[HECnet] Area router question

[Peter Coghlan]

Question about area routers.   I'm going to spend some time over the holiday
break bringing some of my machines back online (I'm area 42).       My current
area router is making some very unsettling hard drive noises, so I'm thinking
of retiring it.


One of mine has been making heart-stopping clunking noises. However, having
backed it up and waited for it to die, it now seems to do it less frequently
and there has been no loss of data, errors logged or anything like that so
far...


I recall reading somewhere that VMS Alpha is unable to be an area router - is
that correct?   I have a DS10L that will probably be my always-on machine.


I certainly came across that rumour and rummaging through NETCONFIG.COM on
recent versions of VMS, I see that it has code to avoid offering the choice
of being a router if run on anything other than a VAX.

I can't recall whether I tested this or not but I think that NCP on an Alpha
may be willing to accept DEFINE EXEC TYPE AREA - I suggest giving it a go.


I also have a Cisco 7206VXR router that can do DECnet.   If I use a Cisco for 
my connectivity, do I need an area router, or does the Cisco fulfill this
purpose?


I believe your Cisco should be able to do it for you, provided your link to
any other area is directly to the Cisco. It should be able to cope with bridge
connections and GRE tunnels for example. If you have a Multinet link, then I
don't think it can cope with that as that has to terminate on a host system.

Regards,
Peter Coghlan.