norman@alice.UUCP (04/12/88)
Walter Reichenbaecher and Bob Leffler ask about remote access to the Nautilus (8530, 8550, 8700 et al) console. We do it all the time; that's what the remote port is for. Without going into great detail, the remote port on the back of the Pro is ordinary RS232. Plug something into it, read the console manual to find out how to enable it, and fire away. If your field service organization insist on using the remote port too, hook up a switch box like the one Walter describes on his 11/780 console. A few warnings: the resulting remote and local consoles are orthogonal; one may be in console mode when the other is in program mode, and even when both are in console mode, both may issue commands at once, independently. Using the EXIT command to return to P/OS DCL disables the remote port; you'll have to enable it again. (And you can't get to P/OS DCL at all from the remote; knowledge of the remote port is entirely within the CONTROL program.) The appearance of data from the two consoles in the logfile is not entirely obvious. In particular, when the local port is in console mode and the remote in program mode, lots of pointless console prompts are logged. The worst worry is that booting the system through the remote port, then disconnecting from the remote, leaves both remote and local consoles in console mode, and sends control-S to the VAX. I don't know how annoying this is with VAX/VMS; with my home-built Unix, the system gradually fills with programs that wanted to print on the console. The most recent console release -- rev 7 -- has a `set local terminal program' command, which does what it says, which is sufficient workaround. Or just don't disconnect the remote; this isn't a good answer for us, but if all you want is to make all consoles work from one place, it's probably good enough for you. Rev 7 is shipping with new machines in the US, and Field Service should have it too; I don't know if it's easily available overseas yet. There is noticeable progress in fixing these and other console bugs in successive releases. If you're attending Cincinnati DECUS, watch for sessions (regular and BOF) about the Nautilus console. The engineers responsible are quite interested in user comments. All our 11/750s have simple RS232 switches. I still think that's more satisfactory; but the Nautilus remote port can be made to work well enough. Norman Wilson Bell Laboratories research!norman; norman@research.att.com