[Simh] DECwindows

[Tim Pinkawa]

On 11/5/06, John Floren <slawmaster at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 11/5/06, Tim Pinkawa <timpinkawa at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 11/5/06, John Floren <slawmaster at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi everybody
> > > I just got OpenVMS running on my machine with the simh vax simulator.
> > > Everything seems to be going nicely (I followed the instructions at
> > > http://www.wherry.com/gadgets/retrocomputing/vax-simh.html); now I'm
> > > wondering if it is possible to run DECwindows on the simulator and
> > > somehow access it from outside. Have any of you done this?
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > >
> > > John Floren
> > > --
> > > Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Simh mailing list
> > > Simh at trailing-edge.com
> > > http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh
> > >
> >
> > Yes it is possible, but not directly in SIMH because it doesn't
> > emulate a graphics adapter. If you get TCP/IP setup, you can install
> > the DW-MOTIF kit and license, then enable XDM and you can connect to
> > it with any X11 capable machine. I can provide more specifics if you
> > would like.
> >
> > Tim
> > _______________________________________________
> > Simh mailing list
> > Simh at trailing-edge.com
> > http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh
> >
>
> Yes, more details please :-)
> I have TCP/IP set up, and I remember an option to enable XDM. If you
> can help me get DW-MOTIF installed and tell me more about how to
> connect from X, that would be wonderful.
> Thank you
>
>
> John Floren
> --
> Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
>

Disclaimer: I set this up again about a month ago and this is what I
remember, I may be omitting some details and if it doesn't work, let
me know. (aka, I was stupid and didn't take notes)

A little background on my setup. I have SIMH running on Linux (this
part doesn't matter) and I'm connecting with Cygwin/X on Windows (this
part does matter).

Load the license for DW-MOTIF in the same way you loaded the UCX
license for TCP/IP (don't forget LICENSE LOAD DW-MOTIF). Make sure the
CD is mounted (mount/over=id dua3:)

$ SET DEF DUA3:[DWMOTIF_VAX126.KIT]
$ PRODUCT INSTALL *

I believe the default options do the trick, but you can play it safe
by installing everything (except for the programming examples, which
are definitely not needed).

After it installs, enable XDM through SYS$MANAGER:TCPIP$CONFIG. It
will generate some skeleton config files.

There's some very useful information about XDM configuration here:
http://www.itec.suny.edu/scsys/vms/OVMSDOC073/V73/6526/6526pro_035.html

In the SYS$SPECIFIC:[TCPIP$XDM] directory, if memory serves me
correctly, the XACCESS.TXT file may have another extension. Make sure
that you have an XACCESS.TXT file or XDM will reject all connections.

The reason I said that the Cygwin/X part matters is because this is
the syntax that their XWin program uses to connect to XDM hosts. If
you do it from Linux, OS X, or a different Windows X server, the
syntax might be different.
The command to connect to the XDM server:
xwin -ac -query vax.example.com

vax.example.com should be the name or IP address of your emulated VAX.
You should see a white logon box.

(if you don't have an X server and need help setting it up, I'd be
happy to help)

I hope you can follow these instructions. Let me know if anything
doesn't work or if I left out some intermediate steps and you get
lost. I know OpenVMS only through SIMH, so I was (and still am) very
much a beginner and that some of this stuff can be confusing.

In the next few weeks, I'm hoping that I'll be able to carve out a
block of time to go through the whole process again and document the
steps like Phil Wherry's outstanding install guide.

Tim