DECnet License

From: Geoff Roberts <geoffrob_at_stmarks.pp.catholic.edu.au>
Date: Wed Dec 12 01:49:54 2001

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doc" <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2001 5:36 PM
Subject: Re: DECnet License


> On Tue, 11 Dec 2001, Zane H. Healy wrote:
>
> > > Isn't that licensed under the UCX pak?
> >
> > No, UCX is TCPIP. You need DVNETEND or DVNETEXT.
> >
> > Zane
>
> Oh.
> I have to admit, VMS pretty much escapes me in general. Give me a
> little time with most any unix and I can get around pretty OK, but
> I've been trying off-and-on for a year to get my head around this stuff
> and it just don't hunt. I'm still looking for that magical "first clue".

The clue is that "It ain't Unix" so you need not to think Unix oriented
thoughts, because it just does not work like it.

The DCL syntax is vaguely reminiscent of DOS in some ways, but it's really
not a lot
like anything other than VMS, though some of the file and directory privs
are suggestive of Netware.

A few things.
LOGICAL ~= DOS Environment Variable (SET)
SYMBOL is a settable 'alias' for a longer command, can be defined from DCL,
sylogin.com or login.com
USER SYSTEM = ROOT under Unix, but unlike Unix, any user can be made with
equivalent privs, or anything between that and nothing. The default home
directory for SYSTEM is SYS$MANAGER, where the SY*.COM (System wide) .com
files live, and SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM which is more or less like the DOS
AUTOEXEC.BAT.
SET DEFAULT (path) = CD
SHOW DEFAULT = PWD in Unix.
DIR = DIR (!) LS works if you are ftping in usually.
A .COM file is not a binary, it's more like a DOS batch file or a shell
script.
to run a com file, precede with an _at_ sign.
to run an EXE file precede it with the RUN (or just R) command ie R
AUTHORIZE

The path syntax is unique, but basically it's
DEVICENAME:[dir.dir.dir.dir]filename.ext;version
so to go to the root of the system disk (boot drive) the correct command
would be
SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSDEVICE:[000000]
SHO DEFAULT would give SYS$SYSDEVICE:[000000]

File sizes are reported as the number of 512byte blocks.
There is no common root directory, each drive has it's own, and there can
also be logical roots that are a higher level directory. For instance
MX_ROOT:[000000] is, on a typical system,
SYS$SYSDEVICE:[MX] and/or (on ours) $1$DUA1:[MX]
The root directory of any drive is DEVICENAME:[000000]

If there is something specific you have trouble with, post here and I'll do
my best, I spend my working day sitting next to a VMS 6.0 Vax 6440.

Cheers

Geoff in Oz
Received on Wed Dec 12 2001 - 01:49:54 GMT