[HECnet] DECnet for Linux Bug Fixes

[John Forecast]

> On Jun 30, 2020, at 11:21 AM, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> wrote:
> 
> Hi.
> 
> On 2020-06-30 02:45, John Forecast wrote:
>> Recently I have found, and fixed, a number of bugs in the DECnet for Linux kernel module. Some of
>> these bugs may be relevant for members of this mailing list who are using DECnet for Linux,
>> especially on a Raspberry Pi.
> 
> Cool.
> 
>> New programs:
>> NML2
>> New implementation of the Network Management Listener. Supports SUMMARY, STATUS
>> and CHARACTERISTICS for NODES, CIRCUITS and AREAS. It does not support LINKS
>> and OBJECTS which were in the old version but are system specific operations which
>> were only visible from DECnet-VMS systems.
> 
> Um. No. OBJECTS are also there in RSX. And I wonder if you mean LINES when you wrote LINKS. And LINES are also in RSX. Not sure there are some other systems that also have those types. But they are definitely not VMS only... And OBJECTS are actually rather relevant everywhere, it's just not that all systems make them visible. I would say it's actually nice and useful if they can be shown. LINES are also relevant, but it does depend a little on the implementation.
> 

No, I’m talking about how entities are handled in the NICE protocol. SET/DEFINE/SHOW/LIST commands on NODES, LINES, LOGGING, CIRCUITS, MODULES and AREAS use a common protocol format so that VMS, for instance, can issue a “SHOW KNOWN NODES” to RSX, Ultrix etc. LINKS and OBJECTS are considered system dependent entities and and for operations on those entities NCP will send a request as:

	<System-Specific-Function (code 22)>
	<Originating system type (VMS == 4)>
	<Binary data>

Here’s Ultrix issuing commands to a VMS system:

# ncp tell router sho exec

Executor Volatile Summary as of Sun Jul  1 08:47:44 EDT 1990

Executor node =  63.1 (ROUTER)

State                              = On
Identification                     = DECnet for OpenVMS VAX V7.3

# ncp tell router sho known objects

Known Object Volatile Summary as of Sun Jul  1 08:48:00 EDT 1990
ncp - listener response: System-specific Management function not supported
# 

For LINES, I’m not sure there is much useful information we can display. Here’s Ultrix again:

#ncp sho kno lin char

Known Line Volatile Characteristics as of Sun Jul  1 09:00:49 EDT 1990

Line  =  QNA-0

Controller                         = Normal
Protocol                           = Ethernet
Hardware address                   = aa-00-04-00-df-fc

  John.

> 
>  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

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