1 INFO-VAX	Mon, 29 Aug 2005	Volume 2005 : Issue 481       Contents: Re: Adding usersD Re: AlphaServer 4100 CPU speed upgrade and/or backplane speed ranges Another PHP solution...  Re: Another PHP solution...  Re: Another PHP solution...  Re: best way to start with VMS  Re: disks in an ALPHAserver 2x006 How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN?: Re: How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN?: Re: How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN?" OT: Katrina and disaster tolerance  Re: simh with logical networking Re: VMS performance measuring   F ----------------------------------------------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:41:03 -0500 2 From: David J Dachtera <djesys.nospam@comcast.net> Subject: Re: Adding users + Message-ID: <431267AF.5EAFA515@comcast.net>    "Main, Kerry" wrote: >  > > -----Original Message-----8 > > From: JF Mezei [mailto:jfmezei.spamnot@teksavvy.com]! > > Sent: August 26, 2005 9:51 PM  > > To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com  > > Subject: Re: Adding users  > >  > > "Main, Kerry" wrote:? > > > As much as some folks hate using gui's, OpenVMS users can  > > also be added : > > > via point-click Windows based utility. Allows you to > > point-click-sort? > > > various user fields. Storage and print queues can also be  > > managed with! > > > this Windows based utility.  > >  > > = > > The OP needs to do mass additions. GUIs are ill suited to  > > automate such tasks. > >  > E > Bill also mentioned he wanted to maintain this list and while a DCL C > routine can be used to do the initial load, I suspect the ongoing G > maintenance of student ID's is a lot of work i.e. changes, additions,  > deletions etc. > G > Hence, the 10-15 minutes required to setup a Windows based utility to F > manage the OpenVMS resources *might* be worth it - especially if youI > have junior Operations and/or support staff that is used to Windows GUI  > mgmt utilities.    Well, yes and no.   : UAF maintenance tends to be only a very small part of userE administration on a system running a a commercial application. As TNT C lacks any (documented) "hooks" to allow for that, its usefulness is  extremely limited.   --   David J Dachtera dba DJE Systems  http://www.djesys.com/  ) Unofficial OpenVMS Hobbyist Support Page: " http://www.djesys.com/vms/support/  ( Unofficial Affordable OpenVMS Home Page: http://www.djesys.com/vms/soho/   " Unofficial OpenVMS-IA32 Home Page: http://www.djesys.com/vms/ia32/    Coming soon:& Unofficial OpenVMS Marketing Home Page   ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:58:12 -0500 . From: Duncan Brown <brown_du@eisner.decus.org>M Subject: Re: AlphaServer 4100 CPU speed upgrade and/or backplane speed ranges 2 Message-ID: <XeOdnUcwdOtb5I_eRVn-1A@speakeasy.net>    David B Sneddon - bigpond wrote:  $ > Duncan Brown mentioned in passing: >  >     [...snip...] >  >> >> Handy Tips from Duncan:F >> -- Downloading those via Mozilla running under VMS for some reason I >> results in corrupted files.  Enough so that the VMS update won't even  K >> unpack, while the PCSI update will unpack but will then fail mid-stream.  >  > B > I do ALL of my downloads via Mozilla on VMS and have not yet had2 > any problems... what corruptions are you seeing?  I I click on a link for a file, it identifies it as a binary file and asks  F me what to do with it, I click on "save to file" and tell it where... A and then the file later won't unpack right, and/or has the wrong  D checksum, etc.  It's almost as if it's saving it as a text file, or ; otherwise very slightly mucking with it as it is saving it.   H 3 days and counting and the faster CPU boards are running fine, with no D crashes.  Looks like the patches did the trick!  How embarassing, I 3 should have been taking better care of my system...    Duncan   ------------------------------  # Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 19:20:30 GMT 1 From: Michael Austin <maustin@firstdbasource.com>   Subject: Another PHP solution...G Message-ID: <638d3df1d56bbe398d6f1cf4f5d706be$1@www.firstdbasource.com>    This is cool!!  F One of the problems I have from work is being able to read newsgroups K because of the potential that they could contain virii or worse -- the "p"  H word.  I need access to this ng as well as a few Oracle related groups. J So, I found TR Newsportal WebNewsReader and installed it on my VMS server H at home.  I made the appropriate edits to the config file to add my ISP K news server, authentication etc... and made a few minor changes to some of  F the function include files to strip  multi-dot filenames.  I am using K Apache 1.3-1 (as of last night) and trying to set parse = extended did not  ? fix a problem reading/opening/writing multi-dot filenames like  0 comp.os.vms-data.dat - so I "fixed" the program.  E here is the result of a diff on the file that works and the original.    ************ File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 4    91           $group = str_replace(".","",$group);%    92     if ($compress_spoolfiles) {  ****** File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 %    91     if ($compress_spoolfiles) {  ************ ************ File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 4    97           $group = str_replace(".","",$group);9    98       $file=fopen("$spooldir/$group-data.dat","w");  ****** File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 9    96       $file=fopen("$spooldir/$group-data.dat","w");  ************ ************ File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 B   398           $infofilename = str_replace(".","",$infofilename);3   399           $infofile=fopen($infofilename,"w");  ****** File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 3   396           $infofile=fopen($infofilename,"w");  ************ ************ File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 <   486           $cachefile = str_replace(".","",$cachefile);2   487         $fp_cachefile=fopen($cachefile,"w"); ****** File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 2   483         $fp_cachefile=fopen($cachefile,"w"); ************ ************ File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 B   958                   $filename = str_replace(".","",$filename);)   959         $file=fopen($filename,"w");  ****** File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 )   954         $file=fopen($filename,"w");  ************  < So, you can see that I only need to remove the extra "dots".     Happy news-reading....     Michael Austin   ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 21:50:15 +0100 # From: issinoho <issinoho@gmail.com> $ Subject: Re: Another PHP solution...4 Message-ID: <det839$4mf$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>   Michael Austin wrote:  > This is cool!! > H > One of the problems I have from work is being able to read newsgroups I > because of the potential that they could contain virii or worse -- the  F > "p" word.  I need access to this ng as well as a few Oracle related I > groups. So, I found TR Newsportal WebNewsReader and installed it on my  J > VMS server at home.  I made the appropriate edits to the config file to E > add my ISP news server, authentication etc... and made a few minor  D > changes to some of the function include files to strip  multi-dot K > filenames.  I am using Apache 1.3-1 (as of last night) and trying to set  K > parse = extended did not fix a problem reading/opening/writing multi-dot  A > filenames like comp.os.vms-data.dat - so I "fixed" the program.  > G > here is the result of a diff on the file that works and the original.  >  > ************ > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 5 >   91           $group = str_replace(".","",$group); & >   92     if ($compress_spoolfiles) { > ****** > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 & >   91     if ($compress_spoolfiles) { > ************ > ************ > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 5 >   97           $group = str_replace(".","",$group); : >   98       $file=fopen("$spooldir/$group-data.dat","w"); > ****** > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 : >   96       $file=fopen("$spooldir/$group-data.dat","w"); > ************ > ************ > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 C >  398           $infofilename = str_replace(".","",$infofilename); 4 >  399           $infofile=fopen($infofilename,"w"); > ****** > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 4 >  396           $infofile=fopen($infofilename,"w"); > ************ > ************ > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 = >  486           $cachefile = str_replace(".","",$cachefile); 3 >  487         $fp_cachefile=fopen($cachefile,"w");  > ****** > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 3 >  483         $fp_cachefile=fopen($cachefile,"w");  > ************ > ************ > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;5 C >  958                   $filename = str_replace(".","",$filename); * >  959         $file=fopen($filename,"w"); > ****** > File [.LIB]thread_inc.php;1 * >  954         $file=fopen($filename,"w"); > ************ > > > So, you can see that I only need to remove the extra "dots". >  >  > Happy news-reading.... >  >  > Michael Austin >    Michael,  F If it's not too much trouble, could you document your findings on the % VAMP board for the benefit of others? & (http://www.issinoho.com:8080/phpbb2/)  ! I'll create a new thread for you.    Thanks.    ------------------------------  # Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 01:43:38 GMT 1 From: Michael Austin <maustin@firstdbasource.com> $ Subject: Re: Another PHP solution...G Message-ID: <b13690f0aa35152e3654d1ea0e1e6d71$1@www.firstdbasource.com>    issinoho wrote:   
 > Michael,  G > If it's not too much trouble, could you document your findings on the ' > VAMP board for the benefit of others? ( > (http://www.issinoho.com:8080/phpbb2/)  # > I'll create a new thread for you.   	 > Thanks.    Done.    ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:08:19 +0100 # From: issinoho <issinoho@gmail.com> ' Subject: Re: best way to start with VMS 4 Message-ID: <det23k$scb$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk>   Peter Huybrechts wrote:  > Hi,  > M > I recently bought a AlphaServer 4000 to get started with OpenVMS, just for  B > my own interest. I got the hobbyist CD, multinet, freeware etc..O > Hours I already spent in the online documentation at HP.com, but it seems to  8 > me that it is more meant as a sort of reference guide.J > So I was wondering if anyone knows a good book that teaches the OpenVMS M > architecture, DCL etc. in a nutshell ? (better would be if I could find it    > somewhere online or in a pdf).; > My experience level is that of an advanced Unix sysadmin.  > 
 > Regards, > P  >  >   E Try these: great reference books and written in a very "human" style,    (Link may break across lines)  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1555582435/qid%3D1125254173/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-1387607-7405561?v=glance   ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:29:23 -0700 ( From: Jeff Cameron <roktsci@comcast.net>) Subject: Re: disks in an ALPHAserver 2x00 0 Message-ID: <BF37CF23.1332D%roktsci@comcast.net>  @ On 8/27/05 11:49 PM, in article dermqd$urh$1@online.de, "PhillipJ Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply" <helbig@astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de> wrote:  E > What is the most "advanced" disk one can put in the internal BA-35X H > style shelf in the ALPHAserver 2000 or 2100 (the "4" models, i.e. withI > the EV4/21064 chip)?  In other words, can one use wide disks, or is one F > limited to narrow ones?  Most helpful would be RZ-XX numbers for SBB > disks. > H Best thin to do here is go to the Options Page for the processor you are
 referring to:   H http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/options/as2x00/as2x00_options.html   ------------------------------  # Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:00:39 GMT ( From: Alan Greig <greigaln@netscape.net>? Subject: How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN? = Message-ID: <HJoQe.30588$5m3.21418@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk>   I After reading through the OpenVPN docs I see I can use it to bridge (all  G protocols not just IP) a simulated LAN over IP. This immediately makes  I me think of attempting to bring a cluster up between two simulated VAXes   across the Internet.  G Now I know people have done this before with physical network bridging  E over high speed WANs and I am sure I did know the limitations at one  A time but have forgotten. So the question is what sort of rtt and  I throughput will I need before something really bad happens? Any ballpark   figures?   --  
 Alan Greig   ------------------------------    Date: 28 Aug 2005 17:30:52 -0500- From: Kilgallen@SpamCop.net (Larry Kilgallen) C Subject: Re: How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN? 3 Message-ID: <Rn0D70Lmx6kl@eisner.encompasserve.org>   h In article <HJoQe.30588$5m3.21418@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Alan Greig <greigaln@netscape.net> writes: > K > After reading through the OpenVPN docs I see I can use it to bridge (all  I > protocols not just IP) a simulated LAN over IP. This immediately makes  K > me think of attempting to bring a cluster up between two simulated VAXes   > across the Internet. > I > Now I know people have done this before with physical network bridging  G > over high speed WANs and I am sure I did know the limitations at one  C > time but have forgotten. So the question is what sort of rtt and  K > throughput will I need before something really bad happens? Any ballpark  
 > figures?  3 Throughput should be less of an issue than latency. E If you can make the effective latency match that of actual 10 megabit  Ethernet things should be ok.    ------------------------------  % Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 01:42:41 -0400 ' From: Dave Froble <davef@tsoft-inc.com> C Subject: Re: How far can you  cluster (SCS) unsupported over a WAN? 0 Message-ID: <11h57p7e5hpl4f9@corp.supernews.com>   Alan Greig wrote:  > K > After reading through the OpenVPN docs I see I can use it to bridge (all  I > protocols not just IP) a simulated LAN over IP. This immediately makes  K > me think of attempting to bring a cluster up between two simulated VAXes   > across the Internet. > I > Now I know people have done this before with physical network bridging  G > over high speed WANs and I am sure I did know the limitations at one  C > time but have forgotten. So the question is what sort of rtt and  K > throughput will I need before something really bad happens? Any ballpark  
 > figures? >    Don't know.   G I do remember reading about someone establishing a cluster link over a  ' dial-up line, or something really slow.   K Doesn't seem that you'd suffer grevious harm if you tried it and it failed.    --  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: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 01:44:08 -0400 - From: JF Mezei <jfmezei.spamnot@teksavvy.com> + Subject: OT: Katrina and disaster tolerance , Message-ID: <4312A09C.2B3C58A6@teksavvy.com>  J New Orleans is about to be battered by a pretty big storm called Katerina.  B Are there any well known VMS shops in the area ? Do they have goodE disaster tolerance plans ? It might make for interesting VMS material ) for the technical journal, marketing etc.   F Am I the only one who keeps on thinking about the 1980s group "KatrinaH and the waves ?" . TV are saying they have already measured waves of 20m; (60 feet) with expectation of massive flooding in the area.   F This is definitely an area where you not only need disaster tolerance,F but remote sites and remote backups, with remote being more than 100km& away. (aka: an area where VMS is best)  G And now, with price of crude above $70, that fuel for backup generators B will also cost a lot more ! (Anyone wanna bet that once reports ofH damage to oil rigs in the gulf come in, the price of crude will shoot up to $80 or even $100 ?)   ------------------------------  # Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 19:11:08 GMT ( From: Alan Greig <greigaln@netscape.net>) Subject: Re: simh with logical networking = Message-ID: <g%nQe.35325$jr4.24865@fe3.news.blueyonder.co.uk>    Alan Greig wrote:  > J > One big problem with simh is that it needs a dedicated network card and K > an external bridge to communicate back with the host PC (a limitation of   > the Windows pcap drivers).  I On close inspection of the simh ethernet readme it does mention this TAP  H connection method. However it wasn't clear to me that this worked under F Windows. And nobody pointed it out when I posted that I was using two F network cards and a bridge as per the docs. It was only after reading F the colinux docs which explained in much more detail exactly what TAP E was and why it was almost certainly the one you wanted to use if you  G wanted full connectivity between hosts that I actually understood what   TAP was.  I Of course if you already know what TAP is then it would all make perfect   sense.   --  
 Alan Greig   ------------------------------  % Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:45:19 -0500 2 From: David J Dachtera <djesys.nospam@comcast.net>& Subject: Re: VMS performance measuring+ Message-ID: <431268AF.1F4FABF3@comcast.net>    "Main, Kerry" wrote: >  > > -----Original Message-----2 > > From: Jim McCullars [mailto:jim@info2.uah.edu]! > > Sent: August 25, 2005 9:54 PM  > > To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com & > > Subject: VMS performance measuring > >  > > Greetings: > > @ > >    We are an education site running SCT Banner and are using > > an AlphaServer< > > ES40 (2@677 mHz, 12 gb RAM) as the Oracle back-end.  The > > storage is a pair 7 > > of dual-redundant HSZ70's with 36gb drives.  We are  > > experiencing some severe? > > performance problems, especially at registration time (this  > > is our first; > > semester under Banner, and the ES40 was used to run our  > > previous student? > > system).  The CPU and memory utilization do not seem to the  > > be the problem, < > > it all seems tied to direct I/O.  We are seeing response > > times sometimes in? > > seconds.  Our vendor has gone through our Oracle parameters  > > with us, and7 > > says that we have done almost everything we can do,  > > software-wise (and the@ > > last thing he suggests, we will do over the weekend).  So my > > question is ? > > basically this.  If it turns out that a hardware upgrade is  > > needed, what@ > > is the best way to tell whether the I/O bottleneck is in the > > PCI bus, theA > > HSZ70, or the drives themselves?  We have been kicking around  > > the idea of ? > > putting in a fiber-channel SAN, but if the bottleneck is in  > > the PCI bus @ > > in the ES40, that obviously won't help us.  What should I be > > looking at? 
 > > TIA... > >  > > Jim McCullars ' > > University of Alabama in Huntsville  > >  >  > Jim, > E > Extreme IO like this is sometimes caused by DB / Application issues F > which cause the DB to do sequential searches for data vs the indexesE > defined on the various tables. When I used to do Rdb support (prior H > lifetime), sometimes changing a query very minimally could result in a? > single query response time dropping  from minutes to seconds.  >  > A few misc questions:  > G > - What versions and patch levels of OpenVMS and Oracle are you using?  > ) > - has autogen (with feedback) been run?  > J > - please determine if the disk drives are excessively fragmented or not.E > If the drives have been in use for a long time, then this is a real  > possibility. > I > - do a show device /full on each disk. If the highwater marking feature H > is on and if there is a lot of writing, then this security feature mayH > be contributing to some of the performance issues (especially if disksG > are fragmented). If the additional security features is not required, E > this feature (default=on) can be disabled on each drive with a $set  > volume/nohighwater $1$duaxx. > G > - Can your vendor determine that the Oracle indexes are being used or $ > are the acceses mostly sequential? > I > - If running VMS V7.3-2, a reasonably recent Oracle suggestion has been H > shown to increase Oracle performance on OpenVMS by roughly 20-30% (notG > sure if these were actual numbers) is to install the Oracle.exe file. F > However, to do this (Oracle support can likely assist with how to do. > this), you also need a recent OpenVMS patch. >  > Reference:J > ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/openvms_patches/alpha/V7.3-2/VMS732_MANAGE-V0300.t > xt > 5.2.1.1  Problem Description:  > ; > Large performance improvements can be gained if Oracle is ; > installed with /SHARE=ADDRESS_DATA.  However, it can only 8 > install that way if DISMNTSHR.EXE is also installed as; > /SHARE=ADDRESS_DATA.  This change allows DISMNTSHR.EXE to & > be installed as /SHARE=ADDRESS_DATA.  G It's a "patch" in the sense that a changes to binary code are required. = It's a change to a file that is provided with the o.s. by VMS  Engineering.  H The necessary changes can be added manually, if one is willing to forego( certain aspects of support from the CSC.  4 Google this group for a recent thread on this topic.  E Cerner sites should also search the archives of the system management  mailing lists (CKN).   --   David J Dachtera dba DJE Systems  http://www.djesys.com/  ) Unofficial OpenVMS Hobbyist Support Page: " http://www.djesys.com/vms/support/  ( Unofficial Affordable OpenVMS Home Page: http://www.djesys.com/vms/soho/   " Unofficial OpenVMS-IA32 Home Page: http://www.djesys.com/vms/ia32/    Coming soon:& Unofficial OpenVMS Marketing Home Page   ------------------------------   End of INFO-VAX 2005.481 ************************