilog Dx132 controllers. The problem is only that drive and VMS Backup. The way read reverse is implemented on a drive that doesn't actually support it takes a l o n g time. Dilog has done something to help the problem on the Dx142 controllers recently, but won't be able to fit the new microcode on the older but still sold Dx132s. The problem simply won't be there on the Dx153s as they are emulating a TU81 that can't read backwards (so BACKUP won't try). The MV2s won't boot TU81s, so Dilog's DQ153 gives you the opportunity to 'look' like a TK50 rather than a TU81 if you would prefer to be bootable. I don't know if there is a Unibus equivalent to this problem, but can assume Dilog will help out if possible. They are nice folks helping us survive inspite of DEC's dumb planning, or perhaps, ARROGANCE. (This fitting word seemed apt to many people at the recent big DECUS symposium.) DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 389 0 replies Left by: MIKE On 12-Jul-88 At : Subject: KERMIT SOURCES C SOURCE FOR KERMIT RECEIVE AND KERMIT SEND CAN BE FOUND ON THE BXR-IRS PC BULLITEN BOARD. THE NUMBER IS (703)756-6109. 8 DATA, 1 STOP NO PARITY. ALSO AVAILABLE FOR VARIOUS PC MODELS, ARE EXECUTABLE CODE FOR KERMIT XFER. GOOD LUCK AND HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL MIKE BRUCE FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 50 0 replies Left by: KEVIN J. KUREK On 12-Jul-88 At : 414-929-4713 Subject: Looking for RUNOFF/PC I am looking for a version of RUNOFF that runs on an IBM-PC or compatible. I have several PC users who need and would like this capability for compatibility purposes. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 200 0 replies Reply to # 2 Left by: DAVID On 13-Jul-88 At : 405-841-5722 Subject: DF124 MODEM IF YOU WILL CALL DIGITAL SUPPORT YOU CAN GET THE PROGRAM FOR DF112 MODEM THAT WILL WORK ON THE DF124 MODEM. IF NOT YOU CAN USE VAXNET THAT WILL LET YOU DIAL OUT. VAXNET WILL LET YOU DIAL FROM ANY TERM ON YOUR VAX. THERE IS ALSO SMART COM3 THAT WILL LET YOU DO IT TO. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 201 0 replies Reply to # 5 Left by: DAVID EDMUNDSON On 13-Jul-88 At : 401-841-5722 Subject: PHONE LINE YES YOU CAN USE YOUR PBX SYSTEM. ENTER THE EXT. JUST LIKE THE PHONE NUMBER. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 202 0 replies Reply to # 14 Left by: DAVID On 13-Jul-88 At : Subject: MICROCOM WE ARE USEING THE MICROCOM AX/2400C MODEM ON ARE 8250 VAX FOR FILE TRANSFER WITH KERMIT. THEY WORK GREAT. BETTER THAN THE DFXXX MODEMS. THEY ALSO WORK GREAT WHEN CALLING INTO A IBM PC FOR FILE TRANSFER. I AM USEING ONE RIGHT NOW. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 276 1 replies Left by: JAMES HAAS On 14-Jul-88 At : 612-348-8837 OR HERE Subject: TCP/IP AND MASS-11 We are currently using a MicroVAX11 with 35 terminals running Mass-11 under VMS 4.7. Will be adding a second MicroVAX and more terminals. Considering networking options, one of which is TCP/IP. Is anyone ou there running this combination (TCP/IP/Mass-11/VMS)? Can anyone see pitfalls? Thanks for you help... UTILITIES SIG Message # 281 0 replies Reply to # 262 Left by: RANDY ROTH On 14-Jul-88 At : (616)982-6267 Subject: MULTIPLE SESSIONS We've been using DEC's DECservers (100s and 200s) and have been thrilled with how great they handle multiple sessions/signons from one terminal. You can be using any out of the four (or more) sessions within three keystrokes. UTILITIES SIG Message # 282 0 replies Left by: RANDY ROTH On 14-Jul-88 At : (616)982-6267 Subject: STATISTICAL SOFTWARE Does anyone know of a statistical package that works with the Weibull distribution? We do a lot of reliability analysis that requires Weibull and nothing we've seen to date (SAS, Minitab, etc.) seem to have it. The package would ideally be VAX-based, but suggestions for PDP- or even PC- based packages would be VERY welcome! Thanks. GRAPHICS SIG Message # 69 0 replies Left by: GARY WOLFER On 14-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (800) 835-2221 Subject: GKS GRAPHICS SOFTWARE I am soon to begin the design, coding and implementation of a CAD/CAM Graphics system for in-house use. I have several questions about the GKS software package and was wondering if someone who had experience with the package would give me some opinions. The questions I have are as follows: 1) I have heard rumblings about GKS software being made obsolete with the introduction of DECwindows. Any thoughts ?? 2) Two of the devices that will be running on this system are not supported devices. Will using GKS and writing my own device drivers for these two devices be any quicker than writing my own graphics subroutines? 3) What are you general feelings about the ease of use and capabilities ? 4) Are there any other similar products which are being used on DEC equipment ? If anyone has experience in dealing with the above questions, it would be quite helpful. Thanks! Gary DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 390 0 replies Left by: SARAH TOWNSEND On 15-Jul-88 At : IN-PROCESS-OF-MOVING Subject: SCREEN MODE EDITING AT 2400 BAUD WE RECENTLY REPLACED OUR 1200 BAUD MODEMS FOR 2400 BAUD. EVERYTHING WORKS FINE UNTIL YOU TRY TO EDIT A FILE ON THE REMOTE SYSTEM WITH EDT IN SCREEN MODE. GOING TO SCREEN MODE, AS WELL AS VARIOUS OTHER KEYPAD COMMANDS CAUSE GARBAGE CHARACTERS TO APPEAR. IT SEEMS TO BE THE ESCAPE SEQUENCES THAT DO IT -- LIKE COMMANDS WHICH GIVE A LINE MODE PROMPT & THEN RETURN YOU TO FULL SCREEN MODE. ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS TROUBLE? KNOW A SOLUTION? MODEMS ARE HAYES. NO TROUBLE USING THE SAME MODEMS, BUT SPECIFYING 1200 BAUD. THANKS. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 203 2 replies Left by: SARAH TOWNSEND On 15-Jul-88 At : IN-PROCESS-OF-MOVING Subject: SCREEN MODE EDT AT 2400 BAUD We just replaced our 1200 baud modems with 2400 baud (all HAYES). Everything works fine until you edit a file in screen mode on a remote system. Then, when entering screen mode and when some keypad commands are entered, garbage appears. Not every time, but alot of the time. Since complaining users are bouncing through half a dozen computers in half a dozen states to get to the file to be edited, line noise could certainly be involved. Using the same modems at 1200 baud works fine with no garbage. Anyone else have this trouble? What can we do to fix this? Thanks. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 204 0 replies Reply to # 203 Left by: Phil Anthony On 15-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: EDT AT 2400 BAUD Two possibilities occur to me, Sarah. First, it could easily be line noise, since 2400 Baud is much more sensitive to noise than 1200 is. Not much you can do about that except for talking to all the local telephone companies and your long-distance service. Second, you could be having an overrun problem. You don't say what system(s) you're on, but if it's VAXes in par- ticular - especially with genuine DEC VT-anything terminals, which are pretty slow beasts - make sure you're using XON-XOFF protocol on both ends. Finally, if your users are on PCs, rather than dumb terminals, you might want to slow down your transmission rate by delaying about a tenth of a sec- ond between characters and three tenths or more after each carriage return. Good luck! VMS SIG Message # 644 0 replies Left by: PHILIP GRAVEL On 15-Jul-88 At : (312)420-5474 Subject: TERMINAL CHARACTERISTICS The VT300 series terminals allow programmers to request a terminal state report (DECRQTSR). The terminal responds by sending a report that contains the settings of the device attributes or color map. It is not difficult to have a DCL command procedure issue the escape sequence requesting these reports, but reading them is a problem. The report consists of a string of characters sent back to the host from the terminal. Because this string does not end in a CR-LF, the host doesn't know that the reading of the string of characteristic is finished. Any suggestions on how to capture this character string? I would like to save the current terminal characteristics before I use products that change them and then restore those saved characteristics after I have finished using the product. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 224 0 replies Reply to # 183 Left by: PHILIP GRAVEL On 15-Jul-88 At : AMOCO CHEMICAL (312)420-5474 Subject: VT340 DUAL SESSION Pressing CTRL-Switch Session will first split the screen vertically, pressing it a second time will split it horizontally, and pressing it a third time will restore the one session screen. CTRL-SHIFT-UP_ARROW/DOWN_ARROW allows you to change relative sizes of the windows on a horizontally split screen. Phil PC'S SIG Message # 175 0 replies Reply to # 173 Left by: WAYNE RIDLEY On 15-Jul-88 At : (705)748-7841 Subject: VMS SERVICES The PC portion of DECNET / VMS Services for MS-DOS takes up about 105k of your PC memory. Thus, if you want to run programs like AutoCAD you cannot have features like AutoLISP active while attached to the network. We have 4 PC/AT's hooked up to our MicroVAX 2000 / MicroVAX II cluster with good results except for the above memory penalty. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 315 1 replies Reply to # 313 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 15-Jul-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: PIC Great! Now we have two manuals in conflict. Anybody know which one is right? How old is that Dattrieve manual Lee? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 316 0 replies Reply to # 315 Left by: LEE K. GLEASON On 16-Jul-88 At : 713/528-1859 Subject: PIC The Datatrieve manual I've got is approx. one year old. I am speculating, however, that, in their own way, they are "both right". The Datatrieve manual is probably strictly correct in it's statements about the .OBJ code produced by the compilers. The Linker/Shareable Lib manual writers, being aware that this is a meaningless distinction (due to the Linker address fixups) in 99.99% of all cases, probably elected not to confuse the issue needlessly, and just called it PIC. I was glad just to see that I hadn't "remembered" it out of thin air ... after reading hundreds of different DEC manuals over ten years, it's easy for me to get confused. Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 MICROVAX SIG Message # 131 1 replies Reply to # 126 Left by: BILL NADDY On 17-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: THE UPGRADE Another tidbit; Someone I don't know who works for a computer company I never heard of told me the reason DEC pulled the idea of selling the CVAX chip to us uVII owners was because "the bus wasn't the same in the uVIII and the uVII just wouldn't get the same kind of performance the uVAXIII gets...so rather than have a lot of disappointed upgraders they decided to have a lot of angry customers". But that seems contrary to the slick brochures I've seen saying that the bus is still the Q22 or whatever the number is. Comments, guys? MICROVAX SIG Message # 132 0 replies Reply to # 131 Left by: On 18-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: Q22 BUS The Q22 bus is identical on the 3000 series as on the MV II. In fact, all that is needed to upgrade a MicroVAX II is: 1) KA650 cpu, 2) MS650 memory. Everything else is compatible (even the little PMI cable). Also, the VAXstation 3200 is nothing more then a Q4 microvax with a KA650 CPU (microcode protected) and MS650 memory. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 225 1 replies Left by: PITTMAN On 18-Jul-88 At : 416-475-9320 Subject: VT320/330/340 It's been a year now since DEC introduced it's 300 series terminals. Anybody yet heard of cheaper clones?...Where...How Much??? Regards, Pittman WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 79 0 replies Left by: GREGORY BECKOWSKI On 18-Jul-88 At : (215) 542-8400 Subject: TEX I have a request for anyone having access to TeX. Due to an administration which believes all word processing should be done on PCs, I am unable to purchase TeX. If someone could send me a copy I might be able to change their point of view. I will provide the tape and round trip postage. Please contact me at the above number or leave a message here. Thanks. Gregory Beckowski COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 205 0 replies Reply to # 203 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 19-Jul-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: TPU EDIT PROBLEMS Sarah - I've noticed the same problem occuring at random for people using TPU on either a DECmate or VT330 accessing a 750 via Ethernet/Decserver. As you say, escape sequences pop up during editor startup and whilst the user navigates thru the file. I dunno exactly what the problem is (not often that this happens to me) but I can give you a possible fix (it worked for me). I'll bet that if you do a $ SHOW TERM, you'll see that the terminal is set to EIGHTBIT. If you do a $ SET TERM/NOEIGHTBIT prior to starting up the editor, your problems will go away. You may want to consider leaving the terminal at /NOEIGHTBIT so that you don't have to remember to switch back and forth all the time. My conjecture is that the software kicks out CSI's when in EIGHTBIT mode and ['s when in NOEIGHTBIT mode, and for some reason the high bit is trashed on occasion when in EIGHTBIT mode. When this happens, the terminal sees the rest of the escape sequence, finds that it's not a completely valid sequence and displays the fragments on the screen. And your phone starts ringing with another complaint on its way, briefly phrased as "whycantchagetmyterminaltoworkrightitworkedfineyesterdayIneedtofinishmy reportin5minutesgoodbyeBANG!" Any other explanations out there in ARISland ?? Incidentally, I have found that /NOEIGHTBIT will fix a lot of other problems with data communications. We use VAXNET a lot here, and have had a lot of problems when using TELENET when in /EIGHTBIT mode that disappear when I reset the terminal in /NOEIGHTBIT mode. Hope this helps. Kitty :-) PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 317 0 replies Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 19-Jul-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: Linked lists in BASIC Does anybody know how to do linked lists in BASIC. I know BASIC doesn't do them directly but was told that it can be accomplished through the use of the LIB$xxx_VM calls. Anybody ever done it before? I hate the thought of having to use Pascal or learn C to do this. There is too much string manipulation taking place. r VMS SIG Message # 647 2 replies Left by: MARK STONE On 20-Jul-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: INSTALLED IMAGES - BENEFIT? I would like to be able to find out how much of an installed image is ACTUALLY being shared (one copy) among the users executing the image. This will give me some idea of the actual working set size of the users. Also, regarding working set sizes, when and how does the quota and extent come into play if a large amount of the process is really an installed image and not private process pages? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 206 1 replies Left by: ROBERT HIRSCH On 20-Jul-88 At : (914) 735-9200 Subject: COMM FROM US TO UK ON VAX MY COMPANY IN ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THRU OUT 11/780 TO OUT MICROVAX IN THE UK. WE ARE USING A TRAILBLAZER MODEM BY TELEBIT AND THE UK END HAS A CASE 400/24+ MODEM. I BELIEVE I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WITH NOISE ON THE LINE AND SOME MODEM SETTINGS. I CAN CONNECT APPROX 1 IN 20 TIMES AND WORK FINE. MOST TIMES WHEN I DO CONNECT THE NOISE ON THE LINE KNOCKS ME OFF. OUR FAX MACHINE HAS VERY LITTLE TROUBLE COMM WITH THE UK FAX. I'M TOLD OUR MODEMS ARE COMPATIBLE. IS THERE A WAY TO GET AROUND THE NOISY LINE? EX. ERROR CONTROLLER, DIFF ROUTE, ETC.. COULD THE MODEMS THEMSELVES BE THE PROB- LEM ? IF ANYONE OUT THERE IS PRESENTLY COMMUNICATING WITH A SITE IN THE UK I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. THANKS ! LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 17 1 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 20-Jul-88 At : (203)789-5240 Subject: LN03+ SLAVE PRINTER I just installed an LN03+ laser printer to a VT240 terminal using a BC16E office cable and the appropriate adapters. I would like to find out how to send data to the printer other than using the PRINT SCREEN key. Is there a way (command) to have the slaved printer act something like a system printer? Also, when I type a file to the screen and put the printer in AUTO PRINT mode, I eventually receive an error 6 (data in buffer) on the LN03+. I'm not quite sure why this is happening. The printer documentation and programmer reference manual don't seem to address the above questions. Any suggestions would be appreciated. VMS SIG Message # 648 0 replies Reply to # 647 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 20-Jul-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: SHARED IMAGES There is a *.com file named WORKSET.COM that is in the "Guide to VAX/VMS Performance Management Manual" (on page 3-28 in the V4 manuals and on page 3-23 in the V5 manuals) that shows various memory information. With some modification (e.g. also printing out global pages) you can find out how much of a users WS is shared. VMS SIG Message # 649 0 replies Reply to # 647 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 20-Jul-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: SHARED IMAGES & WS QUO/EXT Sorry to leave 2 messages, I got bumped off. As for the second part of your message, your WS is the total of private and global pages. So if you have WSQUOTA of 500 pages, you get 500 pages, no matter if is is 100 private and 400 global or 400 private and 100 global. Obviously you could have more users on your system if your users have more global than private pages, since everyone shares global pages. Each user will need some amount of private pages though, just to hold LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 18 0 replies Reply to # 17 error 6 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 21-Jul-88 At : ARIS Subject: LN03 ERROR 6 error 6 from the l LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 19 0 replies Reply to # 17 Left by: WAYNE STEFFEN On 21-Jul-88 At : ARIS Subject: ERROR 6 what is happening is that the LN03 looks for a formfeed to terminate the page if you check your print set-up on the vt-2xx you'll see a field in the lower right corner that says terminator = FF. that says that when you press "print screen" the vt-2xx sends the screen then a character, which flushes the ln03's buffer. There is not a whloe lot to do in autoprint mode as any FF would be translated by TT driver software to linefeeds before your vt-2xx ever sees it. Wjhen you see the error 6, push the on-line button on the ln03 twice and that will cause the buffer to print. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 318 1 replies Reply to # 252 Left by: LOLING SONG On 21-Jul-88 At : 916-752-0413 OR LSONG@UCDAVIS.EDU Subject: OPS5 Hello Kent, I was pleased to find another person beside myself using OPS5. I am afraid that I will not be able to answer your question. I wonder whether you have experience using vector-attribute to manipulate vectors or even 2-D arrays. I am in the process of creating a small expert system for medical image analysis of cells, and am an inexperienced user of VAX/OPS5. I would very much appreciate if we could discuss OPS5 through network or telephone. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon! Loling Song TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 226 0 replies Reply to # 225 Left by: STEVE THOMAS On 21-Jul-88 At : 714-974-7676 Subject: VT300 CLONES There are a few people out there that *say* that their vt3xx compatible, but their really not. True compatibility includes things like dual sessions (both with graphics and text), DEC Session Support Utility (SSU) support, and about a billion other misc. features that DEC added, probably to confuse Clone makers, if nothing else. To my knowledge, nobody has come out with a true vt3xx clone yet, but I've heard through a reliable grape-net that C.Itoh is working on just doing this. I know a few of the engineers working on the project, and I can see the reason why we haven't seen one of these clones yet: the above features aren't quite as easy to implement as the ones on the VT2xx and vt1xx! I think one other company besides C.Itoh has announced a future product, anybody know of anyone else? I would sure like to see DEC second-sourced on these over-priced beauties! Anyhow, for now there's not much to do except wait. S. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 207 0 replies Reply to # 206 Left by: Phil Anthony On 21-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: US/UK COMMUNICATIONS You might want to check whether the modems are in fact compatible. European standards for the same speeds are not the same as U.S. standards (e.g., Bell 212A vs CCITT V.22, both of which run at 1200 bps but use different proto- cols). Fortunately, most modems sold in the U.S. these days can use both of the standards; but you might want to check with the manufacturers to see if they switch automatically or whether you have to issue a command (flip a DIP switch) to make them do it. Good luck! PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 319 0 replies Reply to # 311 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 21-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: CANCELLING MPP $TTDRV I/O It seems to me that the newest version of MPP (V2.4) includes a new request to cancel a previous TT I/O request. You might check into this. By the way, we do a lot of MicroPower work here at GE, and we're always happy to find someone to talk to/commiserate with about it. Please feel free to give me a call to discuss MPP problems (this applies to anyone else out there, as well). Maybe at least one of us can learn something. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 320 0 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 21-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: PDP-11 PASCAL WARNING A large software project was undertaken here at GE-Lynchburg using Micro/RSX and the PDP-11 Pascal compiler (V1.2). It occurs to me that I ought to warn my fellow man about this thing. The RSX Pascal compiler is the worst piece of Digital software the I have ever seen (and I used BP2 V2.0 under RSTS/E). It generates incorrect code under a number of circumstances, particularly where Booleans (packed or unpacked) and byte copies are involved. It has cost us untold hours of wasted time and frustration. Even if the optimizer worked, the thing is so limited in functionality and so slow in operation that I still could not recommend it. This thing has turned quite a few people here who are unfamiliar with other PDP-11 software against PDP-11's in particular and Digital in general. It's that bad. OK, you've been told. I wish someone had warned me a year ago. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 321 1 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 21-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: ANYONE USING PDP-11 CORAL? I'm looking for an RSX-based language to port a large PDP-11 Pascal system to (see previous message, 'PDP-11 Pascal Warning'). Digital's description of CORAL-66 makes it sound like a good alternative. Having just been burned by a compiler I was unfamiliar with, however, I'd like to find out more about it before I call the salesman. Is anyone using CORAL? What do you thing of it? I'm concerned about 1) accuracy of code generation, 2) quality of generated code, and 3) speed and features of compiler, in that order. Due to the extensive use of user-defined types and numeric bitfields in the code to be ported, FORTRAN-77 is not a good alternative. Does anyone else have a suggestion? My choices seem a bit limited. Along this vein: is there a BLISS-16 compiler that will run under RSX, or must you cross-compile BLISS on a VAX? VMS SIG Message # 651 2 replies Left by: JOHN FLYNN On 22-Jul-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: REMOTE PRINTERS ON DECSERVERS Howdy. We have a VAX 8700 under VMS 4.7, with terminals connected through DECserver 200's. I am trying to connect a remote printer into a DECserver, and am having trouble. This is supposed to be an easy thing to do, so I'm hoping a helpful person can clarify what I might be doing wrong. Running LATCP, I use the following commands: CREATE PORT LTA1: /APPLICATION SET PORT LTA1: /APPLICATION /NODE=LAT0 /PORT=PORT_4 Instead of LAT0 (which is how it shows up in DSVCONFIG) I also tried the name as reported by the server itself (via NCP), LAT_08002B0553B6 (the Ethernet address, I guess). From DCL: SET TERMINAL LTA1: /DEVICE_TYPE=VT200 /NOBROADCAST /PERM SET PROTECTION=(S:RWLP,O,G,W) /DEVICE LTA1: SET DEVICE LTA1: /SPOOLED=(queuename) INIT/QUEUE/START/PROCESSOR=LATSYM/RETAIN=ERROR queuename /ON=LTA1 I tried this with a VT240 just to test. No matter how I set it all up, when I tried to PRINT to the queue the job would start up but then pause with an error. When I set up the LTA1 port but didn't spool it or initialize the queue, and then tried just copying a file to the device, I'd get a data set hangup error. Well, that's the story. I appreciate any suggestions y'all may have. John. UTILITIES SIG Message # 284 2 replies Left by: C3 SYSTEMS On 22-Jul-88 At : (201) 544 3143 Subject: .LIS FILE CONVERSION We are having a problem converting a .lis output file from some proprietary software. All the output files are in .lis format and this creates problems when using the editor. The convert utility will change the FDL but does not nothing to change the actual carriage control characters in the file. We could delete the extra CRLF's one at a time in the editor (EDT), but it will not allow a substitution of CRLF with two spaces. Anyone know of any quick fixes??? VMS SIG Message # 652 1 replies Reply to # 651 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 22-Jul-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: PRINTERS & DECSERVER 200'S I have two printers hooked up through DECSERVER 200's. I can show you all of the commands I have used to set up my printers (A Kyocera 3010 Laser Printer and an LA100) First, make sure the port on the DECserver is set correctly and that the DEC- server is setup correctly. Make sure that the name of the server is LAT0. This is how the port is set for my Kyocera Laser Printer Char Size 8 Input Speed 9600 Flow Control None Output Speed 9600 Parity None Access Remote (<- That is important) Local Switch None Backwards Switch None Name Port_7 Break Disabled Session Limit 4 (not important) Forward Switch None Type Soft Preferred Service None Enabled Characteristics Autoprompt,Broadcast,Inactivity, Loss Notification,Message Codes, Verification (None of these are important) The most important part on the server itself is to make sure that the access is remote and that you have done : SET ACCESS REMOTE PORT X DEFINE ACCESS REMOTE PORT X and you have made sure that the baud rate on the server port matches the baud rate on the printer. Then to create the port on the CPU use I use CREATE PORT LTA9998:/NOLOG SET PORT LTA9998:/APPLICATION/NODE=KN0245/PORT=PORT_7 inside the LAT control program LATCP Then I set the following charateristics SET TERMINAL LTA9998:/PERM/DEVICE=LA100/NOBROADCAST/NOWRAP/SPEED=9600 Setting the speed is important here also. Then I set the protection SET PROTECTION=(S:RWLP,O,G,W)/DEVICE LTA9998: so no one else can access the device. Then I initialize the queue INIT/QUEUE/PROCESSOR=LATSYM/RECORD_BLOCKING/ON=MARS::LTA9998: MARS$LTA9998: All of these commands are present in my cluster common startup files. If you have any questions, please give me a call at the above number. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 322 1 replies Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 23-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: ANYONE USING PASCAL-2? In response to one of my previous inquiries (see 'Anyone Using PDP-11 CORAL'), an ARIS reader suggested I investigate Oregon Software's Pascal-2 compiler for Micro/RSX. Can some of you folks out there who are familiar with it share your impressions? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 323 1 replies Reply to # 321 Left by: Phil Anthony On 23-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: PASCAL ALTERNATIVE Jerry, you might want to get in touch with Whitesmith's before you look at conversion to CORAL. Whitesmith's sells a rather well thought of preprocessor option for PDPs running RSX, RT11, and RSTS. My big gripe about them was that they once used very nonstandard names for their library modules ("putfmt ()" instead of "printf ()", for instance). In recent years, though, they've implemented the standard library routines either as new functions or, most often, as macros that end up referring to their own function names. And the founder of the company is a member of the ANSI C committee, which suggests that the company's committed to portability and standardization of their product. UTILITIES SIG Message # 285 0 replies Reply to # 284 Left by: Phil Anthony On 23-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: FILE CONVERSION Your best solution, of course, would be to write a program to do the conver- sion. Short of that, I might recommend the much-maligned TECO text editor. Assuming you're trying to change to , the command would be FR>EX where the first "<" and last ">" are literals, is the result of hit- ting the RETURN key (translates to ), is escape, is a space, and the "N", "FR", and "EX" are literals. This cryptic command says to page through the entire file, find every occurrence of the unwanted string and replace it with the desired one, and then get out. Sometimes it amazes me how the old, now unsupported stuff does jobs that the new, highly touted software chokes on. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 324 0 replies Reply to # 322 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 24-Jul-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: 'OTHER' PASCALS I think you will find the Oregon one rather familiar. I am pretty sure it is what DEC 'bought' and them modified to make theirs. DEC and Oregon have presumably been independently enhancing their respective versions. Ask the Oregon folks specific questions about your specific problems, and you might find they have fixed more than DEC has (or may not...). The Whitsmith-C folks do offer a Pascal compiler that spits out C that you must then run through their C compiler. I have never used it, just know it exists. Too bad you can't use F77. It is super, and even virtual arrays are now fast thanks to fast mapping support in V5.2. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 325 0 replies Reply to # 323 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 25-Jul-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: WHITESMITHS PASCAL ON RSX Phil: Thanks for the tip on Whitesmiths Pascal. I should have mentioned that we've already evaluated this product for our conversion. We found the translator and C compiler to be surprisingly fast; however, this came at a price. The translator (PTC) apparently keeps its symbol tables entirely in memory, w/o paging to disk on overflow. We were able to kill it with only moderate-sized programs which included a fair number of constants and type definitions. The support folks at Whitesmiths could offer sympathy but no help. Another drawback to their approach is increased program size. Programs built with the Whitesmiths product were invariably and significantly larger than when built with Digital's. The C OTS routines were fairly large, even when the command-line parser was omitted, and the Pascal interface routines layered on top of that amounted to quite a bit of overhead. The I/O performance was predictably worse, since the C I/O routines were used, and the generated code was not (to my eyes) optimized as well. It was correct, however; a plus. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 208 1 replies Left by: JAMES R WILSON On 25-Jul-88 At : Subject: V.32 MODEMS I have been doing evaluations on the V.32 modems. These include; Concord, NEC, Gandalf, Cermetek, British Telecom and the list goes on. I have been able to get the NEC modems to train and successfully operate over our PBX - which is a main job in itself. But, I can't mix vendor modems, simply one V.32 will not work with another. What type of standard is that? The problem appears to be echo cancellation. Has anyone got farther than this with V.32. I hope to establish a V.32 9600 baud modem pool in my company. Any suggestions? Thanks; COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 209 0 replies Reply to # 203 Left by: JAMES R WILSON On 25-Jul-88 At : 314-537-6918 Subject: HAYES MODEMS AT 2400BPS Had a similiar problem with the Multitech 2400. After days of frustration I enabled them into auto-sync ERROR CORRECTING mode. This made a world of difference. If both the near and remote modems have this option, they will retransmit when errors are found. I am sure Haynes has this under MNP or some other type of error correcting. Good Luck; Any ? just call. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 391 0 replies Reply to # 390 Left by: CHARLES RANSOM On 25-Jul-88 At : 202-646-2400 Subject: EDT ERRORS Are you using pc's??? If you are, check them to make certain that you're using a VT100-220 emulator. If you are using terminals, Check your terminal settings on the Vax. They might be wrong. -= Charles =- CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 278 0 replies Reply to # 272 Left by: PHILIP J. PIOTROWSKI On 25-Jul-88 At : 312-351-0787 Subject: PCSA ON IBM/PC We have a DECPA in a Compaq/386-20 using a MicroVax-II running VMS. The most serious problem we have is that having PCFS loaded on the PC takes about 100K of memory away from the PC applications. SO, when we run PAGEMAKER, we boot the PC without PCFS, then re-boot and load PCFS to backup to the VAX. You may run into similar problems with any large Engineering applications. As for the LogiCraft(?), I have another client that is using it. They say its OK, although they have had problems getting things to print when they want them to. I realize this is kind of late, I would be interested in hearing your experiences, if you've installed some of this since your initial message. VMS SIG Message # 653 0 replies Reply to # 639 Left by: PHILIP J. PIOTROWSKI On 25-Jul-88 At : 312-351-0787 Subject: ASYNC QIO Just a guess, but FORTRAN may have some type of async i/o trap outstanding that interferes with yours.!? VMS SIG Message # 654 1 replies Reply to # 652 Left by: JOHN P. FLYNN On 25-Jul-88 At : (615)327-3061 Subject: REMOTE PRINTER ON DECSERVER Eric, Thanks for the hints. After playing with it for a while I finally succeeded in setting up a remote printer! It's amazing how much information is left out of the DEC manuals. That's why I appreciate all the help I get on this bulletin board. Thanks again. John. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 229 0 replies Left by: MILTON E. LAURIE JR. On 25-Jul-88 At : (203)656-5148 Subject: HARDWARE SUPPORT I am currently in the process of renewing the hardware contract at our sight. I am considering depot repair companies for our periphials, but have not been able to find any evaluation of these companies. If you have any experiance with this type of company or know of any good articles please contact me here or at the number above. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 20 3 replies Left by: TOM NITROY On 25-Jul-88 At : (617)934-0571 Subject: TALARIS LASER PRINTERS We have 7 Talaris printers on site. Each one is connected directly to a PC, so only 1 PC has access to each printer. Lately other users have been requesting access to these printers. We have been thinking about connecting the TALARIS printers to our 8200 and passing everyone's print jobs through the VAX to the printers. Any suggestions on how to do this at little or no cost. All PCs have access to the VAX via SmartTerm. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 227 0 replies Left by: WES LEATHEROCK On 25-Jul-88 At : 405 291-6196 Subject: LQP02 TECHNICAL MANUAL I am looking for an LQP02 Printer Technical Manual...DEC part number EK-LQP02-TM. It's no longer listed by DEC. I need an original or a copy. Or is there any other serious technical documentation for an LQP02 and its sheet feeder? Thanks for any help. PC'S SIG Message # 176 0 replies Left by: WES LEATHEROCK On 25-Jul-88 At : 405 291-6196 Subject: LQP02 TECHNICAL MANUARL We are looking for an LQP02 Technical Manual...DEC part number EK-LQP02-TM. DEC no longer lists this part. Does anyone know where we could get this manual, or any other serious documentation on the LQP02 and its sheet feeder? VMS SIG Message # 655 2 replies Left by: PETER J. MOY On 25-Jul-88 At : (714)957-7176 Subject: DCL ZERO DIVIDE NOT HANDLED CORRECTLY I have SPR'ed the following problem and it has gone to Engineering to be fixed (whenever) but I thought I would post it here because I keep worrying about the implications of the problem. The following fragment of DCL code executes without error (and should not): $ x = 0/0 (X is assigned a value of hex "7FFFFFFF") Before you say "that's interesting" and move on, please note the results of the following IF statement (the expression tests TRUE): $ if 8/0 .eq. 9/0 then goto do_update (or launch_missiles or whatever) ! 8 = 9 OK, you've been warned. (PS, we are running VAX/VMS V4.7.) COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 210 0 replies Reply to # 208 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 25-Jul-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: EVALUATING V.32 MODEMS This is all hearsay, but: Concord DOES active echo canceling, some (MANY?) others do not. Concord is upset by others tactics and wants honesty in their industry. To let you do your own tests, they have some PC based test floppy you can get. This way you can see for yourself who is cheating/lying, etc. Since they are so hot to get people to use it, there MUST be a big problem. There is some current problem related to standards, or lack thereof, when falling back to lower speed earlier protocols. What I think everyone is waiting for is a modem that runs V.32 full duplex (no half duplex cheating) and has some hign number MNP support for error correction AND compression, and will run ALL lower speed earlier stuff down to even 300 baud, with the possible exception the VADIC 1200 that only talked to VADIC. That would make ME happy. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 197 1 replies Left by: SIMON JAMES BROWN On 26-Jul-88 At : HERE / BELGIUM 26563102 Subject: UVAX II DISKS Will You All please recommend to me 1) A cheap (but good) RD54 compat. disk 2) A cheap as possible way of getting about 500 mb of storage onto a uVAX II - I Have 3 x RD53 (inherited) and need about 600 mb in all Thanks in advance for your wisdom - dealers welcome S Brown, Corporate Research, SWIFT, AV Ernest Solvay 81, 1310-La Hulpe, Belgium. (On top of France, to the side of Germany) APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 238 0 replies Left by: TERRY CARTER On 26-Jul-88 At : (202)268-5105 Subject: LOST FILES IN OA$SHARENNN We've been having some bizarre problems in our shared areas for ALLIN1 E-Mail messages. Three times in the past three months we've 'lost' nearly 200 messages in the shared areas (an average of 2 messages per shared area). This only happens AFTER a disk compression (using BACKUP), but NOT after EVERY disk compression. After the compression, there are still index references to the files, but the files aren't 'there'. For example, after DIR/DATE OA$SHARE11, we'll get: ZSBSBAQGW.WPL;1 3 22-JUL-1988 12:59 ZSBSBDDVP.WPL;1 3 22-JUL-1988 14:13 ZSBSBIZFI.WPL no such file ZSBSBJTRU.WPL no such file ZSBTAQXEX.WPL;1 3 23-JUL-1988 08:14 . . . These files do not show up on the backup tape either! In some cases, these messages have been read, but if they haven't, the adressee has a 'New Mail' message, but can't read the file (the header info is there from DAF.DAT). Of course, for those who have read one of these already, they cannot anymore. Atlanta and Colorado both haven't any idea what's causing this and said they haven't heard of it before. The disk drive itself shows no errors. I should mention that we have 100 shared areas, all on an RA82 that is shadowed with heavy E-Mail traffic. Does anyone have a clue about this? Any help will be appreciated! CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 279 2 replies Left by: DAVID GRAY On 26-Jul-88 At : 768-2188 Subject: DHU11 AND LANS Help! Does anyone have any ideas on how to set a terminal port to dissconnect if the connection is terminated. We are having a problem of normal users gaining system access by logging into a port after a priviledged user exits. We are currently using a DHU11 interface connected to NSC hyperbus LAN. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 211 0 replies Reply to # 183 Left by: MILTON E. LAURIE JR. On 26-Jul-88 At : (203)656-5148 Subject: DF03 MODEM I have an extra DF03 Modem Family User Guide which may be of some help. Milton E. Laurie Jr. Manager MIS Potash Company of America 1120 Boston Post Road Darien, CT. 06820 LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 21 1 replies Reply to # 17 Left by: MILTON E. LAURIE JR. On 26-Jul-88 At : (203)656-5148 Subject: PORT PRINTING We use the following command procedure to print reports on terminal port printers at remote sites. The command procedure that runs the program that produces the report to be printed would contain the statement $ @PRTTERM.COM report.rpt Where report.rpt would be the roport just generated. $ ! PRTTERM.COM $ ON CONTROL_Y THEN GOTO RESET ! Gives the user a way to stop $ SET TERM/DEV=LA120/WID=132 ! Set terminal to printer $ esc[0,32]=%X1B ! Define ESC $ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT ESC+"[5i" ! Set terminal to Controller Mode $ TYPE 'P1' ! Type report to the printer $RESET: $ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT "" $ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT ESC+"[4i" ! Set terminal to Normal Print Mode $ SET TERM/INQ/WID=80 $ EXIT This should get your documents printed to a port. Sorry I can't help with the error 6, other than to suggest checking that the XON/XOFF setting is on. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 198 0 replies Reply to # 197 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 26-Jul-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: CHEAP DISKS FOR MICROVAX II I am assuming your MicroVAX is in a BA123 chassis from the statement that you have 3 x RD53. A good solution I used (900MB) was to purchase 3 CDC Wren IV drives (300MB each) and hook them up to a DILOG SQ706 SCSI controller. They are as fast as an RA81 an work like a dream. We paid $1200 for the SQ706 and $1975 each for the Wren's. I was working at an OEM at the time and that was a discount price. Look for around $2600 for the Wren drives. Digital Basics Inc. of Shakopee, MN (800)-522-1742 sells the SQ706 for $1300 and the Wren's for $2695. You might try that approach. You can also get a RD54 clone (MAXTOR drive without DEC label) for $1980 from Westford Disk Systems in Carlisle, MA (617)-371-7015. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY 10625 MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 374 0 replies Left by: MILTON E. LAURIE JR. On 26-Jul-88 At : (203)656-5148 Subject: ARIS BUG? When I am trying to follow a conversation sometimes it works as it should, and sometimes it just keeps redisplaying the first message. Is this a bug in ARIS or do I have something not set up right. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 22 0 replies Reply to # 17 Left by: MILTON E. LAURIE JR. On 26-Jul-88 At : (203)656-5148 Subject: LN03 ERROR CODES Also I just remembered that on the LN03 that most of the error codes returned are two digit returned one digit at a time. So you might check to be sure the error code returned is 6 and not 36. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 212 0 replies Left by: DAVID On 26-Jul-88 At : 768-2188 Subject: AUTOMATIC NETWORK DISCONNECTS Help? Does anyone know how to set a terminal to log off after the LAN disconnects. We have a DHU11 connected to NCS Hyperbus LAN. If the LAN connection abnormally terminates, the next user to connect to that port will have access to the previous users processes. Any suggestions would be appreciated. VMS SIG Message # 656 0 replies Reply to # 647 Left by: PEDER WIESE On 26-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: SHARING OF PROGRAM When you want to see what benefit you have from sharing a program you can always try installing the program - It can't hurt. Afterwards thr Install-utility can give you some information as to the actual demand for that particular program by using the command LIST/FULL from within Install. This will tell you the number of users that are sharing the code currently as well as the maximum number of users that have been sharing the code since last boot. I have also had great use of a slightly modified version of Workset.Com which gives me the number of global pages as well as the number of private pages per user. Follow the insrtuctions given in previous reply. A map from the linker can give you some detailed information as to what part of the code you can expect to be shared and what not. Good luck! (Aris works all the way to Denmark - !) UTILITIES SIG Message # 286 0 replies Reply to # 284 Left by: PEDER WIESE (DENMARK) On 26-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: .LIS-FILE CONVERSION I have had similar problems with files imported from foreign systems. I have found the most simple solution to be the following: 1. Open an empty file using the EDT-editor. 2. Include the file containing . 3. Exit the file giving it a name of your choice. This has worked fine for me - but if you are facing a task of converting hundreds of files you would be better of with a little program. Good luck! CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 280 0 replies Reply to # 12 Left by: STEVE WOLF On 26-Jul-88 At : 301-577-4300 X4450 Subject: PCSA PCSA (Digital Product) Version 2 supports the 3COM and MICOM Ethernet cards supp orting virtual terminal, file and disk services as well. VMS SIG Message # 657 0 replies Left by: WES LEATHEROCK On 27-Jul-88 At : 405 291-6196 Subject: LQP02 TECHNICAL MANUAL We are looking for an LQP02 Technical Manual, DEC part number EK-LQP02-TM. It's no longer available from DEC. If somebody has this or a copy, please give me a call (collect). Or is there any other serious documentation on the LQP02 and its sheet feeder? MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 375 1 replies Left by: FRANK BORELLI On 27-Jul-88 At : 502 426-6455 Subject: RECOVERING DELETED FILES HELP!! IS THERE ANY WAY POSSIBLE TO RECOVER FILES THAT HAVE BEEN ERRONEOUSLY DELETED? ONE OF OUR USERS AT A REMOTE SITE (USING A MICROVAX II) HAS DELETED SOME CRITICAL FILES (NO BACKUP, OF COURSE). IS THERE ANY UTILITY OR VAX FUNCTION THAT CAN BE USED TO RECOVER THESE FILES?? ANXIOUSLY AWAITING YOUR RESPONSES. THANX!! FRANK BORELLI DAIRYMEN, INC. LOUISVILLE, KY RSTS SIG Message # 302 0 replies Reply to # 300 Left by: MARK STONE On 27-Jul-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: FOUND IT! Finding a "friendly" site to dump several RA81s would be difficult. Nevertheless (one word?), I mounted the tape foreign and dumped it. I found 14 byte records, 516 bytes, 514 bytes and many 4100 byte records. In the past, whenever I mounted a tape, I had to get the recordsize EXACTLY right. If not, I got empty records (I don't know how or why). I know about the tape being a block dump of the disk without any structure. I'm not worried about that. THe files are or were short and contiguous. So if I find one block I've got the others. So it's read a block, test it, throw it away, read a block, test it, throw it away . . . WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 80 0 replies Left by: MARK STONE On 27-Jul-88 At : (617) 578-8665 Subject: USING WPS+ FILE CAB Does anyone know where I can find info on importing a file into the WPS+ and/or ALLIN1 file cabinets? I want to store ASCII files without going through the fconvert to WPS on input and formatting on output. This is so that our menu-bound users can print and delete their own documents and list files. Is there a DECUS tool, a DEC ASSESTS library tool, a chapter in the allin1 books? an article in DEC/VAX pro that I missed? a helping hand? PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 326 0 replies Reply to # 310 Left by: TERRY C. SHANNON On 27-Jul-88 At : CIS Subject: FOCUSING ON LEVEL 5 Insight 2+ (or PRL or whatever they're calling it now) is indeed good stuff. It's one of the two PC-based expert system tools used at DuPont Corp., which has several hundred PC-based applications up and running. The DECUS AI SIG will sponsor a session on this product at the Fall Symposium in Anaheim . . . MICROVAX SIG Message # 133 1 replies Left by: DR. R On 27-Jul-88 At : ON CALL Subject: NEW CVAXES Coming soon to a DEC site near you--the NEW MicroVAX 3300 and 3400 systems. Packaged in a bigger and better version of the much-vaunted BA213 skunk box, these little beauties will make ideal holiday gifts for the resource-constrained system managers on your shopping list! facts not rumours, Dr. R CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 281 0 replies Reply to # 279 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 28-Jul-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: HANGING UP THE MODEM Be sure to use the SET TERMINAL/HANGUP/MODEM/PERMANENT in your SYSTARTUP.COM on each of your modem ports. Also, check to make sure they are wired correctly (RTS,DTR,etc.). Under VMS V5.0, if your modem signals aren't correct, VMS will not allow them to login. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY MICROVAX SIG Message # 134 1 replies Reply to # 133 Left by: DR. GONZO On 28-Jul-88 At : HERE Subject: ANYMORE INFO? To: Dr. R. Do you have any information on the VAX 6700, 6722, 6742, 8900 (not 897x), and 8922? The SPD on DECintact (OLTP) mentions these unknown processors but provides no information. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 376 0 replies Reply to # 375 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 28-Jul-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: RECOVERING DELETED FILES There is a program called RESTORE under the VAX87E saveset on the Fall 1987 DECUS symposium tape. The program is written in CORAL-66 but an executable is provided. In order to recover the files, no writing activity should have taken place after the delete as the blocks tend to get reused. Once you mark the files for recovery, the program calls ANALYZE/DISK/REPAIR to dump the files into [SYSLOST] and mark the blocks in BITMAP.SYS as allocated. Sort of kludgy but it does work. If you don't have the program, give me a call at the above number. I have KERMIT. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 230 0 replies Reply to # 217 Left by: DAVID VANZANDT On 28-Jul-88 At : 404-252-3393 Subject: UPS IDEA Lucy, have you a DEC sales rep who can get you in touch with DECSITE? VMS SIG Message # 658 0 replies Reply to # 654 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 28-Jul-88 At : (609) 452-6217 Subject: DEC SERVER MANUALS John, Now that you have your remote printer working on your DECServer, you should know exactly what is wrong with the manuals. Please fill out the reader comment form on the back page and send it in. These things do get fixed if somebody complains in sufficient detail as to what was missing, wrong, misleading, etc. FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 51 0 replies Reply to # 50 Left by: KEVIN BARKES On 28-Jul-88 At : SYS$OUTPUT BBS 412-854-0511 Subject: PC RUNOFF Kevin, Someone uploaded a "PC version of RUNOFF" to my BBS a while back. I haven't looked at it, but you may want to give my board a call and see if it could be of use. Regards, Kevin Barkes DCL Editor FORUM - DEC SIG Message # 52 0 replies Reply to # 50 Left by: KEVIN BARKES On 28-Jul-88 At : SYS$OUTPUT BBS 412-854-0511 Subject: PC RUNOFF Kevin, Someone uploaded a "PC RUNOFF" utility to my BBS a few weeks back. I haven't looked at it, but you might want to check in and see if it could be of some use to you. Kevin Barkes DCL Editor PC'S SIG Message # 177 1 replies Left by: MARK LASICH On 29-Jul-88 At : 412-468-5915 Subject: INTEL'S 386 Intel's new 386 chip claims a 25MHz clock speed, 7MIPS, 2M Whetstones and 13000 Dhrystones! What an amazing piece of hardware! The question here is, what are Whetstones and Dhrystones? Any help would be appreciated! -Mark. PC'S SIG Message # 178 0 replies Reply to # 281 Left by: MARK LASICH On 29-Jul-88 At : 412-357-6100 Subject: DISCONNECT You can ensure disconnect by setting various characteristics on those ports: $ set terminal/permanent/modem/hangup/disconnect TX**: This should ensure that a process is KILLED if the account disconnects but does not logout! -Mark. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 231 0 replies Reply to # 225 Left by: MARTY KING On 29-Jul-88 At : 813-5541-6411 Subject: AUTO BACKUP Thanks for the replies. I have completed a backup procedure and a backup batch queue that runs a daily backup each weekday with a weekly on Friday. It also does a monthly backup at the beginning of the month. The procedure is in DCL for VMS. The backup begins at noon in case there is a need for more than one tape. Marty King CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 283 0 replies Reply to # 274 Left by: TOM GAPS On 29-Jul-88 At : (503)629-1261 Subject: STALLED PRINTER QUEUE{ We had a problem that sounds a little like your problem. We would have queus stall with device not available. What we found was that when we would send large files to the printer, we would out run the printer buffer which caused the printer to have to send a lot of X-OFFs and X-ONs to slow the computer so the printer could keep up. The X-ON is only one bit different than a CONTROL-Y and every so often, one of the X-ONs would arrive at the computer having been changed to a CONTORL-Y. We put a tester on the line and found that there were in fact CONTROL-Ys arriving at the computer but we could never catch the printer sending them (put the test at each end of the line but did not at both ends at the same time, only one tester). We got around the problem by turning on the ALTERNATE TYPE AHEAD buffer as well as turning on PASSTHRU. If CONTROL-Y arrives at the computer, it just goes into the type ahead buffer. Eventually the buffer will fill up but we calculated that for us, the rate at which the CONTROL-Ys were arriving would require a minimum of 9 months to fill the buffer. We figure we will reboot more often than that. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 149 1 replies Left by: MIKE S. CHEN On 29-Jul-88 At : (818) 405-0131 Subject: KERMIT/SYSTEM RESPONSE TM When I am in KERMIT remote system mode, the local system response time degrades greatly (4 times slower). I use 'MONITOR IO' and 'MONITOR MODE' to find out that the cpu time used and buffer I/O rate are rasied abnormally, interrupt stack rate is increased to 20%, and kernel mode rate is 60% average. It seems to me that the terminal I/O is saturated. Any suggestion to regain system response? I run MICROVAX II/VMS 4.4 with 2 DHV11'S. By the way, it doesn't hurt the system response time during file transfering. Thanks! MICROVAX SIG Message # 135 0 replies Left by: GERALD SENTILLES On 29-Jul-88 At : Subject: MICROVAX 3500 Has anyone seen a problem with DHU interfaces on MicroVax 3500s? Is anyone using a CXY08 on a 3500? We are having problems with an MDB TurboMux; we are getting characters out of sequence when running certain software. It is a consistent problem in that the characters are always in the same jumbled order. MDB suspects DEC's DFDRIVER; we're using the driver that you get with 4.7a; earlier versions will not run on a 3500. DEC has told us of no prblem with the driver. Any input would be appreciated. PC'S SIG Message # 179 0 replies Reply to # 177 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 29-Jul-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: WHETSTONES AND DHRYSTONES In response to the question about whetstones and dhrystones ... these are processor benchmarks to evaluate the speed of a cpu. In other words "how many bytes could my new chip chuck if the chip could chuck bytes?". The Whetstone benchmark has been in use for a long time, whereas the Dhrystone has emerged as a complementary test that supposedly is a more realistic test of a processor's speed. Sorry I can't say exactly what type of manipulations these two things do. Incidentally, the name Dhrystone is intended as a pun on the name Whetstone. Kitty :-) SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 150 0 replies Reply to # 149 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 29-Jul-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: KERMIT AND SYSTEM SPEED Mike - The problem with Kermit being a drag on your system when in remote mode is common to VAXNET and other cpu - to - cpu comm software packages as well. The problem is that of Kermit having to inspect each and every character as it is passed from one system to another. This scrutiny is necessary to look for control codes like the one that exits you to the Kermit-32> prompt (control-A ???) . No DMA-type byte transfers are taking place, regardless of what type of comm device you are using on the VAX end. When in file -transfer mode, the Kermits are passing larger packets of data - say, 80 bytes each packet - because in setting up the transfer, the Kermits have agreed that each message will be x bytes long, so the K-code doesn't have to be constantly looking at each byte as it zips from hither to thither. Kermit knows that the time to look for control codes will be at the end of each x bytes, not after each byte transfered. Kitty :-) UTILITIES SIG Message # 287 1 replies Reply to # 285 Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 30-Jul-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: THE TECO FIX REVISITED Phil's solution is a good one, but slightly inefficient and hard to read due to all the < and > characters. With the lowercase letter "c" standing for a carriage return-line feed combination and "$" as ESCape, allow me to rewrite his TECO command as: EX$$ It's more efficient to do the find and substitute as a single command than as the two command sequence N and FR--and as I remember some of the more unusual versions of TECO may not support FR. I agree with Phil, though, that TECO, even if semi-unintelligible is capable of things that EDT can't even dream about. If DEC doesn't want to support TECO, the least they could do would be to give the source code to someone who does. UTILITIES SIG Message # 288 0 replies Reply to # 287 Left by: Phil Anthony On 30-Jul-88 At : Here Subject: REVISITING THE TECO REVISIT Kelvin, you can rewrite my TECO macros any time you want! The other fact I was thinking of mentioning is that on a friendly operating system (RSTS), TECO is implemented as a runtime system, just like RSX and RT11. One of the implications of this is that one could write a program using TECO to do the global find-and-replace - or is it search-and-destroy? Even on less friendly systems, though, one could embed the TECO commands inside a command file, then simply pass the filename(s) as command file parameters. It would accomplish the same thing, at a cost of higher system overhead. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 23 0 replies Reply to # 21 Left by: BOB ZISEK On 01-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: THANKS, MILTON Thanks Milton, for the suggested command procedure to print documents to the LN03+ laser printer. I will give it a try. Thanks again!!! Bob Zisek System Manager Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. 175 Briar Ridge Rd. Ridgefield, Ct. 06877 VMS SIG Message # 659 1 replies Reply to # 655 Left by: ROBERT HOSTETLER On 01-Aug-88 At : 317-646-7518 Subject: DCL DIVIDE BY ZERO I haven't tried this little quirk out myself, but if I had a command procedure to launch missiles, I'd test the divisor for 0 before actually dividing. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 151 5 replies Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 01-Aug-88 At : 205/583-3636 Subject: 750 UPGRADE/PERFORMANCE We have 3 DMF32's and one DHU11 (for a total of 40 ports), one RA81 (which holds all system and user files and has 181,000 free blocks), one RA60 (which is used mainly for weekly and daily backups), and one TU80, all of which are connected to a VAX/VMS 11/750 which contains 8 meg of memory. We have, on average, about 23 total processes active on the system at once. We have 45 subscribers to the 750 (this number is growing every week) and 25 VT220 terminals to accommodate those subscribers. We also have seven spooled, queued printers which, on average, print about ten 50-block jobs per day. Our applications are mainly word processing and spreadsheets, however, we also run accounts payable, fixed assets, and prepaid accounts. The A/P, FA, and prepaid programs consume a great deal of cpu, however only the A/P program is run everyday. We also do a lot of list processing for our marketing department. We also have two programmers compiling COBOL programs all the live-long day. During a COBOL compile, the rest of the users are dead in the water. Otherwise our throughput is okay until we get about ten users logged in. Questions: How can we increase throughput and response time? How do we know how much life is left in the 750 and what rules of thumb could anyone give me concerning system tuning and monitoring? Is the 3500/3600 a viable migration destination and if not what would you suggest - more memory, another disk drive...? Any help would be greatly appreciated !!! MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 377 3 replies Left by: SIMON BROWN On 02-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: DECUS TAPES Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone can fill me in on which DECUS tapes for VAX VMS are available from DECUS. I'm interested in 1987 / 1988 tapes. Here in Belgium they don't seem to know, but if I can give them the full DECUS tape title they'll make me a copy! Is there a quicker way of getting TK50 DECUS tapes for 1987/1988 VAX VMS other than via DECUS Begium? Is there a DECUS BBS? Cheers, Simon PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 327 0 replies Reply to # 318 Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 02-Aug-88 At : CEARLEY_K%CUBLDR@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU Subject: OPS5 Loling, sorry my response is a little slow-- Your questions on vector-attributes in OPS5, they are typically manipulated via the RHS function SUBSTR, combining this function with LITVAL and BIND provide the necessary primitives to implement arrays, linked-lists, etc. A good reference for data structures in OPS5 and maybe even helpful for your specific application is: PROGRAMMING EXPERT SYSTEMS IN OPS5 by Brownston,Kant Farell,Martin published by Addison/Wesley. If you trip across some of the issues in my earlier question, workable solutions seem to be: terminal control sequences can be entered via EDT, entering ESC codes, etc. after the WRITE verb. For executing DCL procedures you will have to write an interface through some other language like C. Let me know what your up to! Incidentally, why did you chose OPS5 for your project, just curious. Kent. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 378 0 replies Reply to # 10 Left by: DAVID KLINE On 02-Aug-88 At : 312-953-9400 Subject: ORACLE ON LAVCLUSTER We have a Local Area VAXcluster using a VAX-11/750 for the boot member. This is because the 750 can not be configured as a sattelite node. We do use ORACLE on one of our MicroVAX sattelite nodes. ORACLE certainly is a page-fault hog on that machine and I would be interested in finding out what it does to a 750. Make sure that you have the appropriate ORACLE licensing for a cluster. It will destroy any other ORACLE DBS files that are on clustered disks. A backup/export of your files should be performed. ORACLE seems to know about any other ORACLE system in a clustered enviroment. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 152 1 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 02-Aug-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: INCREASED RESPONSE TIME ON 750 One suggestion for your COBOL compiles. Create a low priority batch queue and force the COBOL compiles to use the batch queue. If your online users run at priority 6, set the batch queue up to execute at priority 2. This way your online users will get the CPU they need and the COBOL compiles will be using what ever CPU your online people don't use. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 379 0 replies Reply to # 377 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 02-Aug-88 At : HERE OR 612-896-0496 Subject: VAX DECUS TAPES & BBS Every year the US DECUS Chapter publishes a Program Library Software Abstracts. You could write DECUS at DECUS Library Order Processing 219 Boston Post Road Marlboro MA 01752-1850 USA and they might be able to send you a copy. DECUS also runs DECUSserve, a VAX Notes system (I believe) that costs $45US per year. There is also a VAX SIG BBS, but I can't remember off the top of my head how you gain admitance to it. I will leave a note later once I find out how to sign up for that BBS. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 239 0 replies Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 02-Aug-88 At : 303-492-5262 CEARLEY Subject: LIST MANAGEMENT Can anyone recommend a good list management package? Preferably one with indexed access, variable length fields, merge list capabilities and not bundled with a WP or OA product? Thanks in advance. Kent. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 72 1 replies Left by: DAVID P. MEYER On 02-Aug-88 At : 201-434-8033 Subject: EMULEX SC03 AND MICORCOM MODEMS I currently have a DEC MicroVax II running VAX/VMS 4.7 with an Emulex SC03 communcations board emulating two DH11 controllers. The problem I am having is that the emulex board is cycling the DTR pin approx every 30 seconds. This stops and dialing out or dialing in on the port if it happens before a connection is made. Dec can't/will not answer the question because of the fact that it is a emulex board and emulex doesn't know what is causing the problem. Has anyone had this problem with Microcom or anyother modem?? Thanks Dave Meyer MICROVAX SIG Message # 136 0 replies Reply to # 134 Left by: DR. R On 02-Aug-88 At : IN SURGERY Subject: CLANDESTINE CPUS Ah, yes. Funny how unannounced processors seem to slither into the otherwise innocuous verbiage of Maynard Marketing Mavens. I'll have to call in a couple of specialists on this case, but I have a hunch that the 67xx series just might be based on the CVAX II or RIGEL chipset. Said CPU is a 60-nanosecond version of the 80-nanosecond chip used in the Calypso systems. Oddly enough, these 4-MIPS beauties will cost DEC less to make than the 2.8-MIPS 80-nanosecond chips. Why? Easy--the RIGEL CPUs will come right off the assembly line as default 60-nanosecond chips; the 80-nanosecond Calypso chips were hand-selected 90-nanosecond KA650 (MicroVAX 3xxx/VAXstation 3xxx) CPUs. Facts not rumours (and no pontification about baseball or long-dead Andromeda projects, either!) ---Dr. R MICROVAX SIG Message # 137 0 replies Reply to # 122 Left by: DR. R On 02-Aug-88 At : ON CALL Subject: CAN YOU SAY DSSI? Ah, yes. The mysterious RF-series disks are no doubt related to the much-vaunted DSSI (Digital Standard SCSI Interconnect, maybe) low-end disk interconnect acronymn. TF is very likely a tape drive designator. RF-disks will be orchestrated by the new KFSQA controller on Q-bus systems. RF71 is a 400MB version of the RA/RF70 disk. RV60 must be some sort of optical disk and RF30 just might be the 3.5" disk drive in the as-yet unannounced PVAX. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 73 0 replies Reply to # 72 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 03-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: MICROCOM MODEMS ON DIAL-OUT LINES I can't help you on the Emulex side of things except to note that the 30 second cycling is a problem shared by DEC controllers. Unless modem control signals are provided, the controller will go through a hangup sequence periodically. But you probably already knew that. If you are using Microcom modems, then you can put them in a mode where the modem will continuously assert DSR, CTS and CD except for a brief interval during hangup. In this way, the terminal port doesn't try to do its 30 second hangup thing because it is fooled into thinking a connection is active. I know this can be made to work in SX mode, I am not so sure about the Hayes compatible AT mode. The same trick can be made to work with other modems - it is possible to build a piece of hardware that will loop back DTR as DSR, CTS and CD and that will drop CD and CTS when the modem hangs up. I'm not a hardware type, so I can't help you there. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 153 1 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: BOB ZISEK On 03-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: 750 MONITORING/UPGRADE Bill; Monitor your 750 by using MONITOR CLUSTER to determine how much of the CPU and memory are being used on a daily basis. You can do this by recording your MONITOR output to file. To get a fairly good reflection of what is going on, monitor your system for about a week. Be careful though, because even though some people say to have your monitor intervals set to 1 second, this will create humongous output files which will devour your disk fairly soon. I usually set the interval recording to 5 minutes, depending on how long I am going to monitor. We upgraded to a VAX 8250 and are pleased with the outcome. You may want to consider a low-end VAX 8000 series system instead of a Microvax 3500 etc. Good luck. VMS SIG Message # 660 0 replies Reply to # 642 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 03-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: RMS GLOBAL BUFFERS Sorry for late reply. Note that RMS global buffers are not enabled by default for read-only files. This is documented in the RMS reference manual. If you want global buffers on these files, you must set the MSE bit in the FOP field in the FAB (with a USEROPEN clause from Fortran). Until VMS version 5.0, monitoring cache hits on global buffers is not possible. The only monitoring you can do is on file system cache hits which are entirely unrelated. In your application, I would suggest taking your 100 block menu file and turning it into a Fortran COMMON block. Create a Fortran program consisting only of the common block, compile it and link it /SHAREABLE. Assign a logical name to the file and INSTALL it /WRITE /SHARE. Link the user program with the shareable image using an options file. For example, if FOOBAR.FOR contains the common block... $ FORTRAN FOOBAR $ LINK FOOBAR /SHARE $ ASSIGN DUA12:[FRANK]FOOBAR.EXE FOOBAR $ MCR INSTALL /COMMAND_MODE INSTALL> ADD FOOBAR /SHARE /WRITE INSTALL> EXIT $ FORTRAN MYPROG $ LINK MYPROG,SYS$INPUT/OPTIONS FOOBAR/SHARE ^Z $ RUN MYPROG LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 25 0 replies Left by: MARK L. RAWSON On 03-Aug-88 At : (404)668-4049 Subject: APPLE LASERWRITER Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated on connecting an Apple laserwriter to the VAX. Our intent is to configure it as a terminal server queue on LAT. Also plan to use TSSNET on MACINTOSH as the mechanism for transporting files to this printer and would like to hear from anyone who may be doing the same. Mark L. Rawson Southern Company Services 64a Perimeter Ctr E. Bin 143 Atlanta, Ga. 30346 DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 392 0 replies Reply to # 390 Left by: RANDY ROTH On 03-Aug-88 At : 616-982-6267 Subject: 2400 BAUD EDITING I'm using Hayes2400 baud modems and am having almost no problems, including in full-screen editing. The exception is when I'm using a PC and have overburdened it with the terminal emulator plus TSR programs like Sidekick and the like. In that case, there are times when the PC can't keep up and I'll get a few squirrely characters here and there. Other than that, have you triplechecked your parity, etc.? APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 240 0 replies Left by: RANDY ROTH On 03-Aug-88 At : 616-982-6267 Subject: RELIABILITY STATISTICS Does anyone know of a statistical package that supports the Weibull distribution? We do considerable life testing of our products. Our statistician feels that the most appropriate statistical approach to reliability information is the Weibull distribution. Unfortunately, no one seems to offer a commercial statistical package which includes Weibull. I'm familiar with Minitab and SAS; they're good general packages but don't support Weibull. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 199 0 replies Reply to # 194 Left by: ERIC H JONES On 04-Aug-88 At : U OF ROCH (716)-275-9344 Subject: MORE ST251/RD ON VS2000 QUESTIONS I've also been considering adding a disk to my vs2000, and the options aren't clear to me either. Do st251's work unmodified? Can the VS2000 format them? Also, I notice that DEC sells DIFFERENT RD53's for the VS2000 ( -EA, I think). Is there any reason why I can't use a normal RD53 in there? Also, I have an RD51 left over from a uVAX I to uVAX II upgrade...can I put that in? I'm sure it'd be fine for paging/swapping and that's all I really care about. Are there any experts on VS2000 internals out there? Eric Jones University of Rochester Dept of Physics and Astronomy (716)275-9344 WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 81 2 replies Left by: TOM NITROY On 04-Aug-88 At : (617)934-0571 Subject: WPS When individuals leave our company there files in WPS are turned over to other folks to continue their work. Up till now, people have been using their old accounts and transfering WPS files as they are needed. Is there anyway to transfer a users whole WPS directory to another user without transfering one document at a time? SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 154 1 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: ROBERT HOSTETLER On 04-Aug-88 At : (317) 646-7518 Subject: 750 PERFORMANCE Along with the suggestion about a COBOL batch queue, I would add at least four and probably eight more MEG of memory and another RA81 disk drive. Much of what you are running is memory and I/O intensive vs. CPU. If you add another disk and split user files from system, you will have less than half of the I/O pending on either disk than you did on the single disk, and I/O is the big throughput killer on a Unibus system. If the budget is small, take the disk over the memory. If budget is non-existant, force memory paging over swapping by reducing working sets; the COBOL programmers should be first in line for this. Paging will increase disk I/O, but will also give you some breathing room for the memory and help out the spreadsheet users. Robert Hostetler Electronic Data Systems 2401 Columbus Avenue 18-313 Anderson Indiana 46018 MICROVAX SIG Message # 139 0 replies Left by: JAMES A. WALKER On 04-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: 3XXX Q-BUS BACKPLANES Did everyone know that DEC has decided we do not need the C/D portions of the Q-bus slots anymore ? I was unpleasantly suprised to find that all those nice half slot options available from DEC and third parties, will NOT work in the lower (C/D) slots of my MicroVAX 3600. I had to remove the DEC Ethernet interface to fit all the boards I needed into the backplane. I don't know what I am going to do when I again need the Ethernet board. Does anyone know if someone is making a replacement backplane for the 3500/3600 with C/D slots wired or if there is a way to add an expansion backplane outside the box ? Another option that had occurred to me was to replace those 8MB dec memory boards and free up a couple of slots that way, but I am not sure whether I can use those slots for anything but memory. Anyone know for sure ? MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 380 1 replies Left by: Steve Thomas On 04-Aug-88 At : Here Subject: Dear SysOP... Well, with all of these rumors (sorry Doc, FACTS), why not install a RUMORS Sig? #3S. #4S. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 155 1 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: JAMES A. WALKER On 04-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: 11/750 MIGR. We had an 11/750 until 2 months ago with 7MB RAM, 1.2GB disk storage, ORACLE RDBMS, word processing, spreadsheets, payroll and assorted other applications. We have replaced this machine with a 3600 and what an improvment. Our average user load is down due to the fact that the work can be completed in such a short amount of time. And the computer room looks so empty these days, there is talk of taking back half of the space for office space. One problem we have run into though is the lack of usable backplane space in the 3600. The 3600 we ordered came standard with a 12 slot backplane and : the CPU (1 slot); 32MB RAM (4 slots); TQK70 (1/2 slot); DELQA Ethernet Interface(1/2 slot); KDA50 Disk Cntl (2 slots). Note that although the DELQA and TQK70 take only 1/2 slot for the board, the remaining half slot (the C/D poriton) is not wired up on the MV3600 and is not usable. This left us with only three slots for our one use, a very tight fit. At minimum you need some terminal interface (unless you use LAT). So calculate very carefully your backplane requirement before buying a 3500/3600. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 213 0 replies Reply to # 188 Left by: TOM BYRNE On 04-Aug-88 At : 312-593-5706 Subject: We are using tellabs equipment. Connecting to 3 different vaxes in our corporate headquarters and to remote sites in 6 other cities. i don't think there is a limit to how many devices/cpus you can connect or route to. (as long as you can afford it) We've used Tellabs for over 6 years and are VERY pleased with performance/privce/flexibility. Please call me for Q&A if you need more info. MICROVAX SIG Message # 140 1 replies Reply to # 140 Left by: BILL MAYHEW On 04-Aug-88 At : HERE (INFREQUENTLY) Subject: MICROVAX VS VAXSTATION Thanks for your comments, Bill. That message was 2 years old... a year ago I broke down and bought a VAXstation 2000, which is in fact reconfigurable to be a MicroVAX 2000 by digging into the guts of the box and moving a jumper. However one cannot buy anything more than a 2-user (or 1-user, depending on who you listen to) VMS license for it. Still, it meets my needs just fine. I do wish DEC had not dropped the price by 30-40% 5 months after introduction. Not that I wish they hadn't dropped the price... I just wish they had done it BEFORE I bought mine! MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 381 0 replies Reply to # 367 Left by: TOM BYRNE On 04-Aug-88 At : 312-593-5706 Subject: DECUS SESSION NOTES Unfortunately, NO ONE got any BA Session Notes in Cincinnati! The Person who committed the SIG to Session Notes didn't bother to tell any one else about it! Our apologies to all who were disappointed in their quest. Our thanks to all who quested. The BA SIG will not have Session Notes until Atlanta. We do hope by then to have a superior product that will justify Symposia attendance all by itself! Incidentally, anyone interested in becoming more involved with DECUS and who will be attending the Anaheim get together, should attend our JOB FAIR. It will be held in the BA Suite on Wednesday Evening of Symposia Week. A real good opportunity to learn what being a DECUS volunteer is all about. Or you can call me anytime during normal business hours at the above number. Always glad to talk to someone about BA! MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 382 0 replies Reply to # 377 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 04-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: DECUS TAPES + BBs There are all sorts of DECUS tapes. They fall into 2 general catagories. Some are submitted by authors to just the DECUS library and are available only by paying the copy charge to the library (or from some friend who did pay and is willing to copy - this IS legal). These are all catalogued and DECUS (USA) can send a copy of the latest catalog. The other type of tape is a SIG tape, and within DECUS there are several SIGs that produce their own tapes. RSX and VMS always seem to have a new one after every symposium (6 months). Sometimes the tapes come out quickly, and sometimes they are not ready until it is almost time for the next symposium (or even later...). The VMS tape is FULL at 6250 bpi, but now that RSX has dropped from maybe 70,000 blocks to a dismal less than 20,000, some copies of the VMS tape also contain RSX, etc. Languages and Tools (L&T) sig has a good tape that surfaces sometimes. There have been various ditribution trees that have worked better some years than others. The local LUG librarian would get it from some other librarian, etc. Now the NLO (National Lug Org.) has centralised all this and the librarians send their blank tapes to the NLO and get them back with whatever SIG tapes they request. The LUG librarian is expected to make copies for his local lug members. All this is FREE. The contents is public domain and may be freely copied and passed on. These tapes are also submitted to the DECUS library where anyone can order them, but must then pay the copy charge. The DECUS library is a worthy organisation, and if your company can afford it, do it that way, but otherwise find someone willing to make you a copy. I know that copies regularly (but maybe not officially) get sent to DECUS Europe, but to whom I am not sure. We also sometimes get good stuff here in the states that someone grabbed of a European or Austrailian tape! At the VAX Sig's 10th aniversary banquet in Anaheim we all found a little gift on our plates when we sat down. It was a CD rom with MANY years of VAX SIG tapes on it! DEC had paid for the mastering and production, I suspect as a way to promote CD ROMS. Shortly everyone will be using them for DEC S/W distribution, so this was a way to tempt people to buy the readers. I think DECUS is selling what is left of them, but few have been sold as: 1) many were given away, 2) few yet have readers, 3) many have the tapes, anyway. We keep that CD on line generally (we have 2 readers) but they are SLOW. It may be a while before more get onto CD ROM, but some people hope that DEC might (just as DEC promotes DECUS with each S/W kit that comes) fill any empty space at the end of their official S/W roms with Decus stuff! DECUSERVE is the official BBs run out of DECUS headquarters in Marlborm Mass. It is $45/year, but currently is open to US members ONLY, I believe. People working for a US company may access it from anywhere in the world, though. Do you have a North American affiliate, etc. where you could receive mail... The VAX systems Sig has a BBs running here in the Boston area. It is the source for much of the material published in the PAGESWAPPER (VAX SIG's news letter) in the combined SIGS newsletter (all sigs in one magazine size cover each month, but some sigs don't submit stuff every month, so their section is empty). Generally there are instructions in it for logging into the PAGESWAPPER BBs, but the issue I just looked in didn't have the info. The combined newsletter costs $35/year. I don't know about outside the USA, but again do you have access to a USA maildrop? The RSX and RSTS sigs both have BBs, see their sections in the newsletter. The SPRING 88 VAX tape has, in the first save set (they use several to make life simple for folks with small disks), a directory of the contents of many of the recent VAX tapes to help people locate what they are looking for. To give you an idea of the Spring tape's size (this is an unofficial copy with RSX in there, too), I needed 269,574 disk blocks for the VMSTPC (decus tape copy program) container file to copy it! Dec's electronic store now has just added another 1-800 carrier (free in-watts) and TYMNET packet access, all 3 of which access methods they PAY for. This is also a BBs that has DEC hardware and software descriptions (YES the official SPD itself) and demos and pricing and press releases, and all sorts of good stuff, and is a STORE. Press "P" and you bought something if you have purchase authorization. This has a DECUS section in it, too! I have NO idea how to access it from Europe. I assume the 1-800-332-3366 or 1-800-336-0149 won't work, and that DEC.DEMO on TYMNET won't work, but do you have any corporate tie trunks to the USA that let you dial out on this side? Or if no voice lines, are you on any data nets that you can dialout of over here? Come to DECUS this fall, many do from Europe! Hope this helps, good luck. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 74 0 replies Left by: RON MCCLEARY On 04-Aug-88 At : ROCKHURST COLLEGE Subject: SURPLUS XYPLEX EQUIPMENT We have recently converted from the linear coax version of XYPLEX to the Ethernet version. Now I have 3 HIU boards for the VAX 11/750 and 2 sets of connecting hardware. Does anyone know of some market for this kind of equipment? Maybe a used equipment dealer? Any help would be appreciated. You can call me at 8116-926-4064. THANKS! SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 156 1 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 04-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: 750 --> MV2 It doesn't sound as though you need a very big machine. I bet more memory and some clever parameter tuning will make a BIG difference. DEC and EMC both can extend the 750 to beyond 8 meg, and Iverson will sell you a CPU speed-up kit. But taking a 750 to 14 (or even 16) meg or doing much anything else to it is a waste of good money from my way of looking at it. The ONLY possible reason to hang onto it might be as a low (very) end MassBus or CI bus compatible CPU, but you mentioned neither of these as needs. A MV2 with a KDA50 will run your disks. Add a Dilog DQ142 (MS: emulation - or better yet a DQ153 = MU: emulation) and your TU80 is running. The DEC controller for the TU80 is a castrated Dilog DU132, anyway, that only can hack 1 drive rather than 4. A TU80 has a PERTEC standard tape interface. The DQ153 is best, as it can be bootable on the MV2 (not emulating a TU81, but in its optional TK50 emulation - nonsense due to DEC's boot code, I think). Don't get a DQ132 even if it is less $, as it has SERIOUS problems with VMS backup that Dilog is fixing on DQ142s, but may not have microcode space to fix on the earlier card... That leaves you with serious problems accessing terminals, but you should be on terminal servers, anyway. Then you can add all the CPUs you want, and any terminal can get at them all. DEC's server pricing still does not reflect the fact that Emulex has a server that is much more for the $, or that XYPLEX's nicely packaged box (which only does TCP/IP now) should soon do LAT. This means you will need a DELQA, but then you can network to PCs, and DEC's PCSA (or the subset Decnet-DOS) do LAT. And then there is DATABILITY doing LAT from PCs, too. For more disk power, use a Dilog DQ256 for BIG SMD drives, or a Dilog ESDI or SCSI type controller for 5 1/4 CDC Wrens or the MAXSTOR drives. Lots of power for little $s. Much more $ to do if you have a BI bus, so stay in Q bus land, and you can then upgrade to MV3s. In that case leave your old non BA2xx compatible cards in any old 'NORMAL' Q box connected as an expansion box to your SKUNK box. Remember that a MV2 ~= 11/780... WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 82 1 replies Reply to # 81 Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 05-Aug-88 At : HERE OR CEARLEY_K@COLORADO.BITNET Subject: NEW WPS USERS Is this WPS under ALLIN1? TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 229 2 replies Left by: SYD TIFFANY On 05-Aug-88 At : (703)281-4644 Subject: }IVT100}I SET-UP D I HAVE AN INTERGRAPH SYSTEM USING A VAX 11/750}i WITH WORKSTATIONS AND VT100'S RUNNING OFF OF IT. I HAVE LOST THE SET UP D ON SOME OF MY VT100 TERMINALS AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO RESTORE IT. IS THERE A WAY TO REACTIVATE THE SET UP D ON THESE TERMINALS? RO TIA MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 383 1 replies Reply to # 380 Left by: DR. GONZO On 05-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: I second the request. A rumors (facts?) SIG would be excellent. Perhaps it would give some of the folks a chance to make more intelligent purchasing decisions. How many people are stuck with 8550's when they could have had a Calypso or 8350's when they could have had a MicroVAX 3xxx? TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 230 0 replies Left by: BILL UNDERWOOD On 05-Aug-88 At : 816-234-4843 Subject: VT-173 TERMINALS I am working on a project involving text editing on VT-173 terminals. At the moment we have little if any documentation on these terminals. One possibility is to use a BASIC program to turn these terminals into VT-52 lookalikes, but this is not what we really want to do. Is there any software, preferably in PD but commercial isn't out of the picture, that will make a VT-173 emulate a VT-100? Does the VT-173 have a "pass through" mode or does it always require a loader program from the host? Is there ANYONE out there that even HAS a VT-173 with documentation? I think the documentation issue is the most burning question, since we could always WRITE the package if we had the VT-173pecs. I would appreciate any information that you might have. VMS SIG Message # 661 0 replies Reply to # 25 Left by: ROD FALANGA On 05-Aug-88 At : (505)822-7393 Subject: VAX C'S GETENV() I have recently written a program that uses VAX C's getenv() and that works just fine, so long as you don't go changing the current default directory during the execution of the program by using, for example, VAX C's chdir() function. The reason why this does not work (after having changed the default directory during program execution) is because when C is invoked, it does a query of the current directory (via the "envp" argument, 3rd argument of the main() argument list) to determine what the current directory was at the moment of invocation. Therefore, if you change the default directory AFTER having entered the program, getenv() WILL give you the wrong current directory! Moral of the story, if you're not going to be changing the default directory during program execution, getenv() is quite reliable. If you do change the default directory, then use the system service $SETDDIR(). Rod Falanga VMS SIG Message # 662 2 replies Left by: ROD FALANGA On 05-Aug-88 At : (505)822-7393 Subject: VMS 5.0 changes(?) We got out VMS 5.0 tapes and docs. from DEC last week (probably won't be installing 5.0 until Christmas.) But I've got some questions for those of you who have 5.0 currently on your systems. (1) What sort of problems have you encountered with third party software and 5.0?? (2) I've heard rumors that the VMS MAIL utility is callable from an application. Is this true?? And if so, how is it done? (I took a look at the docs and couldn't fine anything obvious as to whether it is possible to call MAIL or not.) Rod Falanga MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 384 1 replies Reply to # 377 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 05-Aug-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: DECUS BBS To gain access to the VAX SIG BBS, do the following: 1) Dial 617-262-6830 (1200B) and have your DECUS membership number handy 2) Log into username PAGESWAPPER - no password 3) Answer all of the questions and within 1-3 weeks you will receive a password if your DECUS membership checks out. VMS SIG Message # 663 0 replies Left by: RICH KLOEMPKEN On 05-Aug-88 At : 312/567-4448 Subject: PFN MAPPING TO I/O PAGE DOES ANYONE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF PFN MAPPING FROM A FORTRAN OR MACRO PROGRAM? AT THE MOMENT, I AM EITHER GETTING AN ACCESS VIOLATION OR AN "ASYNC WRITER ERROR' AND A SUBSEQUENT SYSTEM CRASH! I AM CURRENTLY USING THE 'SYS$CRMPSC' CALL WITH NO LUCK. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 231 2 replies Reply to # 229 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 05-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: Restoring SETUP-D If that is a genuine DEC vt100, this won't help. BUT there were VT100 look-alikes that had a sneeky setup-d that some dealers installed for more money. It took them about 5 seconds to do, and they often charged $150. Some nice dealers never played these games, and simply told you how to do it, but, obviously, this info never was printed in user manuals. The terminal was made by C Itoh, but was also sold with other people's logos on it. If the microcode was at least 12 (it flashes on the screen top during reset), it was even possible to change the CIT-101 to say XYZ Co. or whatever an OEM needed. I think C Itoh put that in for Plessey. Mine says: BFB's (my initials). I have forgotten how to do this, but beat on C Itoh if you need it. To enable setup-d, you MUST be in setup-B. Then hold down + and type: X Then D will be enabled. (Do it again and you will disable it.) That will last until you power off. To make it permanent, simply do the SAVE function normally dome when any setups need saving. These terminals seem to last forever, but one thing does die. The plugin keyboard cables seem to get intermittant. You could probably chop the moulded plug apart and resolder the break and tape or epoxy it back tight, but C Itoh had cables still for about $10. when I last checked a year or so ago. As an historical note, the CIT-101 has poor reverse video - some characters have their outlines cave in making them hard to read. This was due to an engineer in Japan removing a chip from the original design that he did not understand the need of. And if you used the BNC on the back to go to a high quality external display, you got garbage, but to a cheap monitor everything was fine. The high frequency noise was being added to the analog RS170 video signal (at 75 ohms) as it ran across the board near all sorts of digital circuitry it should have been kept away from. This was also a 'feature' added to the board in Japan. The simple fix for this was to run the signal through a low pass filter and then into the external monitor. Nothing I know of fixes the reverse video problem, though. The product had originally been engineered and microcoded here in the states by a company called Technical Magic. I hope this is what you need, I never heard of this being an DEC problem. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 158 0 replies Reply to # 152 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 06-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: REPLY TO MSG 152 Eric, Thanks for the info on submitting a comfile to batch when compiling. We had already created comfiles for this purpose but didn't think of lowering the priority. Thanks again... SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 159 0 replies Reply to # 153 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 06-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: REPLY TO MSG 153 Bob... thanks for the info. This is my first time to use ARIS and I was suprised to have such an informative dialogue with so many experts. If you can think of anything else I need to know, please send me a message. Thanks again... SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 160 0 replies Reply to # 154 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 06-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: REPLY TO MSG 154 Robert... thanks for the info. We are now in the process of splitting our user and system files. We thought that since we barely have enough room on the RA60 for all users, we would leave our three heaviest users (list processors and accounts payable) on the system disk. That way, ninety percent of our users, ie, word processors and spreadsheet users, would be running clear of any heavy operations. Does this sound like a good move to you? Also, what measures do we need to take to set up the RA60 as a public volume? Thanks again for your help. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 161 0 replies Reply to # 156 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 06-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: REPLY TO MSG 156 Barton... Thanks for the info. Please send more if you've go it. Thanks again. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 162 0 replies Reply to # 155 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 06-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: REPLY TO MSG 155 James... Thanks for the great info. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 232 0 replies Left by: BOB BROWN On 06-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: CAREER To whomever... Is it true that there is a world-wide shortage of VAX system managers? Would one or two year's experience managing a 750 carry any weight in an interview for a system manager job? What is the salary range for these jobs? Hope I'm not breaking any ARIS rules because I'm just trying to get a feel for the employment climate. Any info will be appreciated... LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 26 0 replies Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 06-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: HP LASERJET II I recently have acquired a Macintosh SE for some developmental work, and also a Hewlett-Packard Laserjet II. I have the HP connected to both my VAX 8300 and the Mac using an AB Switch... Problem 1. i have the mac talking with the hp via Printworks Software. Graphics are not the best, since the hp doesnt have postscript. Problem 2. Boss would not trade HP for Apple Laserwriter (and pay add'l $2,000) even though EVERYTHING i would need to be done could be done and done very well at that... I need to know if there is a postscript driver I can add to the hp, that is not too expensive, and will help out my graphics and almost eliminate the 'stepping' effect on diagonal lines... i also want to purchase 1 or 2 hard font cartridges. Anyone know the approx cost of such? And, does anyone know of a laserprinter that could handle the mac and the graphics and most of the fonts, as well as being postcript, and also handle stuff from the vax? I really dont have any thingn special coming from the vax, but it would be nice to be able to use it... MICROVAX SIG Message # 141 1 replies Reply to # 125 Left by: BABY KHADAFFI On 06-Aug-88 At : 508/358-7140 Subject: SPEAKING OF GONZO... Must say, Dr. G., you sound like a regular Charlie Matco! Actually, it's widely known that the REAL C. Matco, Terry Shannon, left that publication (which we won't mention by name in deference to Carl 'n Dave) several months ago. The Charlie Matco Rumor Roundup column is now written by Mike Vizard of their news department; and I'm afraid it just ain't the same anymore--Mike tries hard, but he doesn't have the contacts Terry had. Maybe you oughta apply for the job--they pay good money. . . MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 385 0 replies Reply to # 383 Left by: DR. R On 06-Aug-88 At : INTENSIVE CARE Subject: RUMOURS 'R US! Ah, yes. What the DEC community needs is a high-quality, reliable rumour repository; an asset which is (and has been for some time now) sadly lacking! Implicit in the establishment of a rumour SIG, however, is the need to temper random rumours with some informed analysis and reasonably good judgment. This, too, has been painfully absent from other rumour forums which you may have had occasion to happen upon (case in point--repeated and fruitless efforts to bring the long-moribund Andromeda project back to life through rumour-based resuscitation). But wait, there's more--anything which is posted as a rumour should be clearly identified as such. Moreover, a caveat should be applied to all rumours; e.g. "The following material consists of unverified rumours. It SHOULD NOT be used to make or influence purchasing decisions." Furthermore, it is in NOBODY's best interest to violate the sanctity of the dreaded DIGITAL NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT. Even the good Doctor, who will neither confirm nor deny that he once operated under a notorious pseudonymn, agrees that certain information should not become grist for the rumour mill. Anyhow, if you'd like the good Doc to indulge in some online rumour diagnostics on a regular basis, just send those cards and letters (or notes to the Sysop) in to the DEC Pros. If the support is out there for a leading-edge rumour verification service, I will have no choice but to volunteer my services . . . ---Doctor R MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 386 0 replies Reply to # 385 Left by: URBIE WATROUS On 07-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: FACTS VS. SWILL Most unforch, as the good Doctor points out, that we DEC-market enthusiasts have been lacking a hard-nosed purveyor of truth, beyond what the proverbial Maynard Marketing Mavens provide. All we get from them is the usual stuff, encouraging us to pay more than we have for less hardware than we need. . . they must think we've been guilty of excessive 'shroom consumption or something! A rumor SIG might be just what the Doctor ordered, provided it's restricted to substantiated stuff, rather than the scurrilous innuendo that too often makes its presence felt in the tabloids. . . MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 200 2 replies Left by: PHILIP IDE On 07-Aug-88 At : (818)308-4664 Subject: LARGE DISK DRIVES My company is looking to replace some old CDC 9766 disk drives, and we need some DSA compatable drives of at least 900 MB. One candidate is the CDC 9773/9783 (XMD III) drive (with a DSA converter box). It has been out for some time. Has anyone any information on it in terms of reliability etc. MICROVAX SIG Message # 142 2 replies Reply to # 141 Left by: DR. GONZO On 08-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: No thank you. I am just an intern at Rumour Community Hospital. I would have to defer to Dr. R on such matters. Also, private practice is always more rewarding than working for someone else. On to other matters, the following little tidbits appeared in the August issue of 'Computer Decisions' (it is possible to find DEC information in non-DEC specific magazines!): Expected to be announced next month at DECworld in Cannes, France: 1) A six processor 6200 series computer. 2) A 4 MIPS processor board (aka. Rigel) for the 6200 series. 3) A VT400 series terminal around $400. Wait a month to buy your VT320's. You may be glad you did. 4) Diskless VAXterm around $2500 to $3000. 5) The PVAX dual processor workstation that will run both MS-DOS and VMS. Cost less than $4000. This information is subject to change (as it was at last year's DECworld). Assuming that even 25% of the information is correct, next month should be very interesting. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 393 1 replies Left by: GERRY WOLLNER On 08-Aug-88 At : 2014307159 Subject: KERMIT FOR RSX 4.0 WE ARE RUNNING RSX-11M VER 4.0 ON A NUMBER OF PDP-11/73 SYSTEMS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE CANNOT FIND A FILE TRANSFER PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE PDP-11, A PRIME AND A VAX. KERMIT IS AS CLOSE AS WE HAVE COME BUT WE CANNOT SEEM TO FIND A VERSION THAT WILL RUN PROPERLY UNDER VER 4.0. THE CURRENT VERSION AVAILABLE FROM COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ALLOWS US TO RECEIVE BUT NOT SEND. THE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM READING THE RSX FILE ATTRIBUTES. WE HAVE LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN MACRO-11 AND ARE LOOKING FOR A TURNKETASK IMAGE. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN RSX-11M 4.0 KERMIT??? VMS SIG Message # 664 0 replies Reply to # 662 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 08-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: VMS V5.0 We installed V5.0 on a spare disk and run it occasionally for testing. We do not plan to upgrade right away. In answer to your questions: 1) The only third party software which does not work is that software which: a) makes use of system features (bugs) b) is linked with SYS$SYSTEM:SYS.STB c) uses certain undocumented features. Also, third party software is not the only software to be hit with V5.0. Even DEC software, notably 2780/3780 and PCFS will not run on V5.0 and DEC cannot give a date when the updated software will be available for V5.0. Therefore, it looks like V4.7 for a while. 2) MAIL is callable. You are correct in noting that it is not documented. It would appear that, initially at least, DEC intends to keep the information secret. You can find out the the service names (MAIL$xxxxx) by disassembling SYS$SHARE:MAILSHR.EXE. Also, for item codes, take a look at SYS$SHARE:STARLET.REQ. I spent some time trying to figure out how to use these calls to no avail. I wrote a video oriented MAIL utility under V4.x that needed to be updated when V5.0 came out. The major hassle was decoding the new VMSMAIL_PROFILE.DATA file which is actually arranged in a much more intelligent fashion than the V4.x VMSMAIL.DAT. Feel free to give me a call if you want any additional information. I can give you what information I have on MAIL. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 328 0 replies Left by: RONALD V. ALLDAFFER On 08-Aug-88 At : HERE Or : (804)463-2800 Subject: C++ PRE-COMPILER We recently purchase VAX C for VMS operating on a Micro-VAX 3600, and are interested in finding a C++ pre-compiler to use with it. If any one has used a product I would be very interested in hearing about how it performs and/or where we can get a copy. Thanks for any information. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 163 1 replies Left by: BRIAN T CARCICH On 08-Aug-88 At : 607 255 5908 Subject: SE H/DTE: DATA OVERRUN why am i getting "data overrun" when i set host/dte to my modem port (txb0) when i am logged in on txa2? once the data overrun occurs, it takes several retries to get back to "interactive" aris. my modem is a racal-vadic 2400vp running at 2400 baud. any ideas? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 395 1 replies Left by: BRIAN T CARCICH On 08-Aug-88 At : Subject: SE H/DTE: DATA OVERRUN please look at "system performance" sig message # 163 btc COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 214 0 replies Left by: BT CARCICH On 08-Aug-88 At : Subject: SE HO/DTE: DATA OVERRUN please look at "system performance" sig message 163 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 164 1 replies Left by: ANTONIO R COLLINS On 08-Aug-88 At : 301-731-4080 Subject: FAST BACKUP If anyone's considering purchasing an 8mm tape backup system to put and end to those weekend hours - do it now! We've just brought up an Exabyte 8200/CQD-200 combo and it cooks! How fast is it, how's >450MB in just over 2 hours sound? Note that time included the overhead of writing the backup date in about 15,000 file headers. Needless to say, I'm estactic! Before this drive arrived, we did backups on TS-11s (about 40MB per tape) or TK50s. FYI - our system is a 5 member LAVC consisting of a 750 with RA81, MVII with 2 Maxtor 4380s (each 323MB), MV2000 with RD54, VS2000 with RD53 and a diskless VS200. The backup grabbed files from each disk and was run after hours (no users). LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 27 1 replies Left by: DAVID CHOU On 08-Aug-88 At : 212-730-4556 Subject: HP LASER JET II PROBLEM We had a problem with hp printer either through the queue print or through the command file by opening the vt-220 printer port. It seems to me that the printer will leave a blank page within the printer every time we tried to print a file. I think that it is caused by the way vms handling the by sending the before the line and after the line. The command file that we use as following: $dsp csi,"5i" !open printer port $dsp esc,"E" ! reset printer $type/nopage file ! display file $dsp ff ! write a form feed $dsp csi,"4i" ! close printer port $set term/noform $set term/wrap $exit We waste a lot of blank pages. Hopefully, the laser printer expert will answer this question. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 284 0 replies Left by: TOM GAPS On 08-Aug-88 At : (503)629-1261 Subject: SHADOW SETS - DISMOUNT MEMBER FAILS We are using VMS Volume Shadowing and have a problem when we dismount a member of a shadow set. About every 200 dismounts, the dismount fails to correctly dismount the member. We have four shadow sets and we backup each set twice per day by closing all files, dismounting a member, backup the idle member to tape while the primary member continues in use and the add the removed member back in to catch up for the next backup. This means at least 8 dismounts and remounts per day (some times more). About twice a month, the dismount of the shadow set member leaves the member still mounted on one of the nodes in the cluster but not the other nodes. The all the nodes claim that some other node still has it mounted as a shadow member but none of the nodes claim to be the node that has it mounted. So far the only cure is to reboot the entire cluster. Has anyone else seen this problem and if so, do you have a better solution. DEC is looking into the problem. At first they said that it was due to a hardware problem in the data paths section of the 785 (I have a two node cluster with two 785s). I had an FCO installed in each CPU which cut the failure rate from four times per week to the current twice per month. A dump of the locks shows that after the dismount that fails, both systems still show a lock outstanding that is mastered on the other node (can't be). Any ideas? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 396 0 replies Reply to # 393 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 08-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: WHY vanilla RSX11M? Sorry, this really does not answer your question, BUT... Running M on an 11/73 is such a shame. M+ lic. cost the same now I am pretty sure, and there was and may still be an attractive upgrade path - DEC would LOVE to just maintain M+ (without M). M+ is what most people write for now, and if some newer version of something like kermit won't work for you, maybe that is why. I was amused to discover that Whitsmiths C compiler ONLY runs on machines with I/D space separation. I asked them if anyone complained, and they said noone had... The 73s, unlike 23s and 24s (and worse), supports I/D space and superviser mode and M+ (not M) makes very good use of these hardware features. Brian Nelson wrote and maintains the RSX version of Kermit. I think the latest version sometimes is on the DECUS RSX SIG tape before it is available from Columbia. There are a zillion reasons to convert to M+, but I assume you know most of them. Find a friend with M+ and try the new kermit from there, and if it works, you have another reason to convert. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 201 0 replies Reply to # 200 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 08-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: Big CDC drives Those are the BIG size, big power, and maybe big maint $ drives, but may be slightly easier to find than the smaller and probably more in demand 8-inch Sabre ones. The Big Sabre is 1.23G - just a tad smaller than the XMD III, but you can put 4 - 9720-1230 (Sabre) drives in the space of 1 of the XMDs. I would be interested if you know of some other reasons to use the 14" rather than the 8" drives. If you want really small size, and don't need an SMD interface, look at the Wren V, 5 1/4" 638 meg. I assume you have an HSC or at least a BI machine because you said you needed a DSA interface. If you were still in Q bus land there are so many attractive ($ and performance wise) 3rd party controller cards... Just as a note: we intend to keep our 9766s, but to dump the painful maint. contract on them when we have enough other disks to feel safe. At that point we will run them into the ground. Buying a 'guaranteed to run correctly' used 9766 from a local iron monger now costs the same as a few months of Dec's service on each, and at each death we can decide to replace or forget as is then necessary. This is much the same as most peoples philosophy on VT100 maint! We will be running them on Dilog DQ256 and DU256 controllers that also run bigger, newer drives. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 165 0 replies Reply to # 164 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 08-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: TAPES Antonio, for what its worth - I have an 8300 with 6 RA81's. Each of my 5 main RA81's has no fewer than 100,000 free blocks - each of those 5 drives are backed up onto magtape each day (full image backup) - I am using a TU81+ tape drive - and each tape has a 6250 bpi density - it takes my operators under 3 hours to complete 20 tapes. Using an 8mm machine, it would take them 10 hours+ to do the same... Those are just some numbers to ponder... LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 28 0 replies Reply to # 27 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 08-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: HP PROBLEMS David, I have had no problems whatsoever with the HP and the VAX... Just out of curiosity, check your printer setup screen on the VT220 - There should be a field that looks something like this:  No Terminator  or  Terminator = FF  It may also have something like  EOF =  this field determines what is sent to the printer port upon reaching the end of a file. If you see Terminator = FF of EOF = FF that means that there is a form feed after the file is printed, which could be the cause for losing that page... I use the HP as a printer que, and have had absolutely no problems in either setting it up, or using it, including using device libraries to control portrait or landscape mode, etc... (Yes, I said that, absolutely no problems...)...... TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 234 0 replies Reply to # 229 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 08-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: Another CIT-101 Feature I forgot to mention another feature that terminal has. You can send it an escape sequence that sets a LARGE 24 hour clock display that gives you the time when you are in setup mode. We fire this escape sequence down the line from syslogin.cmd on RSX systems, but havn't done it for VMS, as less and less of these are being used. Since this terminal has a CRT saver built in, most people leave it on, and if our users have logged into an 11, the time will stay set until they power off, anyway. the following escape sequence ends with a t that must be lowercase, the hh, mm, ss are the obvious numbers. send: [hh;mm;sst This won't bother the DEC terminals, so we send it to any terminal that looks like a CRT. IF you want the RSX11M or M+ command file to do this, call me. These folks don't seem to want programs posted without permission, and I WON'T post here as they won't let me read programs that are here (because I havn't subscribed to their other magazine...). DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 397 1 replies Reply to # 393 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 08-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: Why not DECNET? For the 11/73 to Vax transfers, can't you use Decnet? If you are on the same site, Ethernet is the way of choice, but if you are remote and on a budget, async Decnet at least works. Netgens were a big pain under RSX11M, but under the latest RSX11M+ Sysgens and Netgens are fast and simple. With the new vectored exec, a lot of priv code doesn't even have to be relinked. You just use the task image as shipped. GRAPHICS SIG Message # 70 0 replies Reply to # 68 Left by: BRIAN T CARCICH On 09-Aug-88 At : 607 255 5908 Subject: CAMERA RECORDER I don't know if it's the best, but we use a Matrix 3000, which was evaluated as the best at the time for our purposes. It uses RGB signals at 512x512x8 resolution. You can use one of those RGB signals for SYNCH. It takes one exposure of each signal through an appropriate filter so the red, blue and green "phosphors" are in the same position instead of in a triangle like a normal monitor. The exposures, contrast and brightness for each signal can be adjusted for the type of film and 8 film settings can be saved and quickly retrieved. The front panel controls are simple and most require a shift key which prevents some accidents. There is a foot switch for initiating an exposure. In addition, it has an RS232 interface for remote programming and exposing. It does a very nice job and is fairly easy to use once you remember to slide out the dark slide before taking sx-70's (equivalent of taking lens cap off). The basic unit was $8550 in 1983. The SX-70 and 35mm slide attachments were $1370 and $1290. the 4x5 and 8x10 attachments (which we did not get) were $1290 and $3000. in 1985 there was a repair costing about $ 1100. The manual is ok and has full descriptions of adjustments required, including adjustment pot locations. We do everything except color convergence ourselves, and I believe that was done once at installation. Brian T. Carcich Center for Radiophysics and Space Research Galileo Project VAX System Manager/Programmer Cornell University MICROVAX SIG Message # 143 1 replies Left by: THAYNE THOMPSON On 09-Aug-88 At : (303)497-6671 Subject: MV2000/VS2000 3RD PARTY In the August 88 issue of DEC PRO, Philip A. Naeckerwrote an article entitled "Under the Hood of a Vaxstation 2000". Our organization is currently looking at the Micro VAX 2000 oV vaVaxstation 2000 for purchase. My question is who are the suppliers of add on equipment isk drives, TU50 tape units, et) for the busless system? PC'S SIG Message # 180 0 replies Reply to # 170 Left by: CHARLES HAHN On 09-Aug-88 At : (601)634-3529 Subject: PVAX VS PC I am very interested in the PVAX area. I am really wondering what will its expansion capibility will be. Will it be able to use DEC disk drives and other peripherals (IEEE-488 interface) and how compatible will it be with MS-DOS applications? We are looking to upgrade/replace a current 386 based PC with something faster and more powerful. Also what will the PVAX's networking capabilities be ? We have several MicroVAX II's here and access to a CRAY through the MicroVAXes. We also have the need to link several PC's (AT's and XT's) both in the office and in the field. I would really like to get more information on the PVAX so that I will understand what all it can do and how it can work for us. LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 29 0 replies From: David To: Brian Brian: Thank you for response, but I still have the problem. In term of VMS queue I have no control on that , our system manager set it up and I think he called print symbiont in order to print company name on the title page and print it through the LAT symbiont. The printer actually is through the VITAL LINK and DEC terminal server. But my point is, if I reset the HP printer(power off) and tried to use the small command file to print a file it should work, but actually it is not. The printer is set to 60 lines per page, but it always start from 2nd line and the 2nd page will be start from the top margin.. If possible, can you give me a small command file(which you are sure it will work) which I could try to print a small file then I could track down the problem. I did lots of time to turn on and off the terminal terminator set up which you suggested but it simply does not work. I think the terminator is useful when you want to print screen. If you don't turn the terminator on it will not eject the page and you have to manually eject it. This is true both for ln03 and hp. By the way, if I don't write a form feed and the end of the file, the last page will not eject and I have to eject it manually. All I am talking about here is through the printer cable plug in HP "LOCALLY". David (212)730-4556 LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 30 0 replies Left by: Brian DeSantis On 10-Aug-88 To : David Chou Subject: I am afraid I cannot help you out on this one - you just may be stuck... All I can do is try to do the same thing thursday, and see if i get the same results - if so, i will try and figure out a workaround. I do have a program (in Fortran, but I have the .EXE and .CLD files) of a terminal printer 'driver' which may help you. I will do some testing and get back to you. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 202 0 replies Reply to # 200 Left by: BERN FOX On 10-Aug-88 At : (313)-994-1200 X2498 Subject: Mr. Bruce sounds as though he has been there before (message #201) and I concur with his recommendations and observations. Philip, please feel free to call me for further insight into this matter. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 398 1 replies Reply to # 397 Left by: GERRY WOLLNER On 10-Aug-88 At : 2014307159 Subject: STUCK WITH "M" THANKS FOR THE REPLY. UNFORTUNATLY DUE TO BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, WE ARE STUCK WITH 11M FOR THE TIME BEING. THIS IS PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ABOUT A DOZEN OLD PDP-11/73 SYSTEMS WITHOUT MAINTENANCE AND ALOT OF LOST PAPERWORK(WE INHERITED THE SYSTEMS FROM ANOTHER DEPT). TO UPGRADE WOULD COST ABOUT 20-30K AND WE ARE NOT SURE THE APPLICATION WOULD EVEN LIKE M+. THE NEEDS HOWEVER, ARE BEGINNING TO JUSTIFY THE UPGRADE AND I'M BEGINNING TO THINK IT'S OUR ONLY SOLUTION TO COMMUNICATIONS AND SEVERAL OTHER QUIRKY 11M PROBLEMS. UTILITIES SIG Message # 289 0 replies Reply to # 279 Left by: J. BERGER On 10-Aug-88 At : 219-267-9478 Subject: EBCDIC TO ASCII CONVERT we have been using an assembly language program for several years to process ebcdic tapes in a process control environment. it currently runs on pdp-11's, but you should be able to modify it to suit your needs. as you're aware, there are some characters which don't translate. the program will convert these to spaces, and track the number of them, if desired. this program runs under a standalone executive, and would have to be modified to run under an op. sys. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 203 0 replies Left by: FRED R. PHILIBERT On 10-Aug-88 At : 201 379 7400 Subject: RX33 FORMATTED MEDIA SOURCE? We are using RX33 format floppys for loading/archiving systems on either VAXstation 2000s under VMS and PDP 11/53s under RSX11M+ v3.0. We have found them to be far more reliable than the RX50 drives (seems that they heat up after about 25 diskettes, and kick you out of BRU), but formatting the media is a pain. Does anyone know of a source of FORMATTED RX33 diskettes? We have a local floppy duplicator that is able to do RX50s -- we ran BAD on an RX50, initialized it with the name SCRATCH, and he uses that as his master. The floppys we get back are ready to MOUnt and use right out of the box for sneaker net applications. Unfortunately, RX33s are not duplicated as easily. Also -- does anyone know of any kind of software or hardware product that would permit reading or writing a RX33 on a PC/AT, or the other way around? Sure would come in handy some times. UTILITIES SIG Message # 290 0 replies Reply to # 279 Left by: STAN HUHMAN On 10-Aug-88 At : 319/292-8687 Subject: EBCDIC TO ASCII I thought I might have something to contribute here. I also have a need occasionally to read an EBCDIC tape on the VAX. I use a program that I found in the Implementing VAX FORTRAN course from DEC. It's very simple using a system service call to do the conversion. I'd be happy to send you a copy. Call me at 319/2{2-8687 as I don't get to use this very often. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 387 0 replies Left by: JOE BERGER On 10-Aug-88 At : 219-267-9478 Subject: SQUARE-D DEVLOPMENT I'm looking for a development package to allow development of Square-D SY/MAX programs on a PDP-11 series box. Has anyone ever heard of one? I know there are some of these available for PC's, but I'd rather do it on a PDP. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 399 2 replies Left by: ROBERT L. WHITNEY On 10-Aug-88 At : 202-293-4300 Subject: FILE TRANSFER I have been given the dutiful task of transfering ASCII files from a 780 (HOST) to our (REMOTE) Big Blue clone via a DF112. We have Kermit-32> and the rest of the hardware but I do not have a protcol package to run on our PC. I do have a cold war friend who has ProComm and from his assistance I have been able to at least take a look. I need to know if ProComm has been used by anyone out there and if they would be willing to share their long and shortcomings. Can you invoke ProComm from HOST ? My KERMIT doc is about two and one half inches thick. Am I missing something? I have read other replies that make reference to this humongus pile of paper. I get more paper from Charmin than the set I have. Hope to hear from yu soon... DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 400 1 replies Reply to # 395 Left by: BILL JAMISON On 10-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: DATA OVERFLOW ERRORS I had the same problem with a Hayes modem at 1200 baud. The following changes solved the problem: Set the modem port to altypeahd and set the width to 511. This will give you a larger data buffer and should prevent the data overrun errors, but you may still get one every once now and then. Bill Jamison MICROVAX SIG Message # 144 0 replies Reply to # 142 Left by: URBIE WATROUS On 10-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: MORE PRESSING NEEDS But is DEC going to announce any new Robin upgrades? Like maybe an inboard Z80 CPU or something like that? Inquiring Users wanna know. . . UTILITIES SIG Message # 291 0 replies Reply to # 279 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 10-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: DEC provides EBCDIC to ASCII On RSX11M+ (and on vanilla M, too, I think) for many years you have been able to do translation either way with almost no problem. I won't look up the exact systax, but simply point to the right area. MOU Mxn:/nolabel/tr=ebcdic MAG set Mxn:/blocksize=.../carriage_control=.../recordsize=.. etc PIP ... the /tr on the mou actually even allows any of 3 user provided translations, too, if they were linked into a special build of MTAACP. they are designated UT1, UT2, or UT3. The other option ("NONE") is the default. The MAG SET switches gives control of the other attributes, since you may not have a standard labeled tape. You can read or write any sort of labels with record and block size set one way, and then reset them, space past any file marks you need to, and continue with big blocks of some other logical record size. All this is just with MAG and dear old (ANSI) PIP. MOU controls the translation. I have used this successfully many times on 11s, but never needed to yet on a VAX, but assume there MUST be some way... WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 83 0 replies Reply to # 82 Left by: TOM NITROY On 11-Aug-88 At : (617)934-0571 Subject: WPS No it's not on ALLIN1. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 401 0 replies Reply to # 399 Left by: CHARLES HAHN On 11-Aug-88 At : (601)634-3529 Subject: USING PROCOMM TO TRANSFER FILES I have used procomm several times to transfer files from sources other than a VAX. It uses a capture mode environment, like some of the other com packages. It has very helpful online documentation and will work if you do not have many files to transfer. You can simply TYPE them on the screen and capture them tranparently. You use the PGDN key to activate the file download routine and has they scroll on the screen , they are captured to a file. If these are large files or you have several files, I suggest using Kermit for the PC. If you have any questions, Please call. VMS SIG Message # 665 3 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 11-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: PASSWORD EXPIRATION Can anyone give me a clue as to how and go about checking to see if a user's password has expired, and/or to check how many more days until expires. I would like to run this check when the user logs in, in SYLOGIN.COM. I have checked the lexicals, and found virtually everything else in the UAF to check for, with the exception (you got it!) of password expiration dates. This would be a great help, because we at our site have implemented password expirations after 60 days of last password change. The reason I would like to be able to check, is that we need to run a routine (command procedure) if the password has indeed expired, and force the user to change it. It would be great to be able talso do something with the way VMS notifies one that the password has expired. Is this contained in some logical name somewhere? Thanks for any and all suggestions! Bob Zisek Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. 175 Briar Ridge Rd. Ridgefield,Ct. 06877 VMS SIG Message # 666 1 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 11-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: FILE OWNERSHIP How can I ensure that when a user transfers a file to someone else's directory, that the copied file inherits the ownership and protection mask of the target directory. I dont want to implement the SET PRT/DEFAULT command and because I want this to happen only for certain files going to certain directories. Are ACL's in order here? Thanks. Bob Zisek VMS SIG Message # 667 1 replies Left by: C. COOK On 11-Aug-88 At : 201-662-4035 Subject: V4.7 VMS ON 8810 OR 8820 HE HELP PLEASE. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN DIFFERENT STORIES ON WHETHER YOU CAN RUN VERSION 4.7 OF VMS ON AN 8810 OR 8820. ANYONE OUT THERE RUNNING 4.7 ON 8810. VMS SIG Message # 668 0 replies Reply to # 665 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 11-Aug-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: EXPIRED PASSWORDS In VMS 5.0 there is a new flag in the AUTHORIZE utility called DISFORCE_PWD_CHANGE (the VMS 5.0 documentation is wrong, I got the correct flag from DSIN in Colorado Springs). When you have this flag set, it does not force users to change their passwords the first time they log in after their password has expired. Therefore, if you set the flag to NODISFORCE_PWD_CHANGE, it will force the user (it actually takes them into the password changing routine) to change their password the first time they log in after the password expires I realize this does not help you if you are not using 5.0. I have written a MACRO program that goes through an AUTHORIZE list and finds users that have not logged on either A) for 30 days B) ever. With the some modifications it could find users that have expired passwords and you could set up a routine to force them to change their password on login. If you would like a copy of the program, give me a call at the above number. VMS SIG Message # 669 0 replies Reply to # 665 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 11-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: CHECKING FOR PASSWORD EXPIRATION Interesting subject! Here at General Foods we wanted to implement the same feature. I solved the problem by using a DECUS program called GETUAI.EXE. It was in, I believe, the Fall 1986 DECUS symposium tape. This program was designed to run in DCL and provide functionality similar to a lexical function. What you need to check for is the PWD_EXPIRED flag in the UAF. This flag is set by LOGINOUT when a user logs in and his/her password expires. What we do in our procedure is similar to this: $ GETUAI := $GETUAI $ GETUAI/PWD_EXPIRED=STATUS 'F$GETJPI("","USERNAME")' $! Note: STATUS is a DCL symbol to accept a True/False return $ IF STATUS THEN $GOTO CHANGE_PASSWORD You could write a program to just check for the PWD_EXPIRED flag using the $GETUAI system service. Finally, under VMS V5.0, this problem is solved. Users will be forced to change their password before being allowed to complete the login. If they abort the login, they will be logged out and will have to change it the next time they attempt to login. This new feature can be disabled through the use of a new AUTHORIZE flag called DISFORCE_PASSWORD_CHANGE (not sure of the exact name). If you want the GETUAI program and sources (written in C), drop me a line at the above number. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY 10625 EDITORS SIG Message # 180 0 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: JOHN GUNTHER On 11-Aug-88 At : Subject: EVE WRAPAROUND LIKE EDT I heard that VMS version 5's EVE (or is it TPU) will support the EDT-like wraparound you seem to want. Don't quote me on it - it's a vague recolection ... - John DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 402 0 replies Reply to # 399 Left by: Phil Anthony On 11-Aug-88 At : Here Subject: PROCOMM Bob, I used ProComm for several years and found it to be an excellent pack- age for file transfers except that on noisy lines, it had a propensity for dying in the middle of a transfer (it'd field an error and get confused about packet numbering, particularly in Kermit). But if you can provide reasonably clean telephone lines, it should do the job for you quite nicely. You can do the job either of two ways: (1) Dial in from the PC, log on to the VAX, bring up Kermit-32, issue a SEND command for the files you need to transfer, then hit PgDn on the PC and select Kermit as your protocol for the download; or (2) Set ProComm up in host mode on the PC, dial in (I assume you have an autoanswer modem on the PC) from the VAX, choose U)pload on the ProComm menu, escape back to the Kermit-32> command line, and SEND the de- sired files. If you do have problems with line noise, the same people who wrote ProComm have a commercial package (you can order it directly from them) called ProComm Plus that handles line errors much better. I'm using it now to call ARIS, and I think it's one of the best communications packages on the market for PCs. Good luck! VMS SIG Message # 670 0 replies Reply to # 666 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 12-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: DEFAULT FILE PROTECTION You will have a bit of a problem with this one. By default, all files created by a user, regardless of where they are, are owned by the user who created them. The only way around this is to use SYSPRV or BYPASS privilege (possibly some other dangerous ones as well). The main problem is that a file takes up resources and privilege is required to charge resources to someone else. A default protection ACL on a directory will set an appropriate access on a file but will not change the ownership. If the users are trusted and are in the same group, you might want to try granting GRPPRV. This way they will have access to the file regardless of who owns it in the group. Also, note that while GRPPRV is not in itself dangerous, except to people in the same group, GRPPRV can be used to gain additional privileges if someone in the group has elevated privileges. Example: A user in the group has SETPRV. A user without it but with GRPPRV could create a LOGIN.COM in this user's directory to do the following: $ privs = f$setprv("SYSPRV") $ uaf := $authorize $ uaf modify/privilege=setprv my_username $ privs = f$setprv(privs) $ delete login.com; Otherwise, there is no problem. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY VMS SIG Message # 671 0 replies Reply to # 667 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 12-Aug-88 At : YOU KNOW WHERE Subject: FORGOT Hi Craig! You forgot to mention that the April-June issue of the 'Systems and Options' catalog listed VMS under the 8810 with a V4.7 part number and all the other 88xx systems with a V5.0 part number. It might mean something. r COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 215 0 replies Reply to # 165 Left by: BOB ZISEK On 12-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: VAX TO HP3000 We have a VAX LAN installed over ETHERNET and also wanted to get our HP3000 system on the net. The HP uses TCP/IP 802.3 protocol. We discovered a product that HP markets called NSVAX, which is communication software that you load on your VAX to communicate over the ETHERNET with the HP system. It is fairly straightforward to install, and creates hibernating daemon processes that actually control the communications between the two systems. It seems that, however, it is not that easy on the HP side. Not being real familiar with the HP environment, I do know that our HP system manager had some problems getting the HP node configured. Check this product out, because it is a solution to HP - VAX communications. If you are wondering, you do not need any additional communications controllers on your VAX because the ethernet controller knows what is ETHERNET traffic and what is TCP/IP traffic. Hope this helps. Good luck. CPU'S SIG Message # 42 1 replies Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 12-Aug-88 At : HOLLAND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Subject: SIZE OF VAX We are considering installing a VAX exclusively to provide PC-type applications to our users - Word Processing and a spreadsheet. We estimate that we will have 20-30 concurrent users, with maybe a total of 100 users. This VAX would not be part of a cluster, but would have to be a DECnet end-node, on Ethernet, of couse. It would not have any direct port, and would manage its own disk drives (non-HSC controller) and a tape. Some of the options we are considering include: two 750s or a 780, or a MV-II, or a MV2000 with large (3rd party) disk, or an 8200. In any case, I figure we should not need any more than a single RA-82 for disk. I would appreciate any CPU sizing information or applicable experience that anyone out there can provide. Bruce WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 84 0 replies Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 12-Aug-88 At : HOLLAND COMMUNITY HSPTL Subject: WORDPERFECT Is anybody out there using WordPerfect on a VAX? We are considering purchaing it here. Current user experiences would be most helpful. Bruce APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 241 2 replies Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 12-Aug-88 At : HOLLAND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Subject: Anybody using AOK.abc, or another spreadsheet besides 20/20? If so, I would like to hear about your experiences. We are considering AOK.abc because it is supposed to be a Lotus 123 "work-alike" for the VAX. Bruce LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 31 0 replies Reply to # 20 Left by: JANICE E. KALL On 12-Aug-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: CONNECTING TALARIS PRINTERS TO VAX If you have the ability to print your PC jobs on the VAX, then you shouldn't have any trouble installing your Talaris laser printers to the 8200 and still maintain the ability to print PC jobs on the printers. All Talaris laser printers are compatible with your 8200, but without knowing the exact particulars, I can't give you the best answer, only a few ideas. If your Talaris laser printers are equipped with RS-232 interfaces, you can connect them via a direct serial line or a LAT. If you are currently using centronix interfaces, you may have a bit more trouble, because you may have to change your interfaces (since I don't know which printers you have, I don't know which interfaces you are using). LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 32 0 replies Reply to # 20 Left by: JANICE E. KALL On 12-Aug-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: CONTINUATION OF PREVIOUS MESSAGE The Computer terminated me before I was finished---to continue: Talaris also offers a tools tape with print symbionts designed for each type of printer---this can help ease the integration of your Talaris printers into the VAX environment. If you would lke a copy of this tools tape, and more detailed info, please send me another message on ARIS with more details or call myself or Talaris technical support at (619) 587-9399. We will be glad to help you. Talaris also offers a consulting services department that can help you with a one shot problem, or support plans for on-going support. MICROVAX SIG Message # 145 0 replies Reply to # 143 Left by: PHILIP A. NAECKER On 12-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: EXPANDING A MV2000 Thayne, the only device you can safely add to a mV2000 (diskless) system is a disk. As soon as I get time I'm going to try to add a floppy to a diskless 2000, but that's still on the back burner. Adding a disk is easy, though. You don't really need to worry about the manufacturer or other details. Just pick up DEC Pro and look through it for adds of folks that sell RD54 and RD53 look-alikes. These disks are supported on the mV2000 systems, and it doesn't matter whether they are made by DEC or not! (Actually, even DEC disks aren't made by DEC, but by Micropolis.) Once you have the disk, just follow the instructions in my article. Phil COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 216 0 replies Left by: RON MCCLEARY On 12-Aug-88 At : ROCKHURST COLLEGE Subject: MARKET FOR XYPLEX EQUIPMENT Due to trading out our VAX 11/750, we have some surplus Xyplex equipment: 3 HIU boards and two sets of components for connecting to the linear coax from them. Does anyone know of any dealers providing a market for second- hand Xyplex equipment? I would appreciate any help you can give. You can call me at 816-926-4064 in Kansas City if you wish. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 403 1 replies Reply to # 398 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 12-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: RSX11M-->M+ should be SAFE What kind of application wouldn't 'LIKE' M+? One of the ground rules when M+ was built was that non-priv M tasks should just run. If you have custom drivers, or have dome horrible things to the innards of some old M system, you may have problems. Rewriting an M driver for M+ is fairly straight forward, and is documented. A lot of the hacking with the innards of M is now unnecessary with all M+'s features, and, of course, the GIN directive. You may well find you can do very dramatic speedups when you switch to M+ because wou have more task space with I/D support, and can BIG and MULTI buffer critical files so your tasks NEVER wait on I/O. (see my article in the DECUS SIGs Newsletter in the RSX section somewhere near the end of last year. - or it is also in the RSX conf. on DECUServe). Supervisor mode resident libs also help add to task space, if necessary. You will also be able to speed up many things by using disk caching, and volume shadowing adds data security. If there is something unusual about your application that you think makes it a poor candidate for M+, I would be curious to hear about it! My experience indicates that M+ is SUPER, and with the third party soop-up kits that add 65% to an 11/70 selling so well, I can hardly wait 2 months for the next generation from another vendor for a lot less $ that claims 300%-400% speedup of an 11/70 when you yank the first 21 cards out and stuff in 4 new ones (and you can also remove any memory cabinets!). I see 11s and RSX11M+ being around for a LONG time. I hope DEC is shamed into doing a lot better than the J11 chip (they have in the 73/83/84s) by these other vendors. RSTS SIG Message # 303 1 replies Left by: KELVIN SMITH On 13-Aug-88 At : (203) 357-0504 Subject: SOFTWARE DISPATCH ERROR WARNING TO ALL RSTS SYSTEM MANAGERS ON SOFTWARE SUPPORT: Patch 20.1.9, published in the August 1988 Software Dispatch, is incorrect. They gave bad addresses to put the patch in. The word is that a corrected patch will be published in September, or if you're on telephone support, you can get the correction from Colorado. Your support dollars at work. . . APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 242 0 replies Reply to # 241 Left by: URBIE WATROUS On 13-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: VAX SPREADSHEETS I'd recommend taking another look at 20/20. They just released version 2.3, which now reads and writes Lotus 1-2-3, PC Excel and DIF files. It also has a couple of dozen new functions which correspond to Lotus @ functions that earlier versions didn't have, so now 20/20 has all of Lotus's functions (plus a few that Lotus doesn't have). True, it's not a total "work-alike," largely because it existed before Lotus, but it's got a lot going for it. 20/20 runs under VMS, DOS, PRIMOS, AOS/VS, and just about every kind of UNIX there is. I don't mean to sound like a 20/20 salesman, but it'd probably be a good idea to try out version 2.3. It has an optional feature called the Database Connection, which lets you pull data from Datatrieve or Oracle DBMS files. You can also pull in or export documents from WordPerfect, WPS-Plus, and a few other word processors. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 285 0 replies Reply to # 147 Left by: BOB EISENBART On 15-Aug-88 At : 619-234-8851 Subject: XYPLEX TERM SERVERS I am in the process of evaluating the use of terminal servers (specifically the XYPLEX MAXserver 5000). It certainly looks like a great product, but I have a question on performance. We are using Signal Technology's 4GL-like product SMARTSTAR for screen management in most of our applications. Since this product performs single-character I/O, I am worried that all the LAT overhead will result in worse performance that we are now getting using DMF-32's It's a little re-asuring to the read the above replies, but neither seems to be referring specifically to single-character I/O. Any information would be appreciated... Thanks! RSTS SIG Message # 304 0 replies Reply to # 303 Left by: Phil Anthony On 15-Aug-88 At : Here Subject: RSTS PATCH Thanks for the warning, Kelvin! It underscores once again my unwillingness to patch anybody's system the same month the patches come out. That was af- ter I got burned once, about three years back under V8.0 ... the patch was to (what else?) INIT.SYS, and after applying it, the system wouldn't boot. All the hard-copies in the world of the patch wouldn't've been worth the match to burn 'em if I hadn't had a second bootable disk on the system. Fortunately, my hyperconservatism, which had come in for a lot of kidding, saved my tail - and my client's. I could boot off DB1: (or DB2:, if it came to that) and run ONLPAT.SAV to unpatch DB0:[0,1]INIT.SYS. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 404 1 replies Reply to # 403 Left by: GERRY WOLLNER On 16-Aug-88 At : (201)430-7159 Subject: CONVINCED! WE ARE NOW MAKING A PITCH TO GET M+. IT CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE THE WAY TO GO, ESPECIALLY SINCE WE DO INTEND TO KEEP THESE BUGGERS RUNNING FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 YEARS. UNFORTUNATLY WE DO HAVE CUSTOM DRIVERS WRITTEN BY NON-MACRO HACKER TYPES(IE BRUTE FORCE TECHNIQUES, NO DOCUMENTATION). IF AND WHEN WE GET M+ YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE MESSAGES ON THIS BBS CONCERNING M TO M+ DRIVER CONVERSIONS! THANKS FOR THE INPUT. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 243 3 replies Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 16-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: SOFTWARE DIRECTORY Does such a thing exist? Is there anyone who publishes a third-party directory of VMS software? Any information about such a source would be appreciated! Thanks --- Kent GRAPHICS SIG Message # 71 0 replies Left by: ROBERT BLUNT On 16-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: TIME MANAGEMENTS/W FOR VAX OR PC I'm looking for some Time Management software for the VAX or PC/AT clone that can output L-O-N-G PERT charts to a HP7586-A (or equivalent HP-GL driven plotter). I can't seem to recall any such thing, and the current software that we have puts out some bizzare "flow charts (or that's what the vendor calls them)" in 8 inch wide strips on a Dot Matrix printer. Bob Blunt APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 244 1 replies Left by: BOB BLUNT On 16-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: TIME MANAGEMENT S/W FOR VAX OR PC Can someone recommend a Time Management S/W package that can output L-O-N-G PERT charts to a HP7586-A (or equivalent). Our current package will only output to a dot matrix printer in a "strip" of 8 inches, and it doesn't give a real PERT chart, it looks like a bad flowchart. Bob Blunt MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 388 0 replies Left by: BOB BLUNT On 16-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: TIME MANAGEMENT S/W FOR VAX OR PC Can anyone recommend a time management S/W package for the VAX or PC/AT clones that can output L-O-N-G PERT charts to a HP7586-A plotter (or equivalent)? Our current package won't output PERT charts, and what it does give only comes out on a dot matrix printer. Bob Blunt APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 245 0 replies Reply to # 243 Left by: Robert G. Schaffrath On 16-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: VAX SOFTWARE DIRECTORY Yes, such an animal does exist. It is called the 'VAX Software Source Book' and is from Digital. It is currently in it's fifth edition and is 1123 pages long. The part number on this book appears to be ED-31744-46 but you would have to confirm that. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 166 0 replies Reply to # 163 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 16-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: DATA OVERRUN Two possibilities : Set your modem port (TXB0) to HOSTSYNC ($ SET TERM/PERM/HOSTSYNC TXB0). This fixed our problems. If this doesn't fix it try setting TXB0 to /ALTYPEAHD. Hope this fixes it. Jim MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 389 1 replies Left by: KONRAD BARGRAFKIN On 17-Aug-88 At : 907/338-5005 Subject: MISCELLANEOUS STUFF Maybe if Dr. R, who is suspected of having access to certain mind-altering fungi, might be persuaded to articulate some hard-hitting investigative reports, we could separate the facts from the rumours, and make our daily decisions based on knowledge, rather than the fear and loathing that often characterizes the DEC market, especially since you-know-who ascended to the corner throne in a certain northeast-corridor office building. Maybe we could even start our own publishing business, and put an end to the scurrilous innuendo, gratuitous swill, and outright fabrication that have sullied the once-pristine DEC marketplace. Maybe not; who can say? --Konnie B.-- APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 246 0 replies Reply to # 241 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 17-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: SPREADSHEETS We are using C-CALC PLUS from DSD Corporation. We are very pleased with it. It can load Lotus spreadsheets and also convert back (they claim, we don't do Lotus). However we do like the fact that it can EASILY load about any type of data file, it has access to user written functions that can load figures or large amounts of data into the spreadsheet and we have had very good rapport with the technical people there. I also saw your note on word processors. We are using WORD-11 which we are also pleased with and have heard that WORD-11 will soon be coming out with an interface to C-CALC+ (it was just luck that it was the two packages we had). With both packages, we have can print to and share a laser printer, an LQP02 and print to our VMS print queues and to slave printers. If you want more information, please call. (Maybe I can get a commission) Jim APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 247 1 replies Reply to # 244 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 17-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: TIME MANAGEMENT PACKAGE DSD Corporation in Bothell, WA has a package called C-PLAN. We got a one month evaluation for a fee ($50?). It did lots of things and one of them was L-O-N-G pert charts. The interest here has waned so that we did not test out everything, but it might be worth looking into. Wecurrently use DSD's spreadsheet (C-CALC PLUS) and have been pleased with the support. The DSD phone number is (206) 485-7564. Jim DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 405 0 replies Reply to # 404 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 17-Aug-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: M TO M+ DRIVER CONVERSION Never fear regarding the conversion of your M drivers to M+. Many of us out here have done quite a few, and it's usually not bad at all. Digital even provides guidelines for the conversion in the M+ Guide to Writing an I/O Driver. Hope you can convice your management to do the upgrade. VMS SIG Message # 673 0 replies Reply to # 665 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 18-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: PASSWORD EXPIRE ROUTINE Bob, this is what I think I would do for your password expiration problem. I would wite a command procedure that would execute from SYLOGIN.COM each time an interactive usder logs in. It will look in a certain directory for a file named using the user's name followed by _PWDEXP.DAT so my file could be called [PASSWORD_EXPIRED]BRIAN_PWPEXP.DAT and in that file will be a timestamp - if the file does not exist, it will be created and the time entered. If the file does exist, it will check the date in the file - you could then have a routine that checks to see if that date is more than 60 days from the present date - if it is, then execute the set password routine, update the timestamp, and exit. This way users will be required to set a new password when the time came. (I apologize if I am not sounding clear, but my mind is spinning and it is 2:03am so the thoughts may come out garbled). If you like, give me a ring and I would be happy to go into a likkttle more detail, that is if you are lost... COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 217 2 replies Left by: JIM MCRAE On 18-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: USING KERMIT We received from a third party software company, a KERMIT.EXE file, version 3.2.077. However, we received no documentation and no help. We would like to get the most current version available. Can someone please tell us what commands we need and where to call to get the most current? We are running on a 750 with DF224 modems at 2400 baud. Jim APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 248 0 replies Reply to # 247 Left by: BOB BLUNT On 18-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: THANKS Thanks very much, I'll try to get in touch with them ASAP. Bob COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 218 1 replies Left by: BOB BLUNT On 18-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: ETHERMUX TO REMOTE PORTS? Has anyone in ProPressLand run across a device(s) that can connect to your local Ethernet LAN, act as a service to LAT, and talk to multiple remote ports across a single leased line? It seems SO practical that somebody should have done it, but I can't seem to recall any reviews on the subject. If we have to collect hardware to do this, I guess that I can, but a single solution would be cleaner. Currently, I have DECServer 100s, but I'm not sure of the ability of these units to "reverse LAT." Any info would be of greatest help... Bob Blunt 401 Wynn Drive Huntsville, AL 35805 MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 390 1 replies Reply to # 389 Left by: DR. GONZO On 18-Aug-88 At : Subject: Unfortunately, dedicating all ones time to the comings and goings of DEC's secret's is not very profitable. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 219 0 replies Reply to # 217 Left by: ERIC S. DUNGAN On 18-Aug-88 At : 612-896-0496 Subject: VAX KERMIT You can order, from DECUS, tape V-SP-53, which is a two-tape VMS BACKUP distribution made from a KERMIT distribution from Columbia U (Creator of KERMIT) dated Jan 14, 1988. I got this information from the DECUS 88/89 Program Library software abstracts. You can call DECUS at 508-480-3418 for more information. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 249 0 replies Reply to # 243 Left by: STEVEN P. DAVIS On 18-Aug-88 At : 714-956-9156 OWEN+DAVIS SYSTEMS Subject: DIGITAL ANNUAL DIRECTORY Another source for third-party hardware and software product information is the Digital Annual Directory available from Seldin Publishing at 714-632-6924. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 220 0 replies Reply to # 218 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 18-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: YES - all on A leased line! I can't figure out exactly what you want to do. But YES you can easily have many LAT ports pop up remotely over a single leased line - several ways, and then some. DEC has a MUXserver-100 - all the deficiencies of a DS100 - i.e. no modem control on the ports. There has long been a need for a -200 version, and maybe they now have one, but I havn't seen it. What it does is plug into your Ethernet and looks like a DS100 (or 2 of them?) and uses a Sync line to a remote box (or 2) and out there you get your EIA ports. I doubt this has sold many, but some people will buy anything DEC offers. If they made it a -200 and fixed the price... Take anyone's statmux boxes (many good ones from many vendors) and connect them via your leased line and stuff the DS100 ports into the local one. The only rug is that the dumb DS100 has NO modem leads, so I hope all your remote ports are permanently connect in a secure place. (you could buy a DS200). All your ports now appear remotely. The really slickest way, however, is to use a remote Ethernet bridge that plugs into your local Ethernet, and into the remote one, and then you plug a DSxxx or whatever (LAVC node!) in to the remote Ethernet. This gives you MANY options, but such bridges range from just below $5k to over $15k per end. AND any heavy LAT traffic may suffer if your link speed is below 56kb, but the whole thing will work. If someone is printing to a remote printer, or shoving a file across with his Ethernet connected PC, some users may complain about delayed echo to their terminals. A true statmux worries about dividing things up and getting snappy response for users, the bridge just wants to move the queue of potentially hugh packets that may already be waiting. This is the really the way with the most options, but there are many things to consider IF you don't have a lot of bandwidth to give it. Even 9.6 MIGHT be ok, but... There are other tricks that can help a lot if you are stuck down in the 9.6 area, but you have to give more details about what you are doing. Somewhere on this BBS there are similar answers to what I am now saying, as I KNOW I have said most of this here (and elsewhere) before. For bridges try: Vitalink, MicroCom, ACC, and others. The Vitalink is most $ and most features. The ACC is least $, but can handle 2 * 56kb lines for links which is better than most of Microcom's ones for $thousands more, but there are other differences... COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 221 0 replies Reply to # 217 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 18-Aug-88 At : (617)-868-1111 Subject: Get your DECUS tapes free If you can find a local Decus LUG (Local Users Group) and join it, your LUG librarian (YOU even if they need a volunteer), can get many DECUS tapes FREE to make copies for fellow lug members. This is ceratinly true for RSX and VMS tapes, (and Kermit for that operating system has been on them, sometimes) but I think you can also get THE-FULL- KERMIT-TAPES via this route. If your company can afford it, BUY them from the Decus library, as they need support, but of first importance is to GET all the tons of public domain stuff on DECUS tapes, so the copy it for you LUG route exists. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 250 1 replies Reply to # 243 Left by: BOB BLUNT On 19-Aug-88 At : (205)837-6000 Subject: SOFTWARE DIRECTORIES There's also a good directory from Hewlett Packard. It tries to be HP specific, but many of the vendors supply the same packages for a variety of computing engines (VAX, PDP-11, AT, XT, Clones...). The one that I got is called "Software and Hardware Solutions (for the) HP Plotter Family," and it covers a wide variety of software and hardware solutions. I got it from the local HP rep when I told him I was looking for plotters to perform a particular task. Bob Blunt APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 251 0 replies Reply to # 250 Left by: KENT CEARLEY On 19-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS... Thanks for the sources, they appear very helpful! -Kent VMS SIG Message # 674 0 replies Left by: THOMAS W TURNER On 19-Aug-88 At : (813) 371-2743 Subject: CONTROL C I have encountered problems using Control-C to interrupt program execution in a captured enviroment. A fatal error is returned by RMS when a previous RMS call had been interrupted. A subsequent call to DEC uncovered that RMS code is not reentrant. We recently converted out application to use screen management and are having similar problems, some times after a Control-C interrupt screen management does not update the screen properly. The obvious solution would seem to be, disable Control-C trapping during these calls, however by there nature, these calls are used in tight loops and take up a high percentage of time in the loop making it very difficult to interrupt if Control-C is disabled during the call. I would like to know if there is a better way to interupt execution without exiting the image. Please Help !!! Enviroment: MICROVAX II, VMS V4.2, VAX BASIC V2.4 CPU'S SIG Message # 43 0 replies Reply to # 42 Left by: RICHARD B. GILBERT On 19-Aug-88 At : (609) 452-5130 Subject: SIZE OF VAX I would be very cautious about buying the 11/7xx VAXen. The 780 requires three times the space, power and airconditioning of the 8200. The 750's are superb machines but they too, are obsolete and physically large. You can pick up these machines at bargain prices but you should be aware that it's not the initial expense but the upkeep that's the killer. Compare DEC's maintenance contract on a 780 to the contract on an 8200. Compare the power and air conditioning bills for the two machines. I think the uVAX 2000 would be a poor choice for supporting 20-30 simultaneous users. The disk controller on the 2000 is brain dead. You don't notice it with a very small number of users but 20-30 would stretch it to and past the breaking point. Your best choices would be either a uVAX II or an 8200/8250. Also note that your notion of the disk space required to support 100 users seems overly optimistic. That's something like 6.2MB per user without allowing for software. Now take 50MB or so for VMS, paging and swapping files, a layered product or two and you are down to maybe 5.7MB per user. You can start out with an RA82 but you had better plan on adding another one in a year or so. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 391 2 replies Reply to # 390 Left by: HUNTER S. THOMPSON On 20-Aug-88 At : 907/562-0290 Subject: THE KHADAFFI_KURTAIN &C. Everyone's always talking about hardware--the biggest, fastest, most rootin'tootin' pièce de machinery yet, and all that. But I say, WHO NEEDS THE MIPS? Software's much more important than hardware. Given a choice between a Cray running mediocre software and a PDP-2 running good software, I'd take the PDP any day. I mean, squatulence in, squatulence out, as they say. But if you read the tabloids, all they do is yammer about the wonders of faster CPUs, faster/bigger disks, and the like. I admit it's not as bad in the DEC world, where people are reasonably intelligent, as it is in the PC arena, which is populated by grade-A mo_rons, but I say it's still one of the big issues of our time. Whaddaya say, Dr. G (or Dr. R, if you're around)? VMS SIG Message # 675 0 replies Reply to # 659 Left by: KEN JONGSMA On 20-Aug-88 At : (505)479-2712 Subject: USING DCL TO LAUNCH Rest easy, tonight. As one who used to launch missiles for a living, I can catagorically state that we did not use DCL to write the software in. For that matter, we didn't use VAXen, but that's another story! (grin) UTILITIES SIG Message # 292 0 replies Reply to # 266 Left by: BOB CHRISTENSON On 22-Aug-88 At : (515) 754 - 3854 Subject: DISK DEFRAGERS WE HAVE NOW USED RABBIT-7 FOR 6 MONTHS AT OUR LOCATION AND AT ANOTHER FOR OVER A YEAR. TO DATE THERE HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND AND WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED SYSTEM CRASHES DURING DEFRAG. THE PERFORMANCE OF SQUEEZPAK BY ONE OF THE OTHER REPLIES TO THIS MESSAGE IS ABOUT WHAT WE FOUND WHEN COMPARED AGAINST RABBIT OR DISKEEPER. WE PURCHASED RABBIT BECAUSE OF PREVIOUSLY EXISTING CORPORATE AGREEMENT, BUT BOTH RABBIT AND SQUEEZPAK MORE THAN MET OUR REQUIREMENTS. IN THE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG THERE ARE SOME OTHER "REVIEWS" STARTING WITH MESSAGE #114. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH V5.0 RIGHT NOW AND RABBIT-7. THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE RESOLVED SHORTLY. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 167 0 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: BOB CHRISTENSON On 22-Aug-88 At : (515) 754-3854 Subject: DATA OVERRUN We had similar problem and setting /ALTYPEAHEAD on the modem port cleared the problem up. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 392 0 replies Reply to # 391 Left by: Phil Anthony On 22-Aug-88 At : Here Subject: MIPS, FLOPS, AND DEC Neither of the doctors appears to be in the house today ... but if I may take a stab at it: I once ported a BASIC-Plus-2 application from a PDP-11/70 running RSTS to a VAX-11/780 running what else, V3.2 or 3.3 - I forget which - and recompiled with VAX BASIC. The only changes involved modifying disk I/O statements to use RMS on the VAX, since we used block I/O and deblocked ourselves under RSTS. I benchmarked the two environments by beating the application against the same data on each system. The PDP won handily. It's almost unfair to bring it up in this context, because it was a fairly disk-intensive application. Still, the peripherals on the two systems were comparable, RM05s hanging off a MASSbus. What the operating systems do, of course, isn't at all comparable. Investigation (using MONITOR) suggested, however, that the biggest difference could be attributed to the relative in- efficiency of the system RMS code. The results probably would've changed somewhat if I'd fine-tuned the RMS system parameters to within an inch of their lives; I have no idea how much they would've changed. And don't ask me for details this many years later. Does that mean that MIPS are unimportant? Well, I suspect I'd've gotten very different results if the application had been a number cruncher using humongous arrays in FORTRAN. I know darned well it would've been different if it'd been a CAD/CAM application. A well-written application will always beat out a badly written one in the same environment; but it's awfully dif- ficult to compare applications under different operating systems, much less on different architectures. My personal feeling is that VMS, by trying to be all things to all people, is itself inefficiently written. This isn't such a knock on VMS as it may seem, since a dedicated, single-purpose operating system generally is quite a bit more efficient than a multipurpose one. I do think DEC overdoes the multigaitedness of VMS, resulting in unnecessary inefficiency. If you buy my viewpoint, you also have to buy into the notion that the more MIPS, or disk speed, you've got, the more use VAX/VMS will be to the users, because the inefficiencies of the VMS code require a smaller percentage of the sys- tem's resources. In my PC networking business, I'm seeing more and more configurations with Compaq 386s driven at 20 MHz and fast drives for dedicated (Novell) servers. The workstations, on the other hand, tend to be IBM PS/2 Model 50s and 60s, or reasonably fast (8 to 12 MHz) 80286 clones. In other words, put the MIPS and FLOPS and fast drives where they'll provide some good to the users. By themselves, MIPS mean nothing - mip me no mippages - but in a context and an application that needs CPU power, or disk throughput, I'm happy to be able to offer clients a solution that gives them what they need. And I still support RSTS systems on PDPs where that makes sense (cost/benefit) for the clients' applications. Frankly, I still like RM05s, too - removable disk packs provide a lot of flexibility, even if they're not quite so fast. VMS SIG Message # 676 1 replies Left by: HARRY MOSKOWITZ On 23-Aug-88 At : 818-888-4329 Subject: VMS V5.0 ON VAX 6210 WE WILL SHORTLY BE UPGRADING OUR EXISTING VAX 750 TO A VAX 6210. WE WILL BE RUNNING VMS V5.0 AND DIBOL V4.0. I AN INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS RUNNING THIS SOFTWARE UNDER THE ABOVE C I RECENTLY READ ABOUT SOME PROBLEMS WITH 5.0 AND THE 6200 SERIES WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RESOLVED IN 5.0-1, DUE OUT SHORTLY. THANK YOU. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 252 0 replies Left by: MARTY CHAMBERLAIN On 23-Aug-88 At : (215) 636-8398 Subject: ALL-IN-1 RESTORE FROM VMS BACKUP Hi, I'm new to ARIS and am quite excited by the opportunity to interact with other VAX/VMS devotees. I have the need for a utility of some kind that will allow EASY restoration of mmessages and documents stored in ALL-IN-1 file folders. Our system backups are done using VMS backup, which is fine for everyone but our ALL-IN-1 users (unfortunately, they constitute the bulk of our user base!) Anyway, I remember seeing a utility advertised in a magazine SOMEWHERE that let you do restores of ALL-IN-1 folders easily. I would appreciate any help on this matter. Thank you. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 253 0 replies Reply to # 241 Left by: DAVID B. MILLER On 23-Aug-88 At : DEC PROFESSIONAL Subject: SPREADSHEETS AOK.abc is very much like Lotus. You'll have to get used to finding Lotus commands on a VTxxx keyboard if you're used to a PC. Other differences are minor, such as, how printing is handled, etc. They are really differences between VAX/VMS and PC/MS-DOS, not differences between Lotus and abc. It's certainly worth a look-see. dave miller SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 168 0 replies Reply to # 160 Left by: BOB HOSTETLER On 23-Aug-88 At : (317) 646-7518 Subject: 750 PERFORMANCE I would keep the lightweight users on the system disk and put the big three on the other. The system disk contains the page and swap files, and the maintanence of those will create the majority of the I/O bottlenecking. If the big three are on that disk also, you won't gain anything by splitting up the files. I forgot who mentioned it after my initial reply, but I agree that a good tuning job will help a lot. If you don't feel that you have the expertise, the money spent on consultants in 90% of the cases is worth the bite to the wallet. Phenominal improvement will require CPU/disk/tape/terminal controller upgrades, but great improvement can be had with system tuning and maybe a disk and/or memory. Good Luck! Bob VMS SIG Message # 677 2 replies Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 24-Aug-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: VMS SECURITY PROBLEM I recently made the switch from DEC-20 land to VMS. During one of my first sessions of 'tinkering' to learn the operating system I decided to investigate the various file structures. I discovered I was able to generate files that appear to contain 'junk' which apparently is data that others deleted, and my new file was given that area of the disk. It seems possible that a person could write a program that would generate files and search this 'junk' for information such as passwords, financial information, or whatever. Has anyone heard of this or am I perhaps using a 'hacked' version of VMS which may not be like the others? I never heard of this on TOPS-20, but I saw it on the HARRIS 'VULCAN' operating system in 1977. Students searched the 'junk' and found grade files and teacher/student evaluations! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 222 0 replies Reply to # 218 Left by: BARRY KIEMER On 24-Aug-88 At : (216) 494-5504 EXT 236 Subject: REMOTE TERMINALS BOB, I'm not exactly sure what your looking for, but we have remote terminals at at a separate facility accessing our VAX785 over a leased line. We have a 9.6 digital line with a black box CSU/DSU (Customer Service Unit/Data Service Unit) at each end, app. $700 each. At the remote end we are using a Dec Mux II (app. $2,500) and a Mux Server 100 (app. $5,000) locally. Communications is handled over decnet by LATplus/VMS and we have 7 terminals and 1 printer at the remote site. Its not cheap, but it works great. Its a little tricky setting up the remote printer and the only real problem with have is the same one we have with local terminal servers. When we have a warm restart we loose the server sessions and any currently executing programs. But it is a seasonal, infrequent problem. Let me know if this is of any use to you or if you want a hand setting up such a remote link. Barry Kiemer Suarez Corporation Canton, Oh VMS SIG Message # 678 1 replies Reply to # 677 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 24-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: DATA SCAVENGING The problem you are referring to was fixed in VMS V4.0 as part of the overall security enhancements to VMS. However, it is optional and is not generally used. There are two methods to prevent scavenging: 1) Erase on delete, and 2) File Highwater marking (which hasn't really worked right anyhow). Erase on delete, when enabled via 'SET VOLUME/ERASE Dxcn', will cause the file to be overwritten with a pattern which will prevent the data from being read by the method you describe. This generally increases the overhead for deleting a file since the system has to write to every block and erase the data. A 2500 block file can take quite a bit of time. The second method, file highwater marking which is enabled via 'SET VOLUME/HIGHWATER Dxcn', will prevent users from reading blocks they have not actually written to. This has never really worked properly but has been fixed in VMS V5.0. Final note: I have found that between the two methods, erase on delete is probably the best choice since it physically removes the data rather than simply hiding it. One method to get around highwater marking is to create an indexed file and then use the DUMP command to examine the file. Various bits of remnant disk data will be imbedded in the file. Erase on delete will prevent this. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 393 2 replies Reply to # 391 Left by: DR. GONZO On 24-Aug-88 At : Subject: I have to admit that I am a software person and enjoy new software products. However, I do enjoy new machines to run those products on. People in general appear to get more excited by new iron (something back to the caveman days?) than by a new floppy disk or new magtape regardless of what it contains. That's not to say I don't get excited everytime a new package of software from DEC arrives. I was strung out for 3 days after VMS V5.0 arrived. I suspect it's the feeling that DEC has held back on processor performance and state-of-the-art peripherals for so long that any rumor of a new device is bound to get us technocrats excited. Of course when DEC releases something like the RA90, which is state-of-the-art at 1.2GB in a 9-inch form, but then charges an absurd $125000 for four of them, people get aroused. Realistically, the price should be around $65K (the price of an SA482). I do not intend to encourage DEC by purchasing one although I would love to have one. I'll invest in software. Onto new business. V5.0-1 contains a file called DEVICES.TXT. In it, references are made to some new devices (reported earlier) along with their new identifiers: SVS00 disk DEA0: SVS00 tape MEA0: RF30 DIA0: RF71 DIA0: Finally, for those of you with the V5.0 doc set, take a look at page 1-9 of the 'VMS Device Support' manual. It is the beginning of several references to an unknown 'VAX 8670' processor! Considering the book was published in April 1988 and has been edited extensively, could it be that DEC is readying some sort of upgrade for the 8600 series? We all know they hate the UNIBUS but perhaps they have decided to extend the life of the series a bit longer. CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 97 0 replies Reply to # 11 Left by: FRANK SULIK On 24-Aug-88 At : 609-486-4800 Subject: EMC2 MEMORIES EMC2 IS A GREAT COMPANY WHEN IT COMES TO SERVICE ALSO. I HAVE FOUND THAT IF YOU ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH ONE OF THERE MEMORY PRODUCTS. THEY WILL SHIP YOU A NEW BOARD OR POWER SUPPLY FEDERAL EXPRESS P1 TO MINIMIZE DOWNTIME. YOU CAN CALL THEM FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UP TILL MIDNIGHT EST AND RECEIVE THE PART THE NEXT MORNING BY 10 AM. IF ONLY ALL MANUFACTURERS COULD DO THIS FOR THERE CUSTOMERS.... CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 98 0 replies Reply to # 12 Left by: FRANK SULIK On 24-Aug-88 At : 609-486-4800 Subject: COLLISION PROBLEMS CHANGE ALL HARDWARE IF YOU STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM , ITS SOFTWARE... IF YOU STILL CANT FIX PROBLEM, CALL TECH SUPPORT... SINCERELY, YOU KNOW WHO CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 99 0 replies Reply to # 27 Left by: FRANK SULI On 24-Aug-88 At : 609-486-4800 Subject: RD CONTROLLERS FOR UNIBUS EMULEX AND SYSTEMS INDUSTRIES MAKE SOME VERY RELIABLE DISK CONTROLLERS THAT WILL SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM VMS SIG Message # 679 2 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 24-Aug-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: VMS TIME STAMPS I am looking for a way to actually add a pre-determined number of days to a VMS date/time stamp. For example, I have a time stamp in absolute time format contained in a file. I want to add 60 days to this date/time, and end up with the same time + 60 days. The reason for requiring this functionality is as follows: Every time a user logs into the system, a file containing the time that they last changed their password, will be read. If the current date/time is greater than 60 days plus this users last password change date/time, they will be required to change the password. These users are in a captive environment, and do not have access to the DCL $. We are running on a VAX 11/750,8250 with VMS 4.7, and a MicroVAX with microVMS 4.5. Any input is greatly appreciated. Bob Zisek System manager Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. 90 East Ridge P.O. Box 368 Ridgefield,Ct. 06877 VMS SIG Message # 680 0 replies Reply to # 677 Left by: BARRY KIEMER On 24-Aug-88 At : (216) 494-5504 Subject: DATA SECURITY Cliff, You can also write over deleted file data, selectively, by using the DELETE/ERASE 'filename' command. VMS SIG Message # 681 0 replies Reply to # 679 Left by: BARRY KIEMER On 24-Aug-88 At : (216) 494-5504 Subject: PASSWORD EXPIRATION Bob, If you are refering to the User Authorization File, you can do the following. Run AUTHORIZE and view the pwdlifetime field. According to what you said, this should be set to 60 for the affected accounts. You can disable password change requirement by typing: UAF>MOD/PWDLIFETIME=0 'USERNAME' The field for for pwdlifetime will then show as 'NONE', rather than 60 and the password will not expire. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 85 0 replies Reply to # 84 Left by: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 24-Aug-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: We have been using Word Perfect on the VAX for about 2 months. So far, I have not heard any complaints about it, and most people feel that it is almost identical to the PC version (if this is a concern of yours). Overall, I would say it is a very reliable product. J.Kazimierczyk E.R. Squibb & s Princeton, N.J. VMS SIG Message # 682 1 replies Reply to # 679 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 24-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: TIMESTAMP To: Bob Zisek Since our conversation, I have written a procedure (about 110 lines of procedure) that appears to work just as I wrote about, and would work fine in the captive environment. (Right now, I have it so that if that time stamp date is more then 55 days ago, it will alert the user that the system manager requires password changes every 60 days and that the user is required, at this time, to choose a new password, which he is then asked for (thru SET PASSWORD). After successful password change, the timestamp file is updated with the day's date, and life goes on.... Pls call me asap sO I can get it out to you.. If anyone else is interested, give a holler... VMS SIG Message # 683 0 replies Reply to # 682 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 24-Aug-88 At : Subject: BARRY KEIMER Barry, I think you misinterpreted Bob's query. The user's accounts are all captive (and I assume run from a menu). While he can have a SET PASSWORD option in the menu, sometimes users (especially those who dont log in too often) will forget to change their password - VMS provides a message upon login (if the UAF flag is set to NODISREPORT for that user) stating that the user's password expires in x days, or that the password has expired. Many users either ignore this, or realize it when it is too late. The procedure I came up with will stop the user dead in his tracks and make sure he changes the password.. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 169 1 replies Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 24-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: PAGE,SWAP THEORY? Could anyone please explain to me the relationship between performance and the page and swap files, as well as how the page and swap files work. Your help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks... Bill APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 254 0 replies Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 24-Aug-88 At : (205) 583-3636 Subject: TDMS FLOATING POINT,MISC First on the list is: How does TDMS rank out there with you application programmers and what applications are you writing with it. Secondly: I had some floating point problems with TDMS and I don't quite understand the version 1.8 release notes when they speak of a workaround. Could someone please explain the workaround. Please give me a reason not to drop support on TDMS. There's got to be an easier way! VMS SIG Message # 685 0 replies Reply to # 678 Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 24-Aug-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: SCAVENGING Thanks Robert & Barry (680)! This is my first experience with a BBS, this is exciting! Sorry I don't yet know about the VAX to answer any questions. Now I have to try to find 13 ft. of shelf space for my soon to arrive VMS manual set. Wish me luck! Cliff APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 255 0 replies Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 24-Aug-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: FILE SERVERS Recently I read about SYBASE, a product said to be a low-cost alternative to Britton-Lee (and others) database machines. I studied SYBASE further and found it to be a "software server" that runs as a detached process to which other processes communicate to retrieve data, rather than retrieve data directly through VMS. This brought back memories of applications development on TOPS-20 whereby we used IPCF (InterProcess Communication Facility) and TRAFFIC-20. Direct file access quickly consumed all available file channels, among other things, so other approaches had to be used. As an alternative we designed 'file servers' such that the user's applications would send messages to the server - a separate process - through IPCF, and the server would get the record(s) and send them back to the user's process. There turned out to be numerous advantages to this approach, although the implementation was technically demanding. Has anyone had experience with such designs on VMS? I was wondering how often such designs are used, why I never seem to read anything about them, and if SYBASE is the only product to use this design to implement what I thought was a typical design for transaction processing systems. VMS SIG Message # 686 1 replies Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 24-Aug-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: INTERPROCESS COMMUNICATION If you are experienced with this please read msg#255! thanx. VMS SIG Message # 687 0 replies Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 24-Aug-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: INTERPROCESS COMMUNICATION If you are experienced with this please see SIG#41 MSG#255. Thanx! VMS SIG Message # 688 0 replies Reply to # 686 Left by: BOB S. On 24-Aug-88 At : Subject: IPCF Thats in SIG#41! FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 75 1 replies Left by: KURT BREITHER On 24-Aug-88 At : (203) 866-5050 EXT 3363 Subject: NON-DEC TERMINAL DRIVERS We (I) have recently purchased a device from Precision Time that can be used on a VAX to correctly monitor the time and reset the system clock if the time varys more than a few seconds. Everything works fine until we reboot the system. Once that happens, when we attempt to query the device we get "device timeout". The only way to reset it, is to turn off the receiver and then turn it back on again. This proves to be a real pain. We are running a 750 using EMELUX CS21 terminal controllers. Is there any reason why this is happening and how can I get around it. The people at Precison are stumped and can't think of why the device is getting lost. I've tried jumping pins 6,8 and 20, but still no luck. Any advice??? VMS SIG Message # 689 0 replies Reply to # 677 Left by: C. MATCOVICH On 25-Aug-88 At : 516-6617360 Subject: UNDELETED STUFF Well, I'm just an inquiring VAX user, but I used to do similar tricks with my MAIL.MAI file. I noticed that if you do a DUMP of the file, it contains stuff that was deleted from other files formerly on the disk. By using the mail COMPRESS command, you can generate a new MAIL.MAI file, with new undeleted stuff in it. However, if you use the /ERASE qualifier when you delete a file, VMS writes zeroes over the data, physically getting rid of it, instead of just designating it as free space on the disk. Just say $ DEL/ERASE FOO.BAR and FOO.BAR's gone for good. Very good thing to know. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 394 1 replies Reply to # 393 Left by: JAMES T. KIRK On 25-Aug-88 At : 808/624-0306 Subject: DECisions &c. Must say, Dr. G., you do have a way of unearthing the slimy underbelly of Dig-it-all Equipment corp. unlike any other industry pundit! Do you give out coffee mugs? WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 86 0 replies Reply to # 84 Left by: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 25-Aug-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: We have been using Word Perfect on our VAX 8700 for about 2 months. There have been very few problems, and most people feel that the product is almost completely compatable with the PC version (if this is a concern of yours). Overall, I would say the product is very reliable. Joe Kazimierczyk E.R Squibb & Sons Princeton, NJ 08540 WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 87 0 replies Reply to # 84 Left by: JOE KAZIMIERCZYK On 25-Aug-88 At : 609-921-5448 Subject: RE: WP We have been using Word Perfect on a VAX 8700 for about 2 months. There have been no problems with the software, and our user's acceptance of the product has been very good. Most feel that it is almost 100% compatable with the PC version (if this is a concern of yours). VMS SIG Message # 690 0 replies Reply to # 674 Left by: PHILIP GRAVEL On 25-Aug-88 At : (312)420-5474 Subject: CONTROL C Tom, I can't help you with the RMS problem, but I think I can with the Screen Management facility. SMG provides a routine to handle what are called out- of-band ASTs (SMG$SET_OUT_OF_BAND_ASTS). This routine is supposed to handle CTRL/Y, CTRL/C, CTRL/O, etc. This appears to be what you need to trap the interrupt from SMG. See Section 3.8 of VAX/VMS RTL Reference Manua (p. 3-22 of Volume 8-B -- System Routines). I haven't used it yet, but I am developing a large application using SMG and expect to implement it down the road. I'd be interested if you use and and how it went. Phil Gravel Sr. Res. Chemist Amoco Chemical Co. Naperville, IL VMS SIG Message # 691 1 replies Reply to # 664 Left by: ROD FALANGA On 25-Aug-88 At : 505-822-7393 Subject: thanks for the info! Robert, Thank you very much for the information!! I think that I or our System's Manager might give you a call and find out more about callable MAIL. (I wonder why DEC would not want to document it??) Rod Falanga CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 286 1 replies Left by: BARRY KIEMER On 25-Aug-88 At : (216) 494-5504 Subject: SMP VS. CLUSTERING We are currently running on a VAX785 and are considering upgrading by first adding a 6210 and HSC50 in a CI cluster and then retiring the 785 and upgrading the 6210 to a 6220. Currently we are heavily cpu bound and we feel that while the 6200 series will give us a growth path with state of the art equipment, that a 6210 alone won't buy us much time. Also the 785 is paid for. Does anyone have any comments about or see any flaws in this plan. Also has anyone had any experience with SMP or have any tips on avoiding pitfalls when initially setting up a cluster. From battle experience, I have learned to finely tune a single CPU system, but have no cluster experience. Any comments would be greatly appreciated! Barry Kiemer System & Programming Mgr Suarez Corporation Canton, Oh VMS SIG Message # 692 0 replies Reply to # 691 Left by: Robert G. Schaffrath On 25-Aug-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: Callable MAIL Documentation I come up with three guesses as to why Digital might not document callable MAIL: a) Since it is new, they may not have certified it as user friendly/safe yet. Also, there may be a few extensions they are still planning to add and don't want to commit themselves to supporting it yet. b) They may be waiting to come out with a seperate manual on the subject for which they can charge a small fortune (ala VMSINSTAL, TECO, Guide to Parallel Programming). c) To keep third party developers from coming up with office automation packages that integrate to VMSMAIL and therefor compete with All-In-1, DECmail, etc. I prefer to think it is choice 'a' and that documentation will appear in a future set of release notes. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY VMS SIG Message # 693 1 replies Left by: BRIAN R. CHEESMAN On 25-Aug-88 At : (416)756-3866 Subject: VIRTUAL TERMINALS (SET TER/DISC) I have a problem with the terminal name generated when a user logs in to a line which is set up with SET TERMINAL /DISCONNECT. When the number gets up to 1000 or more (ie. VTA1000:), Kermit can't hack it any more. Does anyone know of a method to reset the VTA sequence number without rebooting the system? (The same occurs with DECserver ports (LTAxxx)). Brian R. Cheesman MacLaren Plansearch Inc. 2235 Sheppard Ave. E. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2J 5A6 VMS SIG Message # 694 1 replies Left by: BRIAN R. CHEESMAN On 25-Aug-88 At : (416)756-3866 Subject: SYS$IDTOASC DOESN'T WORK I have run into a problem with the system service $IDTOASC. I get correct results when using $ASCTOID, but $IDTOASC consistently returns a SS$_NOSUCHID return code whenever I try to specify any ID, whether valid or not, even one which has just been generated by $ASCTOID. I'm doing this in FORTRAN on a uVAX II running uVMS 4.7, and the pertinent code is as follows: INTEGER*4 IRET, SYS$IDTOASC, ID, NAMLEN, RESID, ATTRIB CHARACTER*30 NAMBUF . . . IRET = SYS$IDTOASC (ID, NAMLEN, NAMBUF, RESID, ATTRIB, ) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Brian R. Cheesman MacLaren Plansearch Inc. 2235 Sheppard Ave. E. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2J 5A6 APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 256 0 replies Left by: JIM MCRAE On 26-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: GRAMMAR SOFTWARE I am looking for grammar checking software for an Adult Literacy Program. I know of a student who is deaf and mute and would like to improve his writing ability. Funds are very limited (public domain would be wonderful). It would run on a PC clone, an Apple or VMS. I would appreciate any leads. Jim WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 88 0 replies Left by: JIM MCRAE On 26-Aug-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: GRAMMAR SOFTWARE I am looking for low-priced (public domain) grammar checking software for an Adult Literacy program. Donated software would also be welcome (it is tax-deductable). We have a deaf-mute student who would like to improve his writing ability. Possible computers are PC clone, Apple 2c or VMS. Any leads would be appreciated. Jim SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 233 2 replies Left by: JAMES E HRITZO On 26-Aug-88 At : (215) 354-3835 Subject: LIMITING PAGES ON QUEUES A situation occured at work here yesterday that prompts me to seek help. A user submitted a job of about 1800 blocks to a print queue which had a LN03 Plus as the print engine. As it turns out this 1800 block file was not a graphics file as I had suspected. It was a Fortran source code listing that was "accidently" submitted and the user didn't know how to kill the job. The job was on the 299th page when I instructed the user how to stop "accidental" job submittals. My question: Is there any way of limiting the number of pages that a print queue prints and is not readily overridden or defeated by a user? Thanks VMS SIG Message # 695 0 replies Reply to # 638 Left by: PHILIP GRAVEL On 28-Aug-88 At : (312)420-5474 Subject: VMS VERSION 5.0 DEC has acknowledged that the current version of the 2780/3780 Emulator (1.6) does not run under VMS 5.0. Version 1.7 of 2780/3780 will run under 5.0 but no release date has been given for it. Looks like those of us running the 2780/3780 Emulator will be at VMS version 4 for awhile. Hope this helps. Phil Gravel Sr. Res. Chemist Amoco Chemical Co. Naperville, IL VMS SIG Message # 696 0 replies Reply to # 605 Left by: PHILIP GRAVEL On 28-Aug-88 At : (312)420-5474 Subject: SET HOST/DTE If you have the funds, you may wish to license VAXPAC (VAX Public Access Communications) from Digital. I'm using it now. VAXPAC is menu driven and allows frequently dialed numbers to be defined by the system manager and users to define their own. It provides session logging (which can be enabled and disabled as desired), uncorrected and corrected file transfer (incl KERMIT), and down line loading files. Digital has another product in development called MODEM-2. It appears to be somewhat more powerful than VAXPAC, but lacks the menu-driven user interface. Phil Gravel Sr. Res. Chemist Amoco Chemical Naperville, IL SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 234 0 replies Reply to # 233 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 29-Aug-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: There are two methods you can use to control what gets printed on your printer and terminal ques. The first, you can include in your site-specific startup procedure that initializes your printer/terminal ques. In the INITIALIZE command, you should include the following qualifier: INITIALIZE/QUE /BLOCK_LIMIT=([lowlim],uplim]) LPA0 If you want no jobs over 1000 blocks to be printed on a laser printer, that qualifier can look like this: /BLOCK_LIMIT=1000 Any job that is submitted to that que and is OVER the specified block limit, will remain in a pending state until the job is deleted, queued to another printer, or deleted. If you do not wish to have a "set" limit, you can use that qualifier in the SET QUE command. SET QUE/BLOCK_LIMIT=1000 LPA0 will set the que to print any job under the block limit, and hold in a pending state any job greater than 1000. The good part about using this command, is that you can change the limit according to your needs. The last method, and sometimes a very important method, is to make sure that each user who has printing capabilities, knows what to print, and where to print, and how to stop it when it is printing. VMS SIG Message # 697 1 replies Reply to # 694 Left by: BRIAN T. CARCICH On 29-Aug-88 At : (607) 255-5908 Subject: $IDTOASC SYSTEM SERVICE the id argument in $idtoasc is passed by value, not by reference. (see sjuly 1985 ystem services manual: $idtoasc (pg. sys-290), argument: id, heading: mechanism) this is mildly confusing, because id is passed by reference in $asctoid (but it has to because $asctoid is writing the id while $idtoasc reads it). the upshot is, to make it work, use sys$idtoasc( %val( id), ... which will pass the value of the id instead of its address. i hesitate to give a long explanation because you may already understand this and just overlooked it and because i get excited when i talk about subroutine arguments and addressing because it's what makes the VAX what it is and... see? i'm doing it now. anyway, i refer you to the july 1985 system services manual, sections 2.7 (esp. figure 2-1) and 2.8 Brian T. Carcich Cornell University 422 Space Sciences Building Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255-5908 VMS SIG Message # 698 0 replies Reply to # 697 Left by: BRIAN R. CHEESMAN On 29-Aug-88 At : (416)756-3866 Subject: %VAL's what's needed for $IDTOASC Thanks for the tip re using %VAL(ID). It's been so long since I needed to use %VAL for anything but event flags that I didn't even think to check the passing mechanism. %VAL(ID) does the trick. Thanks again. Brian R. Cheesman MacLaren Plansearch Inc. 2235 Sheppard Ave. E. Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2J 5A6 (416)756-3866 SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 170 0 replies Reply to # 102 Left by: JIM GOYETTE On 29-Aug-88 At : 414-765-3255 Subject: SWAPFILES My suggestion is to get VMS version 5. With this release the swap file size decreaseses substantially, due to VMS only allocating swap space on demand instead of at process creation. On our 6210 with an average of 45 ALLIN1 users the swapfile size is 1500 blocks. UTILITIES SIG Message # 293 0 replies Reply to # 266 Left by: JAN SLATER On 29-Aug-88 At : (814)226-1948 Subject: RABBIT7 I HAVE BEEN USING RABBIT 7 FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR. I AM CURRENTLY USING VERSION 3.00C. I EVALUATED SQUEEZEPAK AND RABBIT 7. I REJECTED DISKEEPER BECAUSE THEY EXPECT YOU TO PAY FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF EVALUATING THEIR PRODUCT. I REJECTED SQUEEZEPAK BECAUSE ITS PERFORMANCE, BOTH ONLINE AND OFF LINE WAS POOR. WE RUN RABBIT ONCE A WEEK AS A BATCH JOB ON ALL 10 OF OUR RA SERIES DRIVES WE HAVE FILE EXPIRATION DATES SET ON ALL THE VOLUMES RABBIT USES THE FILE EXPIRATION DATES TO DETERMINE WHERE TO PLACE THE FILE AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS THE STATIC FILES HAVE MIAGRATED TO THE INNER CYLINDERS LESS STATIC FILES BESIDE THE STATIC AND NEAR THE FIRST CYLINDERS VOLATILE FILES ARE ON EITHER SIDE OF AN AREA OF FREE SPACE THAT IS IN THE CENTER OF THE DISK. RE INTERRUPTED RABBIT RUNS. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A FILE MAY BE IN AN UNUSUAL STATE IF RABBIT DOES NOT RUN TO COMPLETION TO CORRECT THE SITUATION SIMPLY ENTER RABBIT AGAIN AND IT WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM. YOU MIGHT ALSO CONSIDER ADDING THAT STEP TO YOUR NORMAL MORNING BACKUP. RE PROBLEMS RABBIT WORKS BEST WHEN THE DISK IS NOT IN USE. (LESS FILE LOCKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT) IT DOES NOT WORK WELL ON THE SYSTEM DISK, (IM RUNNING VMS 4.7) DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF INSTALLED IMAGES. (THEY DON'T GET MOVED) I USE BACKUP/RESTORE ON MY SYSTEM DISK. RE COST I JUST CHANGED CPUS FROM 785 TO 8810 I THINK THE NEW LISENSE UPGRADE COST ABOUT $2000 BUT DON'T QUOTE ME ON IT. IF YOU WANT TO SEE SOME OF MY DISK REPORTS GIVE ME A CALL. JAN VMS SIG Message # 699 1 replies Left by: RICHARD MCFATE On 29-Aug-88 At : (203) 728-6777 Subject: MICROVMS AND VMS 5.0 As I understand it, MicroVMS was to have been merged with VMS as of V5.0. However, I also heard that at the official announcement in April, DEC had backed off and was going to maintain MicroVMS at least through V5.0. Now, both DEC Sales and Colorado Support tell me that there is no difference-- even the manual sets are the same. Was anybody out there at DECUS when the announcement was made? What did they really say? Have they, in fact, completed the merger with V5.0? Are there no longer two manual sets? Thanks, in advance, for any info you may have. RT SIG Message # 14 1 replies Left by: JEFF ARONOWITZ On 29-Aug-88 At : (914) 356-8795 Subject: BLASTING PROM'S UNDER RT I have been programming 2716 PROMS's for embedded PDP-11 applications for several years using a DATA-I/O Model 17, modified by DEC of course. My PROM blaster has died, and I can not find ANY support for the hardware nor for the utility program DEC distributed with the programmer. If anyone is programming PROM's with PDP-11 code, please let either leave a response or get in touch with me. I need to know what other facilities, hardware, and software are available. Thanks Alot!!! COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 223 0 replies Left by: BOB DAVENPORT On 29-Aug-88 At : (408) 942-6788 Subject: REMOTE BUILDING CONNECTIONS I AM CURRENTLY EXPLORING DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES FOR CONNECTING 50 TO 100 TERMINALS IN A NEW BUILDING THAT IS ACROSS THE STREET (NO CONDUIT UNDER THE ROAD UNFORTUNATELY). I HAVE BEEN EXPLORING ETHERNET BRIDGES SUCH AS THE ACS 4030 BRIDGE MADE BY ACC. THE QUESTION IS... HOW DO I LINK THE BUILDINGS? IMMEDIATE BANDWIDTH REQUIREMENT WOULD BE ABOUT 56K AND COULD EASILY DOUBLE AS WE GROW. 56K DDS PHONE LINES AROUND HERE (SAN JOSE, CA) COST APPROX $1200 PER MONTH PLUS A HEFTY INSTALATION COST. I AM INTERESTED IN OTHER LINKS INCLUDING LASER, INFRARED, AND MICROWAVE. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND VENDOR NAMES FOR LASER IN PARTICULAR. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS, OR EXPERIENCES WITH THIS. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 395 0 replies Left by: JEFF ARONOWITZ On 29-Aug-88 At : (914) 356-8795 Subject: PROGRAMMING PROM'S HELP!!! I used to program PROM's with the DEC version of a DATA-I/O PROM programmer and a DEC utility program called "PROM." My PROM programmer has just died. Is there anyone programming PDP-11 PROM's out there??? What hardware and software are you using to format and load the executable code into the PROM's ??? Any help would be most appreciated!!! Thanks... CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 100 0 replies Left by: BRUNO P. JUGOVIC' On 29-Aug-88 At : 617-426-6800 EXT 247 Subject: TU-92185 CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 287 1 replies Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 31-Aug-88 At : HUNTINGTON LABS (415) 964-3323 Subject: 750 CLUSTER HOW? TO DO CHEAP???? Given the state of Software/Hardware price inequalities we are considering buying another VAX 750 and "clustering" it with our current model. (cost of application & unlimited MicroVAX VMS licenses being a negative to a 750 to uVAX "upgrade" option) can 750's be LAVC'ed or what??? anyone who can provide info as to what hardware & software we would need (and what to stay away from) please contact or leave a reply. As usual DEC doesn't seem to be interested in us little guys --- haven't returned our phone calls. Thanks MICROVAX SIG Message # 146 2 replies Left by: KEVIN RANCE On 31-Aug-88 At : LONDON (011-441-374 4565 EXT.248) Subject: COBOL CALLING Help!!!! I am currently under extreme pressure (aren't we all?) and desperatelty need a solution to a calling problem I am having between a module written in basic and a main program written in Cobol. The basic program requires the passing of an array and is defined as follows:- FUNCTION BAS_FUNC(DOUBLE PASSED_NUMBER(),DOUBLE RETURNED NUMBER()) I need to know how to define the arrays in Cobol such that they can be passed to the Basic program and referenced as PASSED_NUMBER(0) etc. Anyone got a solution - I'll buy you a pint next time your in London. Regards K. Rance VMS SIG Message # 700 1 replies Reply to # 693 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 31-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: KERMIT ON VTAXXXX The most current version of Kermit works fine with large VTA terminal numbers. Alternatively, you could modify the SYSGEN CONNECT command in SYSTARTUP.COM to use VTxxxx instead of VTAxxxx for your virtual terminals. $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSGEN CONNECT VT0 /NOADAPTER /DRIVER=TTDRIVER EXIT $ ... This gives you one more digit for terminal numbers before the old Kermit blows. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 235 0 replies Reply to # 233 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 31-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: PRINT/PAGE_LIMIT There is no way to restrict a print queue to jobs with a certain number of pages. The reason is that the print system does not know how many pages a print job contains until is has FINISHED printing. As print engines become more intelligent, it becomes more and more difficult for a computer to know how many pages a print job contains. It is hard enough to get accurate accounting of pages printed after the fact. Before the fact, it is just plain impossible. VMS SIG Message # 701 1 replies Reply to # 699 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 31-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: V5.0 DOC SET The VMS v5.0 documentation set is still available in a full and restricted format. VMS customers with software maintenance contracts who had received full sets in the past will receive the full v5.0 kit. Customers who had received the Micro-VMS kit will receive a subset of the v5.0 doc set. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 397 0 replies Reply to # 394 Left by: DR. GONZO On 31-Aug-88 At : Subject: COFFEE MUGS Negative captain. As I understand it, you are supposed to provide the rumors (facts I should say) and get a coffee mug. I receive information from my own little mill (not necessarily that famous old mill up Maynard way...). The last thing these people would want is a coffee mug advertising the fact that they talk. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 288 2 replies Left by: Steven L. Bareman On 31-Aug-88 At : (616) 394-7670 Subject: ASYNC DNET ON DECSERVER PORT. Anyone using a Decserver port for an asynchronous ddcmp decnet line? As of VMS 5.0 the SLU's on the 8350 will no longer work for this purpose, (Colorado says it was a fluke that it worked at all in V4.5 - V4.7), and all I have left are terminal server ports. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Steve VMS SIG Message # 702 0 replies Reply to # 701 Left by: RICH MCFATE On 31-Aug-88 At : (203) 728-6777 Subject: V5.0 Thanks, John. That's pretty much what Colorado said, but my experience is that I get better info here than there. RSTS SIG Message # 305 1 replies Left by: RICH MCFATE On 31-Aug-88 At : (203) 728-6777 Subject: RSTS/E V9.6 Anybody out there know when 9.6 is supposed to be shipped? MICROVAX SIG Message # 147 2 replies Left by: KEVIN M. HANEY On 31-Aug-88 At : 215-977-3950 Subject: PSEUDO DISK FOR MICROVAX I was looking through an old VAX Professional, and noticed an article on using a PSEUDO DISK for the Microvax... I'm wondering how many of you out there may have used, or are using the PDDRIVER, and if you have had any luck with it. I can think of a few applications that we would be applicable to use it with, but I'd like to know if it works reasonable well before doing so. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 289 1 replies Reply to # 287 Left by: DEREK DONGRAY On 31-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: LAVCS AND 7X0'S We had the requirement to access a 730's tape drive from an LAVc (to save all that copying of files across DECnet). Configured as a boot node the aged machine was (and is) quite happy to run in the cluster - it even serves it's disk and TU58s to the rest of the cluster! I don't think it would be practical to use it as a REAL boot node however due to speed (lack of!) which presumably is why DEC say it can't be done. A pair of 750's however should present no problem, but they would probably both have to be boot nodes since the necessary boot code to boot via a DEUNA (DELUA?) probably doesn't exist. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 290 1 replies Left by: DEREK DONGRAY On 31-Aug-88 At : HERE Subject: LAVC TAPES Is there any way of serving TMSCP devices (specifically TK50s) to other nodes in a LAVc? I can't think of any logical reason why it can't be done; it would just need an appropriate server process; but I haven't found any reference to any way of doing it! We're running 4.6, is it in 5.0? LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 33 0 replies Reply to # 26 Left by: JANICE KALL On 31-Aug-88 At : (619) 587-0787 Subject: PRINTING POSTSCRIPT FROM HP LaserJet Custom Applications Inc. (Billerica, MA) just released a software package that will allow you t PostScript files on a HP LaserJet. It was announced in all the desktop publishing magazines. It cost between $500-600. Hope this helps. MICROVAX SIG Message # 148 0 replies Reply to # 146 Left by: JOHN BRIGGS On 31-Aug-88 At : (301)231-3061 Subject: COBOL ARRAYS BY DESCRIPTOR I haven't used either COBOL or BASIC in some time and there may well be an elegant solution to this problem. What I came up with is not elegant, but it works -- call a MACRO routine to translate parameters passed by reference from COBOL to parameters passed by descriptor to BASIC. The COBOL program calls the MACRO routine at entry "TRANSLATOR" passing the two arrays by reference. The MACRO routine calls the BASIC subroutine at entry BASIC_ROUTINE passing the two arrays by descriptor. In the example, the arrays descriptors are set up for 8 element arrays indexed from 0 to 7. The MACRO code follows: $DSCDEF DESCRIPTOR1: .word 8 ; Size of array elements (8 byte D_FLOAT) .byte dsc$k_dtype_d ; D-floating elements .byte dsc$k_class_a ; Array descriptor .blkl 1 ; Pointer to array .byte 0 ; Scaling factor (not used) .byte 0 ; Number of digits (not used) .byte ^XE0 ; Flags (Multiplier & bounds specified) .byte 1 ; Dimension count (one dimensional array) .long 64 ; Total bytes in array .blkl 1 ; Address of element (0) .long 1 ; Strides .long 0 ; Lowest subscript value .long 7 ; Highest subscript value DESCRIPTOR2: .word 8 ; Size of array elements (8 byte D_FLOAT) .byte dsc$k_dtype_d ; D-floating elements .byte dsc$k_class_a ; Array descriptor .blkl 1 ; Pointer to array .byte 0 ; Scaling factor (not used) .byte 0 ; Number of digits (not used) .byte ^XE0 ; Flags (Multiplier & bounds specified) .byte 1 ; Dimension count (one dimensional array) .long 64 ; Total bytes in array .blkl 1 ; Address of element (0) .long 1 ; Strides .long 0 ; Lowest subscript value .long 7 ; Highest subscript value .entry translator,^m<> movl 4(AP),DESCRIPTOR1+DSC$A_POINTER movl 4(AP),DESCRIPTOR1+DSC$A_A0 movl 8(AP),DESCRIPTOR2+DSC$A_POINTER movl 8(AP),DESCRIPTOR2+DSC$A_A0 pushal DESCRIPTOR2 pushal DESCRIPTOR1 calls #1,G^BASIC_ROUTINE ret CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 291 0 replies Reply to # 288 This was documented as something that won't work, and that would probably crash your system (I forget where). I tried it anyway. It made the connection between systems, and worked for a few minutes, but, when I put a load on it, one of the system indeed did present me with a new crash dump to analyze. This was on VMS 4.5 - maybe it's changed now. Lee K. Gleason Control-G Consultants 2416 Branard #D Houston TX 77098 PC'S SIG Message # 181 0 replies Reply to # 166 Left by: JOHN GANOFSKY On 01-Sep-88 At : (602) 863-8017 Subject: DECNET-DOS We have been using DECnet-DOS for just over a year for both file transfers and terminal emulation. So far we have had no major difficulties with the sethost functions except for a few minor errors in the LK250 keyboard file. Currently we have a problem with the F12/BS key not working properly. We have recently started to use the NDU function for remote disks. Version 2.0 does seem to be considerably better than previous versions. Hopefully, within the next few weeks we will be moving into PCSA Client Services. MICROVAX SIG Message # 149 0 replies Reply to # 147 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 01-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: THE PSEUDO DISK The pseudo disk as implemented by PDDRIVER and STABACKIT.COM had been the subject of debate for sometime and was even more heated when it appeared that DEC might not provide it with VMS V5.0 (Anybody out there notice how it isn't called VAX/VMS anymore? Just VMS.). However, it is there and the debate will probably continue. The best analysis I had seen was in an article in either VAX Professional or DEC Professional. Some benchmarks had been run and it turned out that I write to PDA0: consumed more time than an RA81. The read's were not to impressive either. However, there is a product called Turbodisk which implements a device similar to PDA0:. It will, I have been told (salesmen), show a significant improvement over a physical drive. However, if you don't want to purchase it, an equivalent piece of software is available in the ANLJOHNO directory of the VAX87C symposium tape. It is implemented as MDDRIVER with an MDA0: device. I have tested this device and it works very well. However, it will blow up on V5.0. If you are interested in this piece of software, source and everything, drop me a line (and a tape) and I'll send it to you. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 292 0 replies Reply to # 288 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 01-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: ASYNCHRONOUS DECNET OF DECSERVER I have seen DECnet run on a DECserver port. However, it was not heavily loaded as it was connected briefly to a PC running DECnet-DOS. It should work provided the line parameters are set up properly and AUTOBAUD is turned off. If you are only going to run the line occasionally, you can use OPA0!. This is risky if you should happen to need the console for something. But the procedure is: $ MCR SYSGEN CONNECT NOA0/NOADAPTER $ SET TERMINAL/PROTOCOL=DDCMP OPA0: $ MCR NCP SET LINE OP-0-0 STATE ON RECEIVE BUFFERS 4 $ MCR NCP SET CIRCUIT OP-0-0 STATE ON That will bring it up. As I said though, it is risky. Also, I tried this on a VAX730 and a MicroVAX II under V4.7. I have not tried it on our VAX 8350 or on a V5.0 system. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 293 0 replies Reply to # 290 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 01-Sep-88 At : 913-335-9792 Subject: SERVING A TK50 Sorry. As of this time there is no way to serve a TK50, TU81, or any TMSCP drive except through an HSC50/70 (scratch the TK50 on the HSC). It is a bit annoying to do a SHOW DEVICE/FULL on the TK50 and see the node name prefix on it as well as the message 'available to cluster'. My opinion is that TMSCP will be added to the MSCP server at some point to allow tape drives to be served. I personally can't see any technical reason why it cannot be implemented now. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 294 0 replies Reply to # 289 Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 01-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS thank you for the information ... I guess what this says is that the idea is practical Now all I need to know is how & what .... I presume you are/have done this on a fairly current version of VMS any other suggestions/solutions are welcomed CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 101 2 replies Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 02-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: DZ-11 ON VMS HOW??? have a 750 running VMS 4.2 with 2 Emulux CS-21s and need a few more ports have an old DEC DZ-11 and a CIT DZ-11 and installed it VMS sees the ports TTA0:-TTA7: & TTB0:-TTB7: (show device & show terminal) but I don't seem to be able to talk to a known good terminal over a known good line (used on hooked to the CS-21) What dumb thing am I not doing (baud set?? etc) Thanks for the help SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 171 1 replies Reply to # 156 Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 02-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: MORE RQST ON 750 UPGRADE If I may tag along here .... we're also looking to upgrade (or beef up) a 750 (see sig 11 msg 287) considering LAVC (or something) for multiple 750s 1) the hardware with unlimited VMS is dirt cheap 2) our current 750 is cheap to self maintain (even non-maintain) 3) and we would have hardware redundency software (applications) is getting expensive for MVII and cheaper for 750s (checkout an unlimited VMS license for MVII) We have 750 with 8Mb, SC-750 with 4 Fujitsu 2294's (RM05 emulation), 2 CS-21s, TC-12 with Kennedy 9100, TTI 8mm Exabyte tape, about 17 logins running USERBASE DBMS applications (about 3-4 active users at a time) any suggestions?? Thanks SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 172 0 replies Reply to # 76 Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 02-Sep-88 At : HERE (OR MSG 171) Subject: 750 UPGRADE CONT MSG 151 more discussion (and questions) on 750 upgrades follow on msg 151 I have questions at msg 171 this sig (#13) thanks SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 173 0 replies Reply to # 151 Left by: Z.G. WIEDEMANN On 02-Sep-88 At : Subject: 750 UPGRADES (SEE MSG 76) see msg 76 this SIG (#13) for more discussion of 750 upgrades MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 205 0 replies Left by: GIL STAMPER On 02-Sep-88 At : (301) 737-0609 Subject: RA81 FAILURE WE RECENTLY INSTALLED A SYSTEM WITH TWO RA81'S IN IT. THE DISK DRIVE FAILIED AFTER ONLY THREE HOURS OF OPERATION. THE DEC FE THAT WAS CALLED IN, CHANGED ALL BOARDS, THE HDA, AND THE POWER SUPPLY WITHOUT SUCCESS. HE FINALLY CONTACTED HIS SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO TOLD HIM THAT SOME OF THE NEWEST RA81'S HAD A PROBLEM WITH CRUSHED INTERNAL CABLES. SEEMS THAT SOME OF THE CABLES WERE DAMAGED WHEN THE HDA'S WERE INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY. THE FE REPLACED THE ENTIRE DRIVE (THANKFULLY STILL UNDER WARRANTY) AND THE SYSTEM WAS UP. IF YOU ARE FIGHITING A RA81 PROBLEM, THIS MIGHT HELP. THE DRIVE IN QUESTION WAS ORGINALLY PURCHASED ABOUT TWELVE MONTHS AGO, SO THE TERM "NEW" DOESN'T MEAN RIGHT NOW. GIL STAMPER GE GOVERNMENT SERVICES CALIFORNIA MD 20619 VMS SIG Message # 703 0 replies Reply to # 627 Left by: VICTOR LINDSEY On 02-Sep-88 At : (714)660-8855 Subject: BASIC CREATION DATE (CONTINUED) I am the author of VAX-187 RSTSOPEN, and I believe that this product from VAX SIG Library could go along ways towards what you are looking for. It uses BASIC's USEROPEN clause and my MACRO-32 routine RSTSOPEN to do to/from a file virtually anything that RMS could do for you, including returning a host of information about the file just OPENed. Through use of its /RO (read-only) and /FOP=UFO (user file open) qualifiers which you append to a file's name in the OPEN, RSTSOPEN can return virtually anything the DCL's DIRECTORY command could have returned to you and possibly more. Unfortu- nately, if DIRECTORY can't get it for you, neither can RSTSOPEN. It runs on any VMS from V4.0 up to and including V4.7A and I expect it to run on V5.0 as well. I've enhanced my version of it somewhat since then to return even more info--give me a call if you think this might interest you. VMS SIG Message # 704 0 replies Left by: VICTOR LINDSEY On 02-Sep-88 At : (714)660-8855 Subject: INFINITE LOOP ON REPLY When I replied to message 627, I entered an infinite CPU loop that was eventually terminated with a %SYSTEM-F-CPULIMITEXCEEDED (or some such VMS message) with suggested to me that I've used too many CPU seconds during this session. I was only logged on for a few minutes and this was the only significant thing I had done on ARIS so far. My message currently lives in #703. Is there a problem? RSTS SIG Message # 306 0 replies Left by: FRED BIERMANN On 03-Sep-88 At : 919/675-5286 Subject: RSTS FOR HARDWARE MAINT. IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT WOULD BE WILLING AND ABLE TO ATTEMPT TEACHING A FEW OLD HARDWARE FIXERS HOW TO MANIPULATE RSTS? SEEMS THAT WE HAVE SEVERAL MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS ON RSTS SYSTEMS NOW, AND MOST OF US ARE ONLY FAMILIAR WITH RSX, RT, AND VMS. IF ANY- ONE IS INTERESTED, CONTACT ME WITH PRICING AND AVAILABILITY, AND I'LL TRY TO GET SOMETHING TOGETHER. THANKS! FRED BIERMANN WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 90 0 replies Reply to # 84 Left by: MIKE MONTGOMERY On 03-Sep-88 At : 304/462-5741 Subject: WORDPERFECT USER Yes we are using WordPerfect on a mVax II. WP is a very nice, powerful product. One drawback that I have found is that if your users are used to a menu driven Word processing system, they may find WordPerfect quite different. The control codes can be a bit tricky, but be patient and you can generate some very nice documents. Give me a call and I would be glad to discuss this further. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 398 2 replies Reply to # 393 Left by: DR. R On 05-Sep-88 At : AT THE A.M.A CONVENTION Subject: RUMOUR REDUX Yes. The good Doctor is back after conducting an epochal good will tour in the land Down Under. FYI, don't be fooled by those Aussie advertisements which feature Paul Hogan and a bevy of lissome confidantes. If the truth be known, an enterprising soul could make a heap of money selling Weight Watchers franchises in the aforementioned Antiopodean realm. But I digress. Adipose tissue aside, I have an update on the alleged 6722 and 6742 systems. These were to have been pre-packed 6200 cluster systems similar to the 89xx systems. Despite the posturing and supplication of hordes of Maynard Marketing Mavens, sanity prevailed and the VAX family of fine processors remains unsullied with these questionable configurations. Speaking of the VAX family of fine processors, try these on for size: Processor 009 Kapri (VWSK2000) VAX 6250 VAX 6260 VAX 6270 VAX 6280 VAX 6215/25/35/45/55/67/75/85 MicroVAX 3400 VAXstation 3400 The aforementioned unannounced beauties were unearthed after a particularly productive session with STARLET.REQ. Needless to say, the casting couch is not the only route to a STARLET's heart . . . Dr. R VMS SIG Message # 705 3 replies Left by: FRED STEVENS On 05-Sep-88 At : 215/662-3022 Subject: SET UIC FROM PROGRAM Does anyone know how to do the equivalent of the DCL "SET UIC" from within an executable image? Doing a LIB$SPAWN and a "SET UIC" is, of course, no use since that changes the UIC in the subprocess, not the parent process. Any help appreciated. VMS SIG Message # 706 0 replies Reply to # 676 Left by: GREG SMITH On 06-Sep-88 At : AUSTRALIA 61-62-435012 Subject: 6210 VMS5.0 We have been running a 6210 with V5.0 since June without any problems. We are not using DIBOL though. The info I have from DEC is that DIBOL V4.0 is OK for V5.0 VMS. We are running ALLin1 2.2, 20/20 2B.22 and SAS 5.16. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 258 0 replies Reply to # 252 Left by: GREG SMITH On 06-Sep-88 At : AUSTRALIA 61-61-435012 Subject: ALLIN1 ARCHIVING I don't know if it will help you but ALLIN1 V2.3 comes with an archiving facility. Also DECs SLS (Storage Library System) has an ALLIN1 interface and SLS itself uses Backup. WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 91 0 replies Reply to # 50 Left by: ANTHONYROUGH On 06-Sep-88 At : (51 BROUGH Subject: TEXT/GRAPHICS TRY A GREAT PACKAGE I FOUND OUT OF MINN. MINNASOTA: SATURN OFICCE SYSTEMS. THEY I INTEGRATE TEXT AND GRAPHICS BETTER THAN ANYONE I'VE SEEN YET. THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS: (800)-328-6145 WORD PROCESSING SIG Message # 92 0 replies Reply to # 60 Left by: ANTHONY BROUGH On 06-Sep-88 At : (513) 786-2541 Subject: THIRD PARTY TEXT/GRAPHICS TRY USING A GREAT "INTERACIVE" PACKAGE CALLED SATURN OFFICE SYSTEMS. THEY ARE OUT OF MINN. MINNESOTA , I HAVE RECOMMENDED THEM TO SEVERAL OTHERS. IT INCLUDES WORD PROCESSING/GRAPHICS/SPREADSHEET AND DATABASE OPERATIONS. THEIR NUMBER IS: 800-328-6145 DAVE HERSTAD IS THE CONTACT THERE. VMS SIG Message # 707 1 replies Reply to # 705 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 06-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: 'SET UIC' INSIDE A PROGRAM To change the UIC from inside an image will require CMKRNL privilege and a little bit of VMS internals. The procedure is rather straight forward. The following little piece of code when executed in kernel mode will change the UIC to [1,4] (SYSTEM): MOVL CTL$GL_PCB,R0 MOVL #65540,PCB$L_UIC(R0) Note that 65540 is the UIC. This is obtained by multiplying the group, in this case 1, by 65536 and adding the member number which is 4. Through SYS$CMKRNL's ability to pass an argument list, you can pass any UIC to procedure you want. I hardcoded it in for this example. Also, this code is V5.0 compliant (it uses CTL$GL_PRB instead of SCH$GL_CURPCB). Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY VMS SIG Message # 708 0 replies Reply to # 707 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 06-Sep-88 At : Subject: TYPO IN MESSAGE #707 change: it uses CTL$GL_PRB instead of SCH$GL_CURPCB to: it uses CTL$GL_PCB instead of SCH$GL_CURPCB CONTROLLERS/MEMORY SIG Message # 102 0 replies Reply to # 101 Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 06-Sep-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: DZ NOT RESPONDING Regarding the problem with a VAX seeing a newly installed DZ, yet the DZ11 doesn't seem alive ... check the cable to make sure it's not installed backwards. I recall a similar problem from many moons ago with the same symptoms. After looking at the cable that runs 'twixt the BA11K box and the DZ port panel, we flipped the connector on one end and the DZ came to life. :-) Kitty RSTS SIG Message # 307 0 replies Reply to # 305 Left by: BOB FIDELMAN On 06-Sep-88 At : 415-454-9055 Subject: 9.6 SHIP DATE DEC tells me that Sept 12 is the ship date for v9.6. Bob FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 76 0 replies Reply to # 75 Left by: BOB SALTZMAN On 07-Sep-88 At : 518 387-5828 Subject: VAX TIME I do not have an answer to the problem that you are having with the Precision Time clock, but thought that you might be interested in knowing that I accomplished the same thing here (accurate time) by using a Heath clock (which I built from a kit) and writing a time server/client software package that works over DECnet. EDITORS SIG Message # 181 0 replies Reply to # 170 Left by: MIKE FRAZIER On 07-Sep-88 At : (714) 220-3767 Subject: WINDOW SIZE I'm not sure this is the answer you are looking for, but you can use a $ set term/page=xx Where xx is the length of your page (Window). This works great on Workstations, but you will still have the problem of TPU clearing the screen then entering into the editor. Hope that might have helped. later... Mike APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 259 0 replies Left by: BRETT E. SKOLNICK On 07-Sep-88 At : GRADUATE HOSPITAL Subject: REAL TIME ACQ AND DISPLAY I'm currently running a microvax II/GPX system with a VS260 monitor. We are involved in the acquisition of electroencephalographic data (EEG) and would like to benefit from other individuals trials and tribulations using VAXLAB with VMS. We also would be willing to share our experiences and code. We are currently acquiring 16 channels of analog-to-digitally converted data sampled at 1 ms to 5 ms sample rates using a ADQ32 with UDIP. We will soon be trying to expand to 32 channels of data acquisition and display. Data is saved using pseudodevice routines. Our system is configured with a DHV11, ADQ32, KWV11, and 160mb fugitsu drive in addition to a DEC RD54, we also have a CIPHER f100 9 track tape recorder. The system is on an ethernet which connects it to 5 pdp 11/73s. Leave me a note or contact me at 215-893-4133. Thanks SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 174 0 replies Reply to # 140 Left by: BRETT E. SKOLNICK On 07-Sep-88 At : DEPT OF NEUROLOGY GRADUATE HOSPITAL Subject: SWAPPER It has come to my attention that programs allocate space in the swapper when they are started, which means prior to their requiring attention of the swapper. This presents a problem when a number of processes are active which demand more swap space than available (this is to be repaired in VMS5.0). Secondary swap files (if disk space is available) provides a solution to this current problem. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 236 1 replies Left by: MIKE MORRETT On 07-Sep-88 At : 317-252-4014 Subject: BACKUP PRODUCTS Is anyone using a BACKUP product called MEDIA/SCHEDULE/VAULT from Software Techniques in Cypress, CA? These are the people that wrote ARCHIVE-2000 & DISKIT-2000. I have this product for a 30 day test and it appears to be a good product. It does all the BACKUP's from the batch queue. Thanks, Mike Morrett Indiana Bell Telephone SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 237 0 replies Reply to # 236 Left by: DEBORAH RICHARDSON On 08-Sep-88 At : 713-749-2761 Subject: MEDIA/SCHEDULE/VAULT We're using Media/Schedule/Vault for tape manaagement on an 8974 cluster. It's a good product but has a bug that periodically hits us. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, the server disappears on one of the nodes. This has happened about 5 times during the last 6 months. This did not occur on single node machines. Other than that, it does what it's supposed to. Our users really like the Schedule feature and it's better than any other I've looked at. I think the manual could be better organized although everything you need is in there. The vendor says that so far it's working fine at sites on vms v5.0 (we're on 4.7). Call for more information. There's also a guy here, Leroy Ervin, who's been working with Media much longer than I have. He can answer the technical questions. Deborah Richardson University of Houston LASER PRINTERS SIG Message # 34 0 replies Left by: GEORGE NEWBURY On 09-Sep-88 At : (202)-355-3128/2691 Subject: LNO3 & ZENITH 248 I am attempting to attach an LNO3 to a Zenith 248 and wish to print Freelance Plus (tm) graphics. Has anyone succesfully connected the LNO3 to a Z248, and if so how. Does anyone know of a Freelance Plus driver for\ the LNO3 ? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 406 1 replies Left by: KHALID BAIG On 09-Sep-88 At : 818-781-4000 Subject: WRITING TO A PORT We are planning to use a Black Box Corporation Code Operated Switch to link our microVax to 6 different N.C. machines using one port. The idea is to punch NC programs directly to the machines. To select a particular machine for output you need to send a control character to the switch. We would like to hear from anyone who has used this arrangement. I am especially interested in knowing how you can write control characters to the port using DCL. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 236 2 replies Left by: JEFFREY THOMAS On 10-Sep-88 At : 212-536-5470 Subject: DETECTING LINE WIDTH I've written a command procedure to display wide printfiles -- issuing the escape sequences to $set term/width=132, and then back to /width=80 after the display completes. But I want to make it more sensitive, by detecting 1- maximum record length of the file it's about to Type, and 2- the current "width" setting of the terminal (either the actual setting, or the vms-$show-terminal value) so as to elegantly change terminal settings only as needed. I can find no reference to either value in any DCL book. I would prefer to keep this all in DCL, but a Macro or Basic routine might be necessary, eh? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. PC'S SIG Message # 182 0 replies Reply to # 138 Left by: THOMAS BARR On 11-Sep-88 At : 215-4826233 AFTER 7PM EST Subject: PROBP2-CGL JIM THIS MAY BE NOTHING, BUT THE CORE GRAPHICS MANUAL VOLUME 2 OF THE TOOLKIT SHOWS THE INCLUDE REFERENCE IN QUOTES. I DON'T HAVE BASIC-PLUS-2 ON MY PRO TO BE ABLE TO TEST IT. THE EXAMPLE IS AS FOLLOWS. %INCLUDE "LB:[1,5]CGL.B2S" THIS IS USING P/OS VERSION 2 AND THE TOOLKIT AT VERSION 2. I HAVE ANOTHER EXAMPLE SHOWING IT WITH SINGLE QUOTES, BUT NO EXAMPLES WITH NO QUOTES. I HOPE IT IS SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THIS. TOM SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 238 1 replies Left by: DOUG SCHNEYMAN On 12-Sep-88 At : (212) 279 4204 Subject: VMS V5.0 UPGRADE MAINT. MY SITE HAS RECENTLY BEEN DROPPED FROM VAX/VMS SOFTWARE SUPPORT BECAUSE THE OEM, NAMELY HAMILTON RENTALS, LTD HAS MADE A DECISION TO GO OUT OF THE SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE BUSINESS (PROBABLY BECAUSE DEC DOES NOT ALLOW OEMS TO MAKE A PROFIT ON SOFTWARE). MY PROBLEM IS THAT I WAS PAYING $1600 PER YEAR FOR UNSUPPORTED VMS UPGRADE TAPES (MY CURRENT VERSION IS V4.7) AND SWITCHING TO DEC FOR MAINTENANCE IS GOING TO COST $3400 PER YEAR! I NEED VERY BADLY ANOTHER SOURCE OF VMS UPGRADES ASAP. THE THIRD PARTY LAYERED PRODUCTS ARE GOING TO REQUIRE ME MOVE TO V5.0 PROBABLY WITHIN 12 MONTHS. PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE ABOVE PHONE NUMBER IF YOU CAN HELP, I WILL OWE YOU A BIG ONE! -DOUG CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 297 1 replies Left by: JOHN LAPPETITO On 12-Sep-88 At : (313)353-3300 Subject: WHY CLUSTER (AGAIN)??? Sorry about the false start. After reading the messages about the use of TK50 tape drives on a cluster (or rather the inability to do so). I am wondering just what the advantages of clustering are. I would be very interested to see a discussion on this topic. My company is planning to set up an LAVC and I am continuously asked what advantage that will give us. And right now all I can tell them is that it will give us the same environment that our customers have (we are a software house) and would allow us to better understand the types of problems our customers report having with our products. But I have not come up with any real advantages for us. We have 2 MicroVax II's (one with an RA82) and 8 VaxStation II's plus a couple of VaxStation 2000's. There are two laser printers; one off of each of the MV II's. All the cpu's are strung together via E-net (coax). Any comments Pro or Con on setting up an LAVC in this environment would be appreciated. Also a general discussion on the merits of using a cluster would be helpful. UTILITIES SIG Message # 294 1 replies Left by: KEVIN MARTIN On 12-Sep-88 At : 212 559 8428 Subject: REPLY FOR NON-PRIV USERS Does anyone have a REPLY analog that can be installed for safe use by non-privileged accounts? It doesn't need to be fancy, I just don't want to re-invent the wheel if it's already on a DECUS tape somewhere. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 237 0 replies Reply to # 236 Left by: MICHAEL MONGEAU On 12-Sep-88 At : (508)440-4409 Subject: OBTAINING SCREEN WIDTH VALUE There was a program in the DEC Pro "DCL Dialogue" column a while back that showed how to get the current terminal screen width value by using the lexical function F$GETDVI: $! Get the physical device name of the terminal $ PTerm = F$GETDVI(F$GETJPI(F$GETJPI("",Master_PID"), - "Terminal"),"TT_PHYDEVNAM") $! Get the default buffer size, i.e. screen width $ Width = F$GETDVI(PTerm,"DEVBUFSIZ") -M.M. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 329 0 replies Left by: FRANCISCO LOAIZA On 12-Sep-88 At : TEL:(703)845-2443 Subject: ASSEMBLER PROGRAMMING I AM TOYING WITH THE IDEA OF LEARNING SOME VAX ASSEMBLER PROGRAMMING AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY GOOD BOOKS/MANUALS FOR BEGINNERS. I AM SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN USING ASSEMBLER FOR NUMBER CRUNCHING AND GRAPHICS AND WOULD WELCOME ANY HINTS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A SPECIAL NEWS LETTER ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY WHERE SEASONED ASSEMBLER PROGRAMMERS EXCHANGE IDEAS. ANY INFO WILL BE MOST WELCOME. IF YOU PREFER TO SEND A WRITTEN NOTE, MY ADDRESS IS: IDA 1801 N. BEAUREGARD ST. ALEXANDRIA VA 22311 COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 224 0 replies Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: LAT PROTOCOL SPECS Anyone have, or know how to get, information on the LAT protocol? Manual AA-HY66A-TK ("Local Area Transport Network Concepts") has some info, but is missing important details. A copy of LATDRIVER source would probably have most of the info. TERMINALS/PLOTTERS/PRINTERS SIG Message # 238 0 replies Reply to # 236 Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: DEVICE INFO FROM DCL I don't know for sure how to get terminal screen width, but I'd try using F$GETDVI in DCL. This is described in the V4.6 DCL manual under "Lexical Functions" on p 249. Try "DEVBUFSIZ"; you may also find "TT_" of interest, although I couldn't find screen width, only screen height. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 298 0 replies Reply to # 199 Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: NON-LAT DEV ON TERM SRV Non-LAT devices, including other manufacturers' CPUs, can be connected to a LAT network via terminal servers. The idea is to create a "service" on one or more ports, those to which your alien devices are attached. Any user on any terminal server can then get a transparent connection, including all control characters, by typing "CONNECT " at the "Local>" prompt. This method is described as an example ("A Non-LAT Host") in 7.10 of "DECserver 200 Management Guide". I have done this, so call if you need more specific info. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 299 0 replies Reply to # 269 Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: VT100 POWER-OFF BREAK Your VT100 probably sends a BREAK (line in space condition for more than 1 frame time) when you power it off. In the default configuration, the DEC 200 term server responds to BREAK by giving you a local prompt to start another session. You can disable BREAK, but if you do, you should substitute another "attention" character, or you won't be able to get back to local. This info is all detailed in the terminal server management guide, under port options. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 300 0 replies Reply to # 273 Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: VT100 CABLE GROUNDING See message 299. Changes in cable characteristics may change length of BREAK signal; however, unless ends of cable are at different ground potentials, such as might occur between different buildings, even an ungrounded cable should work. FORUM - 3RD PARTY SUPPLIERS SIG Message # 77 0 replies Reply to # 75 Left by: P SHERWOOD On 12-Sep-88 At : (617) 332-8880 Subject: PRECISION DEVICE TIMEOUT Your problem is probably either lack of modem control signals, or lack of proper response to a terminal ID query. To distinguish these, substitute a VT220 or VT320 for your clock device; set the terminal to "Display Controls" in the display setup menu. Boot your system and query your device, observing what characters are sent by VMS. For the modem control part, monitor DTR and DSR (see VT terminal manual for pins). Your device should assert DTR if VMS is checking whether the device is ready. Another thought is to find out what the "Timeout" message means; this will involve asking DEC, always a difficult task. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 401 0 replies Reply to # 400 Left by: DR. R On 12-Sep-88 At : VIRTUAL SPACE Subject: VIRTUAL VAX According to a comely confidante (a STARLET, if you will...) the mysterious Processor 009 also goes by the sobriquet VIRTUAL VAX. Could it be that this clandestine CPU is in actuality the unique CPU type that will be associated with the VAX SECURE VIRTUAL SYSTEM, an NCSC A-1 secure VMS (and ULTRIX) system now undergoing time trials with the good folks at the NSA? RSX SIG Message # 243 0 replies Left by: MARK MATLOCK On 13-Sep-88 At : ARIS Subject: RSX - VMS SHARED PRINT QUEUES I thought I remembered reading that under RSX11M+ V4.0 a LAT Printer could be shared between RSX and VMS. We recently tried this and had trouble. We INS $LPPFSL/TASK=TTnn where nn was the LAT for the printer. We were able to print one file then the printer hung. Has any one got this working? Also I have been using DECUS C off of an old RSX Sig tape and I was wondering what is the latest version of DECUS C and where can it be found ? Thanks Mark Matlock RSX SIG Message # 244 0 replies Reply to # 218 Left by: MARK MATLOCK On 13-Sep-88 At : ARIS Subject: PDP 11/24 SLU2 I had a PDP 11/24 a few years ago and I used the SLU2 for Async DECnet. It worked well for several years. I also found that I could get alittle more power out of the 24 by turning the little potentiometer so that I reduced the clock cycle from 300 ns to about 240 ns. This is similar to the crystal change in a 23. I've since migrated to an 11/44 then to an 11/73 however all three systems are still operating. (My license plates are RSX11 so you know I am a PDP-11, RSX, mutant die hard too. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 407 0 replies Reply to # 385 Left by: BRUCE C. WINEGAR On 13-Sep-88 At : (402) 449-7443 Subject: S/36 - UVAX FILE XFER THE ONLY WAY I HAVE FOUND TO COMMUNICATE FROM THE SYSTEM/36 TO VAX IS A TWO STEP PROCESS USING A PC IN THE MIDDLE. AST HAS A SYSTEM/36 EMULATION CARD (AST5250/11+) FOR THE PC THAT ALLOWS FILE TRANSFER TO AND FROM THE SYSTEM/36, THEN YOU CAN USE ANY OF THE VT EMULATORS TO TRANSFER TO THE DEC. WE RECENTLY USED THIS TO TRANSFER ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS FROM THE S/36 TO THE VAX, AND WILL SOON BE USING IT FOR DAILY DATA TRANSFER. IT'S NOT THE EASIEST POSSIBLE METHOD, BUT IT'S BETTER THAN RE-KEYING. RSX SIG Message # 245 0 replies Reply to # 81 Left by: PETE KOZIAR On 13-Sep-88 At : (301) 332-6647 Subject: SYSGEN FILE SIZE I believe I have had some luck in reducing file size of the system image under RSX v3.2. There are a few things to be aware of: 1) Make sure that the file is large enough to include all the installed tasks that are active, or need to be active on start-up. This includes F11ACP and any loadable drivers that are loaded upon start-up. 2) You haven't gotten to this point yet, but you also need room to run SAV. After you do the initial SAV/WB, the system file MUST be large enough to include the SAV program. This means you should be VERY careful if SAV is installed in GEN, and GEN is at the top of memory. 3) There is another problem with reducing the file size with 22-bit addressing systems. If you make the file smaller than 128K Words, SAV will not come up in 22-bit mode. You might also try calling Nissho; it may not be the Sysgen at all. We tried the N1100 here a while ago, but had lots of problems getting it to run and sent it back. I am not familiar with their later products. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 408 1 replies Reply to # 406 Left by: MARK KUEHN On 13-Sep-88 At : MERRILL CORP Subject: DCL WRITES OF CONTROL CHARACTERS To accomplish writing of control characters with DCL is real easy. The following bit of DCL does it. Note however that DCL ALWAYS appends a after every write, which may or may not interfer with your BLACK-BOX device. $ Control_Char[0,8] = 27 ! decimal value of the character you want or $ Control_Char[0,8] = %X1B ! hexidecimal value of the character you want then $ WRITE SYS$OUTPUT Control_Char,"optional text if necessary",More_Symbols Hope this helps (612)646-4501 VMS SIG Message # 710 1 replies Left by: MARTY CHAMBERLAIN On 13-Sep-88 At : 251-636-8398 Subject: ACL INFO NEEDED Hi. I have the need to get information concerning the ACL's on files from within a DCL command procedure. It sure would be nice if VMS had a lexical function F$ACL(file,identifier,access) that would return a TRUE or FALSE. For example, if I made a call to F$ACL("LOGIN.COM","MCHAMBERLAIN","READ+WRITE") the lexical would return TRUE if someone with the identifier MCHAMBERLAIN had READ+WRITE to LOGIN.COM based on the ACL of the file. Unfortunately, there's no lexical like that! Does anyone out there know of a simple way to get that sort of information. I know, of course, that you can do a DIR/ACL or SHOW ACL on the file, redirect the output to a temp file and parse the contents of the temp file manually, but that's such a hassle. Besides, you have to read the RIGHTS database to cross reference the identifiers. Anyway, is there a system service (I'd be willing to write the procedure in a language other than DCL) or something that could be helpful? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Marty Chamberlain CPU'S SIG Message # 44 0 replies Reply to # 43 Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 13-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: CPUS THANKS FOR THE INPUT. I GUESS I SUSPECTED THAT A UVAX 2000 WOULD BE WOEFULLY INADEQUATE, BUT WITHOUT MUCH EXPERIENCE, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW. ON THE 11/7XX, I DID A 5-YEAR COST COMPARISON A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND THEY LOOKED PRETTY GOOD - ASSUMING OF COURSE THAT DEC'S MAINTENANCE DOESN'T GO THROUGH THE ROOF IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS (I USED 8% INFLATION). I DON'T PARTICULARLY LIKE ALL THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED RE:7XXS - POWER, COOLING, SIZE. LACK OF MEMORY COULD BE A PROBLEM AS WELL. BACK ON MAINTENANCE, NO ONE SAID DEC HAD TO BE THE VOR , DID THEY?I HAVE CONSIDERED BUYING DUPLICATE SYSTEMS DUPLICATE SYSTEMS FOR SPARE PARTS. A UVAX II MIGHT BE THE BEST SOLUTION. THE PROBLEMS I SEE HERE ARE THE INABILITY TO BRING IT INTO OUR CLUSTER, AND THE LIMIT ON DISK SPACE (VIA THE Q-BUS CONTROLLER). OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO ADD ANOTHER BI MACHINE - BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUCKS WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THAT. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 260 0 replies Reply to # 242 Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 13-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: 20/20 Good Suggestion. I'm sure we will look at at least 20/20 (since it seems to be the market leader) and maybe a few other products before we plunk down $10,000 or whatever for a spread sheet. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 261 0 replies Reply to # 243 Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 13-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: SOFTWARE DIRECTORY DEC has a book called "VAX Software Source Book" that lists everything (supposedly) that runs on the VAX under any operating system. PC'S SIG Message # 183 1 replies Left by: BRUCE ECKERT On 13-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: M*PC Has anyone used or seen M*PC from M Software in Ann Arbor MI? It supposedly emulates a (or several) PCs on a VAX using only software. We are planning on ordering it $795 for any CPU, but would like to heare any experiences with it that are out there. MICROVAX SIG Message # 150 1 replies Left by: NICOLINA LEONG On 13-Sep-88 At : (415)833-3451 Subject: SYSTEM UPGRADE HELP! WE ARE PLANNING TO UPGRADE OUR SYSTEM FROM A VAX 11/750 TO MICROVAXII. I NEED SOME SUGGESTIONS AND INFORMATION ON: WHAT KIND OF CONFIGURATIONS IS MORE EFFICENT ? ( FOR 6-18 USERS LICENSE, AND WE USE 2 RA81 DISKS) WHAT KIND OF BACKUP DEVICE IS THE BEST FIT FOR MICROVAXII? IF THERE IS ANYONE HAS HAD THIS EXPERIENCE, PLEASE GIVE ME THE SOME IDEAS. ALSO, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT SHOULD I BE PREPARED FOR THE UPGRADE? WHAT ABOUT THE THIRD PARTY'S SOFTWARES WE ARE USING RIGHT NOW? CAN THEY BE USED IN THE MICROVAXII TOO? UTILITIES SIG Message # 295 0 replies Reply to # 108 Left by: JACK LEONE On 13-Sep-88 At : ARIS Subject: TAPE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM You can look into purchasing a product called TapeSys by Software Partners. We have started using it and it seems to be just what you need. It will control retention periods, scratch dates, even dates to go off-site/onsite. It can even be configured for "scheduled backups". Even has the ability to let the usrs request their own backups. Your operators will receive OPCOM requests to mount tape number xxxx, and that's it. Any more quetsions , and I'll be available here. Jack :-) UTILITIES SIG Message # 296 0 replies Reply to # 109 Left by: JACK LEONE On 13-Sep-88 At : ARIS Subject: CALENDAR It's called ALL-IN-1 Go out and buy it. You'll love it and so will your users... Jack :-) SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 175 0 replies Reply to # 171 Left by: SCOTT E. TURNER On 14-Sep-88 At : (714) 432-0894 Subject: LAVC WITH VAX 750'S On the last site that I worked on, we had 5 750's which were originally standalone...The someone got the brainy idea to cluster them, so we forked out the capital and went through the hassle of the HSC's etc and after all of this, performance was still poor to fair. After 1 year of this the decision was made to upgrade to a cluster of 5 8650's and needless to say this was successful in increasing both performance and power. Now, at this installation, I am faced with the same problem with our 750's and our 780's. I can tell you from our perspective, we are finding upgrades to be more feasible than anything else. We are also looking into used equipment which can easily be placed under DEC maintenance. I'd be interested in your final solution and the results. Scott E. Turner Systems Manager Professional Design Resources 3187 Redhill Ave. Suite 200 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 VMS SIG Message # 711 1 replies Reply to # 710 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 14-Sep-88 At : 913-335-9792 Subject: Checking ACL Access Rights Easy? Nothing with ACL's is 'Easy'! However, there is a system service called SYS$CHECK_ACCESS that appears to do what you want. You can find the information on page SYS-51 of the VMS V5.0 System Services reference. Briefly, the service is called in the following format: SYS$CHECK_ACCESS(objtyp,objnam,usrnam,itmlst) Object = ACL$C_FILE Objnam = the name of your file Usrnam = the username to test The itemlist would be: Itmlst.code = CHP$_ACCESS Itmlst.buflen = 4% Itmlst.bufadr = buffer containing the bits corresponding to a combination of READ, WRITE, EXECUTE, DELETE, and CONTROL access. Itmlst.retlenadr = a buffer for return length (not used for this item). The service will return SS$_NORMAL if access is granted and SS$_NOPRIV if access is not permitted. Hope this helps. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY MICROVAX SIG Message # 152 0 replies Reply to # 150 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 14-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: VAX 11/750 --> MICROVAX II If you will be using 2 RA81's you are limited to a model Q5 which comes in an H9642 cabinet. There was a rumor going around that the BA123 cabinet was available with an adaptor which would allow the installation of a KDA50 disk controller. However, I have never seen it. The H9642 cabinet has room for two RA8x's. For communications I would recommend either 3 DECserver's, or 3 DHQ11's, both which give you 8 ports each (you stated a maximum of 18 users). As for backup, the H9642 configuration will come with a TK50. While this device has a reasonably high density (95MB), it is terribly slow. It is good for backups though. Your other option is to purchase a TU81-Plus with a KLESI-Q controller. This is not a cost effective solution however. If you are not tied to vanilla DEC, you can purchase a CDC 92185 (with PERTEC interface) and a Q-BUS controller such as Emulex TC03. This will be cheaper than the TU81-Plus and still allow you access to industry standard magtape. Also, stay away from controllers that required TSDRIVER (ex. Emulex TC02) or the patching of a driver! You can become locked into a particular release of VMS longer than you may want to be or have to pay for driver updates. Another alternative is the new cartridge drives (8MM or VHS). Most of these use the PERTEC interface so finding a controller should be easy. For software, you will probably have to pay a higher price for your licenses since the 750 is slower than the MicroVAX II. Also, if some of your software is tied to your SID number, it will not work on the MicroVAX II. DISKEEPER is a good example of protected software. If you are running VMS V4.6 or V4.7, your current operating system should boot on the MicroVAX II without any problem. Also note that you will be running with an unlimited user system since LOGINOUT.EXE on VAX/VMS is patched for unlimited access. When you upgrade to VMS V5.0 that will change since the new LMF will enforce the number of users. Hope all this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call. I used to work for an OEM and did alot of configurations. ** Also, sorry to you folks who have to sit through reading this 'letter'! Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY VMS SIG Message # 712 0 replies Reply to # 711 Left by: MARTY CHAMBERLAIN On 14-Sep-88 At : 215-636-8398 Subject: THANKS Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try. Many Thanks again. Marty Chamberlain SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 239 0 replies Reply to # 238 Left by: MICHAEL FORD On 14-Sep-88 At : (312) 480-9270 Subject: VMS 5.0 UPGRADE MAINT. You might try calling CDC at 1-800-345-9904. Good luck. GRAPHICS SIG Message # 74 0 replies Left by: DON THOMAS On 14-Sep-88 At : (512)928-7757 Subject: GKS WISS TO HP7550 PROBLEM I am having problems with character strings being cut short when copying segments from WISS to a file for plotting on an HP7550A. No matter what length the string is,the maximum output length is 66 characters. The VT241 output is fine. Any suggestions would be welcome. VMS SIG Message # 713 1 replies Left by: LES VON HOLSTEIN On 14-Sep-88 At : (214)386-4311 Subject: ACCESSING PRINTER FLAG FORMATS The printer currently prints out a header flag page with information relating to the name of the file. This information is printed in block characters and varies in size depending upon the length of the name. Is there any system service or run-time library that I can access to create my own 'banners' into a file? I realize that there are several programs available thru DECUS, but I was looking for something already within the system. Thanks DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 409 0 replies Reply to # 408 Left by: KHALID BAIG On 14-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: THANKS Thank you Mark. I tried that and it is working. Khalid CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 301 0 replies Reply to # 297 Left by: BILL JAMISON On 14-Sep-88 At : (619) 442-3451 Subject: LAVC PRO'S & CON'S Some of the reasons to consider going to an LAVC: Shared disks. You can serve any of the disks to the cluster. This would allow the VAXstations to access the RA81. This can also prevent installing the same product on many different systems, since all of the systems would have access to the product on a served disk. A central queue facility. There is a system-wide queue setup in a cluster. This makes it easier to manager queues, and also lets users access printers on other systems without any hassle. Easier backups. If you have 9-track tape drive on the MicroVAX II you can backup all of the disks in the cluster to that tape drive. That way you wouldn't have to run backups on each of the systems individually. Doing backups over the network is very intensive, though. You could also do all of the backups to a TK50. You can't serve the TK50, so the process running the backup must be on the system where the TK50 is installed. Now for the drawback: overhead. There is overhead for each system in the cluster. I've heard that you can lose up to 20% of the cpu in cluster overhead. This is due to serving disk, lock management, etc. Personally, I like the LAVC benefits. I manage an 11/750 and 2 MicroVAX II's and will be installing an LAVC shortly. Bill Jamison AMETEK Straza 790 Greenfield Dr. El Cajon, CA 92022 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES/AI SIG Message # 330 0 replies Reply to # 286 Left by: IAN PETERS On 15-Sep-88 At : (805)-379-9872 Subject: HELP WITH DESCRIPTORS For help with the descriptor handling in system service calls look in the header file DESCRIP.H. At the bottom is a macro definition to help in the use of the defined descriptor structures. Any questions just call me at I.C.C. on above number. EDITORS SIG Message # 182 1 replies Reply to # 143 Left by: SIMON BROWN On 15-Sep-88 At : HERE OR ... Subject: EMACS (MICROGNUEMACS) PSI% (Belgium) 2210339::splot or Belgium 2656 3102 Hi - I've been requested to get emacs (or MicroGnuEmacs) going under VMS for a UNIX (sorry) die-hard. Well, I raided my Spring 1987 DECUS tape and off fell V1b of MicroGnuEmacs. Wow Wow Wow! I compiled, and off it went. I modified it to provide 40 function keys instead of just 10, and modified the disk i/o to speed it up by a factor of about 4. My! I also pulled off a full version of EMACS which crashed on me when I tried to run it, so I ditched that one. Although pleased with MicroGnuEmacs, I'd like to know where I can obtain a more up-to-date version, also where can I get an up-to-date version of EMACS - or at least a version that a simple chap like me can compile and use. Please respond via PSI mail if you have it or to this board - I have PSI_COPY if files could be sent that way - I'll pay!! - maybe we could club together to buy X25 for professional press?? Thanks in advance, Simon COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 226 2 replies Left by: KITTY GEORGE On 15-Sep-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: PC NETWORKING I'm looking at ways to network 70+ IBM PS/2's to two VAXes with the intent of providing file server services and VAX printer services to the PS/2 workstations. The lineup .. - a VAX 780 and a VAX 785, currently DECnet-ed and connected to a bunch of VT220's and VT320's via thick Ethernet cable and DECservers - 60 IBM PS/2 model 50Z, also connected to the VAX network via Reflection 4 using a comm port - 10 IBM PS/2 model 70, talking to VAX using Reflection 4 plus comm port Why PS/2's ? The management looked at leasing a 8700-class VAX vs a PC on every desk, and decided that they craved the look of a beige lump as a paperweight on the credenza, not to mention the chance to save moola. Guess what needs more memory, more peripherals, more copies of software, more $$$ ? At last look, the cheaper solution is costing only 2X the 8700 pkg. The requirements (from the PS/2 perspective) .. - would like to have easy access to VAX disk, so that we can easily capture files from the PS/2 workstations and run them thru VAX-based software - would like to print files on VAX from the PS/2; we have LN03's and a Printserver 40 available on the VAX, want to avoid duplication of printers, cabling headaches, building a toner kit warehouse to supply 70 HP laser printers. - transparency to end users (Translation - "Ms. Buxley, drive D: is downstairs somewhere, and your printer is the same as the one you had on the VAX ...") From the VAX perspective, I need low overhead (the important work runs here, not on the little toys.) A PCSA-type setup would be ideal, except that there's no Ethernet card available yet that I'm aware of for these PS/2's. Also, the overhead seems a little high, based on what I've seen from a look at VAXmates connected to the VAX. DECnet-DOS - is that still the right way to spell DECnet-DOG ? Will it work with PCDOS version 3.3 and version 4.0 (we're migrating to the latter) ? Do I have problems with NETBIOS, ABIOS, and other BIOS ? Will it work with OS/2 in a multi-tasking environment? (The managers love to have ten of their latest toys running all at once to show off to each other, even though they have trouble talking and tying their shoes all at the same time) We like the Reflection 4 setup with its terminal emulation capability (132 columns plus color), all it's missing at the moment is a file server capability and print server capability. Looked at RAF a while ago, were disappointed in the terminal emulation ability. Any suggestions ??? Kitty :-) MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 402 1 replies Left by: SIMON BROWN On 15-Sep-88 At : HERE OR ... Subject: DECUS TAPES - VMS SIGS PSI% Belgium 2210339::SPLOT or Belgium 26563102 Hi - I'm searching for fall '87 and spring '88 DECUS tapes - TK50 or reels - is there anybody out there who could make a copy of either there of if a suitable amount of tape was sent over - I have here only VMS SIG fall 86 and spring 87. I'd do the same for you one day -I have about 10 spare tk50s and 5 big reelies. DECUS here takes ~6weeks - they send it all off to the U.S.A., and my boss will not pay. (I didn't hire him!) CHEERS, may you run bug-free, SIMON SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 176 1 replies Reply to # 169 Left by: BOB ZISEK On 15-Sep-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: RE: PAGE/SWAP In order for me to avoid being quite lengthy, you might want to refer to the VAX/VMS System Performance Guide, and in particular, to section 3.6.1 on page 3-29. See also, the System Manager's reference manual. RT SIG Message # 15 0 replies Reply to # 14 Left by: JERRY C. HUDGINS On 15-Sep-88 At : HERE OR (804) 948-6006 Subject: BURNING EPROMS FROM PDP-1 Actually, I meant from a PDP-11. We regularly burn 2764's on a Data I/O 21 from our Micro/RSX machine. We generate the programmer files in MOSTEK ASCII format using a home-brewed program, and just PIP them to the Data I/O. The harder part is in correctly reading the files to be converted. Ours are MicroPower Pascal system images, and the format for these is well documented. Perhaps you could take a couple of days and do something similar. VMS SIG Message # 714 0 replies Reply to # 713 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 15-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: FLAG PAGES I believe that what you want is the PSM system services. The documentation is volume 8A (V4.7). Jim MICROVAX SIG Message # 153 2 replies Left by: MEI LAI LEONG On 15-Sep-88 At : 415-833-3451 Subject: DOWNLOAD MESSAGES HI! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A WAY TO DOWNLOAD THE MESSAGES FROM THE MESSAGE CENTER TO MY VAX AS A FILE INSTEAD OF SITTING AT THE TERMINAL TO READ THEM. CAUSE SOMETIME I WOULD LIKE TO DROP DOWN SOME OF THE USEFUL INFORMATION. IT WOULD BE NICE IF I COULD DOWNLOAD THE MESSAGE I WANT. PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS IF ANY OF YOU KNOWS ABOUT IT. THANKS!!! EDITORS SIG Message # 183 0 replies Reply to # 182 Left by: Phil Anthony On 16-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: MicroEMACS Simon, I don't know how your version of MicroGnuEmacs relates to V3.9i of MicroEmacs, but I have the latter in C source code (I believe it's dated summer of 1987). If you're interested, I can set up for you to call into one of my PCs and download it, or I could mail it to you in either IBM-PC 1.2M or 360K format, or XENIX tar-format 1.2M or 360K diskettes. Leave me a message here with full (mail) address or call me at (215) 884-9128 if you want to pursue this. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 227 0 replies Reply to # 226 Left by: Phil Anthony On 16-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: Networking PCs and VAXes Kitty, Novell announced a PC-to-VAX network connection last spring at DEXPO East that was supposed to be available in September. From what I know of Novell on PCs, if they sell it, it's good - though I don't know what they have in the way of terminal emulation. Check with Novell; they should also be able to tell you what boards you can get for PS/2s to support the net- work. That piece of it I'm not at all sure of ... personally I think IBM made a big mistake in changing their bus before they had people lined up to support it. Something like DEC with the VAXBI. And don't put the toys down too hard. Anything that beats out a MicroVax II by quite a bit and can hold two 300 Mbyte disks, but still fits on the desk, ain't precisely something for the five-year-olds (don't let my daughter hear that!). 'Course, that's Compaq, not IBM, but who's counting? Now, Novell does cost bucks. But Kitty - What's a VAXmate? MICROVAX SIG Message # 154 0 replies Reply to # 153 Left by: Phil Anthony On 16-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: Capturing ARIS messages I'm not sure what the problem is, but if it's simply a matter of capturing messages to disk, use Kermit to call ARIS. Before looking at the messages, escape back to Kermit command mode and log your session to a disk file (I think the command is LOG , but check me out on that - Kermit-32 is different from the version I use). After you've received all the messages, close the log file - or it should close automatically when you hang up and exit Kermit. SITE MANAGEMENT SIG Message # 240 0 replies Left by: TOM O'SULLIVAN On 16-Sep-88 At : 406 444 6367 Subject: GRPPRV AND ACL'S I have a user with grpprv and operator. When he creates a file in another directory (same group), it has an acl attached. Is there a way to prevent this from happening without giving him more privileges? I know that bypass will do it. UTILITIES SIG Message # 297 0 replies Reply to # 294 Left by: KEVIN MARTIN On 16-Sep-88 At : 212 559-8428 Subject: JUNE '88 VAXPRO Just got my first issue (as a back-issue -- thank you, Karol!), and what do I find but the answer to my problem*, and in COBOL no less! My subscription just paid for itself. (*"SYS$BRKTHRU" by Keith Murphy) A minor point -- make sure you force W_USERNAME to uppercase, especially if it's a variable entered at runtime. The reference on page 27 to "substitute the macro name for $BRKDEF" confused me a bit, but it turns out that if you simply do the MACRO compile on the two-line file SYMBOLS.MAR, everything works as advertised. You can also put in ctrl-G (bell) characters and reverse video escape strings quite easily. The end result is even nicer than the regular REPLY command. Kudos to Mr. Murphy! VAX/ELN SIG Message # 15 0 replies Left by: KARL KISH On 16-Sep-88 At : 602 863 5627 Subject: HDLC DRIVER FOR ELAN Does any one have or have a source for an HDLC driver for anyones Q-buss board that works with ELAN??? We need at least 56KB.... Thanks VMS SIG Message # 715 1 replies Left by: KARL KISH On 16-Sep-88 At : 602-863-5627 Subject: FINDING IMMAGES LINKED SHR Trying to find a method (no matter how crude!) of finding all currently running immages that are linked to a shareable immage. Any thoughts????? VMS SIG Message # 716 0 replies Left by: KARL KISH On 16-Sep-88 At : 602 863 5627 Subject: DEC STILL SHIPPING 4.7 Recently (SEPT 12) received two micro vaxes with 4.7 ! These were direct from DEC. Any idea whats up???? We already have 5.0 up and running for some time. MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 206 1 replies Left by: MARTY CHAMBERLAIN On 16-Sep-88 At : HERE (ARIS) Subject: BI DISK CONTROLLERS Hi! I was wondering if anyone out there in ARIS land knows of a company that sells a replacement for DEC's KDB50 disk controller that only takes up ONE (!) BI bus slot. We currently run an RA81 and three RA82's on a KDB50. We want to add more disk drives, but we are out of BI slots!!!!! The KDB50 is a single BI node, but it takes up TWO (2) slots on the bus. I know that I can get more disk space by trashing the DEC drives and going with something else, but different controllers that work with RA drives is a better solution in my particular case. Going to an HSC50 or HSC70 is not a viable solution since I could not justify the cost since we're not clustered. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. In the words of "The Fly".... "Heeelp Meeeee! Heeelp Meeeee!" Marty :-) MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 403 2 replies Reply to # 402 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 16-Sep-88 At : Here or (617) 868-1111 Subject: Can you read 6250 bpi tapes? I have the fall 87 and the spring 88 tapes, and am willing to copy them, but ONLY to 6250 bpi tape. I seem to recall all sorts of dreadfull customs nonsense when shipping tapes abroad. Do you have a US affiliate of any sort that I could send the tapes to, and let them get them to you? Are you coming over to DECUS in Anaheim next month? I could bring them there. I am sure it is do-able some how. MICROVAX SIG Message # 155 1 replies Reply to # 153 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 16-Sep-88 At : (617) 868-1111 Subject: But, IF you don't have Kermit... Kermit would be best, but failing that, simply use any port on your vax you have a modem on and dial out using a line like the following: SET HOST /DTE/LOG=capture.file txa7: The other stuff you can put on that line is for Dec modems, but if you use any smart modem, that line will get you to the modem, and then all you have to do is type the dial commands it needs. You will have to clean out some of the garbage in the file, but it does work. If your modems are on a dec terminal server, the port has to be set DYNAMIC and there are several other things you must do, but nothing very obscure. You might also want to checkout VAXNET from a recent Decus VMS Sig tape. Kermit will be there, too, so getting the tape is a good idea. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 228 0 replies Reply to # 226 Left by: Phil Anthony On 17-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: PC/VAX NETWORKING Purely by coincidence, Kitty, I was scheduled for a Novell seminar on inter- connectivity yesterday. So I have quite a bit more information on Novell's use of VAX/VMS as a file server for PCs, including PS/2s. I wrote out a two-page document to send you and then realized that'd be somewhat excessive for ARIS. (Hey, I'm excited!) But here are a few highlights: - Release date is now November - they're still writing the manuals. - Netware for VMS runs over Ethernet. The PS/2 board is 3Com's 3C523. - It uses plain ol' RMS files on the VAX side, not funny virtual disks. No backup/restore problems, and Novell translates between file structures. DOS applications code can be installed on and loaded from the VAX. - Novell print queuing maps to VMS print queuing. - Netware for VMS is a single, multithreaded process under VMS plus a Novell Ethernet driver. It can coexist with DECnet on DEC Ethernet hardware. - A terminal emulator like Reflection can be layered on top of Netware for users who want to log directly into the VAX; they demonstrated Reflection on the network. Users can also get in via the standard Netware interface (logical drives mapped to VMS directories - looks like DOS to me). - The VAX can be the only server on the system, though they wouldn't recom- mend it for 70+ workstations because of Ethernet collisions. Instead, they suggest using a PC as a dedicated server and bridging from that to the VAX. The users can still access the VAX as I mentioned in the last section, but the bridge controls PC traffic on the Ethernet backbone. - Netware for VMS supports DOS V2.x, 3.x, and 4.0; OS/2 Standard and Extend- ed Editions; and Windows/386. - Cost runs from $5,500 to $26,500 depending on the size of the VAX. Kitty, I sympathize with your feelings about seeing these new, strange devi- ces walk in the door - and management expecting you to support them. I had similar feelings when a pair of VAXes found their way into my nice, friendly RSTS environment, especially after I found out how incompatible they were. But having worked in all three fields (RSTS, VMS, and PC-DOS), I think you'll find the little guys fitting into a VMS processing scheme a lot bet- ter than VMS integrated with RSTS. And I was impressed by the fairly seam- less way Novell brings 'em together - much better than DEC did with the relatively primitive SET HOST mechanism, utterly different user interface, and totally incompatible file structures between VMS and RSTS. And the PCs at least have the advantage of removing high-CPU cycle-stealing applications from the host - spreadsheets, screen-intensive word processing, and so on. If I can help you out, leave me a message here or call me at (215) 643-4265 or (215) 884-9128. Best of luck to you, and keep your left parenthesis grinning - Phil. PC'S SIG Message # 184 0 replies Reply to # 183 Left by: LANDIS RAGON On 17-Sep-88 At : 314-233-6869 Subject: M*PC EMULATOR I am in the process of installing and testing the M*PC emulator. I have uploaded PC magazine's benchmarks and at least some of them work. On an 11/780, it is about one-tenth the speed of an IBM PC. I have not yet tried any of the the disk benchmarks yet. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 177 0 replies Reply to # 176 Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 17-Sep-88 At : (205) 583-3248 Subject: REPLY TO BOB Thanks, Bob... Bill APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 263 0 replies Left by: BILL SLAYTON On 17-Sep-88 At : (205) 583-3248 Subject: FMS OR TDMS? I am currently in a position in which I am in charge of a 750, in charge of programming, etc... a rookie jack-of-all-trades. I have taught myself to use TDMS and am quite proficient, however, I have been told that I should be using FMS because I don't use DBMS. We are currently trying to decide which products to keep and which to cut. I would like to keep Pascal, COBOL(our primary applications language), Datatrieve, and FMS and cut TDMS, DBMS, and BASIC. However, since I am not in a situation where I have experienced programmers to whom I can turn for advice, I am begging for advice from anyone who will listen. We are currently designing menu-driven banking appications for our Bond department and will, in the future, be designing and writing similar programs. We are also looking at upgrading our 750 to a 3600 or 6210. Also, we are a fast growing department which has just hired one inexperienced programmer and which will probably hire two more in the next year. With this information in hand, can anyone give me advice on establishing a solid software foundation on which to grow? MICROVAX SIG Message # 156 1 replies Reply to # 155 Left by: BILL NADDY On 17-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: 134 OK for logging, but how about unattended logging in and scrolling the messages in the SIG(s) of interest. Easy enough to write a script file to get in and to the SIG but is there a command on ARIS to automatically scroll through all messages without hitting a return after each page? MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 404 1 replies Reply to # 403 Left by: BRIAN DESANTIS On 17-Sep-88 At : (201)670-0286 Subject: BARTON BRICE/DECUS TAPES Just saw your msg about having spring 88 and fall 87 decus tapes. I would be interested in those also, and have had no other means of getting them. I have a TU81+ so 6250 is no problem. I can send tapes with return postage if you lke, just let me know where to.. Thanks. CPU'S SIG Message # 45 0 replies Reply to # 42 Left by: LAWRENCE HELBERS On 18-Sep-88 At : 215 646 6562 Subject: CPU SIZING Our Microvax II experience would suggest that it would not be a satisfactory platform for 20 concurrent word processing/spreadsheet sessions, if you would like to offer resonable user response. Possibly 10 or 12 users. At a cost of about $75,000 plus software, you might consider a mixture of different speed PC's networked as necessary. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 229 0 replies Left by: LAWRENCE HELBERS On 18-Sep-88 At : 215 646-6562 Subject: LINE TIME CLOCK PDP 11/23 When I execute Kermit on my PDP 11/23 under RT-11, I get the message that the program will not operate properly without a line time clock. Does anyone know, if I have to get a KPV11-A board or is there some other, possibly third party, option that will give my system this l-t-c feature? Does DEC TRANSF program also require an LTC? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 410 3 replies Left by: LAWRENCE HELBERS On 18-Sep-88 At : 215 646-4851 Subject: DIALING IN / DIALING OUT Two Questions. First, we have been experiencing problems when our MicroVAX II connected Hayes compatible modems are used both to dial-out as well as dial-in. They normally work fine on dial-in although we have to toggle Cntl-Off (s) Cntl-On (q) to get login prompt. When we SET HOST/DTE to dial out on the same communication line, we also have no problems during the session. But when we then try to dial-in again after an outbound session, the modems will not answer or they will not CONNECT. The only solution for us, so far, is to reboot the system. Then we can dial-up again. I've printed the results of SHOW TERM for the modem port before and after the REBOOT and see nodifferences in the parameters?? We are using an EMULEX DHV11 lookalike that has 16 communications lines. The solution works but its a meataxe approach at best. Has anyone found anything more elegant? Second question, I thought I saw a conversation about allowing both 1200/2400 dial-up to a VAX. I don't see how that can be done. We have not been able to connect our modems while the AUTOBAUD parameter is on. Is there some other way or do we need to buy another type of modem? Thanks! MICROVAX SIG Message # 157 1 replies Reply to # 156 Left by: Phil Anthony On 18-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: MESSAGE DOWNLOADS Bill, there's no streaming mode on ARIS (suggestion to the sysop?), and I don't know of any software for VAXes that's smart enough to handle it. Somebody else may have better information on that score. You might think about dialling in on a PC - I use a script file with a communications pro- gram called Mirror from SoftKlone (it started out life as a clone of CrossTalk XVI) that not only does the job, it does it in the background, letting me continue my work while it's gathering messages. It also emulates VT102 quite well. What it does - and the technique could be adapted to other communications software - is wait for the strings "to read a message ?", " to con- tinue?", or " to return to menu ?". After either of the first two, it sends a and loops back to try again; after the third it sends a , walks me out of the menu, and logs me off. The only problems I've encountered oc- cur when the good people at ARIS change their prompts .... MICROVAX SIG Message # 158 0 replies Reply to # 157 Left by: Phil Anthony On 18-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: MESSAGE DOWNLOAD Sorry - those strings were from an old set of prompts. The correct ones, which I currently use, are " to reply", "more...", and "to menu ?". And if I reread this with my automated script, the poor program will get awfully confused at seeing them inside a message. MISCELLANEOUS SIG Message # 405 0 replies Reply to # 404 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 19-Sep-88 At : (617) 868-1111 Subject: my address for tapes To send me tapes, address them to: Barton F. Bruce Cambridge Computer Associates Inc 92 Sherman St. Cambridge Mass 02140 Please send a postage meter stick on label for the return postage and a return address label that must (to make using your postage meter label legal for return use) also have typed on it: "RETURN POSTAGE HAS BEEN PREPAID BY:" and then follow that by your return address. I'll return them as fast as I can, but they have to be done on a spare time basis, so I won't promise instant service. To make sure they get here, it is best to use some reliable service such as UPS. Now if UPS had a mechanism where you could pay for my shipping it back we could be sure you would get it... DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 411 0 replies Reply to # 410 Left by: Barton F. Bruce On 19-Sep-88 At : (617) 868-1111 Subject: I had HAYES trouble too... That discription rang a big bell! It just happened to me, too. I thought I would never fix it, but finally did (well sort of). First I was NOT on the computer itself, but on a DS200 terminal server, and that adds problems of its own. The trick that finally did the most good was to get the terminal server to NOT raise DTR until someone connects going out for reverse LAT (e.g. set host/dte ...) or until the server sees the RING lead from the modem. In addition I had to set the Hayes modem to DROP CARRIER DETECT when it actually lost it, else it sits there with it still up thinking that you or some smart PC program will tell it what to do next. Those 2 settings + all the more obvious ones did the trick. BUT I swear I saw the following, but it is very randome, so I havn't been able to show anyone else: The modem was telling the DS200 it saw ringing. It had DRS up and there was intermittant ring and the DS200 just sat there. I had a breakout box wired in between, so I even unplugged the DS200 from the Hayes and then plugged it back in. The DS200 still would not raise DTR as it is supposed to when it sees RING (if DTR were raised Hayes claims, and I believe them, the modem would then answer.) I then didn't trust the lights on the breakout box, and flipped the switch to isolate RING and forced it on towards the DS200. Still no DTR. I isolated DTR and jumpered it on toward the modem and it answered but there was no prompt to the incoming call from the server. I tried to crash the server (to get a tape to send with a NASTY SPR), but we weren't set up right for it so I only caused a reboot of the server, but that made the problem go away. As for multi speed operation with dial in/out operation, the only way we are able to do it (and it works well) is to use a modem that allows a single speed to be used between the modem and the CPU. It buffers and flow controls to handle the lower speed transmission, but the CPU sees 1 speed so you simply leave the port set at that speed. The modems we use normally are Concord's series II, and they run up to 2400 and support MNP error correcting. Now is a horrible time to buy a modem, as everyone is waiting for 9600 baud V.32 units to support negotiating of features and all the other speeds while having as features not only MNP error correcting but also some compression to give even faster throughput (19.2 - 38.4!!). I think the problem is that some standards committee hasn't quite finished, but all the players know what the options are. You may be able to get a really good modem with a firm promise of the final prom set when the standards are finished. If you can't get such a promise, don't buy a V.32 yet. Soon we will all be out of this slow 2400 world. VMS SIG Message # 718 3 replies Reply to # 715 Left by: SIMON BRWON On 19-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: A REPLY Thanks for the question - I would like to know also . What I do is to dump the .exe and look at the first two blocks to see the list of RTLs that are I beleive referenced by the image. It would be interesting if any of the cogniscenti could confirm / use flame thower etc whether this is a valid method of determining the RTLs actually required, and a guide to the overhead in getting the image up and running. VMS SIG Message # 719 0 replies Reply to # 718 Left by: ROBERT G. SCHAFFRATH On 19-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: IMAGES LINKED TO A SHAREABLE IMAGE If I understand your question correctly, you want to be able to see which images currently running on the system have certain shareable images open. There are three methods that I can think of off hand to check for which shareable images are being activated or are in use by a program. They are: 1) Use the undocumented DCL command 'SET WATCH/CLASS=MAJOR FILE' (A fascinating program which should be documented! In fact, if anybody is interested, I will document it on here). This will cause the XQP to display messages regarding files that the image is opening. The shareable images will be listed in these messages. 2) Set the UAF flag AUDIT and watch the security alarms when you run the image. The names of the shareable images will be listed in the alarm messages. 3) Try using the SHOWPROCFILES (not sure of exact name) in the Fall '87 DECUS symposium tape. It prompts for a PID and will display all files opened by the target process. The shareable images will be listed. Hope this helps. Drop me a line if you are interested in the exact name for item 3. Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY MASS STORAGE SIG Message # 207 0 replies Reply to # 206 Left by: DR. GONZO On 19-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: VAXBI OPTIONS Welcome to the world of VAXBI where 'Digital Has it Now' does not apply! Where 'We will charge what we want and you will pay it' is the motto! There are no 'licensed' VAXBI options other than what DEC calls 'complementary' on the market. While rumor has it the BIIC chip has been reverse engineered, don't hold your breath for for anything too soon. The legal issues have to be resolved and it could be rather uncomfortable to drop $8000 on a board only to have it declared illegal. Not withstanding, several items on the VAXBI wish list are: 1) SCSI controller 2) PERTEC tape interface controller 3) SMD and ESDI disk controllers If you are out of slots, check your machines memory. Are you using 2MB or 4MB memory boards? If so, replace them with 16MB boards. You can go DEC or try Clearpoint or EMC^2. VMS SIG Message # 720 0 replies Reply to # 718 Left by: MARK KUEHN On 19-Sep-88 At : (612)6746-4501 Subject: HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT IS LINKED IN I believe that ANALYZE/IMAGE/FIXUP_SECTION will give you the information that you want. Near the end of the listing it tells you exactly what images make up this image. Mark CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 302 0 replies Left by: BOB ZISEK On 19-Sep-88 At : (203)798-5240 Subject: RENAMING ACROSS NETWORK We have installed an IBM PC running DECnet-DOS via a DEPCA controller board. This PC has a third party software package (BARR-HASP) to transfer files up to the IBM mainframe (a 4381, I believe). The problem is this: The Barr program scans a dedicated directory on the PC every 30 seconds. If it finds a file, it automatically transfers it to the mainframe,then DELETES it. When we send a large file from our VAX 8250 to the PC, it may take more than 30 seconds. What happens is the file is opened on the PC, transferring from the VAX begins, then Barr comes along and takes the file and deletes it. the FAL then tries to close a file that is no longer there, and issues (obviously) an error. So the actual contents of the file never reaches its destination. First of all, is there a way to have FAL lock that file, so Barr won't touch it until it is closed, OR is there a quick and dirty way to rename the transferred file over DECnet, to a particular file name that Barr processes, only. This would eliminate Barr grabbing opened files before they are closed. Any info is greatly appreciated. Bob Zisek System Manager Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. 90 East Ridge P.O. 368 Ridgefield, Ct. 06877 MICROVAX SIG Message # 159 0 replies Reply to # 145 Left by: PHIL NAECKER On 19-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: MORE ON CONNECTING TO THE 2000 I've been asked by Mark Kuehn about connecting devices to the SCSI port on the 2000's. Basically, the answer is that you can't use the SCSI port for much of anything just yet. You also asked if you could connect an RD53 to the SCSI port - the answer here is also no. However, you can connect an Rd53 to the disk controller on the microVAX as either the first or second device, by following the instrcuctions in my article. Phil SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 178 1 replies Reply to # 69 Left by: MARK HALVERSON On 19-Sep-88 At : 205-721-8455 Subject: LOCKED TERMINALS ...I am merely a user, but: I have managed to unlock a terminal port (Emulex) by typing /output=tx?? filename | where filename contains a ^q ascii sequence. (this effect can be reversed with a ^s character file) p.s. sometimes it works......... VMS SIG Message # 721 0 replies Reply to # 102 Left by: MARK HALVERSON On 19-Sep-88 At : 205-721-8455 Subject: DIALOUT 224A/D I would be very interested in program/hints for autodialer 224, we are currently Beta testing a communication package for DEC and I cannot get this thing to dial out. anything to verify port functionality would help. VMS SIG Message # 722 1 replies Left by: JIM MCRAE On 19-Sep-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: SET WATCH COMMAND Robert S. I saw your comment on SET WATCH and immediately had to try it. I found all of the qualifiers (I think) but now I would like to know what all I am looking at. I would appreciate any further documentation that you can provide. Thank you. Jim APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 264 0 replies Left by: GREG SMITH On 19-Sep-88 At : AUSTRALIAN 61-62-435012 Subject: INTERLEAF PRICES I understand Interleaf have recently released their new price list for TPS 4.0 over there. I would like to know what the new price for CORE TPS, FULL and the options is now. Also WPS-D. Thanks lots. DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 412 0 replies Reply to # 410 *OUTPUT OFF*Left by: ELLIOT FINLEY On 20-Sep-88 At : HERE... OR (801) 363-1657 Subject: DIALING IN AT 1200/2400 Set your smart modems so that they will not echo any commands. The reason for this is because, suppose that you call at 1200 and the modem that is on your vax defaults to 2400, the vax will see the work "RING" at 2400 therefor autobauding to 2400, then when you get connected at 1200, you get garbage. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 179 1 replies Left by: DICK THOMSON On 20-Sep-88 At : 914/658-3141 Subject: CRASHES ABOVE "ASTDEL" ? Since increasing ports on Microvax II above 16, we have had over 20 system system crashes: "INVEXCEPTN, Exception while above ASTDEL or on interrupt stack." Occurs on any random process, priority is at 9, I/O counts at their limits. How can we find out what"s wrong? SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 180 0 replies Reply to # 179 Left by: JIM MCRAE On 20-Sep-88 At : (406) 245-3191 Subject: CRASHES We had a similar problem on our 750 that turned out to be hardware. I think the CPU board was replaced (DEC field service did the work). Jim CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 303 1 replies Left by: SCOTT RIBE On 20-Sep-88 At : (205) 583-3600 Subject: PC NETWORKING We are considering using our VAX as the file (and print) server for a network of PC's (IBM Compatibles). Does anyone have experience with a setup like this? We are particularly interested in any information that would help us decide between the various options (ie, DEC, Novell, etc...). Thanks... PC'S SIG Message # 185 0 replies Left by: SCOTT RIBE On 20-Sep-88 At : (205) 583-3600 Subject: PC NETWORKING I would really appreciate your response to msg # 303 in the clustering and networking sig... thanks. COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 230 0 replies Left by: SCOTT RINE On 20-Sep-88 At : (205) 583-3600 Subject: PC NETWORKING Please respond to msg # 303 in the clustering and networking sig... thanks. CLUSTERING/NETWORKING SIG Message # 304 0 replies Reply to # 303 Left by: Phil Anthony On 20-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: PC/VAX NETWORKING Scott, see my message in answer to Kitty George's question on the same topic in the Communications SIG (SIG #27, Message #226). I haven't actually put one up yet - nobody has outside of Novell, it's still in beta test - but Novell's Netware for VMS looks darned good. APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 265 0 replies Left by: BRETT On 20-Sep-88 At : DEPT OF NEUROLOGY/GRADUATE HOSP PHIL Subject: VAXLAB/VAXSTATION/GPX Interested in conversing with anyone in the VAX world who is familiar with the vaxlab software on a vaxstation II/gpx system. We are writing real-time acquisition and display programs to acquire and analyze EEG data from scalp leads and depth electrode placements. Want to share our experience and benefit from your experiences both good and bad. Please correspond via this message system or directly at 215-893-4133 or by mail to: Brett E. Skolnick, Ph.D. Department of Neurology Graduate Hospital Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 Thanks. VMS SIG Message # 723 0 replies Reply to # 722 Left by: Robert G. Schaffrath On 21-Sep-88 At : 914-335-9792 Subject: SET WATCH Documentation Glad you found SET WATCH interesting. I stumbled across it about two years ago and was never able to find any documentation on it. It has been quite useful though. I contacted the CSC and found out that it is on V5.0. However it, along with WP.EXE/WPDRIVER.EXE which is another interesting utility, will remain undocumented. Anyway, here is what I have on 'SET WATCH': SET WATCH/CLASS=(n) FILE Enables logging of selected XQP functions, specified by 'n', on the current terminal. Requires either CMEXEC or CMKRNL privilege. 'n' may be a list of classes. Class Function ----- -------- ALL Enables monitoring of all monitorable classes ATTACHED (I have no idea on this one. Never seen it work) DUMP Enables monitoring of FIB block contents. ATTRIBUTES Enables monitoring of read/write attibute operations CONTROL_FUNCTION Monitors ACP control operations (IO$_ACPCONTROL) DIRECTORY_OPERATIONS Monitors directory operations such as lookup, etc. MAJOR_FUNCTION Monitors major XQP functions. Combination of classes. QUOTA_OPERATIONS Monitors lookup and changes to QUOTA.SYS. NONE Disables monitoring of all classes. Also 'NOALL' Have fun!! Robert G. Schaffrath System Manager General Foods Corporation White Plains, NY VMS SIG Message # 724 0 replies Left by: JIM ANDERSON On 21-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: DYNAMIC MEMORY ALLOCATION I would like to know how to increase the dynamic memory allocation for a process. I have a very large image which responds with insufficient dynamic memory whenever it is executed. My terminology may not be correct; the value that believe needs to be increased is the one on the upper right corner of the SHOW PROCESS/MEMORY command. It is 50 on all of the VMS systems that I have seen, but for a specific process, I need at least 100. I have tried increasing the working set quotas in the UAF, and have modified several SYSGEN parameters, but nothing seems to alter this value. Please tell me where I can find a good explaination of this value, including how to modify it. MICROVAX SIG Message # 160 0 replies Left by: DOUGLAS M. KABAY On 21-Sep-88 At : 609-737-5801 Subject: AREA ROUTER LOADING We are in the process of evaluating CPUs to be used as an area router and network management center. The two candidates are a MicroVAX II and a MicroVAX 3600. Where could I look for information that would help us make the choice? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 413 0 replies Reply to # 265 Left by: Phil Anthony On 21-Sep-88 At : Here Subject: MAC/VAX NETWORKING Gary, this reply is awfully late, and you probably have an answer already. I don't know about DEC, but Novell has it now. MACs can take part in a Novell Ethernet network, using the AppleShare interface - and now VAXes can be servers on a Novell network. Call me at (215) 643-4265 if more informa- tion would still be useful. (It's a lot faster than AlissaTalk, too!) APPLICATIONS SIG Message # 266 0 replies Left by: KENNETH R. PAUL On 21-Sep-88 At : HARRIS & PAULSON Subject: GLOBAL BUFFERS IN RMS IN WRITING A DATA BASE APPLICATION ON A MICRO VAX IN VAX/FORTRAN I NEEDED TO OPEN SEVERAL FILES WITH SHARED ACCES AND USED GLOBAL BUFFERS. IF I GOT AN RMS$_CRMP MESSAGE AFTER MY CONNECT I WOULD DECREMENT MY FAB$W_GBC FIELD BY ONE AND TRY TO CONNECT AGAIN. I WOULD REPEAT THIS PROCESS UNTIL THE FILE WAS CONNECTED. WHEN I INSTALLED THE PROGRAM ON TWO DIFFERENT 8600 SYSTEMS THE PROGRAM WOULD HANG WHEN I WOULD TRY TO CONNECT WITH A SMALLER NUMBER. ANY THOUGHTS ON WHY THIS IS? THE RMS MANUAL MENTIONS THAT EITHER GBLSECTIONS, GBLPAGES, OR GBLPAGFIL IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH IN SYSGEN. I KNOW HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT IS CURRENTLY BEING USED OF GBLSECTIONS AND GBLPAGES FROM INSTALL. IS THERE ANY WAY OF FINDING OUT HOW MANY GBLPAGFIL ENTRIES I HAVE USED SO I CAN DETERMINE WHICH VARIABLE NEEDS TO BE INCREASED? COMMUNICATIONS SIG Message # 231 0 replies Left by: RAY GAUVREAU On 21-Sep-88 At : 705 945 4448 Subject: MEGALINK BY COMPUTROL We have been using Computrols MEGALINK hardware and protocol to communicate between two digital PDP micros. It connects a communications micro to an analog control micro but there have been intremittent problems with the link. It seems to work fine for a number of weeks and then for no APPARENT reason the link simply hangs. Cycling the power on the communications micro (PDP11/23) seems to restart the hardware. We have tried to fix the problem using software resets, but with no luck. If anyone out there has had similar, or indeed ANY experience with MEGALINK from Computrol, I would appreciate your insights. We are concidering replacing with DEQUNA boards. Please leave a mail message or give me a call. Thank You, Ray Gauvreau (705) 945-4448 Algoma Steel Corp. Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIG Message # 181 0 replies Reply to # 178 Left by: Barton F Bruce On 21-Sep-88 At : HERE Subject: Force X-ON a terminal There is a SET TERM Txxn: /XON command (may be undocumented) that may help. RSX SIG Message # 246 0 replies Left by: RAY GAUVREAU On 21-Sep-88 At : 705 945 4448 Subject: MEGALINK BY COMPUTROL We have been using Computrols MEGALINK hardware and protocol to communicate between two digital PDP micros. It connects a communications micro to an analog control micro but there have been intremittent problems with the link. It seems to work fine for a number of weeks and then for no APPARENT reason the link simply hangs. Cycling the power on the communications micro (PDP11/23) seems to restart the hardware. We have tried to fix the problem using software resets, but with no luck. If anyone out there has had similar, or indeed ANY experience with MEGALINK from Computrol, I would appreciate your insights. We are concidering replacing with DEQUNA boards. Please leave a mail message or give me a call. Thank You, Ray Gauvreau (705) 945-4448 Algoma Steel Corp. Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Canada MICROVAX SIG Message # 161 0 replies Left by: CLIFF HEYER On 21-Sep-88 At : 617-239-3684 Subject: MICROVAX 2000 I was thinking of buying a MicroVAX 2000 for program development....that is BIG programs 35,000+ lines COBOL or 100,000+ lines C. Anyone have any experience with programs this big on the 2000? I'm wondering if one has to wait hours for compiles. Perhaps getting the 6MB version is advisable to reduce paging? DATA/FILE TRANSFER SIG Message # 414 0 replies Reply to # 410 Left by: RICHARD NIGHTINGALE On 21-Sep-88 At : (212)495-1406 Subject: HAYES MODEMS ON DS200 I have been very successful getting my Hayes 2400 baud modem to do dialin/dialout with automatic speed selection between 1200 and 2400 baud. I am using a DECserver 200 for this purpose. AUTOBAUD simply doesn't work on MicroVAXes. My DS200 is configured with SPEED 2400 and ALTERNATE SPEED 1200. Modem controls are enabled, and DTRwait is enabled. I initialized my HAYES modem with the command string: AT&F&C1&D3&S1S0=1&W This saves permanent settings which instruct the modem to use the Speed Selection pins of the RS232. This enables the DS200 to always know which speed the modem is operating at, and match it. This works much better than AUTOBAUD, although it is limited to two speeds. On dialin, it is not necessary for the user to press Carriage Return, as with Autobaud. On dialout, the dialing commands are always issued at 2400 baud, but the modem and DS200 will automatically switch when a 1200 baud connection is made. The only problem is that this configuration suppresses the usual CONNECT message. So, you just have to count to 10 slowly before beginning your login. Other messages, such as "BUSY" are not affected by this.