INFO-VAX Sat, 12 Jul 2008 Volume 2008 : Issue 387 Contents: Re: Amazon: "DEC is Dead, Long Live DEC" Re: Q: Configure TCP/IP Services for a node not yet booted? Re: Srategy to pickup files at specific times USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) VAX 7000 cameo appearance Yet another Alpha instruction set open source reimplementation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:56:01 -0700 (PDT) From: rca976@live.com Subject: Re: Amazon: "DEC is Dead, Long Live DEC" Message-ID: x-no-archive:yes On Jul 10, 6:51=A0am, Ted wrote: > http://snipr.com/DECdead Good book ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:09:52 +0100 From: "R.A.Omond" Subject: Re: Q: Configure TCP/IP Services for a node not yet booted? Message-ID: <487858c2$0$90267$14726298@news.sunsite.dk> Ken.Fairfield@gmail.com wrote: > [...snip...] > > QUESTION: Is there a way to configure the interfaces for > the production nodes on the new system disk > *before* each of the production nodes boots > from that disk. > > I've been told I can, but from a somewhat unreliable > source. :-( It seems to me that while I can mount the > new system disk on the other cluster nodes without > booting them from it, trying to run TCPIP$CONFIG from > that disk probably wouldn't work because it would > look for TCPIP$CONFIGURATION.DAT, etc., in "SYS$SYSTEM" > which would not exist on the old system disk. > > Is there a way to specify a node to configure other > than the node that's running TCPIP$CONFIG? I would strongly recommend NOT attempting to do this. IIRC some of the configuration files use the hostname as a key into index files. One of my customers got burned by trying to do something similar (they changed the IP address of an interface, changed the system name, rebooted and wondered why it didn't come up with the new IP address). ------------------------------ Date: 12 Jul 2008 13:02:19 GMT From: VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG Subject: Re: Srategy to pickup files at specific times Message-ID: <4878ab5b$0$7348$607ed4bc@cv.net> In article , Michael Austin writes: >VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote: >> In article <4875c81b$0$18601$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei writes: >>> I wish to pickup weather radar images "as soon as they are ready". >>> The canadian radar web sites update their images at either 10 or 20 >>> minute intervals, and their web page link to a different image name >>> every time. The images become available "a few minutes" after the times >>> on the images. >>> >>> >>> I'd like to have a DCL a procedure that use CURL to pickup the main >>> HTML, parse it to find the appropriate >> image (and then imagemagik to process image to be usable on my mobile phone) >>> >>> In a detached process running loginout.exe (aka: DCL), is this only way >>> to "wake up" at a specific time to do a : >>> >>> say my logic determines that I should pickup files 2 minutes after every >>> 10 (eg: 02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52) >>> >>> $A = F$TIME() >>> $extract the minutes/hour from it. >>> $calculate how many minutes between now and the next pickup time >>> $WAIT that many minutes >>> >>> Is this the best way ? >> >> If you want to be certain to pick it up at 2 mins, 12 mins, 22 mins, etc., >> you should calculate the wait period from the current time as there is a >> good chance that saying $ WAIT 0:10:00 after some start point at *2 mins >> is going to become skewed over time. >> >> Assuming you start your procedure at *:*2:00, you can compute the next >> time with: >> >> $ NEXT_TIME[0,16] := "''F$cvtime("+0-0:10:00.00","ABSOLUTE",)'" >> $ NEXT_TIME[16,7] := "2:00.00" >> $ WAIT 'F$DELTA_TIME(F$TIME(),NEXT_TIME) >> >> The first line gets the time 10 minutes from the current time. It only >> saves the DD-MMM-YYYY HH:M portion of the time. The next line adds on a >> 2:00.00 to make the time DD-MMM-YYYY HH:M2:00.00 The last line computes >> the delta time for the wait. >> >> You can avoid the delta time computation altogether as WAIT will take an >> absolute time for expiration as well. Thus, you can simply use: >> >> $ NEXT_TIME[0,16] := "''F$cvtime("+0-0:10:00.00","ABSOLUTE",)'" >> $ NEXT_TIME[16,7] := "2:00.00" >> $ WAIT 'NEXT_TIME >> >> > >Had an interesting process once... they had a batch job that was to >collect data from another system every 10 minutes - it would resubmit >itself prior to actual execution. Problem was... it took 15 minutes to >collect this 10-minute interval data... so be careful what you wish for :) Well, if this is the _last_ step, it will pick up the data at the next *2:00 of the hour. So, if it take 20 mins to collect the weather data and this was started at 02:00 of the hour, the next pickup will be at 32:00. BTW, I found that the F$cvtime(,"ABSOLUTE",) does not pad the day with a space if it is a single digit. Use: $ NEXT_TIME = "''F$cvtime("+0-0:10:00.00","ABSOLUTE",)'" $ NEXT_TIME['F$locate(":",NEXT_TIME)+2,7] := "2:00.00" $ WAIT 'NEXT_TIME instead. -- VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?" Copyright 2008 Brian Schenkenberger. Any publication of _this_ usenet article outside of usenet _must_ include its contents _in_its_entirety_ including this copyright notice, disclaimer and quotations. The citizens of our state must be free, within reason, to speak out on matters of public concern. So long as they state the facts implicated fairly and express their opinions, even in the most colorful and hyperbolic terms, their speech should be protected by us. -- NJ Superior Court Appellate Div. (NJSC) ... pejorative statements of opinion are entitled to constitutional protection no matter how extreme, vituperous, or vigorously expressed they may be. (NJSC) "Coding is _not_ a crime!" Support the EFF: http://www.eff.org ------------------------------ Date: 12 Jul 2008 13:39:40 GMT From: VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG Subject: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Message-ID: <4878b41c$0$5010$607ed4bc@cv.net> Where's our USPS VMS advocate? Please tell me that this is _NOT_ a VMS foul up. How does the USPS foul up routing like this? A package, sent priority overnite from Warminster, Pa to Jackson, proNJ (a distance of approximately 50 miles) on the 8th of July, is STILL NOT here? Label/Receipt Number: 9101 7850 9140 1639 8149 11 Detailed Results: Processed, July 12, 2008, 12:11 am, TRENTON, NJ 08650 Processed, July 11, 2008, 1:04 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07099 Processed, July 10, 2008, 10:27 pm, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19176 Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 08, 2008 Warminster to Philly I understand, but then to Northern proNJ (Kearny) to go back to Trenton (across the river from Philly)? What next? Hamilton facility for a nuking before I get it? That should render it useless up- on arrival. -- VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?" Copyright 2008 Brian Schenkenberger. Any publication of _this_ usenet article outside of usenet _must_ include its contents _in_its_entirety_ including this copyright notice, disclaimer and quotations. The citizens of our state must be free, within reason, to speak out on matters of public concern. So long as they state the facts implicated fairly and express their opinions, even in the most colorful and hyperbolic terms, their speech should be protected by us. -- NJ Superior Court Appellate Div. (NJSC) ... pejorative statements of opinion are entitled to constitutional protection no matter how extreme, vituperous, or vigorously expressed they may be. (NJSC) "Coding is _not_ a crime!" Support the EFF: http://www.eff.org ------------------------------ Date: 12 Jul 2008 16:36:30 GMT From: billg999@cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) Subject: Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Message-ID: <6ds4seF44al3U2@mid.individual.net> In article <4878b41c$0$5010$607ed4bc@cv.net>, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG writes: > Where's our USPS VMS advocate? Please tell me that this is _NOT_ a VMS > foul up. How does the USPS foul up routing like this? > > A package, sent priority overnite from Warminster, Pa to Jackson, proNJ > (a distance of approximately 50 miles) on the 8th of July, is STILL NOT > here? > > Label/Receipt Number: 9101 7850 9140 1639 8149 11 > Detailed Results: > > Processed, July 12, 2008, 12:11 am, TRENTON, NJ 08650 > Processed, July 11, 2008, 1:04 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07099 > Processed, July 10, 2008, 10:27 pm, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19176 > Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 08, 2008 > > Warminster to Philly I understand, but then to Northern proNJ (Kearny) to > go back to Trenton (across the river from Philly)? What next? Hamilton > facility for a nuking before I get it? That should render it useless up- > on arrival. Why would this surprise you? I live in Luzerne, PA. Zipcode 18709. Yes, we have our own Post Office. If I send a letter to my next door neightbor it will take at least 3 days and usually 5 or 6. All mail from here is sent to Allentown for sorting, even mail addressed to the same ZipCode. (Now, shall we go into the definition of "Overnight" according to the USPS Regulations? Or does your head already hurt?) bill -- Bill Gunshannon | de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves billg999@cs.scranton.edu | and a sheep voting on what's for dinner. University of Scranton | Scranton, Pennsylvania | #include ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:46:55 -0700 (PDT) From: AEF Subject: Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Message-ID: On Jul 12, 9:39 am, VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote: > Where's our USPS VMS advocate? Please tell me that this is _NOT_ a VMS > foul up. How does the USPS foul up routing like this? > > A package, sent priority overnite from Warminster, Pa to Jackson, proNJ > (a distance of approximately 50 miles) on the 8th of July, is STILL NOT > here? > > Label/Receipt Number: 9101 7850 9140 1639 8149 11 > Detailed Results: > > Processed, July 12, 2008, 12:11 am, TRENTON, NJ 08650 > Processed, July 11, 2008, 1:04 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07099 > Processed, July 10, 2008, 10:27 pm, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19176 > Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 08, 2008 > > Warminster to Philly I understand, but then to Northern proNJ (Kearny) to > go back to Trenton (across the river from Philly)? What next? Hamilton > facility for a nuking before I get it? That should render it useless up- > on arrival. Well, there are a lot more things that can go wrong than their VMS servers! An application bug for one. For overnight delivery it is probably routed through the hub and spoke model. Imagine you had 40 cities to serve with overnight delivery. The brute force method: You get 39 planes for each city. And for each city, load each plane with the mail for each of the other cities. Then dispatch them. That's 40*39=1560 planes and flights. The hub-and-spoke way: Get 1 plane for each city. In each city, load its plane with all the packages. Fly all 40 planes to Memphis, TN. Switch all the packages to the appropriate planes and fly them all back to their points of origin. And viola`: You get the same results with only 40 planes and 80 flights instead of 1560 planes and 1560 flights. So you save the costs of 1520 planes and 1480 flights! (This is only a make-up scenario to demonstrate the method.) Pretty good, huh? (Memphis is the FedEx hub.) Imagine if someone asked you to do what the USPS and other delivery services do: Hey, I need you to take this letter from here in NJ to my friend in California in less than a week. And I'll give you 42 cents for your trouble. Or, I need it there overnight and I'll give you $10 for your trouble (or whatever the going rate is). ;-) (That's a "joke" smiley.) > > -- > VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)COM [...] AEF ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:46:36 -0400 From: JF Mezei Subject: Re: USPS (Unbelievably Sl-o-o-o-w Postal Service) Message-ID: <4878ee0a$0$1807$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com> VAXman- @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote: > A package, sent priority overnite from Warminster, Pa to Jackson, proNJ > (a distance of approximately 50 miles) on the 8th of July, is STILL NOT > here? Had a package from colorado to montreal *CANADA* make it in about 4 days. Global international airmail. What is interesting is that the Canada Post web site provides mode detailed tracking than the USPS site and is updated more frequently. But canada post only start to get the info once the package boards the plane to canada). The USPS tracking system is not reliable unless you purchase their top-of-the-line delivery service. They only scan it here and there as opposed to at every step of the way. Most of the problems I have had with shipments from the USA were due to the sender not buying the right USPS service. So I pay for global intl mail, but they buy ground shipping. However, my feeling is that because they don't religiously track packages, errors are perhaps more frequent and take longer to correct. Because the "affordable" UP and FedEx servicesto Canada (ground) do not include customers brokerage fees, they end up being very expensive to the recipient. So USPS is the only affordable means to have something shipped to canada now. FedEx Air is the most reliable but is no longer affordable. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:40:09 -0700 (PDT) From: FrankS Subject: VAX 7000 cameo appearance Message-ID: <63f74e1b-e8ed-48ca-8739-c83b66bd9480@d45g2000hsc.googlegroups.com> I was watching the premier episode of "Burn Notice" the other night and they had a couple of VAX 7000-series systems as props. Complete with a StorageWorks cabinet containing four TZ8x7 libraries. The story line was that the computer system was super-secure and the bad guys kidnapped the family of the computer wiz that designed the software. So they were forcing him to break into the system and download files. The systems were in a sealed room with big windows. You could see they had installed some non-stock blinking lights to demonstrate that the systems were computing *something*. It was pretty funny. Anyway, before the end of the episode the VAXen get obliterated in a hail of gunfire. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:24:18 -0700 (PDT) From: "gl@decadence.it" Subject: Yet another Alpha instruction set open source reimplementation Message-ID: <82455fe7-325c-4e49-87b3-cc9e40c36745@59g2000hsb.googlegroups.com> For those who are interested and maybe could help this project, look here: http://www.opencores.org/projects.cgi/web/ualpha/overview Bye gl ------------------------------ End of INFO-VAX 2008.387 ************************