[Simh] RSTS/E 10.1-L and Paper tape

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2016-01-07 02:52, Larry Baker wrote:
> On Jan 6, 2016, at 4:00 PM, <simh-request at trailing-edge.com
> <mailto:simh-request at trailing-edge.com>> <simh-request at trailing-edge.com
> <mailto:simh-request at trailing-edge.com>> wrote:
>
>>> 1. DECnet.  NFT will use the DAP protocol to do file transfer; if you
>>> have a compatible DAP implementation at the other end that would
>>> work.  DECnet/Linux can do this, I believe.
>>>
>> If you can find it DEC PATHWORKS apparently still works on Windows XP,
>> of course you'll need to fire up a VM for it in most cases; and
>> DECnet/Linux has basically become unsupported.
>
> Don't dismiss DECnet/Linux as a viable solution.  It's true the
> DECnet/Linux community is small and the main players of long ago are
> gone.  But, that doesn't mean it does not work.
>
> I have been a long time user of DECnet/Linux, mainly on CentOS.  We use
> it for backups over DECnet mostly, and file exchange.  Stand-alone
> backups work just fine.  When the disks on my last CentOS version went
> belly up, I decided instead of a dedicated DECnet NAS, it was a better
> idea to use our NFS disk farms for storage.  I built a couple
> DECnet/DAP-to-NFS gateways using a Marvell SheevaPlug "PlugPC" with a
> Kirkwood ARM SoC (no FPU).  I am at home at the moment, so I cannot tell
> you what Linux kernel I used.  I haven't checked on them in a long time.
>   As far as I know, they are working just fine.  One is used every day
> to export files from a VAX/VMS 5.5-2 data acquisition system to an iMac
> file server.  That VAX has been running that lab for over 20 years, I
> think—maybe 30.  We used to run Pathworks/Mac on the VAX until Apple
> removed support for their own network file protocol and forced us to
> come up with an alternative.  We run DECnet Phase IV, not Phase V, so we
> can't do DECnet remote file access over TCP/IP.  I've built other SoC
> appliances using PlugPCs, such as Ionics Nimbus.  My last few projects
> using SoCs have used BeagleBone Blacks.  Their processors have FPUs,
> which makes them more useful.  As I recall, Raspberry Pis either did not
> have an FPU, or priced out more expensive than the BeagleBone Black when
> I last looked at them.  I set them up to be self-hosting for
> development.  Cross-development is a royal pain.

Just a short comment. Linux/DECnet do not play right with RSX. The 
development was all done against VMS, and it would appear to have lots 
of bugs that were never ironed out. Success against anything except VMS 
is dicey at best (unfortunately).

	Johnny

-- 
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