Welcome to the Info-Stratus mailing list and the related Usenet newsgroup "comp.sys.stratus". This is the 2nd of two periodic messages; it contains my informal attempt to answer some Frequently Asked Questions. If you think you have better answers, let me know. Thanks. (Updated as of 1997-04-03). ...Richard S. Shuford shuford@cs.utk.edu Info-Stratus List Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Stratus Computer, Inc., of Marlboro, Massachusetts, USA, makes and sells "Continuous Processing" fault-tolerant computer systems. If a memory board breaks, the computer keeps on computing without a hitch. If a CPU board breaks, the computer keeps on computing without a hitch. If a disk controller breaks, the computer keeps on computing without a hitch. You get the idea.... Several different operating systems and software environments are found on various Stratus hardware, including VOS, FTX, Windows-NT, Pick, and HP-UX. The Isis middleware is also important. ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... For those not familiar with the VOS operating system, a basic description is available on the Internet World Wide Web at the location pointed to by this Uniform Resource Locator (URL): http://www.stratus.com/cont/S600/System_Software.html or http://www.stratus.com/Stratus/ProdServ/Software/VOSBrief/VOS.html VOS incorporates much of the design experience that came out of the famous MIT/Bell-Laboratories/General-Electric (later Honeywell) Multics project. Read about Multics from here: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/multics/multics.html - - - - - - - - - - - - If you are a complete newcomer to VOS, here are a few hints that may make your life easier: (1) VOS commands usually have a form-based interface for initial user input, which is supplemented by a "lineal" command form. If you don't know which key on your keyboard invokes the form, you can still see what the form looks like: e.g., for the "display" command display -usage -form (2) An approximation to an "apropos" or "man -k" function is the construct help -match 'keyword' (3) If your terminal type is set wrong, and you are using a VT100-compatible emulator, try set_terminal_parameters -terminal_type 'vt100' Other supported types include 'ibm3161', 'vt320', and 'cac_xterm'. (4) Some terminal types define a "help" key, which can sometimes lead to greater knowledge, but eventually you'll need the real documentation. The publication "VOS Commands User's Guide" is a good place to start. (5) In VOS EMACS, Escape-P and Escape-N are previous- and next-page keys. (6) The test_system_calls facility is handy in trying out certain functions. Certain other hints and information are online at ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/doc/reference/glossary.txt - - - - - - - - - - - - Many questions asked in Info-Stratus are of the form: "In Unix, I like to use tool XYZ. Is XYZ available under VOS?" Please do not suppose that all good software ideas come out of Unix. I wish that somebody would create a Unix equivalent to the VOS service s$parse_command() to alleviate argc/argv programming tedium and make life easier for the end user. getopt() isn't even close. More and more software has been ported to VOS over the past several years. Last year, the collection on the FTP server at "ftp.stratus.com" was augmented with some long-requested items. For an overview of the holdings on that server, point a Web browser at this URL: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/vos.html (Web-browser programs include Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Microsoft's Internet Explorer or the character-cell program Lynx.) ---- Now, specifically, some popular Unix tools, including yacc, lex, and lint, are still not available. Regarding Emacs, the answer is, "Yes, Emacs is available under VOS; it does differ somewhat from GNU Emacs." In the case of sed, the answer is "yes". Source code in C for a VOS port of GNU sed is available from the mail-based archive server at "Info-Stratus-FILES@mike.lrc.edu". (How to get such files is explained below.) Information on how to use sed may be found at "http://www.wollery.demon.co.uk/sed_tuts.htm". ##### VOS versions of "vi" and "perl" ##### After many requests, a "vi"-like editor for VOS has appeared on the scene. Now VOS users can enjoy the famous "insert" and "beep" modes! Leo Zvenyatsky has ported "stevie", a work-alike clone of the BSD Unix "vi" editor, to VOS. Also, the "elvis" vi work-alike (written by Steve Kirkendall) has become available for VOS, thanks to Joseph Felder. ##### and Furthermore.... ##### A version of Larry Wall's legendary "perl" language/utility processor! These new tools are available from the selection at this URL: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/tools.html In the VOS tools collection, you'll also find the "grep" utility and "lpr" for Berkeley-Unix-style printing. ---- The files you retrieve must be unwrapped from three layers of packing before you can start compiling, so read these instructions: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/utility/README.txt ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/stevie.txt The "stevie.save.evf.gz", "elvis.save.evf.gz" and "perl.save.evf.gz" files are compressed bundles created by the "bundle" and GZIP tools in ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/utility/ When transferring a ".pm" executable file to a VOS machine, be sure to first give this command to the VOS ftp client program: ftp> type binary 4096 then you can safely do ftp> get gzip.860.pm (or whatever is appropriate) As with all of this user-contributed software, don't expect any official support from Stratus for "stevie". If you feel some need to learn to use this editor, you can obtain a tutorial "vi" lesson from files at ftp://ftp.mines.colorado.edu/pub/tutorials/ If you want to learn Perl, look to the llama: http://www.ora.com/catalog/lperl/noframes.html or to the camel: http://www.ora.com/catalog/pperl2/excerpt/ch01-01.htm Some have asked for a VOS "curses". For those that cannot use the native "ttp" facility, the proper approach is to explore the task of porting the new "ncurses" library to VOS. This package, developed under Linux by Zeyd Ben-Halim , is a freeware emulation of System V Release 4.0 curses. Source may be obtained by anonymous FTP via this URL: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/zm/zmbenhal/ncurses Since VOS version 10.2, Stratus can provide you with a pretty nice implementation of the ever-popular TCP/IP applications "telnet" and "ftp" in a product called "OS TCP/IP". (This is NOT the same as the older TCP/IP Release 2 protocol stack, which supported fewer features.) An NFS Server product is available from Stratus. A popular accessory provided by Stratus, packaged with the VOS NFS product (S0135Vxxxx), is a full RPC (Remote Procedure Call) library. Jim Richey has devised an NFS Client that works with the older TCP/IP Release. Note that this client does NOT work with OS TCP/IP and is unsupported by Stratus. But it may be useful in some situations, so you can have a look at these two URLs: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/nfs.txt ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/nfs.save.evf.gz A means of sharing a Windows-32 PC's disks with a Stratus module using Open Stratalink has been devised by Dave Durant. This is NOT officially supported, but some may find it useful: file://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/pc_osl.save.evf.gz At least two different version/configuration-control products are commercially available for VOS, but a simple "make" program is now freely available, thanks to Dave Thomas and Paul Roub. The source code in C may be obtained via anonymous FTP via this URL: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/make.save.evf.gz Thanks to Grapevine Systems, there is now a port of GNU RCS (Revision Control System) for VOS: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/rcs.save.evf.gz (There are also several commercial products for VOS configuration control.) Version 6 of C-Kermit from Columbia University fully supports VOS, thanks to the efforts of David Lane and Kernie Brashier. This mature and versatile protocol implementation boasts features such as command completion, file-transfer recovery from point of failure binary-mode transfers only), support for TCP/IP, etc. Support for long packets and sliding windows can speed up Kermit transfers to within 2% of Zmodem's rate. Another nice feature is session scripting, which allows you to automate the interactions of a "telnet" session from within Kermit. (The new prebuilt verions supposedly include the patch allowing C-Kermit to work from a window_term telnet session.) Connect using anonymous FTP to "ftp://kermit.columbia.edu/kermit/f/" to obtain C-Kermit either in source code form (in C) or as pre-built executable images (encoded to printable characters for transfer) for HP PA-RISC, Intel RISC, or Motorola-CISC-processor VOS machines. The documentation is the book "Using C-Kermit" by Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, (Digital Press/Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN 1-55558-108-0). See these three URLs: http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/manuals.html#ckb http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/newsn6.html#vos http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ckermit.html One "frequently asked question" asks for a VOS version of the "Zmodem" file-transfer protocol. I know of at least one consultant who sponsored a port of Zmodem to VOS, but so far no one has advertised having such software available. I could guess this is due to legal restrictions put on Zmodem by Chuck Forsberg and his company, Omen Technology, but I would welcome word from somebody who knows for certain. You can obtain information on how to purchase existing versions of Zmodem by sending email to . [climb on soapbox] In the meantime, C-Kermit works quite well, and the Kermit protocol is more robust than Zmodem in the complex communication environments in which Stratus machines are often found. And if you set the tuning parameters correctly, the speed of Kermit's file transfer can be within 2 percent of zmodem's best speed. (Quite frankly, I am annoyed with the people who write user manuals for modems; without really looking into the details, they parrot the old assumption that Kermit transfers must be slow. Megahertz is one modem vendor employing parrots.) [climb down] But if you need to use the older "xmodem" protocol, you can find a VOS implementation at: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/xmodem.save.evf.gz There is also an implementation of "ymodem" in the Async Gateway product of Knowledge Systems, Inc. http://wisle.ksinet.com/Public/async.html Dave Durant has been busy. He also has released a Usenet news reader for VOS, which accesses a remote NNTP server. ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/tools/read_news.save.evf.gz - - - - - - - - If you discover any other good freely available software for VOS, please let us know! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As of VOS 12.0, Stratus offers both the traditional VOS C compiler and an ANSI-compliant C compiler. These are separate products that have somewhat different realms of usefulness. With new releases of the VOS C compiler, the interpretation of C-language syntax and proper usage has become stricter. To make your programs robust, take heed of os_errno. If you really would like to see Stratus provide a C++ compiler for VOS, send e-mail to to provide impetus. VOS releases since 12.0 allow log-protected files, for functionality similar to the Unix Veritas file system. Various third-party commercial vendors can supply a VOS site with an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) agent, a World Wide Web server package, or a TCP/IP Domain Name Server. At the present time, I am still maintaining a page of links to Stratus- related sites and pages on the World Wide Web: access my links via this URL (Uniform Resource Locator): http://www.cs.utk.edu/~shuford/terminal/stratus.html Stratus has an official Web presence at: http://www.stratus.com/ ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... ..._ ___ ... .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ On the FTX side of the house, the most frequent question is, "How different is FTX from other versions of Unix?" I'm not an FTX user, but the short answer is that FTX is derived from the AT&T System V Release 4 code, with some kernel modifications and a few enhanced features, such as symmetric multiprocessing. From the user's point of view, it should perform like any well behaved Unix, unless you ask it to do something Berkelish. FTX complies with the SVR4 interface definition (SVID3), XPG3, and POSIX, and has been entered into the X/Open Unix Branding program. The Veritas log-based file system (VxFs) is incorporated into the FTX SVR4 virtual file system interface. An FTX system administrator can aid performance using several kernel tunable parameters. The X/Open status is announced from this URL: http://www.xopen.org/public/prods/stratus.htm Stratus Education offers course FTX-140 "Object Oriented Programming With C++". Call +1 508/481-9431 for details. The most recent release of FTX is described in this World Wide Web page: http://www.stratus.com/Stratus/ProdServ/Software/FTXBrief/FTX3.0.html (The above URL may now be defunct. Can somebody tell me a new equivalent?) and the server "ftp.stratus.com" has a section devoted to FTX files. As of this posting, the following FTX anonymous-FTP directories existed: incoming/ miscellaneous/ mosaic/ oase/ oracle/ osnm/ rcs/ svctools/ tools/ There is an index page for your Web browser: ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/ftx/ftx.html An FTX port of the popular "top" system-monitoring utility is available in ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/ftx/tools/top_3.1/ GNU Emacs can be built under FTX after some tinkering with the configure script. Disable the "unexec" feature to avoid memory errors at startup. .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .._. _ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ Another Unix option for Stratus Continuum machines has been announced: Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX operating system. Read all about it. http://www.stratus.com/Stratus/News/96All/96May28.html http://www.stratus.com/Stratus/News/96All/96May30.html .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... .._ _.._ .... ._ ._. _.. .__ ._ ._. . .... ._ ._. _.. .__ ._ ._. . .... .__ Stratus builds its computers using commonly available processors, aided by proprietary logic that implements the "pair-and-partner" fault tolerance. Here are some references about the processors in Stratus machines: Hewlett-Packard processors (actually, Stratus uses the PA7100) http://www.hp.com/Fed/Programs/SEWP/PA7150.html "A Different Kind of RISC" by Dick Pountain. BYTE, August 1994, volume 19, number 8, pages 185-186. (Describes the 7200 chip.) Text available on the World Wide Web at this URL: http://www.byte.com//ART/9408/SEC11/ART3.HTM Some discussion of the HP PA7100 also appears on the World Wide Web at: http://www.sanders.com/hpc/ArchGuide/Elements/Compute/Data.html#pa7100 and http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/hp/hpux-faq/faq-doc-156.html Intel processors (also known as the i860 RISC) "The Intel 80860" by Neal Margulis. BYTE, December 1989, volume 14, number 13, pages 333-340. Motorola processors (CISC) "Unix and the MC68000" by Andrew L. Rood, Robert C. Cline, and Jon A. Brewster. BYTE, September 1986, volume 11, number 9, pages 179-200. "A Comparison of MC68000 Family Processors" by Thomas L. Johnson. BYTE, September 1986, volume 11, number 9, pages 205-218. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. Issues not specific to operating system: A question sometimes arises: "What is StrataDOC?" StrataDOC is a workstation-based online documentation product, covering either FTX 3.x or VOS 13.x manuals on CD-ROM and featuring hypertext linking as well as full-text search and retrieval. Another question is: "We just hooked up a Stratus module to our existing Ethernet, and the throughput is really slow. What gives?" The Stratus Ethernet implementation requires that you use the SQE (Signal Quality Error Test) signal. If you don't, the Stratus module will believe that network collisions are occurring with almost every packet and will send many unnecessary retransmissions. Some other computer and network vendors (Sun and cisco among them) play fast and loose with Ethernet SQE, so a network that seems to be OK connecting other types of machines can first show this problem only when you plug in the Stratus module. Have your Stratus Systems Engineer or a * good * Ethernet specialist check your configuration. For more information about Ethernet, IEEE 802.3, and SQE, see: ftp://ftp.syr.edu/information/faqs/big-lan.faq (especially Q-22.) http://wwwhost.ots.utexas.edu/ethernet/ethernet-home.html __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. __ .. ... _._. ._. ._ _.. .. ___ ._. ._ _.. .. ___ ._. ._ _.. .. ___ ._. ._ _.. .. ___ Stratus launched a new platform category with the RADIO server cluster. One "frequently asked question" is: "What does 'RADIO' stand for?" According to one press report: "Reliable Architecture for Distributed I/O". Here are excerpts from the online RADIO brochure: http://www.stratus.com/Stratus/ProdServ/Hardware/Radio/radiobroch/ -- The RADIO Cluster packages redundant "compute", "storage", and "network" nodes in a single chassis; the chassis is an eight-bay, rack-mountable cabinet offering slots for two network nodes and six compute and/or storage nodes. Each node is preconfigured, hot-pluggable, and manageable. Compute nodes: Intel Pentium or Pentium Pro multiprocessors Storage nodes: four fast/wide-SCSI 7200-rpm disks Network nodes: 100-Base-T Ethernet hubs Through the use of Isis reliable software, applications and data are actively replicated across the RADIO cluster. Replicated applications and data survive hardware or system-software failures because the applications are running on multiple systems synchronized by Isis software. Load distribution is automatically controlled among nodes to improve application response time and throughput. -- The principal operating-system offering Stratus has for RADIO is a version of Microsoft Windows-NT. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To find out how to obtain software packages from the Info-Stratus library of user-donated software, or to retrieve Stratus Customer Assistance Center Newsletters by electronic mail, send a message containing only the word HELP to the special file-server address Info-Stratus-FILES@mike.lrc.edu ^^^^^ Files are retrieved as a "package" or part of a package. For example, to obtain the collection of example VOS command macros presented by Jon Sutula of Grapevine Systems at the 1994 STRATAGY conference, you would request the package GRAPEVINE. If your e-mail software does not generate a replyable "From:" address, the automated server will need help to know how to send the reply message back to you. You can help it yourself by prefixing any of these commands with the ADDRESS command. Here is an example: To the file-server address Info-Stratus-FILES@mike.lrc.edu send the message contents ADDRESS SENDME GRAPEVINE QUIT (As of spring 1997, there is a possibility that this archive will be discontinued.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Internet Protocol address for the Stratus corporate web server is currently [192.52.248.26], as of January 1997. The anonymous-FTP public server "ftp.stratus.com" operated by Stratus Computer, Inc., is also at IP address [192.52.248.26]. Most messages from "comp.sys.stratus" are archived on "ftp.stratus.com". .._ ... . ._. __. ._. ... .._ .__. .._ ... . ._. __. ._. ... .._ .__. Here is the URL of the STRATAGY User Group home page: http://www.stratagy.org/ E-mail inquiries about STRATAGY may be directed to . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Thanks for your interest in Info-Stratus. ...Richard Shuford shuford@cs.utk.edu Info-Stratus List Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =