HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mcrowley@MtHolyoke.edu (Michael A. Crowley)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: Patches online, was Re: Unix Review review of Alpha/OSF
Date: 21 Jan 1993 21:12:54 -0500
Organization: Mount Holyoke College
NNTP-Posting-Host: slab.mtholyoke.edu
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5

Bill Rye (rye@scmbrd.dco.dec.com) wrote:
> It all boils down to legalities.  ...

I want patches online.  But I don't think they are as necessary
online as the information *about* the patches.

I understand Marcus' (mjr) concerns about the political pressures
when working at DEC.  (And that does *not* bother me as it did
someone who followed that up.)  And I hear the potential problems
of legalities, and taking a pragmatic view, can understand and
sympathize with that position while also being real unhappy with
those who feed lawyers by litigation which tries to lay responsibility
(including financial responsibility) elsewhere than their own
personal or corporate behavior.  And I will ignore for this 
discussion that others may have solved these problems of online
patches and new releases.

I know I can get tapes of patches from CSC, and have.  However,
I and my staff have also spent time troubleshooting problems that 
ater turn out to have patches to fix them.  I would be happy to call
CSC and give my authorization number and have the patches mailed
to me, either postal or uuencoded (I've done it both ways),
BUT we need to know they exist!

I would like to see online:
   *  the release notes, current version
   *  the list of patches and the notes concerning them

It would be nice to also get them online, but I'm more concerned
with the personnel time involved in all this.

So I'm requesting that everyone who feels strongly about this,
include these options to their sales rep and thus avoid all
the "we can't issue online patches because..." arguments, when
what we really want is to spend less time troubleshooting problems
and more time to simply getting them fixed.
mac.
-----------------------------------------------
	Michael A. Crowley      mcrowley@mtholyoke.edu 
	Director of Network and Technical Services
	Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA   01075
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: EVANSJA%DFYC@pcmail.usafa.af.mil (John A. Evans)
Subject: VAXSTATION 3100 Wanted
Keywords: VAX 3100 WANTED
Organization: United States Air Force Academy
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 16:12:00 GMT

Wanted - a vaxstation 3100 or greater that will run vax c
as a standalone workstation, with about 120 meg of hard disk
storage and at least 8 meg of ram.  Email offers and info to
                                    jevans@gems.usafa.af.mil

thanks
From: barrett@aminet.uucp (Keith Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: MicroVax II, VaxStation 3200 disk question
Date: 26 Jan 93 01:58:21 GMT
Reply-To: hsi.com!genly!aminet!barrett
Distribution: usa
Organization: Waterbury USENET/UUCP
X-Copyright: (c) 1992 Keith Barrett; May be distributed freely, Not for sale
X-Disclaimer: Statements expressed are not representitive of any employer
X-NewsSoftware: XRN V6.17 Amiga UNIX SVR4

In article <1993Jan25.085406.23877@ugle.unit.no>, venaas@swix.nvg.unit.no (Stig Venaas) writes:
>We've got a MicroVax II and two VaxStation 3200 which
>are in terrible need of more diskspace.
>
>What kind of disks can they use?
>
>We have some SCSI and some standard PC MFM disks. Is it
>possible to connect any of those? I guess not though.


They take ST-506 MFM drives. The RD54 is a Maxtor drive; the RD53 is a
micropolis. Non-standard drives (i.e. non-DEC equivalent geometries) will
also work; the uVAX will detect that it doesn't recognize it and ask for
the geometry. I'm not sure what this actually looks like, as I've never
done it.

To format a drive, enter a "T 50" ot "T 51" at the console prompt.
One of these is a drive verification, the other is a format (I get them
mixed up as to which is which).

Keith Barrett
Digital Equipment Corp.

-- 
-kgb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UUCP: hsi.com!genly!aminet!barrett            Keep circulating the tapes - MST3k
                                           // My life is my own - the prisoner
Alternate: barrett@pamsrc.enet.dec.com   \X/  Amiga 3000UX - The Next Generation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky comp.sys.dec:7175 comp.unix.ultrix:9555 comp.os.vms:22207
From: grant@glg.ucs.dec.com (Gail L. Grant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Patches online, was Re: Unix Review review of Alpha/OSF
Date: 27 Jan 1993 22:19:44 GMT
Organization: poor.   organization has never been one of my finer points.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: grant@pa.dec.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: 16.9.64.40


In article <1993Jan27.003716.3226@decuac.dec.com>, rye@scmbrd.dco.dec.com (Bill Rye) writes:

|>2) I think that instead of discussing it here, we should do something about it.
|>I propose the following: Send me a mail message (since I've already marked
|>most of the news messages as read, and came into this discussion in the
|>middle,) containing the following information:
|>
|>	Why DEC should post patches on the internet.
|>	How all of us would benefit from this.
|>	If you currently pay for telephone support how this would effect it.
|>	(in other words would you drop it or continue it)
|>	Your name and phone number complete with area code.
|>	If internet access is refused, what other options might work.

waitaminute.  this has already been done.  i posted a survey on this to the
newsgroups, gathered the input and reported back up to the appropriate
people.  you should be hearing something about what happened as a result of
148 out of 150 folk wanting this real soon now.

g.
--
============================================================================
Gail L. Grant - "Live free or WISH you had" - (415)691-4541 grant@pa.dec.com
                                              WORK phone #
Opinions expressed are my own, OBVIOUSLY not those of my employer.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: acb@Ziggy.csl.ncsu.edu (Andrew C. Burnette)
Subject: Use VAXes as Xterminals?
Keywords: xkernel
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1993 01:39:20 GMT

Has anyone out in netland been able to configure old vaxstations as Xterminals?
I have seen Xkernel for Sun3's,  but even that package does not seem to 
be enough to point me in the right direction.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
-- 
******************************************************************************
Andrew C. Burnette  acb@ncsu.edu 
Electrical and Computer Engineering
From: robm@ishtar.Berkeley.EDU (Rob McNicholas)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Unknown console password on DECstation 5000/33
Followup-To: comp.sys.dec
Date: 21 Jan 93 16:42:54
Organization: Technical and Computing Services, U.C. Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: ishtar.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: winston@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu's message of Wed, 20 Jan 1993 23:27:52 GMT

In article <1993Jan20.152752.1@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu> winston@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu (Alan Winston) writes:
   So now what?  Does anybody know how to defeat the console password 
   protection?  Do I have to buy new boot ROMs or something?


We had a similar problem once with a DS3100.  The suggestion we
received from the Customer Support Center was to open up the machine,
find the battery on the motherboard (which backs up the non-volatile
ram), and remove it "for an hour or so."  We did this, put it all back
together, and discovered that "an hour or so" wasn't quite long
enough.  So, we took it apart again and left the battery out
overnight.  That did the trick.  (Unfortunately, this causes the
console to forget anything you've stored in the NVRAM, like the
default boot device, etc, but resetting all that stuff isn't TOO
difficult).

-Rob
--
Rob McNicholas		    Technical & Computing Services, EE/CS, U.C. Berkeley
robm@eecs.berkeley.edu	    Voice: 510/642-8633  FAX: 510/643-7846
From: fwj@reg.triumf.ca (JONES,FRED_W.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Mixed Fortran/C porting UNIX -> VMS headache
Date: 26 Jan 1993 11:16 PST
Organization: TRIUMF: Tri-University Meson Facility
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: reg.triumf.ca
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

[cross-posted to comp.os.vms]

I have a large mixed Fortran/C application that has to run on
both Unix systems and VMS.  On all the Unix systems I have used,
the Fortran compiler adds an underscore (_) to the end of all
global symbol names.  Thus the declarations look like, e.g.:

      COMMON/EDGR_MX/MX,XDIG,YDIG,CODE
      LOGICAL MX
      REAL XDIG,YDIG
      BYTE CODE
          ...
      CALL MXSHELL(I,A)
          ...

struct {Bool mx; float xdig, ydig; char code;} edgr_mx_;
          ...
void mxshell_(i, a)
   int *i;
   float *a;
{
   [...etc.]


Unfortunately, VMS does not add the underscore suffix to the references,
rendering this type of application fundamentally non-source-code-portable
to VMS systems.

Thus the programmer is forced to use abominations like:

#ifdef VMS
struct {Bool mx; float xdig, ydig; char code;} edgr_mx;
#else
struct {Bool mx; float xdig, ydig; char code;} edgr_mx_;
#endif
          ...
#ifdef VMS
void mxshell(i, a)
#else
void mxshell_(i, a)
#endif
   int *i;
   float *a;
{
   [...etc.]

One could make jackets for all the C routines, but that still leaves
the common blocks.

Any DEC/VMS gurus know of a more elegant solution?


Thanks

Frederick Jones
fwj@reg.triumf.ca
From: frank@rover.uchicago.edu (Frank - Hardware Hacker - Borger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: UNIBUS and/or QBUS interface description?
Date: 25 Jan 93 22:47:00 GMT
Reply-To: frank@rover.uchicago.edu
Organization: Joint Center for Radiation Therapy
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1993Jan25.175802.13830@bernina.ethz.ch>, merz@ips.id.ethz.ch (Andreas Merz) writes...
>I am looking for documentation for the UNIBUS and the QBUS interfaces.
>Where can i find something? (books, files, etc.)
> 
>Any help is much appreciated!

	Check out the processor handbooks for 11/xx processors. Most have
	descriptions of the Unibus or Q-bus in them. (11/x4 and x5 cpus
	are Unibus, 11/x3 are Q-bus.)

	N.B. Processor handbooks are all in the format of 5-1/2" by 8-1/2"
		paperbacks.

	Oh for the good old days when you could run your whole PDP-8 System
	with 2 paperbacks.

   Frank R. Borger - Physicist    __       George Halas had two heirs; one
Michael Reese - Univ. of Chicago |___      carried his seed and one carried his
  Center for Radiation Therapy   | |_) _   soul. ... One can imagine the wisper
    "Birthplace of Softball"       | \|_)  of George Halas, rooting for his
Internet:  Frank@rover.uchicago.edu   |_)  soul. - Jeannie Morris
Phone : 312-791-8075 fax : 567-7455
From: root@lyra.scg.hac.com (Dave Fisher)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Is there a way to find ethernet addresses via software?
Date: 27 Jan 93 19:31:46 GMT
Reply-To: fisher@lyra.hac.com (Dave Fisher)
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co., Carlsbad, CA


Is there a method to find out a vaxes hardware ethernet address(es) 
through a software utility or command?  If you know the answer to this,
please respond via email and I'll summarize.

Thanks,

Dave Fisher
fisher@lyra.hac.com
From: mjr@tis.com (Marcus J Ranum)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Need alloca which allocates storage IN the stack frame (Ultrix)
Date: 22 Jan 1993 14:47:22 GMT
Organization: Trusted Information Systems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.tis.com

>   I am still looking for an (assembly) version of alloca() which
>   does manipulate the stack to allocate storage.

	This is a language issue that's better flame-broiled in comp.lang.c,
but reasonable arguments can be made that code using alloca() is broken,
and should be fixed. Finding a version of alloca() is a temporary fix for
the bug, but writing code that doesn't depend on it is a better one.

mjr.
-- 
                                                 "guns don't die. people do."
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: kmc@cs.brown.edu (Ken Curewitz)
Subject: Re: Unknown console password on DECstation 5000/33
Organization: Brown Computer Science Dept.
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 13:59:31 GMT

I believe that the Dallas chip has a pin on it (pin 21?) that, when grounded (to pin 12) (with the system
power off!!!), clears the NVRAM.

I would also guess that they used a socket on the Dallas chip.
-- 
Ken Curewitz
Brown University  Box 1910  Providence RI 02912
kmc@cs.brown.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: alan@nabeth.enet.dec.com (Alan Rollow - Alan's Home for Wayward Tumbleweeds.)
Subject: Re: telnet/ftp in ultrix?
Reply-To: alan@nabeth.enet.dec.com (Alan Rollow - Alan's Home for Wayward Tumbleweeds.)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 22:08:35 GMT


In article <C1H5Hn.MK0@news.udel.edu>, walt@diusys.cms.udel.edu (Walt Dabell) writes:
>
>I have a small DECSystem 5400 with ULTRIX4.1 that was donated to us (without
>documentation of course). I can't find telnet or ftp on this machine. I can
>find telnet.h and ftp.h and lattelnet but not the real thing. Was this
>machine/OS suposed to have telnet and ftp? Was it an option? It has decnet, 
>rsh, ping, netstat, all sorts of stuff. It has only an ethernet board and the 
>console for communications. Any help/advise would be appreciated.

The ULTRIX distribution is divided up into subsets.  Telnet and ftp
are in the Communcations (UDTCOMM).  Rsh and some of the other are
in the Internet subset (UDTINET).  It sounds like you're system
didn't show up with the communction subset installed.  To find out
what subsets are installed use:

# setld -i

To find what subset a command is in search the inventory files in
/usr/etc/subsets:

% grep ftp /usr/etc/subsets/*.inv

You'll need a copy of the distribution to install whatever subsets
you consider "missing".

>
>---
>         __________________________________________________________
>         Walt Dabell  KD3GS (302)645-4225  walt@diusys.cms.udel.edu  
>                  U of Delaware / College of Marine Studies
>                      700 Pilottown Rd. Lewes, DE 19958
>
--
Alan Rollow				alan@nabeth.cxo.dec.com

Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: k2@bl.physik.tu-muenchen.de (Klaus Steinberger)
Subject: Re: DECNET in place of TCP/IP
Organization: Leibniz-Rechenzentrum, Muenchen (Germany)
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 09:16:40 GMT

steve@dec1.me.stevens-tech.edu (Stephen P. Ramm) writes:


>I have a need to run X Windows between a DECstation 5000/240 and a PC.  I can't 
>use TCP/IP because there is a filter on the network that prevents any TCP/IP
>information from passing to/or from my PC.  Is it possible to use DEC Windows
>on the PC to run X Windows apps. on the DECstation?  What would I have to do?

I believe DEC has product which could talk via LAT and/or DECNET.
(Pathworks I believe).

Also NCD (formerly GSS) provides a X-Server for PC's which could talk
DECNET (as an option).

But is not possible to remove this filter? It is just a pain to talk
to a unix machine with D(r)ECNET.

Sincerly,
Klaus
--
Klaus Steinberger               Beschleunigerlabor der TU und LMU Muenchen
Phone: (+49 89)3209 4287        Hochschulgelaende
FAX:   (+49 89)3209 4280        D-8046 Garching, Germany
Internet: Klaus.Steinberger@Physik.Uni-Muenchen.DE
From: ivie@cc.usu.edu (CP/M lives!)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: Unknown console password on DECstation 5000/33
Date: 22 Jan 93 10:00:04 MDT
Followup-To: comp.sys.dec
Organization: Utah State University

In article <ROBM.93Jan21164254@ishtar.Berkeley.EDU>, robm@ishtar.Berkeley.EDU (Rob McNicholas) writes:
> In article <1993Jan20.152752.1@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu> winston@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu (Alan Winston) writes:
>    So now what?  Does anybody know how to defeat the console password 
>    protection?  Do I have to buy new boot ROMs or something?
> 
> 
> We had a similar problem once with a DS3100.  The suggestion we
> received from the Customer Support Center was to open up the machine,
> find the battery on the motherboard (which backs up the non-volatile
> ram), and remove it "for an hour or so."  We did this, put it all back
> together, and discovered that "an hour or so" wasn't quite long
> enough.  So, we took it apart again and left the battery out
> overnight.  That did the trick.  (Unfortunately, this causes the
> console to forget anything you've stored in the NVRAM, like the
> default boot device, etc, but resetting all that stuff isn't TOO
> difficult).

I don't think this sort of thing will work with the 5000s. The NVRAM is one
of those Dallas Semiconductor parts that has an integrated battery. Even
pulling the chip out of the socket doesn't disconnect the battery.
-- 

Roger Ivie                      "My God! That computer is full of Pentium!
ivie@cc.usu.edu                  It's a wonder that you haven't been turned
                                 into mutants!"
Xref: sparky comp.sys.dec:7164 comp.unix.ultrix:9536 comp.os.vms:22142
From: pavlov@niktow.canisius.edu (Greg Pavlov)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Patches online, was Re: Unix Review review of Alpha/OSF
Date: 28 Jan 93 09:28:01 GMT
Followup-To: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix
Organization: Canisius College, Buffalo NY. 14208

In article <1993Jan27.094101.1@uwovax.uwo.ca>, brent@uwovax.uwo.ca (Brent Sterner) writes:
> 
>    The list of known problems is another matter entirely (and one which I
>    have little concern about either way).  Is this idea too complicated
>    for DEC to provide easily?
> --
    It is of little concern to us most of the time as well.  UNLESS we are
    trying to hassle out some problem trying to exchange mail with another
    site, for example.  It sure would save a lot of time if we could find
    out quickly that an ULTRIX bug may be the culprit.  Rather than mucking
    about for a couple of days assuming the problem is elsewhere, then calling
    tech support and be told "Oh yeah, I seem to remember seeing a bug report
    that sounds like it may apply to this...."



    greg pavlov
    pavlov@fstrf.org
From: sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu (Doug Mohney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: VMS on ALPHA PC's
Date: 28 Jan 1993 16:32:15 GMT
Organization: Computer Aided Design Lab, U. of Maryland College Park
Reply-To: sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: queen.eng.umd.edu

In article <1k8locINNb2a@cronkite.Central.Sun.COM>, dbernard@clesun.Central.Sun.COM (Dave Bernard) writes:

>Since I understand DEC will be licensing Alpha, as well as VMS to whoever
>is willing to sign up and pay for it, why not buy the rights to do so, and
>then yourself sell VMS, OSF/1, MVS, whatever, on the AXP PC?  You might just
>have a market?

Do you have any idea what the entry level cost for a VMS source code license
would be, with the rights to distribute it? 

I don't, but I suspect it's not exactly pocket change. 

What's to prevent you from hooking up a VMS/AXP boot SCSI disk to an Alpha PC, 
with a couple of patches plugged in to say "Ignore EISA for now." 

Hmm. I guess the Ethernet & disk hardware might/would be different, to keep
costs down, but if they aren't...


 
                    I have talked to Ehud, and lived.
  -- >                  SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU                        < --
From: frisbie@flying-disk.com (Alan Frisbie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Old PDP-11 documentation -- FREE!
Date: 26 Jan 93 10:31:08 GMT
Organization: Flying Disk Systems, Inc.

While cleaning out a closet over the weekend, I found
duplicate copies of some old PDP-11 manuals and print sets.
Since I need only one copy, I would like to offer the
extras to anyone who needs them.   Please telephone me
to confirm availability and shipping arrangements, etc.
Anything that is not claimed in two weeks will be put
in the recycling bin.

EK-11060-OP   PDP-11/60 Installation & Operation

EK-KD11K-TD   KD11K Processor (PDP-11/60) Technical Description
              Manual, Section 6, Maintenance Features

EK-11060-SV   PDP-11/60 Cabinet and Power Supply Manual

MP-00409      PDP-11/60 Basic Print Set (2 copies, 1 poor)

MP-00190      PDP-11/34A Print Set

MP-00527      RL01-AK Print Set

--  Alan E. Frisbie               Frisbie@Flying-Disk.Com
--  Flying Disk Systems, Inc.
--  4759 Round Top Drive          (213) 256-2575 (voice)
--  Los Angeles, CA 90065         (213) 258-3585 (FAX)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: jpt@salama.fno.dec.com (Jari Tavi)
Subject: Re: Unix Review review of Alpha/OSF
Reply-To: jpt@salama.fno.dec.com (Jari Tavi)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 09:15:55 GMT



Umh ;-) Yes, I fully agree that we need net-dist for patches. Don't shoot us
yet ;-) 

Still we have to solve the problems with lawyers and regulations, but that
shouldn't be a problem ... that's what the lawyers exists anyway...

We need only good, documented and accepted way of distributing patches. This
shoudl take care of at least following things:
 - patch history
 - version compatibilities and incompatibilies
 - "easy to use interface" to minimize risk for human errors
 - other things I haven't even thought yet...

I hope that you understand that having backups before patching system isn't
good enough. Who will be responsible if accidently someone installs patch
which has not been tested and confirmed working in customer environment 
and it causes major loss in customers operations? Worst case would be even
loss of human lives (like health care) or "only" loss of big bugs (like 
banking, insurance). At this time (I can speak only for us here locally)
we can guarantee quite good response if there's need for a patch, and it
gives us better possibility to track possible other problems (not related to
patches) at the same time, but still, I would like to see on-line patches to
be available in the net for customers who need them.

I will try to find some official feedback to this from right persons...

	-Jari

--
===============================================================================
Full-Name:      Jari Tavi			
Organization:   DEC Finland                     Dept:           DS/OSG
Tel:            +358-0-434 5252	                Fax:            +358-0-452 1392 
E-mail:         jpt@rixrax.enet.dec.com
Address:        Digital Equipment Corporation Oy
                PL 16
                02201 Espoo
                FINLAND
===============================================================================
* All opinions are my personal, and do not necessarily represent opinions of
* my employer! 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix,comp.os.vms