HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: uugblum@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (VMScluster Administrator)
Subject: Re: dsnlink
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 15 Sep 1992 13:27 EST  

In article <01GOS07J5OSI0000B2@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU>, DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU (Dan Wing) writes...
>Eva Brown <brown@CAER.UKY.EDU>, wrote:
> 
>>Is there anyone one using DSNLINK?  
[stuff deleted]
>>Any disadvantages or problems?
> 
[more stuff deleted]
>I'd recommend using the ACL security discussed in the DSNlink manual so that
>only 'authorized' individuals can send Email messages to the CSC requesting
>help (this is for the same reason you don't give DEC's 1-800 number and
>your access code to all your users).  You may want to also restrict access to 
>the ITS and/or VTX portions of DSNlink to appropriate individuals.
> 
>-Dan Wing, DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU or WING_D@UCOLMCC.BITNET (DGW11)
> Systems Programmer, University Hospital, Denver

In sequence number C910624-1638, I asked DEC CSC about DSNlink usage
restrictions.  The response was that only authorized people on the software
contract could request software patches and submit problems.  There were no
restrictions on the use of DSN ITS.  I thought this was great because users
could obtain programming examples directly from DSN ITS which would free up
some of my time.

The installation guide suggests changing the file protection, but it doesn't
tell you what you should do.  I asked DEC CSC to improve their documentation.
After some experimentation, I found the following protection changes to be
acceptable.

$! Disable access to VTX.  Users don't need access to patches.
$ Set File /Prot=W SYS$SYSTEM:DSN$VTXPAD.EXE
$!
$! Don't let users change the registered phone number.
$ Set File /Prot=W SYS$LIBRARY:DSN$REGSHR.EXE
$!
$! Don't let users log problem calls with CSC (send mail)
$ Set File /Prot=W SYS$LIBRARY:DSN_MAILSHR.EXE
$!
$! Allow incoming mail messages
$ Set File /Acl=(Id=[DSN$SERVER], Access=R+E) SYS$LIBRARY:DSN_MAILSHR.EXE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The opinions expressed are my own, and not that of my employer.

Greg Blumers				Sverdrup Technology, Inc.
VAXcluster Administrator		c/o NASA Lewis Research Center
(216)433-6777				Mail Stop 142-2
					21000 Brookpark Road
uugblum@scivax.lerc.nasa.gov		Cleveland, OH 44135
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU (Dan Wing)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: DECPS..anybody using it???
Date: 11 Sep 92 15:07:58 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet

Someone, with no return address other than <info-vax-request@KL.SRI.COM>, 
wrote:

>I'm interested in knowing if anyone has used the new DEC PS performance
>monitoring software. If so, what's your opinion? Do you have any
>recommendation for other (3rd party) performance monitoring software?

I'm using it on a VAX 6620 (VMS V5.5) and a MicroVAX 3100 (VMS V5.4-3).  
Contact me directly if you'd like comments.

The only third party product I've tried is RoboMon, which seems like a good
product, but didn't satisfy our needs for capacity planning abilities.

-Dan Wing, DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU or WING_D@UCOLMCC.BITNET (DGW11)
 Systems Programmer, University Hospital, Denver
From: DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU (Dan Wing)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Process extinction observer??
Date: 14 Sep 92 15:09:58 GMT
Organization: The Internet

wipke@secs.ucsc.edu, wrote:

>What exists that will take a list of processes for a node and monitor
>a local area vaxcluster and inform the sysmgr when one of the mandatory
>processes fails ?  For example, MX in our config runs as six processes on
>on node and one on each of the other nodes.  It would be nice to get some
>kind of broadcast msg plus mail when a critical symbiont exits.  surely
>people have crafted such tools.

See SYSWATCH.C in the most recent (July/August 1992) _VAX Professional_.
I believe NANNY (see INFO-VAX monthly FAQs) can also provide this feature.

-Dan Wing, DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU or WING_D@UCOLMCC.BITNET (DGW11)
 Systems Programmer, University Hospital, Denver
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: aswx266@chpc.utexas.edu (Michael Lemke)
Subject: Re: VAX Operations Manual info
Organization: The University of Texas System - CHPC
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 92 19:38:44 GMT

In article <9209071436.AA05307@image.uky.edu> cdavis@BME1.IMAGE.UKY.EDU (Charles Davis VA) writes:
>It is a very good manual with graphics and a text version wouldn't be as useful.
>It was the first such message that I pasted, decoded etc. and I'm glad
>that I learned how to do it!  I appreciate the original authors efforts also.
>

How about a postscript version?
-- 
Michael Lemke
Astronomy, UT Austin, Texas
(michael@io.as.utexas.edu or UTSPAN::UTADNX::IO::MICHAEL [SPAN])
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: "ray chow" <ray.chow@canrem.com>
Subject: kermit for vms?
Reply-To: "ray chow" <ray.chow@canrem.com>
Organization: Canada Remote Systems
Distribution: comp
Date: 13 Sep 92 20:35:31 EST

Kermit for VMS is available by anonymous FTP from watsun.cc.columbia.edu
in the /kermit/b directory.  Transfer the files vmsmit.hex and vmshex.mar
in ASCII mode.  vmsmit.hex is the .EXE file in hex format.  vmshex.mar
contains two macro32 programs to encode and decode hex files in a format
suitable for e-mail transfer that preserves file and record attributes.

If you want something newer and have a C compiler, try C-Kermit instead.
It is available from the same site (binary is in /kermit/bin/ckvker.exe).

rc  (ray.chow@canrem.com)
---
  KingQWK 1.05  
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario, Canadas
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: marten@ilt.fhg.de (Lutz Marten)
Subject: Autodial-back software for VMS 
Keywords: modem autodial-back
Reply-To: marten@ilt.fhg.de
Organization: FhG-ILT
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 06:24:51 GMT


Hello,
who uses an p.d., reliable autodial-back software for Hayes compatible modems under VAX-VMS 5.4-3 and can supply it ?
ThanX for help ! -Lutz
--
Disclaimer: Hell is other people. Jean-Paul Sartre
# Lutz Marten,  Postmaster and general dogsbody 
# Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Institut fuer Lasertechnik 
# BITNET: KQ040MA@DACTH11 , InterNet: marten@ilt.fhg.de                        
# HEPNET: 13533::52714::MARTEN, Phone: +49/241/8906-112, -0
From: system@PIB1.PHYSIK.UNI-BONN.DE (Peter Kobe)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: What DOES VMS mean?
Date: 14 Sep 92 13:03:25 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet

ARNE@KO.HHS.DK gave the official Answer

> VMS = Virtual Memory System

On the German DECUS-VAX it stands for

Vergnuegen mit Software  (Joy with Software)

So you may find different fittings in many languages.

Peter
=====================================================================
Peter Kobe			Internet: system@pib1.physik.uni-bonn.de
Physikalisches Institut	          HEPNET: 13562::SYSTEM
Universitaet Bonn	             Tel: (49) 228 73 3222
D 53 Bonn
From: tillman@swdev.si.com ("Brian Tillman, Smiths Industries, VAX Support, x8425")
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: Mail sent to an account received by two? (NOT a simple forwarding!)
Date: 14 Sep 92 23:31:35 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet

Panayotis Kassapidis (kassapidis@vxcern.cern.ch) writes:

>   I want mails sent to a VMS account (NODE1::USER1 for example),
>   to be forwarded in such a way that the show up as new mails
>   to BOTH NODE1::USER1 AND a second VMS account NODE2::USER2.

Sorry.  With plain VMS Mail, this cannot be done.  What you might consider is 
writing a batch job that periodically checks NODE1::USER1's mail and, if there 
is new mail, to send it on to NODE2::USER2.  This is fairly simple.

-----------------------------+--------------------------------
 Brian Tillman               | Internet: tillman@swdev.si.com
 Smiths Industries, Inc.     |
 4141 Eastern Ave., MS129    | Hey, I said this stuff myself.
 Grand Rapids, MI 49518-8727 | My company has no part in it.
-----------------------------+--------------------------------
From: sjs@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu (Steve J. Schmidhauser)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Help with local command for C link
Date: 5 Sep 92 04:16:28 GMT

In <9486246@zl2tnm.gen.nz> don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (Don Stokes) writes:
deleted examples
>$ LINK :== "@wherever:CLINK %'"	! note trailing single quote
Could you explain the %' or point me to the manual.
more deletions
>--
>Don Stokes, ZL2TNM (DS555)                        don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (home)
>Network Manager, Computing Services Centre            don@vuw.ac.nz (work)
>Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand              +64-4-495-5052

Thanks to the many reponses to my original post. Esp. to Bob Marshall,
this is what I ended up doing which seems to be working well.

$! CLINK.COM
$ set symbol/scope=noglobal
$ stuff = p2+" "+p3+" " +p4+" "+p5+" "+p6+" "+p7+" "+p8
$ LINK/NOMAP 'stuff' , disk$util:[macro]OPTIONS_FILE/OPT
$ exit
and the symbol:
$ lin*k    == "@DISK$UTIL:[MACRO]CLINK.COM %"

This allows use of qualifiers ie. /debug and is easy for our students to
use.  Thanks again!
--
Steve Schmidhauser               |  INTERNET: sjs@sbphy.physics.ucsb.edu
LTA Santa Barbara City College   |  Backup: 2209schm@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu
721 Cliff Dr, S.B.,CA 93109      |  PHONE: (805)965-0581 x2401
From: spinillo@MARYWOOD1.MARYWOOD.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: UCX 1.3 AND MX 3.1
Date: 10 Sep 92 19:10:16 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet

IS ANYBODY RUNNING UCX 1.3 WITH MX 3.1 . WE ARE NOT HAVING ANY
PROBLEMS SENDING MAIL, BUT SOME MAIL THAT IS MEANT FOR IS JUST
BOUNCES BACK TO THE SENDER. IF ANYBODY HAS ANY CLUES I NEED HELP.
SEND REPSONSES TO THE LIST, INSTEAD OF DIRECTLY TO ME AS I MIGHT
NOT GET IT


THANKS

Anthony Spinillo - Tech Services
Marywood College   717 348 6215
Scranton, PA 19509
spinillo@marywood1.marywood.edu
From: dragon@NSCVAX.PRINCETON.EDU (Mighty Firebreather)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: RS232 Test connector pinout?
Date: 7 Sep 92 21:21:06 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet


	Douglas W. Murray <dog.ee.lbl.gov!overload.lbl.gov!agate!spool.mu.edu!yale.edu!qt.cs.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!torn!cunews!revcan!micor!uuisis!owl!doug@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> writes:
>
>Hi,
>
>Thanks for the info.  You are quite right, I should have specified a bit
>more what I am trying to test.  The scenario in question is that I have a an
>automated blood testing system that supposedly uses pins 2,3,7 and pins 5
>jumpered to 20.  The software that is being used makes use of software flow
>control to talk to the box.  The software vendor indicated that shorting
>pins 2 and 3 and doing a set host to the port, I should then be able to see
>my characters echoed back  to me.  I know that if I do that with a port
>configured for a term, this works but with the port configured for this
>instrument that is not so true.
>
>At any rate, I proved (with some pain and equipment) that the VAX hardware
>was healthy and that by looking (sho proces/cont) at the process, that his
>software was not making any effort to send data to the port in question.
>
>Sooo... Thanks again for the info and I will be doing some more testinin the
>days to come so that I can satisfy my curiousity.
>

	Doug,

	If you would be so good as to include a return address in the body 
of your message, I wouldn't have to reply via the list and guess at your
address.  That mess up at the top is not an address, it's the return path 
and tells how your message reached info-vax.  A return path is frequently a 
one way street!  Even if the return path works, it's seldom the most 
efficient way to get a message to you.

	You will need to jumper your loopback connector as specified for 
the instrument you are trying to use.  It must satisfy the requirements of
TTDRIVER for modem control signals.  Try 4-5 and 6,8-20.  It looks as if 
the text of your message might have been truncated somewhere along the way;
"and pins 5 jumpered to 20"  so you may need to do something like 5,6, and
8 to 20.

*************************************************************************
*                                                                       *
*                        Here, there be dragons!                        *
*                      dragon@nscvax.princeton.edu                      *
*                                                                       *
*                                                Richard B. Gilbert     *
*************************************************************************

Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: des@uno.edu (Dan Smith)
Subject: Anyone have experience with MTI StingRay disk subsystem?
Reply-To: des@uno.edu
Organization: University of New Orleans
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 20:26:42 GMT


Hi All,

    We are currently looking at the possibility of installing a MTI
(dual) StingRay disk subsystem.  We would like any pointers to or
direct information about performance and compatability with standard
CI based Dec boxes.

    Specifically we are going to remove 1 HSC 70, 21 RA81's and 5
RA92's.

    This will be replaced with two Stingray controllers, each with
three IO interface boards (able to handle up to 7 drives per board),
and an array of 14 1.3 Gig drives.  We would sprinkle the drives
around in the following manner.  All drives would be dual ported (thus
the two Stingrays) with a distribution of 4, 5, 5 drives on the
controller board arrays.  (To spread the IO load as much as possible).

    We would like information from anyone with a good sized cpu array
(20 vups or more aggregate cpu cycles).  The kind of information we
are looking for is highest sustained IO bandwidth the StingRays can
maintain (in realworld applications, not pseudo realworld or
manufacturers own benchmarks).

    We are also interested in any compatability problems (if any) you
have experienced (VMS 5.4-x -> and above).  This includes host based
shadowing, striping, and VAXsim+

Thanx,
Dan Smith
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: zrepachol@cc.curtin.edu.au (Paul Repacholi)
Subject: RE: Reading IBM tapes, too hard for some...
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 20:10:02 GMT

In article <009601DE.7B35F6A0.11945@nscvax.princeton.edu>, dragon@NSCVAX.PRINCETON.EDU (Mighty Firebreather) writes:
> 
> 	There is *NO* support for IBM labeled tapes within VAX/VMS.  If 
> DEC's people at DECUS Symposia are to be believed, there never will be.
> 

If you have an RSX-11M-PLUS system around, you just MOU/TR:EBCDIC...
Isn't it nice to have so many useless MIPS...

~Paul
From: MikeSummers@cup.portal.com (Michael - Summers)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Intergraph machines in a DECnet environment?
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 92 05:08:04 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world

I'm looking for some information on adding Intergraph machines to a DECnet/
Pathworks environment.

Ideally the Intergraph boxes would see the VAXen as NFS nodes while the
VMS machines would see the Intergraph boxes as DECnet nodes (we need to
backup the Intergraph disks to the VAX 8mm tape unit).

I'd appreciate thoughts/experiences on this.

Thanks,
--Mike
From: ahall@dante.nmsu.edu (HALL)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: News program needed
Date: 16 Sep 92 02:57:57 GMT
Organization: New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

I am posting this for DAVISD@ZIAVMS.ENMU.EDU ( Darrell Davis ).

I wish to set up a local news system on our VAX running VMS v5.4.  I am
looking for a few programs that will do this.  I must evaluate a few and
than make a presentation to our Computer Services department.  Please
forgive my lack of expertise as I am not a sysadmin.

I want to set up a local system similar to UseNet News.  The program should
be capable upgrading to handle UseNet News or a similar service, but for the
time being we will only handle local news.  I don't know where to start so
any suggestions are greatly appreciated.  If you need to know more specifics
about our VAX, please ask and I will querry our sysadmin.  Please respond
to davisd@ziavms.enmu.edu .  Thanks in advance.

Darrell Davis
From: munroe@dmc.com (Dick Munroe)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Latest version of DELIVER?
Date: 8 Sep 92 07:17:45 EDT
Organization: Doyle, Munroe Consultants, Inc., Hudson, MA

In article <9209071320.AA11102@genrad.com>, dongray@cdclu1.genrad.com writes:
> A couple of weeks ago Dick Munroe posted the following...
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Name : Derek Dongray, Systems Manager, GenRad Ltd.

Derek has been in touch with me already.  I've got his copy of DELIVER and will
be integrating the news code into the later version "real soon".

Thanks for letting me know about the later version.
-- 
Dick Munroe				Internet: munroe@dmc.com
Doyle Munroe Consultants, Inc.		UUCP: ...uunet!thehulk!munroe
267 Cox St.				Office: (508) 568-1618
Hudson, Ma.				FAX: (508) 562-1133

GET CONNECTED!!! Send mail to info@dmc.com to find out about DMConnection.
From: QUESTION@EXODUS.VALPO.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: What DOES VMS mean?
Date: 10 Sep 92 20:53:43 GMT
Organization: The Internet

I got this over our site's QUESTION account at am baffled.  (I
answered the second line, but the first has me stumped.)

> I have a very simple question.  What do the initials VMS stand for? 
> Is VMS- Mail different from normal E-Mail?  Thanks! Dave Scupham
From: ccdarg@dct.ac.uk (Alan Greig)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: page file name not available
Date: 8 Sep 92 08:22:17 GMT
Organization: Dundee Institute of Technology

In article <01GOIDW6VKPU0000M0@VAXF.COLORADO.EDU>, DWING@UH01.Colorado.EDU (Dan Wing) writes:
> Todd Wipke, wipke@secs.ucsc.edu, writes:
> 
> I've set the pagefiles on my system to allow WORLD:READ, because issuing SHOW 
> MEMORY when the pagefile name was protected against read also caused a 
> security alarm.  I don't find a major security or system integrity problem 
> with allowing the pagefile to be WORLD:READ, but this may be a concern at your
> site.
> 

If your system requires requires high enough security to warrant file
lookup alarms how on earth can leaving the pagefile world read be
justified?


-- 
Alan Greig                            Janet: Alan@UK.AC.DUNDEE-TECH
Dundee Institute of Technology	      Tel: (0382) 308810
From: mike@FRED.ME.UIC.EDU (Michael E. Polhemus)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Digital News and Review's irresponsible attitude
Date: 15 Sep 92 20:54:44 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Internet

"Richard:"

	Systems managers and administrators have reputations for
being ethical, mature, and professional.  Your comments are giving
the RESPECTABLE potion of us a bad reputation and are
being insulting to a large group of people.  What, didn't your
parents teach you not to use language like that when dealing with
groups comprised audiences of both sexes?  

	You sound like a young child who has just learned a new
word.  Show off your "impressive" vocabulary elsewhere, like the 
nearest toilet.

	Mike


_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_

Michael E. Polhemus		
Network Administrator		SNAIL MAIL (Surface bound):
Office: (312) 996-9603		University of Illinois @ Chicago
Lab:	(312) 413-2318		Department of Mechanical Engineering
Internet: mike@fred.me.uic.edu	842 W. Taylor, Rm 3076 ERF (m/c 251)
Bitnet:   u49083@uicvm		Chicago,IL 60607

_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_

-Mann ist, was er isst
	-Heidegger
From: wipke@moleng.ucsc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: page file name not available
Date: 6 SEP 92 12:10:21 PDT
Organization: UCSC Molecular Engineering Laboratory
NNTP-Posting-Host: moleng.ucsc.edu

What causes subject msg to appear in "show mem"?  Most nodes show the
name of the device and file, but a couple nodes do not for page and swap.

Todd Wipke
Molecular Engineering Laboratory
UCSC
wipke@secs.ucsc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: zrepachol@cc.curtin.edu.au (Paul Repacholi)
Subject: Re: standalone vax and cluster on same CI ?
Organization: Curtin University of Technology
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 21:41:28 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.173152.1@cc.newcastle.edu.au>, sysmgra@cc.newcastle.edu.au (Ann Walters) writes:
> Hi,
> 
> Is anyone running a standalone VAX and a VAXcluster on the same CI?
> 

Provided you don't ever mount a disk on the 2 systems, no problem.
You will have a problem if you want to add a second system to the stand-alone
one, as you can't run two clusters on one CI. One cluster and n single vaxen is
fine.

~Paul

Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: brent@uwovax.uwo.ca (Brent Sterner)
Subject: VCS version 1.4 available yet?
Organization: University of Western Ont, London
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 17:51:57 GMT

   A long time ago (January) I was poking around with VCS.  That was
version 1.3.  VCS was put on hold, in part because 1.4 was due out soon.
(Apparently 1.4 was to have a lot of improvements, including virtual
connections, a demo package, and previous log file playback for debugging.)

   Yesterday I was approached again to take a look at VCS.  (I was almost
salivating in expectation of playing with the new version.:-)  My mouth dried
up real quick when I looked at the latest Condist; the distribution is still
for v1.3.  I also had a peek at the CSLG licensing.  Yep, still 1.3.

   Does anyone out there know the state of VCS, especially for CSLG sites?
I had a mailing list for VCS back in January that I've been unable to find.
I also had a phone chat with someone (Franz ?) inside DEC who was involved
with VCS somehow.  Is he still around?  (If so, please call me again.)

   In summary then, is VCS 1.4 available yet?  If not, when might I expect
to see it.  If so, how do I get there from here?  Thanks all,  b.
--
Brent Sterner                       Manager, Academic Technical Support
Fast:       <BRENT@uwo.ca>          <129.100.2.13>
Telephone:  (519)661-2151 x 6036    Fax:   (519)661-3486
Slow:  Computing & Communications Services, Natural Sciences Building
       The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada  N6A 5B7
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
From: eric@sejnet.sunet.se (Eric Thomas)
Subject: Re: How many VUPS to 1 MIPS or how many MIPS to 1 VUP.
Reply-To: ERIC@SEARN.SUNET.SE
Organization: SUNET, Stockholm, Sweden
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 02:40:08 GMT

In article <1992Sep8.192911.5745@ais.com>, bruce@ais.com (Bruce C. Wright) writes:
> A cautionary tale about the "utility" of the rating of a CPU in MIPS ...
> it's usually better to use SPECmarks or Whetstones or VUPS or whatever
> (Furlongs per fortnight? 8-) since they have a more standardized meaning
> than "MIPS".

Yep... One of the machines I have to run is an IBM 9221 rated at about 3 MIPS,
ie a despicable fraction of any recent workstation and three 370/158. It can
make 20M integer additions per second or 10M floating point, and there is
simply no comparison with a 370/158 in terms of speed. It still is one of the
smallest boxes IBM makes, but these MIPS ratings that users and brokers came up
with tend to have lost their meaning. An instruction set like the VAX or 370
contains a bunch of seldom-used complex instructions, some of which are rather
specific to certain types of applications. In particular, many instructions are
only used by COBOL programs. When IBM makes a scientific machine, they don't
bother making these perform, and DEC may have VMS emulate certain instructions
for the same reasons. This can have a serious impact on the global MIPS rating,
which has to take all instructions into account, while your average user might
never use some of them at all. My experience is that MIPS only work for
comparing the larger general purpose machines with each other, as these have
homogeneous performance for all complex instructions. For instance, a 3090-J
will make 70M integer additions per second, so one might hastily conclude that
the 9221 is 1/3 of a 3090-J and we got a pretty good deal! But then the 3090
will happily make 70M floating point additions as well, or 70M of any other
simple instruction, and the complex instructions are about 10 times faster than
on the 9221. And that helps a lot with stupid compilers that generate MOVC3's
to move tiny amounts of data around.

  Eric