[HECnet] Decnet on RSX-11

[Johnny Billquist]

Well, just taking a peek at CURLY, I can also tell that you have not 
managed to get the multinet links up and running, but are communicating 
with DECnet over ethernet. :-)

   Johnny

On 2019-06-09 02:20, Kurt Hamm wrote:
> That's it!  Everything works great.  I have the node list and can access 
> reachable nodes from the PDP-11.
> 
> This is just really wonderful.
> 
> As a thank you, I will leave the mailing list alone for a while.  ha!
> 
> Kurt
> 
> On Sat, Jun 8, 2019 at 6:42 PM Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se 
> <mailto:bqt at softjar.se>> wrote:
> 
>     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 <mailto: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