[HECnet] Intro and New User Questions

[Mark J. Blair]

I don't know much about Multinet yet, but I've acquired a hobbyist license and downloaded the installation zip file. Argh, another license to renew every year! :) For the moment, I have my VAX-11/785 emulation set up with the standard TCP/IP support that came with OpenVMS 7.3 so that I can FTP files on and off the system.

My home internet connection is really spotty, since I connect via cellular hotspot and I'm in a rural fringe area. So, it's up and down all the time. I understand that will make my HECnet connectivity just as spotty as my internet connectivity, but will the frequent bouncing up and down cause headaches for whatever peer I end up using for my HECnet connection? I can live with my own connectivity being spotty, but I don't want to cause headaches for others beyond spotty accessibility of whatever silly services I cook up.

Mere amusement at the fact that the network exists is enough motivation for me to participate. I'll see if I can come up with a silly justification for my nodes to exist on the network, too. I'll need to learn about what the conventions are for public servers on DECnet networks. Most of my background is in the UNIX and TCP/IP world, and I was not very interested in VMS or DECnet back in the day (though I loved VAXen, generally running BSD). Now that I've developed a bunch of curiosity about VMS, DECnet, and various other DEC OSes, I have a lot of catching up to do.

-- 
Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
http://www.nf6x.net/