Re: [Linux-decnet-user] Well, i think i need help :)

[Steven W. <st...@gw...>]

Hi,

> 
> Regards to all, first thing: sorry about my bad english
> well i have one prity nice duty to make connection between 
> old vax-es and new IS:)
> 
> Situation is as follow:
> We have old mashines:
> Iskra Delta 4850 / VAX/VMS v4.2 (ex yugoslav version on Digital VAX)
> Digital VAX 6000-310 / VAX/VMS v5.4-2
> Digital micro VAX 3100/310 /VAX/VMS v5.4-2
> Terminal servers Digital DSRVF-B ( 2 peaces for users)
> 
> all this equipment is networked in some old kind of network
> DECnet protokol, but there is no normal Eth. card (exept micro VAX)
> I think they call this netowk somthing like "fat" Ethernet. In tehnical

Do you mean think ethernet ? 10base5 I think. Does it have a D connector
on the machine which connects to a "tap" attached to a think piece of
co-ax cable ? If so thats probably what you have.

> manual for micro VAX is information about that computer have port for Thin
> Ehernet (like BNC port for 10Mbps networks). Also terminal servers have
> ethernet ports like that. (i do not have any addtional old network cables
> ecept used cables). 
> There is no any version of MiniNET on that VAX-es. I can make serial
> connection with speed 1200 bps :(. But problem is there
> is no kermit on that mashines and there is no C compiler on that mashines,
> so i can not transfer source of cermit, and recompile it, and use kermit
> for binary transfer. I can only connect acros serial port and receive/send
> ASCI
> files. Ofcourse i don't have uuencode/decode. But dabases have almoust 1GB
> of data. How i can transfer that onto slow serial port !!!
> 
> Several days i try find on internet way how to connect those dinosaurs 
> on normal network for exchaning of files. 
> 
> Old IS is in function now, but maintenance is very expensive and one day
> that system must die. 
> 
> My idea is : put one linux server into room with that old mashines with
> instaled DECnet for linux, which will be used for commucations between
> old mashines and rest of world :)
> But the questions are :
> 
> 1. Can i install normal 10Mbps network card with BNC conector on linux
> server and with coax cable connect to micro VAX (with terminators
> ofcourse), install DECnet onto linux an be able to send and recive files ?
> between micro VAX and linux server.
> 
Yes. Thats why I started working on the project originally to solve exactly
that problem.

> 2. Or i need to find ( i do not now how and where ?) network interface
> card for that old Ethernet and install that card into linux mashine and
> driver for that card, and connect on to exist DECnet network, and send
> and recive files.
> 
You should be able to find some thick to thin ethernet convertors if you
look through second hand computer part suppliers. I doubt you'd find any
being sold new, certainly that kind of thing used to be quite expensive
I think.

> 3. I use suse linux 7.0 and kernel 2.2.14 it is prity hard (beacause my
> home is in bosnia ) to order new
> version of suse. Is DECnet work on my version of suse. On which
> distribution DECnet is work 100 %, how i can find that distribution ?
> 
I'd suggest using the latest 2.4 -ac kernel for DECnet support as that has
the very latest code in it. Linus' kernels are not far behind though. I don't
think it matters greatly what distribution you use. I suggest that you get
a new set of DECnet userland tools from sourceforge whichever distribution
you choose (although I think Debian should be right uptodate if you use
the unstable version).

> 4. Is that all what i need. Is that good idea at all ? Or i need somthing
> more and diferent ?
> 
Your proposed setup should work fine.

> 5. My i use that linux mashine like some kind of gateway, for example if i
> need some users to have terminal session onto old VAX-es. My i use TELNET
> service to connect ont linux and from linux I_DO_NOT_KNOW_WHAT to connect
> ont VAX logging and work ? My i create for example VAX user on linux and
> write small script for connecting onto VAX/VMS ?
> 
Yes, that should work fine. We can't support transparent proxying yet, but
with a few scripts like you suggest, it should be easily possible.

> 6. I am able to write CON scripts on VAX sides, and shell scripts on
> linux side for transparent sihronization of folders VAX-linux. Do you
> think it is good idea ? Or i can find some exting tools for that ?
> 
When DAPfs is working with the latest DECnet source, you could consider that
but for now, I suspect that scripts provide the best solution,

Steve.