[HECnet] Decnet on RSX-11

[Johnny Billquist]

Ok, a quick rundown on some of the more esoteric details about lines and 
circuits might be useful here.

First of all, Kurt, you might want to redo the NETGEN and not set the 
system up for DECnet routing. It takes a lot of resources, and if you 
don't really want it, you are much better off with a system not even 
generated for it.

The question about remote nodes are just for an initial population of 
your local nodename database. All you need there is really to define MIM 
(1.13). You can then copy the whole nodename database from MIM over to 
your machine that way instead. Let me know if you want some details on 
that step.


On 2019-06-08 22:25, Mark Matlock wrote:
> Kurt,
>     If you want two circuits like UNA-0 and IP-0-0 I think you have to 
> be a routing node (but not an area router).

Not really, but maybe. If you define multiple circuits, and are an 
end-node, only one circuit will be active. But others can exist, and the 
system will fall back to some other circuit if the active one goes down. 
So it can be used as a back connection.

However, even as an end-node, you can have several *lines* on and active 
at the same time. And this is a trick to use if you want DECnet-over-IP, 
but want to be an endnode. You need ethernet for TCP/IP to work, but you 
do not want DECnet to use the ethernet circuit.

But you configure one IP line as well, and that is the one DECnet will 
be using. Meanwhile, TCP/IP is using the ethernet line.

It might sound a little confusing, but think about it for a second, and 
I hope it becomes clear. Otherwise, just ask, and I'll try to explain it 
better.

> Also, you should define all the nodes you want to talk to with NCP in 
> one of the startup files or do it with CFE but I prefer startup so it’s 
> simple to change.

I would actually say that you wouldn't. Of course, there is nothing 
wrong in doing this, but if you want the full HECnet nodename database, 
it contains 700 nodes. That will take a while to type in.

However, you can copy the nodename database from another DECnet node, 
and then use this.

But you need at least the nodename of someone where you will be copying 
from to start with, which is why I suggested adding MIM at the start.

After that, there is [5,54]NNC which is the nodename collector task. Run 
it, collect names from another node, and build a new database with this. 
Then stop and restart the node name server, and you have all the nodes 
defined.

(The node name server is managed by the command SCP.
So, SCP STOP followed by SCP START will do it.)

   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