[HECnet] VCF East

[Steve Davidson]

Hey Dave,

They got my best side!  :-)  Where were you???

-Steve

On 04/23/2015 10:41 PM, Gregg Levine wrote:
> Hello!
> Okay. Go here:
> http://hackaday.com/2015/04/23/vcf-east-x-the-mega-mix/ it gives an
> excellent coda on the past weekend.
>
> In fact the photo shows the both of you there. And of course the
> photographer, who I met there last year, of course, forgot the most
> important part of that scene in front of it. Me. It also caught the
> group working at its best.
> -----
> Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8 at gmail.com
> "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 10:28 PM, Steve Davidson <steve at davidson.net> wrote:
>> AGENA:: (19.11) is part of the STARS:: cluster.  All of the nodes have the
>> names of stars.  Ask Dave (or Brian) what the message from SYLOGIN.COM
>> said...  :-)
>>
>> The DECserver-90TL was brought up by Brian and myself.  The DECserver-200
>> was brought up by Dave and myself after Dave was able to do a hardware reset
>> on the unit.  Prior to that it was VERY confused.  We spent a great deal of
>> time trying to get files off the USB stick, in fact much more time than
>> anything else.  The ISL configuration was easy (as usual with DEC).  The
>> DECserver-90TL came right up - no issues.  Everything was loaded from
>> AGENA::.  Brian's machine was a "hot" backup should we have needed it.  The
>> beauty of the 90TL was not only LAT but telnet.  Unfortunately we did not
>> have time to make use of it.
>>
>> Also...  I did manage to get our wireless link up long enough for both Dave
>> and I to VMS/Phone Fred Coffee in Ohio.  The MACbook did the best job
>> holding the link.  Far better than the Linux or Windows system could manage.
>> Next year it will be a dedicated NetBSD platform just like what I use in my
>> DEClab to support the bridge.  I would like to experiment with using LAT
>> just like we do today between my network and the rest of the backbone.  If
>> the link is robust enough then MOM/MOP might also be a possibility.
>> Imagine... DECservers be loaded "remotely"!
>>
>> -Steve
>>
>>
>> On 04/23/2015 10:11 PM, Gregg Levine wrote:
>>> Hello!
>>> Magic word is "Gack!". Now I place you. I asked Dave what was with the
>>> name on the Vax, and he confirmed it was yours. I wondered why it was
>>> named after a second stage booster back from our years of sending
>>> stuff into space, Think of the term, "Atlas-Agena" and you'll get my
>>> reasoning.
>>>
>>> Dave was that the one who finally brought up the terminal server?
>>> Oddly enough I have here three Model 90 terminal servers, but they are
>>> the L Plus ones.
>>> -----
>>> Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8 at gmail.com
>>> "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 9:50 PM, Steve Davidson <steve at davidson.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 04/23/2015 09:37 PM, Gregg Levine wrote:
>>>>> Hello!
>>>>> Holy Mackerel. Steve, I was there, and saw that island of Dec in a
>>>>> world of stuff. (Well one of many) . Which of the two were you again?
>>>>> I met the fellow who goes by the handle of Vaxman, but I'm guessing
>>>>> that you were the other fellow I spoke to who confirmed that
>>>>> everything was working after a fashion.
>>>>>
>>>>> I found the sequence of events concerning the terminal server as
>>>>> interesting. In fact as Dave will confirm, the VLC was the one who
>>>>> provided the boot sequence for the server.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dave told me what was going on as shown on the terminal screen I sat
>>>>> by, and then I said to one person, that it was complaining that it
>>>>> need certain files to do that, and the two PDP-11s were telling to
>>>>> "Fribble off! We don't have what you need." And I used an interesting
>>>>> term, when I inadvertently used a not-so nice word, and it was "Pardon
>>>>> my Andorian." where some of us would use, "Pardon my French.".
>>>>>
>>>>> I was the one wearing the leather jacket, and a name tag as "Doctor
>>>>> John Smith", and that I'd answer to "Doctor Who".
>>>>>
>>>>> In fact I actually did have fun.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cory as I said before, you missed a heck of a good time there.
>>>>>
>>>>> Next year, we'll need to do it again, and I'll spend more time, and
>>>>> perhaps contribute something to it.
>>>>> -----
>>>>> Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8 at gmail.com
>>>>> "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 9:17 PM, Steve Davidson <steve at davidson.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> All,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For those who did not attend VCF East you missed a great time!  On
>>>>>> Saturday,
>>>>>> the keynote speaker was none other than Brian Kernighan. You really
>>>>>> missed a
>>>>>> treat - right Dave!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Next year, I plan to bring even more stuff (not nearly as much as Dave
>>>>>> did)
>>>>>> but more than this year.  Dave's island of equipment included the
>>>>>> following:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> PDP-8
>>>>>> PDP-11/34
>>>>>> PDP-11/44
>>>>>> DECserver-200
>>>>>> multiple terminals
>>>>>> I'm sure I have forgotten something...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I added:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> VAXstation 4000/60
>>>>>> DEChub-90 backplane with a DECserver-90TL and a 16-port DEChub
>>>>>> VT320
>>>>>> a gateway (actually bridge) machine to connect to HECnet only the link
>>>>>> was
>>>>>> pathetic
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Brian (aka VAXman) added:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> VAXstation 4000/30 (aka VLC)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In addition to the "island" Dave had other "exhibits" that I will defer
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> Dave for discussion.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Next year we NEED more stuff!  This is the official challenge to anyone
>>>>>> on
>>>>>> the East coast.  We want to see many more of you.  If is is DEC it is
>>>>>> needed.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I would also like to personally add my thanks to Dave and Brian for
>>>>>> making
>>>>>> this such a treat.  Dave is nuts (in a good way) and very generous.
>>>>>> Brian
>>>>>> was there for me when my brain could not content with the sheer volume
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> noise - helping me to configure the DECservers and dealing with my fat
>>>>>> fingering the keyboard and the license management facility (LMF).   For
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> while we were Frick and Frack but we managed to get it together.
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>> guys!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -Steve
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>> Greg,
>>>>
>>>> I was the one who went from sleep sitting to sleep standing.  No glasses,
>>>> short hair (compared to both Dave and Brian).  I was working on the VAXen
>>>> and Brian was keeping me focused.  The images were on a thumb drive but
>>>> getting them to the VAX was an exercise to say the least.  Once they were
>>>> on
>>>> AGENA:: (19.11) we were able to get MOM/MOP to do its thing.  I must
>>>> confess
>>>> that I had to look up on the web no less how to configure ISL because
>>>> neither of us could think straight with all the noise.  I will be
>>>> bringing
>>>> ear plugs or my noise cancelling headphone next year for sure.  :-)
>>>>
>>>> -Steve
>>