[HECnet] Another TOPS-10 DECnet problem

[Lee Gleason]

   Oh, I have the .lda files that were the downline loaded software for 
the VT72's. I never thought there'd be any interest in it, without the 
hardware.

   I'll send you a copy if you like.


On 11/12/2021 7:19 PM, Paul Koning wrote:
> No, sorry to say.  I have absolutely nothing from that time, not even any documents.  I never saw DECnet for either, actually; the networking technology in TMS-11 was entirely different and unrelated.
>
> It would be neat if a copy of the VT71 firmware could be found, then SIMH could be taught to emulate the hardware.
>
> A while ago I contacted a museum in the Boston area which at one time had a TMS-11 system, but they got rid of it a decade ago and no longer have any records of its fate.
>
> 	paul
>
>> On Nov 12, 2021, at 5:31 PM, Lee Gleason <lee.gleason at comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>    My first computer job was at a TMS-11 site. VT71's and72's were great editing terminals, especially when compared to using EDI on VT52's and 100's. The competition for their use between the programmers and the typesetters was fierce.
>>
>>    Say, since you worked on IAS/RSX11D, did you happen to save a copy of DECNet for either of them or RMS11-K for IAS? I'm an RSX11D/IAS hobbyist, and products for them are hard to come by....
>> --
>> Lee K. Gleason N5ZMR
>> Control-G Consultants
>> lee.gleason at comcast.net
>>
>> On 11/12/2021 2:01 PM, Paul Koning wrote:
>>>> On Nov 11, 2021, at 6:49 PM, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> RSX-11M-PLUS can have up to 256 terminals. However, I sortof doubt much useful stuff would happen if you had that many users running interactively.
>>>>
>>>> I think it was more used for systems where you had some clever programs running that controlled lots of terminals.
>>> RSTS has an API for that, allowing one program to control lots of terminals without having to open lots of individual files for each terminal.  It makes it possible to support 127 terminals, even though the number of logged-in users is limited to 63.
>>>
>>> A variation on this theme (with a specialized bulk data DMA service) was used by the inhouse APT tool to drive manufacturing test setups.
>>>
>>>> But PDP-11 systems were/are pretty capable, considering some of the limitations... And they are still being used in some places, which I find pretty nice. And of course, I continue whack at them when I get a chance. The combination of TCP/IP, web servers, and stuff like Datatrieve makes it look almost like some modern stack of tools. I'm having blast nearly every day. I just wish I could locate the sources of the layered products...
>>> Another example of a large configuration is Typeset-11 (TMS-11).  I don't remember exactly what the terminal limit is on that, but I'm fairly sure it was at least 64.  TMS-11 systems also do a form of clustering, with up to 4 nodes (at least -- that's the max I remember) with dynamic routing dating back to before DECnet did that.  Part of the reason such a large setup worked is that the terminals are all block-editing terminals, with the main editing work done on VT-71 terminals where you download a file, edit it entirely in the terminal (thanks to an 11/23 inside) and send back the result.
>>>
>>> Typeset-11 had some rather odd I/O: 6-bit UARTs carrying data streams from wire service feeds like Associated Press, custom interfaces to typesetting machines (this is before PostScript), multipoint BiSync over DL-11/E interfaces to connect to Harris 2200 display ad editing terminals, ...
>>>
>>> 	paul
>>>