From: eric@sejnet.sunet.se (Eric Thomas)
Subject: >>> New VMS software repository for BITNET users <<<
Reply-To: ERIC@SEARN.SUNET.SE
Organization: SUNET, Stockholm, Sweden
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 18:10:46 GMT

My apologies if you have already seen this announcement - the INFO-VAX gateway
doesn't seem to work and someone reported that he saw the announcement, but it
"disappeared" from his news server.

             VMS Store - introduction and short user's guide
             -----------------------------------------------
                         Last update: 18 Dec 92
 
Are you tired of sluggish FTP transfers that time out after you've waited
15 minutes? Don't you hate wading  through 20 screens of unix packages on
archie in the hope of finding the host that has what you are looking for,
only to discover half an hour later  that it was a 1988 version? Wouldn't
you just love being  able to say, "hey, send me a copy  of FOO and let me
know whenever it is updated", rather than having to check newsgroups full
of flame threads just so you can know when a new version is available? If
you answered YES  to any of these  questions, we think you  will like the
VMS Store.
 
What IS the VMS Store?
----------------------
 
The VMS  Store is  a repository  of public-domain  or otherwise  free VMS
software which is *automatically* updated  from its *official source*. If
a package is available from the VMS Store, it is the latest version or it
has  just been  updated and  we'll have  the latest  version within  24h,
barring network failures.  And the Store is located on  the most reliable
of the EARN core  sites - on the same ethernet as the  main IP routers in
one of the hub sites of the european IP network.
 
The VMS Store  is targeted to have  everything a VMS user  might want. Of
course we can't read people's mind  and there will probably be things you
would have wanted  to order, but which  we don't store yet.  In that case
all you have to do is tell us  what it is and who wrote/maintains it, and
we'll  add it  to  our inventory  if  the maintainer  allows  us to.  And
remember, once it is in the Store it is automatically kept up to date.
 
The Store is managed  by LISTSERV (the real one). This  means you can not
only order files  or directories of files, but  also request notification
of updates  - or simply  ask the server to  automatically ship you  a new
copy whenever  the file is  updated. All  packages are stored  in VMSDUMP
format so  that you can use  the files directly after  receiving them: no
KLUDGE.C  to  resurrect savesets,  no  need  to  wait  10 minutes  for  a
VMS_SHARE extraction  or to worry  about damaged RMS attributes.  Well of
course some people may insist on  packaging their software in one unixoid
format or another, and then there's not much we can do about it, but real
VMS files will arrive as genuine VMS files.
 
This  however does  not  mean you  have  to put  up  with IBMish  syntax,
00README  files  showing  after   everything  else  or  stupid  truncated
filenames. You send commands like:
 
                   GET [MX.MX031]01README.REVC_UPGRADE
 
and it works as you'd expect it. You do have to say INDEX rather than DIR
for a directory, but again your get the result you would expect:
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Directory SEARN::VMS-SW:[MX...]
 
[MX.CONTRIB]00README.TXT;1                               8 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]ALL-IN-1_TO_MX.TXT;1                        16 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]ALL-IN-1_TO_MX_2.TXT;1                      16 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]ALL-IN-1_TO_MX_3.TXT;1                      16 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]DECNET_NAME_CONVERSION.VMS_SHARE;1          40 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]DECNET_NAME_CONVERSION_MX031.VMS_SHARE;1    48 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]HELP_FILE.VMS_SHARE;1                       32 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]MAIL_NEWS.VMS_SHARE;1                       72 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]MAIL_VERIFICATION.VMS_SHARE;1               24 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]MXSUM.VMS_SHARE;1                           96 21-AUG-1992 09:15:00
[MX.CONTRIB]MX_ALIAS.COM;1                              48 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]MX_BULL.VMS_SHARE;1                         88 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]TROUBLESHOOTING_GUIDE.TXT;1                 24 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.CONTRIB]VMSMAIL_PATCH.TXT;1                         48 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]00README.TXT;1                                 8 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]01README.ABOUT_DOCS;1                          8 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]01README.BITNET_UPDATE;1                      16 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]01README.REVC_UPGRADE;1                        8 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.A_Z;1                                  112 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.B_Z;1                                  304 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.C_Z;1                                  704 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.D_Z;1                                  136 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.E_Z;1                                  168 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.F_Z;1                                  112 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.G_Z;1                                  136 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.H_Z;1                                  128 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.I_Z;1                                   64 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.J_Z;1                                  216 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.K_Z;1                                 2136 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.L_Z;1                                   80 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031.M_Z;1                                  304 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX031_SRC.BCK_Z;1                           2520 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX.MX031]MX_REVC_UPGRADE031.A_Z;1                     800 21-MAY-1992 08:25:00
[MX]CONTRIB.DIR;1                                        1 15-DEC-1992 12:33:27
[MX]MX031.DIR;1                                          1 15-DEC-1992 12:33:27
 
Total of 35 files, 8538 blocks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Using the VMS Store
-------------------
 
You access  the Store by  sending commands to LISTSERV@SEARN,  either via
SEND or  via e-mail. The command  to order a  file is GET, followed  by a
directory name and  file specification (do not specify  any device name).
As usual  you can use  either square or  angle brackets in  the directory
name. You  can use  wildcards to  order selected files,  but only  from a
single sub-directory.  For instance,  "GET <MX.MX031>*.*"  is acceptable,
but "GET  <000000...>*.*" is  not, because  it would  span more  than one
directory. Note  that the decision is  based on the directories  in which
files  were actually  found, rather  than  in the  amount of  directories
searched. This means you can try  "GET <000000...>XYZ*.BCK" if you do not
remember the exact directory  or fileid, and it will work  as long as the
selected files are all in the same directory.
 
To  order a  directory  listing,  send an  INDEX  command  followed by  a
directory  name and  optional  file specification.  The  listing will  be
returned  to you  in a  file called  VMSFILE.LIS. Note  that there  is no
"default directory"  - if you  say just INDEX,  you will get  the regular
LISTSERV index. So send "INDEX <000000>" to get started, or if you want a
list of all directories, "INDEX <000000...>*.DIR".
 
Sometimes you will find a file called "something.PACKAGE" in a directory.
This means  that you can  order the whole package  by just sending  a GET
command for that  one file. And if you don't  remember the directory, you
can always use "<000000...>".
 
To request notification  of updates to a particular file,  the command is
FUI ADD (for File Update Information), followed by the directory name and
fileid. If you would rather have a copy shipped to you automatically, use
AFD ADD instead  (Automatic File Distribution). You can get  your FUI and
AFD lists  by sending an  "FUI LIST" or "AFD  LIST" command, and  you can
remove files  from these lists  with FUI DEL or  AFD DEL followed  by the
directory name and fileid.
 
Current restrictions
--------------------
 
The block counts in directory listings  are approximate and usually a bit
higher than  the actual size. They  are still good enough  for estimating
the amount of space you will need.
 
Unfortunately, the '%'  wildcard character is not supported  for the time
being, and  the messages  returned by  the AFD and  FUI commands  are not
particularly attractive. But they do work,  and this will be fixed in the
long term.
 
You must have BITNET connectivity in  order to retrieve files, because we
think that  using layered kludges  on top  of regular e-mail  to retrieve
large packages is  like using a screwdriver  as a pry bar.  Sure, it will
usually work  up to a  certain point, but given  that we have  people out
there who need  the screwdriver for what  it was meant to do  and that we
are the ones who are responsible for any problem with the screwdriver, we
just don't want to let people order files via e-mail. Sorry.
 
Unfortunately  it  is  not  possible  to make  the  files  available  via
anonymous FTP,  as this would  require the  development of a  special FTP
server. Before  you start flaming, remember  that the whole point  of the
exercise is  to use BITNET  delivery rather than  FTP because it  is more
convenient and guarantees that the RMS attributes are preserved.
 
If the package you wanted is not in the Store...
------------------------------------------------
 
...please write to VMS-Store@SEARN and tell us about it. Remember to tell
us where the package is available from  and who wrote it (if you know the
author's e-mail address, make sure to tell us!). In principle we will add
all requested packages to the Store, but there are a few exceptions:
 
1. We will always contact the author  for permission. We will not add any
   package against its author's will.
 
2. We only want up to date software. If for any reason we cannot have the
   software updated automatically, we will  not store it. For instance if
   the package  is available only from  a unix machine with  one of these
   multiple-dots filenames,  we will not  store it. Our daily  batch jobs
   can handle  most VMS-based FTP servers,  but the same is  not true for
   unix.
 
3. While we do have a reasonable  amount of disk space (our initial quota
   if 500M), there are things we cannot afford to store because there are
   too little potential  users or because they are just  too big. We have
   seen graphics packages  which come in 4 savesets of  100M each, and we
   simply cannot store this sort of  things. They are best distributed on
   a tape, too!
 
Acknowledgements
----------------
 
The VMS Store is  a joint effort between the EARN  office and the Swedish
University  Network (SUNET).  SUNET provides  the hardware  resources and
manpower to  maintain and  improve the "VMS<->LISTSERV  gateway" software
which  was developed  for  this purpose,  while EARN  takes  care of  the
administration of the Store itself - registering new products, contacting
their authors, and so on.