[mod.computers.vax] "Network partner exited" message

VENARD@EDUCOM.BITNET (01/03/86)

We are a VAX site running version 4.1 of VMS.  We have jnet version 1.2
RSCS emulation software to enable our link to BITNET.  From time to time,
users sending network messages from within the VMS Mail Utility are confronted
with the following message:

        %MAIL-E-LOGLINK, error creating network link to node 0
        -System-F-Linkexit, network partner exited

After re-trying the same message 2 or 3 times the error goes away and the
message is successfully sent, but this is annoying.

The System Messages and Recovery Procedures Manual says this message means
the log file on the remote node was not open or was write locked.  Does this
make sense?  Does jnet really send a signal to the target node to check if
the "log file" is available, before it lets the user send a message to that
node?  Has anyone else seen this message?

Regards,

  Robert Venard

linscomb@NGP.UTEXAS.EDU (Thomas J. Linscomb) (01/04/86)

> 
> We are a VAX site running version 4.1 of VMS.  We have jnet version 1.2
> RSCS emulation software to enable our link to BITNET.  From time to time,
> users sending network messages from within the VMS Mail Utility are confronted
> with the following message:
>         %MAIL-E-LOGLINK, error creating network link to node 0
>         -System-F-Linkexit, network partner exited
> After re-trying the same message 2 or 3 times the error goes away and the
> message is successfully sent, but this is annoying.
> The System Messages and Recovery Procedures Manual says this message means
> the log file on the remote node was not open or was write locked.  Does this
> make sense?  Does jnet really send a signal to the target node to check if
> the "log file" is available, before it lets the user send a message to that
> node?  Has anyone else seen this message?
> 
> Regards,
>   Robert Venard
> 

Hi Robert,
  Under VMS v3.x, v4.0 and v4.1 we (and other users on info-vax) also had
a similiar problem with DECnet.  In our case it was not with JNET but
your problem sounds real familiar.  Below is the explanation I received
from Digital.  I have rerun our failing command files and it went from a
1 in 30 failure rate to no failures in over 6000 executions under VMS v4.2.
Thank you Digital.
  As to your specific JNET questions I can only say that JNET does in some
cases open DECnet links to your own system (node 0) to startup some things.
I remember sending mail to a BITNET address as one of these cases.  This
is how you are getting DECnet error messages while sending mail messages.
Since I am not familiar with JNET I can't say much more then that.
--Thomas
--------------------
Answer for QAR #00460:
A problem was found which caused a node receiving a [DECnet] connect request
to occasionally (and incorrectly) ignore it as a duplicate. This would occur
if the link ID was the same as an existing link from a different node with
a higher address. The result was most visible with applications which
opened large numbers of links one after the other, since whenever they
got around to the same link ID, they would time out. The problem is
exacerbated by a second bug which caused the sequence number field of the
link ID to not be incremented.

Fixed in V4.2.
--------------------
PS:  Please say hello to Candy and Scott for me.
--Thomas Linscomb aka linscomb@ngp.UTEXAS.EDU aka cctlinscomb@agl.UTEXAS.EDU
--Advanced Graphics Lab/Computation Center/The University of Texas
--Austin, TX 78712               phone:  512/471-3241
--uucp:   ...seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!linscomb   linscomb@ut-ngp.UUCP
--bitnet: cctj001@utadnx

SYSTEM@CRNLNS.BITNET (01/04/86)

Subject: re: "Network partner exited" message

Robert:

The error message is complaining about VMSmail not being able to send
the message to JMAIL: node 0 is your local DECnet node. The earlier
versions of jnet use DECnet to communicate between the two mailers.

You need to get more detailed information about the problem:

1. Inspect your accounting log entries for the time in question.
If you have PROXY logins enabled, you should see a network access by the
user with the problem. If you do not have proxy logins enabled, you
will see an attempted access to your default nonprivileged DECnet
account. If you have a lot of people doing network operations, this may
be your problem: all network accesses will be going there and
interfering with one another.

2. Inspect the log file for the network operation. If PROXY logins
are enabled, then look at NETSERVER.LOG in the user's directory.
Otherwise, look at NETSERVER.LOG in your default DECnet account.
Note that only the most recent 3 to 10 are kept if you haven't
modified SYS$SYSTEM:NETSERVER.COM to keep more.

In general, it is a good idea to use Proxy access. There is more work
for the system manager in that you have to run AUTHORIZE and
"ADD/PROXY localnode::username username" for each existing account
on your local system as well as for new accounts and remote accounts if
your node is frequently accessed by other networked systems.
Of course you also have to remember to remove them when a person leaves.
The benefits outweigh the disadvantages, however, both in security and
accounting.

Selden Ball

Cornell University, LNS        NYNEX: (607) 256-4882
Wilson Synchrotron Lab        BITNET: SYSTEM@CRNLNS
Judd Falls & Dryden Road        ARPA: SYSTEM%CRNLNS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Ithaca, NY  14853                    (SYSTEM%CRNLNS.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA)
                      PHYSnet/HEPnet: LNS61::SYSTEM (node 43.251/44283)

info-vax@ucbvax.UUCP (01/04/86)

I have a question concerning your bitnet implementation.
Where does one get this jnet software, what is it written
in and what interface does it use (a dmf32 sync port?)

marty

rick@NGP.UTEXAS.EDU (Rick Watson) (01/04/86)

Re: ADD/PROXY localnode::username username

you can also ADD/PROXY localnode::* *

Rick Watson
University of Texas Computation Center
 arpa:   rick@ngp.UTEXAS.EDU   rick@ngp.ARPA
 uucp:   ...seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!rick   rick@ut-ngp.UUCP
 bitnet: ccaw001@utadnx
 phone:  512/471-3241