[HECnet] Tops-20 SETNOD Failure

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2021-05-05 02:03, Paul Koning wrote:
> 
> 
>> On May 4, 2021, at 6:15 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I fixed a few things in SETNOD to get some more information about the error.  In particular,
>>
>> 	• Allow listing of AREA 1 (this was specifically disallowed, I don't know why)
> 
> I wonder if someone thought that Phase 4 areas should not be numbered 1.  It may be that DEC didn't use area 1 for its internal network, I no longer remember.  But certainly area 1 is entirely legal and should not be considered a special case.

Area 1 is sortof a bit special but it's perfectly legal.
But for some things, area 1 is treated different, at least in RSX. But 
it's mostly cosmetic.
If I remember right, with area 1 you don't have to give the area. It 
will default to it. So you can basically act the same as with phase III 
networks. If you just give a node number (and it's below 256), you end 
up with the identical syntax and handling for both phases. Which means a 
lot of scripts and stuff didn't have to be changed if you upgraded from 
phase III to phase IV with RSX. Assuming you then used area 1 after the 
upgrade.

   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