info-vax@ucbvax.ARPA (06/11/85)
From: KEITH%MCL.SAINET.MFENET@LLL-MFE.ARPA
From: MCLC2::FOX "E.T." 10-JUN-1985 16:52
To: WARD,QUADE,BROOKS,@ADP,NEWELL,TIFFANY,@10OPS,OPS,@750
Subj: VAXLUG notes
The following are the notes from the recent VAXLUG meeting for reference:
From: MCLC2::TROUTMAN "heartattack-ack-ack-ack-ack" 7-JUN-1985 11:14
To: OPS
Subj: VAXLUG REPORT
LUGNOTES: June 6th, 1985
1. As of July 1st, all newsletters (PAGESWAPPER, etc.) will be combined into
one at a cost of $35 per year. The first issue should be out in August.
2. Clusters are IN. Mini-clusters, too (between 750s)!
3. The high number of disk errors (read vector errors) on RA81s is due to
a manufacturing blunder. DEC is aware of this.
4. XQP & PRINT SYMBIONT --> everyone was screaming about these two. A few
have received the fix from RDC. They got it the same way we are trying
to get it, through an SPR. It should come via mail on floppy.
5. Release 20 of the Field Service Diagnostics just came out last week.
Unfortunately, the service reps don't know they have it yet. Guess
we should call Pete.
6. An upcoming meeting will focus on CLUSTERS.
7. Pascal V3.0 will actually work better with VMS V4.2 due to the way it
interacts with RTL.EXE.
8. Two rumors about VMS V4.2 availability -->
1. It's about to be shipped (will see it in 3 weeks)
2. Still in Field Test (won't be out til late summer)
9. DECnet for IBM PCs
10. Try using WINDOWS via the screen system calls.
11. RMS error --> Here's the scenario: If a file is marked 'NOBACKUP', when
it is backed up to tape, only the file header is taken. If this file is
then deleted from the disk and then restored from tape, the only thing
that will go back to disk is the header.
12. SET HOST DTE (see SYS$EXAMPLES:DTE_DF03.MAR) --> this is useful, but you
will have to write some of your own code. The following is the abstract
from the code itself:
Provide modem-specific support for autodialing on a DF03, and
serve as example for other modem types. Activated as a sharable
image when SET HOST ttcn: /DTE /DIAL=(number:string,MOTE_TYPE=DF03)
is run.
13. The speaker was a bore, but he would have made a great preacher. Too
much 'hard sale' stuff. He put DEC down in front of a room full of DEC
users, (brave man!). He seemed to have a negative attitude about every-
thing. The guts of his talk was that to improve system performance, you
had to improve your users' use of the system, ie. educate them. Don't
let them do silly things like OPEN a file, READ, CLOSE and OPEN again
over and over. Also, do as much work in BATCH as possible. Charge an
arm and a leg for PRIMETIME. Limit use of the DEBUGGER because it is
a CPU hog. More HARDWARE/MEMORY is not the answer, tuning is. This
guy was also very down on DEC's AUTOGEN tuning. He couldn't say enough
bad things about it.