rcsmith@anagld.UUCP (Ray Smith) (01/15/89)
I seem to recall reading some things about a package called VMSnet which
was supposed to provide UUCP functionality for VMS. Would someone please
send me more details regarding the product (I.E. is it public domain,
is it available via anon uucp or ftp, how do you get it). Also please
pass along any pertient comments regarding its use.
Thanks,
Ray
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=jeh@simpact.uucp (Jamie Hanrahan) (04/27/89)
Last November (seems much longer) I posted a note here that started off like this: > Tom Allebrandi and I are happy to report that the first release of > the "VMSnet software" is finally ready for distribution. This software > allows VMS systems to exchange mail and news with each other, and with > Unix (and other) systems, using the uucp `g' protocol. and offered to send it to anyone who sent me a tape and a return mailer. This resulted in a flurry of tapes and return mailers arriving at my office. Sometime later (late February?) I posted a followup to comp.os.vms: > It would appear that our November announcement was a bit premature... which described the problems we were having, and said I'd have tapes shipping by March 15th. Another flurry. Total tapes received, 64. Well, here it is nearly the end of April, I haven't sent any tapes yet, and so sixty-four of you are wondering just what the hell ever happened to your tape and whether we used them for Frisbees or sold them on the used media market. (Actually, I'm surprised at how few of you have been calling, e-mailing, etc. I know that some of my e-mail -- both directions -- may have gotten lost during one nasty debugging period, but that period only lasted a week or so.) What has happened is that both announcements were not just a bit premature, but VERY premature. We spent a long time in the "everything we do uncovers two more things that have to be done" phase. We kept working, and now have a new version in the final integration and test stages; we expect to begin mailing tapes the week of May 1. This is not just a debugged version of what we announced in November; it is much, much better, and much more useful. The windowed "g" protocol works, gives good performance even with Telebit Trailblazers, and has proven bulletproof under absolutely appalling line conditions. Complete support is included for Geoff Huston's NEWS (News 5.7, plus all of the necessary uucp/NEWS "glue", is included on the tape). We have a new, completely flexible "script file" mechanism for handling dialers and login sequences. Logging is vastly improved, and documented. The documentation is more complete than that for many commercial products! And we've been running it for weeks with nary a glitch, all except the new mail router/local domain forwarder. (Fortunately we can test THAT code without having to wait for real incoming or outgoing mail or news.) During that time we've been fine-tuning it and writing a LOT of documentation. In short, this is something we're proud to send out the door with our names on it. (Of course there still may be bugs, but we haven't seen any for a while, and we're talking to many different kinds of uucp's.) I feel MUCH better about sending this stuff out than I would have about sending out anything we had previously, bug fixes or no. (I really hate the idea of sending out a tape when I know full well that the poor recipient is going to have to send me ANOTHER tape later to get what they really want.) Unfortunately [now the other shoe drops], we have a "slight" problem. Ahem. I had put the majority of the tapes into the company's storeroom (there was no longer room under my desk for my feet). A few days ago I asked that they be brought into the computer room; this was done, unbeknownst to me, the same day. I left for the day. And due to a miscommunication between some employee and the janitor, the tapes along with all of their return mailers and so on were carted off to the dumpster. By the time this horrific possibility had occurred to me (the next day), the trash pickup had come and gone. All is not lost. I kept a list of the names and addresses of everyone whose tapes were in that bunch. (The latest arrivals hadn't gone to the storeroom yet and so are still safe under my desk.) The company I work for is not connected to this project, but they immediately agreed to replace the tapes and pay for shipping. The only problem is that I did NOT record tape formats (TK50 vs. 9-track). (Or net addresses; most people didn't include them. Hence this broadcast message rather than mail.) So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm asking everyone who sent me a tape to send me e-mail, a phone call, a post card, whatever, give me your name and address (so I can match it with my list), and tell me which of the following formats you can read: 6250 bpi, 1600 bpi, or TK50. We will make every effort to write and mail as many tapes as I get responses for before May 6th. I'll be gone to DECUS in Atlanta the 6th through the 13th (hopefully those of you attending will have seen this by then and won't be waiting to pounce when I get there). When I get back, I'll collect my accumulated *-mail, send the requested tapes to those who responded while I was gone, and then simply send 1600 bpi tapes to the rest. A cover letter on the latter group will explain that if they need TK50 to just let me know and we'll send them one of those instead. (This sounds as if, if you can read 1600 bpi, you can just wait. You can, but I hope you'll contact me anyway, especially if you can take 6250 bpi and are willing to accept a 600' reel even though you sent me a big one; 6250 takes MUCH less time to write and the small reel is easier to mail. And in any case, if you wait, you'll be at the end of the queue.) * * * Now, for the rest of you who want Uucp, News, etc., on VMS: I WANT NO MORE TAPES! Not right now. The package is going on the Spring '89 DECUS VAX SIG Symposium Tape. If you can't wait for that, send a note to vmsnet-request%falcon@aamrl.af.mil and ask to be put on the VMSnet mailing list; I'll post a note when I've dug out from under this pile (and recovered from the past few weeks of "DECUS prep panic mode") and am willing to take more. Or when I've found someone else to handle the job. Speaking of which, volunteers who can assist with distributing this stuff would be VERY welcome. Also, after DECUS we will also try to pare this beast down and make it available for some sort of network access. If possible. My address: Jamie Hanrahan c/o Simpact Associates 9210 Sky Park Court San Diego CA 92123 +1 619 565 1865 , X1116 (literally anytime; leave "voice mail" if I'm not there) jeh@crash.cts.com ...{scubed, crash, virginia!esther, infopiz, decwrl} ! simpact ! jeh My co-conspirators: Tom Allebrandi II Mark Pizzolato Advanced Computer Consulting, Inc. 1558 Fernside Street 700 Harris Street, Suite 101 Redwood City, CA 94061 Charlottesville, VA 22901 +1 415 369 9366 +1 804 977 4272 ...uunet!lupine!infopiz!mark ta2@esther.acci.com ...virginia!esther!ta2