1 INFO-VAX	Sun, 03 Oct 2004	Volume 2004 : Issue 549       Contents: Re: As seen in WSJ& DecWindows performance on old hardware Free Random Password Generator Infoserver 150 firmware 2 Re: Make a CD-ROM image file faster than DCL COPY.* Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse* Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse* Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse# Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN? # Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN? # Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN? # Re: Tiny pickings for Itanium OEM's # Re: Tiny pickings for Itanium OEM's = Re: Why do I need Read access to a directory, to WRITE to it? = Re: Why do I need Read access to a directory, to WRITE to it?   F ----------------------------------------------------------------------  $ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 11:35:13 -0400# From: "John Smith" <a@nonymous.com>  Subject: Re: As seen in WSJ , Message-ID: <R--dnZpuiMWpgf3cRVn-tA@igs.net>   JF Mezei wrote:  > E > Perhaps the other user of IA64: SGI will be key. When they announce C > they are moving to Opteron/8086,  that might be the death blow to . > IA64 and HP's stock may go down as a result.    L In a perverse sort of way, that might be the best thing to happen to VMS....   1) carly(tm) gets axed 2) process shrink EV7 again - 3) Write BIG checks to rehire Alpha engineers  4) Kill HP-UX in favor of Tru64 C 5) Have a common platform for all of Compaq's...er..HP's enterprise K operating systems...from the desktop to the data center...(is there an echo 	 in here?)     J That or simply close down all the Enterprise division in favor of consumer TV's and HP MP3 players  et al.    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 12:37:57 +0200 5 From: Ulrich Bellgardt <Ulrich.bellgardt@debitel.net> / Subject: DecWindows performance on old hardware 6 Message-ID: <415fd685$0$9590$9b622d9e@news.freenet.de>   Hello,  > my hobbyist system is a DEC 3000 Model 500 with 192 MB Memory.  = Recently I upgraded from VMS V7.2-1 to V7.3-2 with update kit G VMS732_UPDATE-V0200, and DWMOTIF V1.2-5 to V1.3-1, TCPIP is V5.4 ECO 2.   E For DECWindows, I use a Linux PC, either with an "empty" X server for H the full CDE environment so that I can switch between Linux and VMS withI CTRL-ALT-F7/CTRL-ALT-F8, or (in case I need Linux and VMS on one screen), E I open one or more DecTerms on the Linux desktop. This is done by two F DCL procedures GIVE_CDE.COM and GIVE_DECTERM.COM that I can start from Linux with rsh.   > Both methods worked fine in the past. They still work, but theA performance of DecWindows is not satisfactory: creating a DecTerm H seems to consume very much CPU (it takes a couple of seconds until it isF up), and then it still is slow, e.g. the key sequence PF1-PF3 must not5 be typed too fast so that the EDT can recognise them. D On the VT220 console, speed is not an issue, the response is as fastE as I can expect with that old hardware, in fact it seems to be faster  than with VMS 7.2-1.  C Though it is not supported for VMS 7.3-2, I tried to switch back to ? DWMOTIF V1.2-5. After some small changes in DECW$STARTLIBS.COM, E I can get the DECTerms, and they show the good performance I was used = to. However, the CDE login screen which used to start from my 6 DCL procedure, completely fails. In GIVE_CDE.COM, I do  G   $ set  displ    /crea/exec/perm/trans=tcpip   /node='P1   /server='p2 /   $ run           cde$path:CDE$RESTARTLOGIN.EXE   - As a result, the console shows the following:   8 %%%%%%%%%%%  OPCOM   3-OCT-2004 08:20:22.62  %%%%%%%%%%%& Message from user AUDIT$SERVER on EMILF Security alarm (SECURITY) and security audit (SECURITY) on EMIL, [...]8 Auditable event:          Detached process login failure1 Event time:                3-OCT-2004 08:20:22.62 " PID:                      25E0012D  Process name:             _WSA4:  Username:                 SYSTEM" Process owner:            [SYSTEM]I Image name:               $3$DKA200:[SYS0.SYSCOMMON.][SYSEXE]LOGINOUT.EXE  Posix UID:                -2) Posix GID:                -2 (%XFFFFFFFE) E Status:                   %LIB-F-ACTIMAGE, error activating image !AS   D A Google search showed me that others have seen the same symptoms inC the past, but the solutions I found in that context (apply patches, 3 modify some system parameters) did not work for me.   C BTW, CDE itself, started by @CDE$PATH:XSESSION.COM is working fine.      My questions are:   C 1. Is there any chance to improve the performance of DWMOTIF V1.3-1 .     (by tuning, applying patches, anything...)   and if the answer is NO,  ? 2. What can I try to get the CDE login screen of DWMOTIF 1.2-5?      Regards,   -Uli Bellgardt   ------------------------------   Date: 3 Oct 2004 03:14:28 -0700 2 From: Spam2@Sharewareisland.com (FreewareTown.com)' Subject: Free Random Password Generator = Message-ID: <d4469d0d.0410030214.79f971ef@posting.google.com>     Free Random Password Generator  3 http://www.sharewareisland.com/randompasswords.aspx    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 17:36:12 +0200 ) From: Alex van Denzel <alex@vandenzel.nl>   Subject: Infoserver 150 firmware6 Message-ID: <41601c10$0$30704$18b6e80@news.wanadoo.nl>   Hello,  G Since I tried to install NetBSD on my InfoServer 150, thinking it was a @ MicroVAX compatible machine, I destroyed the original InfoServer. firmware (software) on the internal hard-disk.  9 Does anyone have an image of the disk, or can create one?   H A gzipped, dd-ed image of the harddrive should be fine, and I can handleD Ghost images, and if you tell me how, I can probably restore it with OpenVMS backup.    Thanks in advance, Alex.    ------------------------------  % Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:55:11 +0800  From: prep@prep.synonet.com ; Subject: Re: Make a CD-ROM image file faster than DCL COPY. - Message-ID: <87d5zzg2s0.fsf@prep.synonet.com>    sms@antinode.org writes:  H >    If anyone has (demonstrated) ways to improve my program, I'm alwaysJ > open to suggestions.  (Currently, low-level I/O is used only to read the5 > CD-ROM.  UNIX I/O is used to write the image file.)   I You HAVE added the go fast stripes to the writes I trust? See gzip on the  freeware for a recipee.    --  < Paul Repacholi                               1 Crescent Rd.,7 +61 (08) 9257-1001                           Kalamunda. @                                              West Australia 6076* comp.os.vms,- The Older, Grumpier Slashdot. Raw, Cooked or Well-done, it's all half baked.F EPIC, The Architecture of the future, always has been, always will be.   ------------------------------  # Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 11:17:45 GMT " From:   VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG3 Subject: Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse 0 Message-ID: <00A38CA1.9354C9E6@SendSpamHere.ORG>  k In article <pan.2004.10.03.00.23.38.511937@access4less.net>, James Nykiel <jnykiel@access4less.net> writes:  >Greetings:  >  > F >I am in the process of putting together an AlphaStation 200 system onG >which to learn OpenVMS.  I would like to obtain the following items to * >help complete my AlphaStation 200 system. > ) >(1) LK461-A2 - 108 Key OpenVMS Keyboard.  >(1) PCXAS-AB - 3 Button Mouse.  > K >I have recently checked eBay but have had no luck in locating these items. J >If you have either or both of these items and the are in decent conditionE >I would be interested in purchasing them if the price is right as my ) >budget is somewhat limited at this time.   F If you cannot find a LK461-A2, you could use the 3X-LK463-A2.  This isG a USB DECstyle keyboard but it comes with an adapter for USB to the DIN F type connector on the Alphastation 200.  I have one of these keyboardsF that I purchased for use with the Itanium box but my curiosity got theE better of me and I had to see if the combination worked on my AS200s.  It does.  E The 3X-LK463-A2 is $88.00 from regentsales*com.  Contact Sherisa (at)  regentsales*com            >  >Note: > H >I am not sure if the PCXAS-AB 3 Button Mouse is the best choice for useI >with an AlphaStation 200 running OpenVMS and DECWindows.  I know I could K >probably use almost any brand PS/2 mouse but would like to stay with a DEC  >mouse.   F A 3 button USB mouse that I also purchased does not work using the USB adaptor provided with it.      --  < http://www.ProvN.com  for the *best* OpenVMS system security=                       solutions that others only claim to be.  --  , Cyber-Terrorism (si'-ber tayr'-or-iz-em) n.:M   The release of, the sale of, or the use of any Micro$oft software product!   --  K VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker   VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM    ------------------------------  $ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 14:49:53 +0100< From: "Alex Daniels" <AlexNOSPAMTHANKSDaniels@themail.co.uk>3 Subject: Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse 6 Message-ID: <41600389$0$22762$db0fefd9@news.zen.co.uk>  G <sms@antinode.org> wrote in message news:04100223113623@antinode.org...  > ? >   I am unaware that there were ever PS2-compatible DECburgers  >  >  <SNIP>  D The DECburger application to my knowledge has always been free with M DECWindows, compatible with all supported pointing devices and the source is  " also shipped with the application.   $ dir decw$examples:*burger*  + Directory SYS$COMMON:[SYSHLP.EXAMPLES.DECW]   K DECBURGER.C;1       DECBURGER.COM;1     DECBURGER.EXE;1     DECBURGER.HLB;1 7 DECBURGER.HLP;1     DECBURGER.UID;1     DECBURGER.UIL;1 G DECBURGER_HELP.DECW$BOOK;1              DECBURGER_HELP.DECW$BOOKSHELF;1 > MOTIFBURGER.FOR;1   MOTIFBURGER.UIL;1   MOTIFBURGER_DEFS.FOR;1   Total of 12 files. $   G I have just tested it with both a PS2 mouse and the Tadpole's pointing  3 device, it functions as expected with both devices.    Alex     ------------------------------  * Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 08:58:38 -0500 (CDT) From: sms@antinode.org3 Subject: Re: Need LK461 keyboard and 3 button mouse ) Message-ID: <04100308583841@antinode.org>   < From: "Alex Daniels" <AlexNOSPAMTHANKSDaniels@themail.co.uk>  A > >   I am unaware that there were ever PS2-compatible DECburgers   F > The DECburger application to my knowledge has always been free with O > DECWindows, compatible with all supported pointing devices and the source is  $ > also shipped with the application. > [...]   H    I was referring to the hardware "DECburger", that is, the old, round,H domed mouse (model VSXXX-AA), not the software "DECburger".  I apologize$ for any confusion I may have caused.  H    I particularly like (the looks of) the ones with the two tilted knobs: underneath, apparently made before the sphere was devised.  H ------------------------------------------------------------------------  4    Steven M. Schweda               (+1) 651-699-98183    382 South Warwick Street        sms@antinode-org     Saint Paul  MN  55105-2547    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 12:58:55 -0400 ( From: David Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com>, Subject: Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN?, Message-ID: <41602FCF.6020903@tsoft-inc.com>   briggs@encompasserve.org wrote:   \ > In article <415c2413$1@cpns1.saic.com>, Mark Berryman <mark.berryman@mvb.saic.com> writes: > B >>Get a copy of PRIVDCL.  This would allow you to execute command J >>procedures with elevated privilege and grant access to those procedures  >>via rights identifier. >>: >>The users themselves need no elevated privileges at all. >> > 8 > I just had a look at PRIVDCL.  It's not at all secure. > E > No insult intended.  Privileged LIB$SPAWN is a very very hard thing  > to secure. > @ > PRIVDCL claims to do logical name spoof checking in subprocessF > context.  But that's too late.  You need logical name spoof checkingG > in calling context.  code.  PRIVDCL.C does not do that.  Accordingly, E > it is unsafe.  An attack would take less than 5 minutes to code up.  > H > If you're using PRIVDCL to keep your honest users honest, that's fine.D > But please, don't expect it to keep you safe from dishonest users. >  >  > 	John Briggs >   P Definitely NOT disagreeing with your assessment, however, would observe, almost 0 anything is better than granting the user privs.   Dave   --  4 David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-04504 Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      Fax: 724-529-0596> DFE Ultralights, Inc.              E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com 170 Grimplin Road  Vanderbilt, PA  15486    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:04:14 -0400 ( From: David Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com>, Subject: Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN?, Message-ID: <4160310E.8010607@tsoft-inc.com>   Larry Kilgallen wrote:  Y > In article <415CF0F4.4050301@tsoft-inc.com>, David Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com> writes:  >  > R >>This isn't a unique situation.  I've wished for a programmable interface to the L >>DIRECTORY command's capabilities.  Doing it yourself is a pain in the ass. >># >>WARNING, WISH LIST ITEM IMMANENT!  >>Q >>For each version of VMS the developers must modify the code behind SHOW DEVICE  Q >>/FILE if the internal tables change.  If they took this same code and provided  Q >>some library routines and/or system services then users could write code using  E >>the routines/service(s) which would be compatible between versions.  >> > J > For some odd utilities like SHOW DEVICE/FILE creating a callable serviceK > would take a lot of effort and require restructuring the existing utility 9 > (you wouldn't want it to continue using separate code).  > K > Consider the hoops through which $GETUAI/$SETUAI jump to preserve context  > in only 32 bits. >   P I agree completely.  The issue is that it's a pain for either to do, so why not A just have it done once by someone familiar with the requirements.   O As for preserving context, that technique is used to make such routines rather  N flexible to implement and use, from the perspective of not being aware of the J volume of the return data until the request is made.  I'd be happy with a M lesser, more restrictive, implementation.  Possibly a linked list of packets  * using dynamic strings to contain the data.   Dave   --  4 David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-04504 Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      Fax: 724-529-0596> DFE Ultralights, Inc.              E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com 170 Grimplin Road  Vanderbilt, PA  15486    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:12:13 -0400 ( From: David Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com>, Subject: Re: SHOW DEVICE/FILES with FORTRAN?, Message-ID: <416032ED.3020504@tsoft-inc.com>   David J Dachtera wrote:    > David Froble wrote:  >  >>[snip]Q >>This isn't a unique situation.  I've wished for a programmable interface to the L >>DIRECTORY command's capabilities.  Doing it yourself is a pain in the ass. >> > $ > Which capabilities, specifically?  > J > LIB$FILE_SCAN plus the various services that return file information are1 > all documented in the system RTL, are they not?  >  >   M Getting FIB, attribute, date, and such data that is seen in a DIR/FULL isn't   trivial.   Dave   --  4 David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-04504 Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      Fax: 724-529-0596> DFE Ultralights, Inc.              E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com 170 Grimplin Road  Vanderbilt, PA  15486    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 03:08:13 -0400 ( From: David Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com>, Subject: Re: Tiny pickings for Itanium OEM's, Message-ID: <415FA55D.8020402@tsoft-inc.com>   david20@alpha2.mdx.ac.uk wrote:   d > In article <415CDC8E.AF8D55BD@spamnotteksavvy.com>, JF Mezei <jfmezei@spamnotteksavvy.com> writes: >  >>"Main, Kerry" wrote: >>H >>>Course, when each of the HW vendors came out and publically announcedH >>>"we are done with this", then MS had little choice other than to spinJ >>>something like "due to limited market share, MS is no longer supporting >>>X platform".  >>> L >>No, the decision that "Windows on platform X is not strategic" was done byO >>microsoft beforehand, at which point the manufacturer was given the option to # >>continue to pay for that version.  >>N >>Again, if it is Intel that writes all the code for Windows for the 8086, why >>does Microsoft exist ? >>O >>Had Alpha been a success, I am quite sure that Microsoft would have completed H >>the porting of applications and continues support of Windows on Alpha. >>H >>But becayuse Digital/Compaq did not perform the originally anticipatedO >>marketing and pushing of Alpha, it is no surprise that Microsoft quickly lost M >>interest in Windows/alpha and threw the ball to Digital/Compaq's court, and J >>this probably happened in the last days of Digital, or perhaps MicrosoftO >>waited for the Compaq takeover to see what Compaq would be doing, and as soon O >>as accountant Curly filled the void, he probably told Microsoft not to expect 5 >>any growth in Alpha because it would be phased out.  >> > M > As I recall Digital/Compaq was willing to pay for NT on Alpha because they  P > hoped that Windows/64 which was being developed on Alpha since Itanium wasn't 8 > ready would allow Alpha to increase it's market share.M > Unfortunately Microsoft decided not to release Windows/64 until Itanium was  > ready. >  >  > David Webb > Security team leader > CCSS > Middlesex University >   . Another "Your problem is that you trusted us."   Dave   --  4 David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-04504 Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      Fax: 724-529-0596> DFE Ultralights, Inc.              E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com 170 Grimplin Road  Vanderbilt, PA  15486    ------------------------------  $ Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 11:20:51 -0400# From: "John Smith" <a@nonymous.com> , Subject: Re: Tiny pickings for Itanium OEM's, Message-ID: <x96dnVmg94Klhv3cRVn-tg@igs.net>   Rob Young wrote:7 > In article <415E202F.86D86FBB@teksavvy.com>, JF Mezei ( > <jfmezei.spamnot@teksavvy.com> writes: >> Rob Young wrote: ; >>>         Sun has done little more than shed market share F >>>         for 2 years or so, went 10 quarters with declining revenueD >>>         year over year, the stock has bounced from $2-$6 dollars) >>>         per share the past 2 years...  >>E >> That is because Sun had near monopoly on the .com market which has G >> since vanished and this is it normal to see Sun drop in market share > >> from its artificial high when it surfed atop the .com wave. >> > 9 > Not so.  Go back and read the server stats you clipped. : > IBM and others have been growing while sun is shrinking.= > You can't attribute their current difficulties to something < > that happened over three years ago (.com bubble burst) the) > after effects have long since vanished.  > G >> What would be interesting now would be to compare more recent market F >> share between solaris, HP-UX, Tru64 , AIX and Linux. I'd be willingG >> to bet a chocolate cookie that Sun is fairing better than both HP-UX 1 >> and AIX, but certainltly not as good as Linux.  > B > Tell us what that means, "recent" and "fairing better" , solaris$ > versus others are vacuous at best.    ' So where are the VMS growth statistics?   L HP's 'things are looking rosy' statements and Gartner's numbers dont seem to	 coincide.   L Somehow I think that HP's statements are about as accurate as WMD's in Iraq.   ------------------------------   Date: 3 Oct 2004 05:06:33 -0700 . From: spamsink2001@yahoo.com (Alan E. Feldman)F Subject: Re: Why do I need Read access to a directory, to WRITE to it?= Message-ID: <b096a4ee.0410030406.423f8121@posting.google.com>   h Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen) wrote in message news:<sUxhi05e3ahU@eisner.encompasserve.org>...k > In article <newscache$gg3z4i$4bq$1@news.sil.at>, peter@langstoeger.at (Peter 'EPLAN' LANGSTOEGER) writes:  > J > > While this is logical and true, I think every system manager asked theN > > same question before (how can a user copy a file into an archive directory3 > > without being able to read the whole archive)..  > H > Have a writeable (and readable) directory into which users copy files. > H > Add a detached process which periodically renames the files elsewher.e  F You could also have each user copy files to directory he owns and haveC that detached process periodically pickup the files for processing. D For example, give each user a top directory on another disk and have< the user copy the files there. Or make a subdirectory; e.g.,# [<username>.PICKUP]; for each user.    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 03 Oct 2004 15:11:14 +0200 + From: Wilm Boerhout <w3.boerhout@planet.nl> F Subject: Re: Why do I need Read access to a directory, to WRITE to it?5 Message-ID: <415ffa72$0$1611$ba620dc5@nova.planet.nl>   H or, using the same detached process, have the user send the filename to E a mailbox owned by the detached process. The process then copies the  = file (or better yet, submits the COPY command to a batch job)      --  
 Wilm Boerhout  Zwolle, The Netherlands    wilmOLD@PAINTboerhout.nl2    (remove OLD PAINT from this address before use)   ------------------------------   End of INFO-VAX 2004.549 ************************