Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!cernvax!chx400!urz.unibas.ch!doelz
From: doelz@urz.unibas.ch
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: DecNet Questions
Message-ID: <1990May6.112207.711@urz.unibas.ch>
Date: 6 May 90 11:22:07 GMT
References: <1990May5.153953.275@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
Organization: University of Basel, Switzerland
Lines: 61

In article <1990May5.153953.275@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, grx0644@uoft02.utoledo.edu writes:

> Is decnet just for vax/vms or are other computers connected?

Depends on your system. Try the following: 

$ show net

.. either you get the full net or you need to talk to a gateway (VMS 
will give you the node addressand name , e.g. 1.2 COCOO

Then, try 

$ MC NCP 

NCP>  tell COCOO show known areas 

and you'll get a list of known areas. 

> Is it a nationwide, world wide, etc?

As to be seen in the listings obtained above. See also below.

> Are there gateways to other networks?

Yes and no. Normally, MAIL is a standard service which is gatewayed by 
suitable software for other systems (e.g., INTERNET or the IBM world).
Other services are not implemented or use crude approaches. Some 
UNIX machines run a DECNET simulator (e.g., ultrix boxes, convex, sun, sgi, 
etc,etc ... no advertisment intended) in order to make COPY and SET HOST 
work.  

> Is decnet new/old and does it have any historical significances?

I'd like to chat a lot about this issue. We're waiting for Phase V Decnet 
on the one hand and for OSI on the other. Both are unavailable, yet, 
and the current DECNET phase IV has the drawback that there 
are only 64 areas worldwide (there is an area.node adressing scheme, 
permitting 64 areas of 1024 nodes each, which is ... compared to the INTERNET). 
One of the worldwide DECNETS Switzerland is gatewaying to is HEPNET/SPAN, 
but this is for special purposes (High energy physics) only. Switzerland 
runs it own nationwide Network in between universities. There is an 
organisation called SWITCH which does a damned good job in setting up the
administration, gatewy boxes, and protocols. SWITCH is financed as 
'Stiftung' and partiallly paid by federal money as well. If a state 
is capable of having such a network, great. In CH, SWITCH took care of the 
administration and adressing issues. (There is no sri-nic.arpa which 
takes care of worldwide uniqueness). Therefore, DECNET is normally restricted 
to LANs, and there are *unresolvable* problems in connecting two LANs 
which developed indpendently (limited address space, see above). 

> 
> From my example questions, you can see, I do not know much about it. Any other
> information that you may have will be also welcome.  


Manual reading strongly suggested.


Regards, 
Reinhard