{"id":285,"date":"2016-05-03T11:37:51","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T11:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/?p=1"},"modified":"2016-05-03T11:37:51","modified_gmt":"2016-05-03T11:37:51","slug":"decnet-level2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=285","title":{"rendered":"DECnet Level 2 routing"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a few VAX\/VMS DECnet machines with node addresses in Area 4. Their full DECnet node addresses are 4.200, 4.202, etc.\u00a0 When I connect a DECnet machine in Area 33 (full address 33.13) to the same Ethernet segment, each of the Area 4 machines can see each other over DECnet, but the 33.13 machine can’t see the 4.202 machine and vice versa. They are all responding to LAT requests though, as I can use my DECserver 200 to login to any of them on a VT220 terminal.<\/p>\n

The problem turns out to be that machines that only have a DECnet “end node”<\/em> license installed are only able to directly communicate with other machines that have the same Area number.\u00a0 Computers that have a different Area number (even those that are physically on the same Ethernet segment) will not be able to see each other.<\/p>\n

The good news is that two computers on different Area numbers on the same Ethernet segment can be made to talk to each other if there are at least two \u201cPhase IV level 2\u201d<\/em> routers on that segment.<\/p>\n

To see if a machine is a Level 2 router, execute the \u201cNCP>SHOW EXEC CHAR\u201d<\/em> command.\u00a0 Look for the \u201cType\u201d<\/em> value.\u00a0 It will be \u201carea\u201d<\/em> if the machine is a Level 2 router. It will be \u201cnonrouting IV\u201d<\/em> if it is just a Phase IV end node. It will be \u201crouting IV\u201d<\/em> if it is a \u201cPhase IV level 1\u201d<\/em> router.<\/p>\n

There were two licence PAKs for DECnet on the VAX. The “end-node-only”<\/em> PAK was called DVNETEND and the “routing”<\/em> PAK was called DVNETRTG. Further information about these PAK’s can be found here at section 3.3.1 of the Guide to DECnet-VAX Neworking<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

To change from \u201cnonrouting IV\u201d<\/em> to \u201carea\u201d<\/em>, you need to have a DVNETRTG licence PAK installed. Once you’ve verified that you have a DVNETRTG PAK installed (or installed one, if you didn’t previously have one), issue the following commands:<\/p>\n

NCP>SET EXECUTOR STATE SHUT\n%%%%%%%%%%%\u00a0 OPCOM\u00a0\u00a0 1-MAY-2016 20:56:33.11\u00a0 %%%%%%%%%%%\nMessage from user DECNET\nDECnet shutting down\n\nNCP>DEFINE EXECUTOR TYPE AREA\nNCP><\/pre>\n
We then need to exit NCP and restart DECnet as follows:<\/p>\n
NCP>EXIT\n$ @SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET.COM\n%%%%%%%%%%%\u00a0 OPCOM\u00a0\u00a0 1-MAY-2016 20:57:25.72\u00a0 %%%%%%%%%%%\nMessage from user DECNET\nDECnet starting\n\n%RUN-S-PROC_ID, identification of created process is 00000210\n%NCP-I-NOINFO, No information in database\n%DCL-I-SUPERSEDE, previous value of MOM$SYSTEM has been superseded\n%DCL-I-SUPERSEDE, previous value of MOM$SYSTEM_NOSOFTID has been superseded\n%DCL-I-SUPERSEDE, previous value of MOM$SYSTEM_SOFTID has been superseded\n%NCP-I-NOINFO, No information in database\n%RUN-S-PROC_ID, identification of created process is 00000212\n$<\/pre>\n
At this point you\u2019ll see a bunch of OPCOM message flash past on the operator\u2019s console.\u00a0 The first will be a DECnet \u201ccircuit up\u201d<\/em> message, followed by a DECnet \u201cadjacency up\u201d<\/em> message for each node that it sees.<\/p>\n
You now should be able to use DECnet commands across the two areas.<\/p>\n
This process is outlined in Section3.7.2 of the VMS Networking Manual<\/em>, which is part of System Management Volume 5A.<\/p>\n
The comments and information above are based on VMS version 5.3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have a few VAX\/VMS DECnet machines with node addresses in Area 4. Their full DECnet node addresses are 4.200, 4.202, etc.\u00a0 When I connect a DECnet machine in Area 33 (full address 33.13) to the same Ethernet segment, each of the Area 4 machines can see each other over DECnet, but the 33.13 machine ..<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-decnet","category-vms"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7xTsk-4B","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=137","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":0},"title":"DECserver 200","author":"malcolm","date":"7-May-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"What is it? The DECserver 200 is a \"terminal server\". It enables up to 8 terminals to login to various DEC computer systems over an Ethernet link. Back in the day a DECserver it was used to connect terminals and printers to DEC systems.\u00a0 Typically these were VAX machines, though\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"ds200-front-view","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mal-home.dyndns.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ds200-front-view-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mal-home.dyndns.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ds200-front-view-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mal-home.dyndns.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ds200-front-view-1024x576.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mal-home.dyndns.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ds200-front-view-1024x576.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":605,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=605","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":1},"title":"Imaging DEC VAX\/VMS CDs","author":"malcolm","date":"10-June-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have some original VMS CDROMs. I was looking for a way to image these (for use with SIMH) and also a way to write ISO images back to blank CDs, to use on real hardware. This should be a fairly simple process using a modern Linux computer and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "VMS"","block_context":{"text":"VMS","link":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"vaxvms061cd","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/vaxvms061cd-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":334,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=334","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":2},"title":"Garage Sale on Sat 28-May-2016","author":"mmacleod@iinet.net.au","date":"20-May-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm having a garage sale on Saturday 28 May 2016 to thin out my vintage computer collection a little. Everything put out for sale will be $5 to $20 per item - including large VAX machines. The items available include those shown below (and many more): The items include, for\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/20160519_173658_resized-e1463733391540.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/20160519_173658_resized-e1463733391540.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/20160519_173658_resized-e1463733391540.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/20160519_173658_resized-e1463733391540.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/20160519_173658_resized-e1463733391540.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1285,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=1285","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":3},"title":"[Outdated post] Vintage computers for sale or swap","author":"malcolm","date":"13-October-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"15-May-2021: Note this is a very old post - most of the items below are no longer available. It's time to thin out my vintage computer collection a little. Below is a list of items currently available. My order of priority for finding new homes for this equipment is as\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 40 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 40 comments","link":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=1285#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/factory-20151007-143900-Medium.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/factory-20151007-143900-Medium.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/factory-20151007-143900-Medium.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/factory-20151007-143900-Medium.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/factory-20151007-143900-Medium.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":220,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=220","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":4},"title":"PIC USB bootloader","author":"malcolm","date":"13-May-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I've got a couple of projects on the go that use the PIC18F2550 (or PIC18F2553) microcontrollers. Normally I program PICs in-circuit with a PICkit 3 programmer while debugging my code. While this works great, I also need a way for people to easily field-upgrade my PIC firmware, without the need\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "PIC"","block_context":{"text":"PIC","link":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"hid-bootloader-application-screen-shot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/hid-bootloader-application-screen-shot.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":252,"url":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?p=252","url_meta":{"origin":285,"position":5},"title":"VT220 current loop interface","author":"malcolm","date":"14-May-2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This post takes a brief look at the current loop connectors used by DEC. The main focus of this post is the cabling needed to connect a VT220 terminal to a computer (such as a PDP-11\/10) using the 20mA current loop interface. DEC's standard connector DEC used an 8-pin Mate-N-Lok\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Current loop"","block_context":{"text":"Current loop","link":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/conn-male-top.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/conn-male-top.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/conn-male-top.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/conn-male-top.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/avitech.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/conn-male-top.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avitech.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}