grx0644@uoft02.utoledo.edu (05/06/90)
I have a questin about DecNet...I hope Iam posting to the correct news group. Our university is connected to several networks and I just figured out that one network is DEC-NET. I am seeking any information anyone might have about this network -- basically an overview will do with a directory of nodes included (if at all possible.) Some example questions would be: Is decnet just for vax/vms or are other computers connected? Is it a nationwide, world wide, etc? Are there gateways to other networks? Is decnet new/old and does it have any historical significances? From my example questions, you can see, I do not know much about it. Any other information that you may have will be also welcome. Thanks! -- +------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+ | Tony Schliesser: | This Space for Rent | GRX0644 @ UOFT02.BITNET | | GRX0644 @ UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU| | FAC2966 @ UOFT01.BITNET | | FAC2966 @ UOFT01.UTOLEDO.EDU| | | +------------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
doelz@urz.unibas.ch (05/06/90)
In article <1990May5.153953.275@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, grx0644@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes: > Is decnet just for vax/vms or are other computers connected? Depends on your system. Try the following: $ show net .. either you get the full net or you need to talk to a gateway (VMS will give you the node addressand name , e.g. 1.2 COCOO Then, try $ MC NCP NCP> tell COCOO show known areas and you'll get a list of known areas. > Is it a nationwide, world wide, etc? As to be seen in the listings obtained above. See also below. > Are there gateways to other networks? Yes and no. Normally, MAIL is a standard service which is gatewayed by suitable software for other systems (e.g., INTERNET or the IBM world). Other services are not implemented or use crude approaches. Some UNIX machines run a DECNET simulator (e.g., ultrix boxes, convex, sun, sgi, etc,etc ... no advertisment intended) in order to make COPY and SET HOST work. > Is decnet new/old and does it have any historical significances? I'd like to chat a lot about this issue. We're waiting for Phase V Decnet on the one hand and for OSI on the other. Both are unavailable, yet, and the current DECNET phase IV has the drawback that there are only 64 areas worldwide (there is an area.node adressing scheme, permitting 64 areas of 1024 nodes each, which is ... compared to the INTERNET). One of the worldwide DECNETS Switzerland is gatewaying to is HEPNET/SPAN, but this is for special purposes (High energy physics) only. Switzerland runs it own nationwide Network in between universities. There is an organisation called SWITCH which does a damned good job in setting up the administration, gatewy boxes, and protocols. SWITCH is financed as 'Stiftung' and partiallly paid by federal money as well. If a state is capable of having such a network, great. In CH, SWITCH took care of the administration and adressing issues. (There is no sri-nic.arpa which takes care of worldwide uniqueness). Therefore, DECNET is normally restricted to LANs, and there are *unresolvable* problems in connecting two LANs which developed indpendently (limited address space, see above). > > From my example questions, you can see, I do not know much about it. Any other > information that you may have will be also welcome. Manual reading strongly suggested. Regards, Reinhard
abrodnik@watdragon.waterloo.edu (Andrej Brodnik (Andy)) (05/06/90)
In article <1990May6.112207.711@urz.unibas.ch> doelz@urz.unibas.ch writes: >In article <1990May5.153953.275@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, grx0644@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes: > >One of the worldwide DECNETS Switzerland is gatewaying to is HEPNET/SPAN, >but this is for special purposes (High energy physics) only. Switzerland >runs it own nationwide Network in between universities. There is an >organisation called SWITCH which does a damned good job in setting up the >administration, gatewy boxes, and protocols. SWITCH is financed as >'Stiftung' and partiallly paid by federal money as well. If a state >is capable of having such a network, great. In CH, SWITCH took care of the >administration and adressing issues. (There is no sri-nic.arpa which >takes care of worldwide uniqueness). Therefore, DECNET is normally restricted >to LANs, and there are *unresolvable* problems in connecting two LANs >which developed indpendently (limited address space, see above). > Something similar exist in a country which is, from point of view of network and computer development, much less developed. This is Yugoslavia. In fact in one of its republics, in Slovenia, they established a network called SLON and it connects different machines using DECNET. This was possible only because the number of machines is not so big. Later other machines from other Yugoslave republics were connected to. On the other side there exist a gateway to European academic network and using this way you can reach other networks as well. Let me conclude that I agree with that, that DECNET, as it is made now, is meant to be only a LAN (but it can serve broader as well). Best regards Andrej
kaiser@cheese.enet.dec.com (05/07/90)
In article <1990May6.112207.711@urz.unibas.ch>, Reinhard doelz@urz.unibas.ch
writes that there are unresolvable problems in joining sufficiently complex
prexisting DECnet networks into a single one, and he's right about that.
Luckily it is only quite recently in computing history that this has ever been
a problem, and OSI/DECnet Phase V networking will solve it, at a certain cost
in complexity and network management.
However, I do take issue mildly with the statement that DECnet is intended only
for LANs -- that idea would be quite a shock to the users of Digital's internal
network, Easynet, which today has well over 50,000 registered nodes on all
continents except Antarctica. (But maybe we're there, too. I didn't bother to
check seriously.) This message, for instance, will be posted from a machine
several non-LAN hops from where I sit.
---Pete
kaiser@cheese.enet.dec.com
+1 508 480 4345 (machine: +1 617 641 3450)