[HECnet] RSTS/E started emitting "?EVTLOG (BLDNIC) -- %Integer error" messages

[Johnny Billquist]

This is actually one thing I've found annoying with TOPS-20.

With VMS, as well as PDP-11 OSes, you have both a volatile and a 
permanent database.

For the volatile db, the commands are:
SET
CLEAR
SHOW

For the permanent db, the commands are:
DEFINE
PURGE
LIST

Exactly the same syntax and everything, but one affects what you have 
right now, and the other only affects what is stored permanently, and is 
used when the system starts to populate the volatile db.

With TOPS-20 seems you always have to run through the definitions when 
you boot.

   Johnny

On 2021-11-11 21:56, Thomas DeBellis wrote:
> So /that's/ the difference between SET and DEFINE?  Gee, that's deluxe! 
> What a great idea!
> 
> If you will look at my previous batch log, you will see that I only 
> update the running system node database with the set difference from the 
> previous week's node file.
> 
> There is no way to 'restart' DECnet on Tops-20 without a reboot.  Once 
> you set certain items and the Executor starts, that's it for the run of 
> the operating system. Further, there are no NODE% functions to either 
> purge the entire running database nor retrieve it into user memory, 
> which keeps striking me as perhaps an arbitrary limitation.
> 
> On the other hand, unless I am doing monitor development, I never have 
> any reason to reboot and rarely crash, so the difference would be 
> largely moot to me, absent renaming or renaming the local Executor.  
> Right now, TOMMY ('Production') is up over 7,171 hours while VENTI2 
> (active development) is up over 3,428 hours.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> On 11/11/21 9:09 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 11, 2021, at 8:36 AM, Supratim Sanyal <supratim at riseup.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> On 11/11/21 3:53 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>>>
>>>> If a specific format is needed for RSTS/E nodes, I can create that 
>>>> format file whenever the nodename database is updated. Just let me 
>>>> know what the format should be.
>>>>
>>> $ type defnod.cmd
>>> *SET VER**
>>> **SET NOON**
>>> **NCP DEFINE NODE 1.1 NAME MAGICA**
>>> **NCP DEFINE NODE 1.2 NAME ERNIE**
>>> **NCP DEFINE NODE 1.3 NAME FNATTE**
>>> **...**
>>> **...**
>>> **NCP DEFINE NODE 62.637 NAME CTAKAH**
>>> **NCP SET NODE 1.1 NAME MAGICA**
>>> **NCP SET NODE 1.2 NAME ERNIE**
>>> **NCP SET NODE 1.3 NAME FNATTE**
>>> **...**
>>> **...**
>>> **NCP SET NODE 62.637 NAME CTAKAH*
>>>
>> The "set" commands are a nice additional item but the define commands 
>> are the important part.  If you include the set commands the running 
>> system is updated at that time; if you leave them out, it will be up 
>> to date at the next DECnet restart.
>>
>> paul
>>

-- 
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