[HECnet] Multinet connection in UK

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2018-11-04 13:57, Douglas Hall wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, 4 Nov 2018, at 11:19, supratim sanyal wrote:
>>
>> If you wish you can run an experiment with IMPVAX (VA, USA); I have 
>> heard trans-Atlantic loop latencies are not as bad as one might think. 
>> TCP only, Something like this in DECNET-CIRCUITS.COM should work:
>>
>>
>> $ multinet set /decnet /remote=52.23.221.223 /port=60000 
>> /device=tcpa0: /connect /tcp=connect /buffers=24
>>
>>
> 
> That looks to be working OK. It's very bursty to some locations, e.g. 
> BOPOHA, but connectivity is connectivity. Thanks!  Out of interest, what 
> is reason for using TCP as the underlying transport protocol instead of 
> the default?  I've configured the link with a reasonably high cost in 
> case I make another connection somewhere more local.

Excellent. And yes, some links and destinations might not run that 
smoothly. Remember, the machines might be very far away.
BOPOHA for example, is physically located in Novosibirsk, Russia...

> This is my first experience with DECnet over more than a few local 
> nodes, is there an easy way to get a full node list onto my systems?

MCR NCP
NCP> SET NODE 1.13 NAME MIM
NCP> COPY KNOWN NODES FROM MIM TO BOTH

should do it for you. That will get you the nodename database that I 
have, which is essentially what others have registered with me.
There is no more proper global nodename database in DECnet phase IV.

> This all takes me back a while. Last commercial VMS/DECnet systems I 
> used were back in 1994.  I actually stumbled across hecnet whilst trying 
> to find out if anyone still used uucp for anything. I was the last 
> sysadmin of the UKNET uucp setup, then managed by PSINet before we 
> finally dismantled all that infrastructure in 1999.

Well, I hope you'll enjoy HECnet then. :-)

   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