info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (06/20/85)
From: Misty Dragon E. <engvax!GORDON@cit-vax> This is a (long) brain-teaser for the VAX veterans... If you don't feel like thinking, please skip to the next article! I have managed to create an interactive process which does not understand the '@' for indirect DCL command files. Whenever I issue a command with an '@' (either as a symbol, or typed in), I get an RMS error. Observe: $ @PUB:SETUP %RMS-F-RFA, invalid record's file address (RFA) $ emacs <-- == "@emacs_library:keptemacs" %RMS-F-RFA, invalid record's file address (RFA) I always get the same error. It never goes away and it starts appearing somewhere in my LOGIN.COM. My LOGIN.COM executes several command files, but I have never gotten this error more than 2 times during its execution. I have tried putting a SET VERIFY in the LOGIN.COM to see where this starts, but the problem is so rare that I haven't yet been able to trap it (and for all I know, SET VERIFY works around it). I have managed to create 2 other processes with this problem out of 20 or so attempts since first discovering it. I currently have a disco'd process in this 'state', and am scratching my head trying to figure out how to put it on tape to SPR it (Here's a "modest proposal" --- BACKUP/PROCESS, allows a frustrated user to back his process up to tape or disk whereupon it can be read at a later date, put into the global process table, and be attached to!) I have looked pretty closely at this before submitting it to the public scrutiny; so although we can't rule out brain-damage entirely, I'd like to think that this is not caused by something simple (How would you go about killing the '@' command??) Some other notables: * SET HOST 0 from the broken process works just as it should * SPAWN works just fine * SPAWN/INPUT=DOOF.COM/NOWAIT works right (as expected from previous test) * indirect command files for a utility (such as DEBUG) work fine [ie. DBG> @DOOF.COM works properly] * READ SYS$INPUT and READ SYS$COMMAND work right * CREATE echoes each input line back to the terminal. For example, I want to CREATE a file that looks like: [BOF]doof city foo bar ^Z will look like the following when I issue the CREATE command: [BOF]doof city <-- I type this doof city <-- a gratuitous line foo bar foo bar ^Z I am running a VAX 11/785 under VMS V4.1. Well, that is about all I am going to clutter the net with on this problem. Sorry to waste your time on a problem that probably ought to be simply SPR'd; but I suspect there is some academic interest in this out there. I was just wondering if anyone had seen this before. (Hah!) Our system manager (Kevin Carosso) is about as confused as I am... [note to Kevin -- you've really made it now, you're being name-dropped!] [war story reference approaching for those 'in the know'] After 'losing' my database files (and a Sunday recovering them) in the VMS v4 upgrade due a file system fragmented disk bug, I tremble a tiny bit when I get an RMS error while running a standard VMS utility. DEC --- Should I try to SPR this? What can I give you? Thanks. Gordon Howell (Misty Dragon E.) engvax!gordon@CIT-VAX.ARPA