[HECnet] This is probably been asked already but....

[Steve Davidson]

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE 
[mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On Behalf Of Dave McGuire
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2012 19:09
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: Re: [HECnet] This is probably been asked already but....

On 07/01/2012 07:03 PM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
Let's start with just the operating systems. I'm thinking 
of trying 
to get something running via SIMH soon, but I can't 
promise anything 
specific.

    That really opens it up. ;)   Simh emulates several 
platforms for 
which there are DECnet implementations:

    PDP-8: there's a DECnet implementation for OS/8.
    PDP-10: TOPS-10, TOPS-20
    PDP-11: RSTS/E, RSX-11/M/M+
    VAX: VMS, Ultrix

The PDP-8 DECnet is actually for RTS-8, and not OS/8. However, it's 
also only PHASE II, so I think we could rule that one out.

  Oops!   My mistake, thank you for the correction.   I thought 
it was for OS/8.   I consider myself to be a PDP-8 aficionado, 
but I've never seen the DECnet implementation

For PDP-11, I think that there was also some kind of DECnet 
for RT-11.

DECnet/RT was phase III only.   The RT-11 group acquired the sources from
the DECnet group to update it.   Unfortunately, the project was cancelled
due to funding issues.   Funding went to support the ports to the
Pro-series, and BASIC-PLUS to RT-11 from RSTS/E.   I started in the RT-11
group (c 1983) just as they acquired it.   I was hoping to start on the
project but that was not to be...   The "kit" was available on magtape
and RX50's.   It was huge!   It really needed to be reworked to make use
of the extended memory environment, but that was never to be.

And you have IAS, as well as (probably) RSX-11D.

IAS-11 was based on RSX-11D.   It had three environments:
multi-user/multitasking like RSX, real-time like RSX (actually more like
VMS in some ways too), and a timesharing scheduler.   IAS implemented the
original version of DCL!   It did look in some ways like VMS (because of
DCL and the three environments), but was more RSX like than anything
else.   I worked in Software Services, in Maynard.   My job was to support
RSX (all flavors), IAS, VMS, RT, and a number of layered products.   The
largest customers for IAS were the various three-letter groups within
the US government.   I supported two of them.   We will leave the names
for a different time... :-)


  I don't think there was a DECnet for RT-11, but I could be wrong.
Isn't IAS basically a chopped-down RSX?

Also, I wonder if VAXELN also had DECnet?

  I'd imagine so, but I'm not certain.   I'd guess yes because 
the firmware for some of DEC's X terminals is based on 
VAXELN, and early X implementations supported X over DECnet.

And isn't there some sort of Alpha in simh as well nowadays?

  Barely, but yes.   It's not really far along enough to be useful yet.

                        -Dave

--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA