gih900@fac3.anu.OZ.AU (GEOFF HUSTON) (04/15/88)
Path: fac3!gih900
From: gih900@fac3.anu.oz (GEOFF HUSTON)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: NEWS for VMS - Software Announcement
Message-ID: <175@fac3.anu.oz>
Date: 15 Apr 88 00:40:27 GMT
Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University
Lines: 86
(VMS NEWS V5.2 announcement - 14-Apr-1988)
This posting is to announce the availability of VMS NEWS, Version 5.2.
[[
VMS NEWS is an implementation of the Standard for Interchange of USENET
Messages (RFC1036) using native mode VMS. The program is similar in
functionality to the rnews suite of programs, implementing a screen-based
presentation environment, posting, replying and followup messages, management
of the NEWS data files, and an implementation of the necessary distribution
algorithms to allow a VMS system to be a routing node within a NEWS network
topology as well as an end-node.
VMS NEWS also implements the NNTP protocol (RFC977) over both DECNET and CMU's
implementation of TCP/IP for VMS, which allows server and client nodes to be
configured over both DECNET and TCP links to remote NNTP clients/servers (both
VMS and Unix{tm}).
]]
The new features which have been implemented in V5.2 include full NNTP support
over TCP as well as DECNET and a basic form of conversation stream tracking.
Previous updates over the last two months include article marking, kill
filters, NNTP support over DECNET, documentation (user and management), and
numerous bug fixes.
The software is FREE, and the distribution includes all sources (in C),
documentation sources (in LaTeX), configuration files and the executables.
How to get a copy:
- I can air-mail you a tape:
This will cost $100 (Australian dollars) to cover the tape, packaging
and air-mail costs. Please send a cheque for the relevant amount
($100 in Australian Dollars please), made out to:
"Computer Services Centre, ANU"
and address the letter to:
Attn: Geoff Huston
Computer Services Centre
Australian National University
GPO Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA
PLEASE DON'T SEND ME A TAPE - just the request and the cheque.
- If you are connected to an X.25 network via VAX PSI then you can
get a copy over the net (in this case you are paying the transport
charges) There are three files you require, with a total size of
1552 blocks in compressed format.
If you wish to do this please send VAX PSI-MAIL to
PSI%505262440032::GIH900
and I'll mail back the procedures to get a copy.
- You can get a copy from someone else who has a copy or from a circulating
tape. I intend to get NEWS V5.2 in the US DECUS FALL 88 VAX SIG tape (If
I can get a tape to the states in time!), and also onto the US DECUS
VUNET tape. If anyone wishes to place the files in an area accessible by
some form of ftp then please do so and announce the fact on the relevant
net.
How NOT to get a copy:
- request me to send a copy over the net - in such a case I would have to
pay the charge for the link out from Australia, and that is prohibitively
expensive for me. Sorry folks :-(
- Send me a request without a cheque for $100.
For further details please mail me at the address below.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Huston Computer Services Centre, Australian National University
GPO Box 4, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601 AUSTRALIA
ACSnet,CSNET: gih900@fac.anu.oz INTERNET: gih900%fac.anu.oz@uunet.uu.net
UUCP: {uunet,ubc-cs,nttlab,mcvax,ukc}!munnari!fac.anu.oz!gih900
PSI_MAIL: PSI%505262440032::gih900
------------------------------------------------------------------------------gih900@fac3.anu.OZ.AU (GEOFF HUSTON) (05/12/88)
Path: fac3!gih900
From: gih900@fac3.anu.oz (GEOFF HUSTON)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: VAX PSI Security Posting
Message-ID: <193@fac3.anu.oz>
Date: 12 May 88 08:35:08 GMT
Organization: Computer Services, Australian National University
Lines: 63
I followed the recent debate in this newsgroup on VMS Security issues, and have
some sympathy with the Digital line that they wish to issue security patches
without explaining precisely what is being fixed, and ensure as far as possible
that the patch only reaches system managers of VMS systems.
However there is an equally valid argument to inform as many system managers as
quickly as possible when supplied software has security problems.
Accordingly I am posting this message (verbatim as I received it) to the net,
and have included the relevant headers to indicate the original source of the
message. I HAVE NOT CONFIRMED WITH DIGITAL THAT THIS IS AN "OFFICAL" PATCH. If
you are unsure whether to apply the measures suggested here, then perhaps you
may wish to follow up with your local Digital software support.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Via: UK.AC.RUTHERFORD.VAX-E ; Wed, 27 Apr 88 12:36 BST
(V39 at UK.AC.RUTHERFORD.GEC-B)
Date: Wed, 27 APR 88 12:36:11 GMT
From: SUPPORT@UK.AC.RL.VE
To: VMS-COMMS@UK.AC.RL.GB
Subject: Security!!!!!
*********************************************************************
******* **********
******* IMPORTANT SECURITY MESSAGE **********
******* **********
*********************************************************************
To VAX/VMS Managers,
I have been contacted by DEC and asked to forward this information to you.
There is a security loophole in the current VMS system (as discussed at the
last SERC VAX/VMS User Group). In order to overcome this problem please
deinstall the NETTRACE image on your system and remove the command procedure
SYS$MANAGER:NETTRACE_INSTALL.COM. (This will prevent the image being
reinstalled at the next reboot and will not effect the running of PSI at all.)
To do this :
$ INSTALL == "$SYS$SYSTEM:INSTALL/COMMAND_MODE"
$ INSTALL REMOVE SYS$SYSTEM:NETTRACE
$ RENAME SYS$MANAGER:NETTRACE_INSTALL.COM;* SYS$MANAGER:NETTRACE_NOINSTALL.COM
All users on the system will still have access to PSI TRACE but due to the
fact that the image is no longer installed with privileges certain operations
will not be accessible to non privileged users.
PLEASE DO THIS NOW WHATEVER VERSION OF PSI YOU HAPPEN TO BE RUNNING.
Regards
Sue Weston
P.S. This message is being sent to a number of mailing lists, apologies if
you receive it more than once.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Geoff Huston Computer Services Centre, Australian National University
GPO Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA
ACSnet,CSNET: gih900@fac3.anu.oz INTERNET: gih900%fac3.anu.oz@uunet.uu.net
UUCP: {uunet,ubc-cs,nttlab,mcvax,ukc}!munnari!fac3.anu.oz!gih900
PSI_MAIL: PSI%505262440032::gih900blair@mso.anu.OZ.AU (Blair Phillips) (05/23/88)
Path: mso!blair From: blair@mso.anu.oz (Blair Phillips) Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: SI9900 disk controller dual-ported on SBI and Q-bus Message-ID: <67@mso.anu.oz> Date: 22 May 88 15:06:05 GMT Organization: Australian National University Lines: 41 Has anyone had experience with an SI9900 controller connected to an SBI host adapter and a Q-bus or Unibus adapter? We have a LAVC with a 785, a MicroVAX II, a VAXstation II and a VS2000. The 785 and the UV2 are both connected to an SI9900 controller with 4 disks on it. The 785 is the boot node for the cluster. The UV2 may be configured as a boot node some time in the future to add some redundency to the system. The SI9900 is connected to the 785 via an SBI host adapter and a patched copy of DRDRIVER. The disks appear as DRB0..3. On the MicroVAX, the Q-bus host adapter uses a driver supplied by SI, SIDRIVER. In the standard setup, the disks appear as SIA0..3. As we wanted to access the disks as dual-ported disks from both machines, I patched the SIDRIVER to change its name to DRDRIVER, and connected the disks as DRB0..3. I had hoped to serve the SI9900 disks from both the 785 and the UV2, however, all other systems see the UV2 served connections as SIB0, SIB1 SIB2 and SIB3, rather than DRB0..3. I do not understand where the SIB names are coming from. The device names in the DDB's are set to "DR", and, as far as I can tell, there are no references to "SI" anywhere in the I/O database. Does anyone know exactly how served device names are propagated to the cluster? The MSCP module is missing from the 4.6 fiche, and I believe it has changed from earlier versions. I couldn't work out how it was done in older versions, anyway. Please mail any replies to one of the addresses below, as news does not always get to this corner of the globe. Blair Phillips Computing Laboratory,Mt Stromlo & Sidings Springs Observatory Private Bag, Woden P.O. ACT 2606 Australia Ph. (Aust) (062) 88 1111 (Intl) + 61 62 88 1111 Acsnet,csnet: blair@mso.anu.oz.au Internet: blair%mso.anu.oz@uunet.uu.net PSImail: psi%(0)50526244003212::blair or psi%(0)505262440032::mso::blair SPAN: NSSDCA::PSI%MSSSO::BLAIR