[HECnet] Announcing TCP/IP for RSX-11M-PLUS

[Johnny Billquist]

Hi, Mark.

On 2018-01-14 05:41, Mark Matlock wrote:
> Johnny,
>     Thanks again for another great release for TCP/IP for RSX-11M+. I’ve been checking and updating my RSX systems with the incremental
> releases which I have batch files to FTP down the new tape. Reboot without TCP/IP, BRU the new files off the tape, run the IPGEN and start up the updated TCP/IP. It all takes about 10 minutes on the 11/83s.

Nice to hear. Personally, when I update some system other than my 
development ones, I download the tape file, run BRU to pull out the 
files, run IPGEN for update, and then reboot. Timewise I expect it is 
similar.

>     One minor documentation request I have is the HOST2I & IP2HOS routines in the README.DOC for the example file [IPF77]TEST2.FTN  I’m
> Trying to extend that example to print on port 9100 of a HP laser with more control than the PCL batch printer with its odd use of forms to send escape sequences.

The documentation is definitely a work in progress with lots of things 
lacking. What specifically do you need? I'll write whatever up as soon 
as I get a request for it. :-)
As for using forms, it is pretty much in the same way as DEC used it for 
the LN03 printer, from where I got the inspiration. I think it is a 
pretty nice way of printing in different formats.
PRINT /FO:0=filename to get portrait A4, and PRINT /FO:1=filename to get 
landscape A4, for example. Both on the same printer.
But my PCL code is really unfinished. I should implement printing 
through file numbers, which is required for some situations, and I 
should get some nice banner page implemented. Also, the actual format of 
the page have not been fully tested. I read up some on PCL when I was 
doing the code, but I got distracted by other things, which left this in 
the unfinished state it is in.
Also, the current spooler code will not allow a printing job to be 
aborted, since it does not read out the next message from the queue 
manager until the current job is finished.

So many things to do... There just isn't enough hours in a day. :-)

> While playing with the examples and TC port in general I ran across the port 17 cookie generator. Since I have a cookie
> program running it worked perfectly and I found that PIP works well to fetch virtual cookies:
> 
> PIP TI:=TC:”192.168.0.31”;17
> or
> PIP TI:=TC:”Frodo”;17
> 
> It also took addresses that the DNS server translated (not just the LB:[1,2]HOSTS.TXT ones), so it was interesting to see that MIM has some cookies I’ve not heard of before, particularly Murphy’s Laws on “Love”. He had some great laboratory observations, but his observations on interpersonal relationships really struck my funny bone.

That is nice, isn't it? :-)
And of course it will use whatever methods you have defined. Not sure 
how aware you are that the logical name RESOLV$ORDER is the thing that 
controls this, and in addition to the system logical, you can have your 
own as well, which changes how it works for just you. And you can have 
your own HOSTS file, and you can define hosts through logical names 
(also user local ones), and you can also use a different DNS server, if 
you want to. All controlled by the logical names.

And of course it also works when used as foreign file names. It would be 
horrible otherwise. :-)

>    Again, thanks for all the hard work. We do appreciate it!

Always happy to get feedback, and to hear of others experiences.

   Johnny

> 
> Best Regards,
> Mark Matlock
> 
> 
>> On Jan 9, 2018, at 6:30 PM, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> wrote:
>>
>> Time for a new release announcement of TCP/IP for RSX-11M-PLUS.
>>
>> As a final word about this release. As always things progress with time, but I think it's safe to say by now that BQTCP is now a very stable TCP/IP with almost all features one can expect. There might always be some more work on the lower level protocols, but at this point, expect that most work and updates will be more and more on various daemons and clients.
>> If there is anything in particular anyone is looking for, let me know.
>>
>> 	Johnny
>>
>> -- 
>> Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
>>                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
>> email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
>> pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
> 


-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol