[HECnet] Multinet protocol description

[Paul_Koning at Dell.com]

On May 8, 2013, at 4:43 PM, Bob Armstrong wrote:

I vaguely remember reading that there's simh support for it, but I don't
see it.   

I don't think there's any specific simh support for a Multinet port, but
you can of course run Multinet "thru" simh (i.e. install Multinet on a simh
VAX/VMS system and tunnel DECnet thru the simh emulated Ethernet
controller).   

I assume you're asking about a simh invention that talks to a remote
Multinet VAX/VMS system on the simh host side and pretends to be some other
device (like a DMR/DUP/DMV/whatever) on the simulated side - I've never seen
anything like that.

DECnet/Linux can supposedly emulate a Multinet tunnel.   Is that what
you're thinking of?   But in that case you're running DECnet on the Linux
host and simh has nothing to do with it.

I want to learn how to make my DECnet speak Multinet.   Rob mentioned wanting to do the same for his "user mode router".   So it would be another DECnet datalink.   Point to point or Ethernet-like?

Yes, I saw the DECnet/Linux code.   It's rather puzzling because it seems to tie into a tun/tap device -- so it expects Ethernet behavior.   But then it converts to short headers, which suggests point to point behavior.   Which is it?   The data headers are only a tiny part of the difference between the two datalink flavors...

	paul