spaf@gatech.CSNET (Gene Spafford) (08/15/85)
One of the IBM machines here on campus just joined BITNET. We're
interested in setting up some kind of link between our Vax 780 "gatech"
and the BITNET machine, possibly as a gateway, but mostly just
for the sheer heck of it.
Can anyone provide us with some pointers on how to do this? Is there
any public domain software (or software requiring only a SysV or equivalent
license) for mail transfer/gateway/etc? Anyone know what kind of
hardware connection we'd need?
Thanks in advance.
--
Gene "4 months and counting" Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf%GATech.CSNet @ CSNet-Relay.ARPA
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,hplabs,ihnp4,linus,seismo,ulysses}!gatech!spafdmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) (08/16/85)
We have here a package called UREP (Unix RSCS Emulation Program, where RSCS is the IBM program that BITNET uses for transferring files from machine to machine.) It comes from Pennsylvania State University. I've sent email to PSU, both via USENET and via BITNET, asking if they had a more recent version, and if this more recent version corrected several shortcomings that I pointed out. I've never received any response from PSU. My supervisor also tried, and also failed. I've heard (indirectly) of another site where they had the same problem, ie. no response from PSU. If anybody has ever gotten any response from them, I would sure like to know. My guess is that the authors of UREP are no longer at PSU and that nobody at PSU wants to maintain UREP. Having had a good look at the source code, I can't say I really blame them. My opinion is that the market is wide open for anybody who might want to write a replacement for UREP. Furthermore, since IBM is planning to change the protocol that RSCS uses for communication over bisync lines (and a manual describing the protocol is available), it will *have* to be done anyway. -- David Canzi Ultimate tabloid headline: "Crazed by UFO radiation, pregnant man bites dog."
romain@pyrnj.uucp (Romain Kang) (08/20/85)
In article <1613@watdcsu.UUCP>, dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) writes: > My guess is that the authors of UREP are no longer at PSU and that > nobody at PSU wants to maintain UREP. I've heard rumors that the author of UREP, Robert M. Owens, left PSU some time back and is now somewhere at the University of Maryland. I also know someone who talked to Dave Eckhart at Penn State last spring; he reports that PSU is moving towards Ethernet. The implication was that they would cease using UREP. In the way of Ethernet, Spartacus (1-800-LAN-KNET) claims to be able to provide all the functionality necessary to get you between Unix and VM. I guess you would still need your VM to talk to BITNET. -- --Romain Kang, Pyramid Technology Corporation US Mail: 900 Route 9, Woodbridge, NJ 07095 Ma Bell: (201) 750-2626 UUCPnet: {allegra,cmcl2,princeton,topaz}!pyrnj!romain
dae@psuvax1.UUCP (Daemon) (08/21/85)
In article <1613@watdcsu.UUCP> dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) writes: >We have here a package called UREP (Unix RSCS Emulation Program, where >RSCS is the IBM program that BITNET uses for transferring files from >machine to machine.) It comes from Pennsylvania State University. >I've sent email to PSU, both via USENET and via BITNET, asking if they >had a more recent version, and if this more recent version corrected >several shortcomings that I pointed out. We are working on a new version. Hopefully out soon... >I've never received any response from PSU. My supervisor also tried, >and also failed. I've heard (indirectly) of another site where they >had the same problem, ie. no response from PSU. If anybody has ever >gotten any response from them, I would sure like to know. Several things apply here. I am often very slow answering mail, as I am quite busy (I know, everybody's busy); however, I don't remember (and can't find in my mailbox) mail from you. The best way to contact me is by phone; my current number is (international format:-) is +1 814 863 3814 or the departmental main office (865 9505). I find that problems arise when people try to use contacts other than me. >My guess is that the authors of UREP are no longer at PSU and that >nobody at PSU wants to maintain UREP. Having had a good look at the >source code, I can't say I really blame them. That's not the case. As for the code, I think you are confusing a unique (and different) coding style with defects. As you wish. >My opinion is that the market is wide open for anybody who might want >to write a replacement for UREP. Furthermore, since IBM is planning >to change the protocol that RSCS uses for communication over bisync >lines (and a manual describing the protocol is available), it will >*have* to be done anyway. And that, too, is being worked on. A host of bugs have been fixed and new features are in the works. >David Canzi Let's move this to e-mail or phone conversations, ok? You have my number now, so you can yell at me in person if you want. --Daemon (Dave Eckhardt @ Penn State)
dae@psuvax1.UUCP (Daemon) (08/21/85)
In article <106@pyrnj.uucp> romain@pyrnj.uucp (Romain Kang) writes: >In article <1613@watdcsu.UUCP>, dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi) writes: >> My guess is that the authors of UREP are no longer at PSU and that >> nobody at PSU wants to maintain UREP. > >I've heard rumors that the author of UREP, Robert M. Owens, >left PSU some time back and is now somewhere at the University of >Maryland. Dr. Owens *was* on a one-year leave at Maryland. He has been back for more than a month. You're half right. >I also know someone who talked to Dave Eckhart at Penn State >last spring; he reports that PSU is moving towards Ethernet. The >implication was that they would cease using UREP. Sombody's confused here. We now have (and will very soon offer) a UREP link driver that works over an ethernet (more generally, udp/ip). This is how node psuvaxs is on bitnet. Instead of moving away from UREP, many people are much more interested in it with this capability. Again, I see the grain of truth there, but your conclusion is diametrically opposed to reality. >In the way of Ethernet, Spartacus (1-800-LAN-KNET) claims to be >able to provide all the functionality necessary to get you between >Unix and VM. I guess you would still need your VM to talk to BITNET. I have no information on their product and I can't even speculate on relative merits or prices without turning this into an advertisement. Has anybody out there had experience with Spartacus they'd like to make public? >--Romain Kang, Pyramid Technology Corporation --Daemon (Dave Eckhardt @ Penn State)
umdhep@eneevax.UUCP (Todd Aven) (08/21/85)
Harvard has several unix systems running UREP, and I see by a list of nodes that they also have something called HOMEB or HOMEBREW for their UNIX machines. You might try asking around there. MANAGER%UMDHEP.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA
david@wisc-rsch.arpa (David Parter) (08/23/85)
I answered spaf@gatech's recent posting via mail. I refrained from answering
to the net until i had more complete information. I still do not have
all of the information, but here goes:
1) WISCVM is the arpa-bitnet gateway. (this is changing, i think, but
that is a different story.)
2) The software for the gateway was written here, at Wisconsin. WISCVM
is on both our ethernet and our pronet.
3) The software is avaliable, from Wisconsin, to colleges and universities.
It is avaliable from IBM for commercial sites.
4) (the part you have all been waiting for...) the contact person is:
Sue Klein-Lebeck,
sue@wisc-rsch.arpa or ...uwvax!sue
Sorry i do not have more information, like exactly what the software does,
but i thought it was time to let yhou all know...
david
--
david parter
UWisc Systems Lab
uucp: ...!{allegra,harvard,ihnp4,seismo, topaz}!uwvax!david
arpa now: david@wisc-rsch.arpa
arpa soon: david@wisc-rsch.WISCONSIN.EDU or something like thatsob@talcott.UUCP (Scott O Bradner) (08/23/85)
"HOMEBREW" is a daemon that runs on a vax750 ( was a 11/44 until last year)
with a UREP connection to our local IBM center. ( we also have UREP over
ethernet {on TCP/IP } ). The vax's UREP is setup to think that there is
a additional UREP link that all of our unix computers are connected to.
The HOMEBREW ( a description not a name ) program scans the UREP spool
directory and when it finds something does some playing with it and hands
it to sendmail.
we do want to keep using UREP like functions and would work with any
program that might be setup to continue support and development.
scott bradner
harvard university
sob@harvard.{uucp,csnet,arpa}
sob@harvunxt.bitnetzben@umd5.UUCP (08/28/85)
We have an operating Arpa to BitNet reforwarding service (our network people
bristle when I call it a "gateway", evidently that means something else to
them :-) here. Very homebrew. Written in Univac 1100 assembly language, so
the code itself would not be terribly useful. The physical path is also done
by another program (RTP, makes Univac into HASP workstation on IBM system).
We also had to hack up RSCS on the IBM systems just a little bit.
BUT, I do have header munging algorithms sufficient to satisfy those mailers
on the IBM systems that (gasp!) LOOK at header fields.
--
Ben Cranston ...{seismo!umcp-cs,ihnp4!rlgvax}!cvl!umd5!zben zben@umd2.ARPA