steve@siemens (Steve Clark) (01/29/88)
We have around 9 1109 and 1186's with our own fileserver. (We share printing and other services with the Viewpoint system that the administration uses.) Unfortunately, our fileserver-for-lisp-users is a lemon. It's so bad that we are losing files and it's down most of the time. In our lab we also have a fair number of Vaxes, micro and otherwise. We have VMS and several varieties of Unix - Berkeley, Mt. Xinu, and Ultrix - running on them. The obvious solution is to get some software and a disk, and use one of the Vaxes as a fileserver. We already can use TCP-IP to acces files on some Vaxes, but we think we need the XNS based server so we can keep sysouts, and because TCP-IP is not really 100% comfortable. (It struggles to deal with different ideas about file names for example.) How much work is required to get the DEI software from Xerox up and running? Is it really satisfactory? Does it collide with other ethernet software running on the same Vax? How much Vax computer power does it use up? Is there satasfactory software to run under Unix? The Unix guys point out that XNS is available on the distribution tape from Berkeley or Mt. Xinu, but does that include the server program(s)? I hope someone with actual experience with these approaches can enlighten me. I know that there are people out there using quite a variety of machines as fileservers. Extra credit question: Is it possible to set up a Postscript type printer (that is, an Imagen) that is currently sitting on the Ethernet printing files from a variety of Vaxes and workstations all running Unix, so that the D-machines access it as if it were a print server? I have seen that there is software for producing Postscript files, but what eelse is necessary? If you know all about this stuff, and you'd like to help us get such a system set up, you might even (if you're lucky) be able to convince management here to pay you as a consultant to do it. But act like it was your own idea, not mine (to be a consultant that is). Steve Clark, lowly peon Siemens Research and Technology Laboratory Princeton New Jersey steve@siemens.com, ...!princeton!siemens!steve
SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (Christopher Schmidt) (02/02/88)
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 10:34:43 EST
From: steve@siemens (Steve Clark)
To: info-1100@sumex-aim.stanford.edu
Subject: Vax file servers
[...] Unfortunately, our fileserver-for-lisp-users is a lemon. It's
so bad that we are losing files and it's down most of the time.
Is this a Xerox 8033? 8037? Except that the T-300's on the 8037 are
succeptible to file system damage during power failures, these have
been pretty good servers for us. Admittedly, as an XDE grant site, we have
the advantage of possesing more expertise than the average customer.
[...] The obvious solution is to get some software and a disk, and
use one of the Vaxes as a fileserver.
Protocolwise, the Xerox servers are such a good match for the d-machines,
I'd recommend another try at getting them to work for you.
We already can use TCP-IP to acces files on some Vaxes, but we think
we need the XNS based server so we can keep sysouts, and because TCP-IP
is not really 100% comfortable. (It struggles to deal with different
ideas about file names for example.)
I, too, wish Xerox would add a TCP FTP option to the Tajo SystemTool for
installing sysouts.
How much work is required to get the DEI software from Xerox up and
running? Is it really satisfactory? Does it collide with other
ethernet software running on the same Vax? How much Vax computer power
does it use up?
We don't use DEI, but my understanding from reading this list is that it
is a pretty good implementation of the PUP network protocol for VMS.
A common complaint seems to be that releases of DEI lag those of VMS
sometimes.
Is there satasfactory software to run under Unix? The Unix guys point
out that XNS is available on the distribution tape from Berkeley or
Mt. Xinu, but does that include the server program(s)? [...]
My understanding is that it does not; client software only. Some time
back, Xerox AIS (or EOS, more precisely) distributed a unix
implementation of PUP. We use a locally modified copy dating back
to 1981, but apart from telling you that this approach was satisfactory
to us for several years, I can't offer you any assistance on that front.
We now use a Xerox 8037 as our primary d-machine server.
I imagine Xerox would rather help you to get your Xerox server working
right than to spend time helping you install PUP.
Extra credit question: Is it possible to set up a Postscript type
printer (that is, an Imagen) that is currently sitting on the Ethernet
printing files from a variety of Vaxes and workstations all running
Unix, so that the D-machines access it as if it were a print server?
I have seen that there is software for producing Postscript files,
but what eelse is necessary? [...]
Although Imagen has announced an intention to ship a PostScript-compatible
product in the future, their current product line interprets the Impress
page description language.
There is a Impress driver for Xerox Lisp filed on SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU
in <LISPUSERS.KOTO>IMPRESS.DCOM or <LISPUSERS.LYRIC>IMPRESS.LCOM.
Documentation is filed in IMPRESS.TEDIT; fonts in <SCRIBE.X300>*.*
I wrote it, but time doesn't permit offering much in the way of help
installing it.
--Christopher
-------sklower@sequoia.Berkeley.EDU.berkeley.edu (Keith Sklower) (02/05/88)
In article <12371361215.99.SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU> SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU writes (among other things): > Is there satasfactory software to run under Unix? The Unix guys point > out that XNS is available on the distribution tape from Berkeley or > Mt. Xinu, but does that include the server program(s)? [...] > >My understanding is that it does not; client software only. This is incorrect; You can get a version of filing server software that works well enough to get sysouts from a vax using the tajo system tool (or so, I've been told), via anonymous ftp from parcvax.xerox.com. In the directory xns, retrieve the file Xerox-xns1.0.tar.Z. I had to make one change to make it work on our systems: *** morexnslib/CHlookup.c Mon Nov 16 15:48:57 1987 --- morexnslib/CHlookup.c.org Mon May 11 07:02:10 1987 *************** *** 197,203 **** CourierConnection *conn; Clearinghouse2_RetrieveAddressesResults raresult; - conn.x_port = 0; if ((conn = CourierOpen(&chaddr)) == NULL) return(conn); DURING --- 197,202 ----