Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!lll-tis!ames!rutgers!sunybcs!bingvaxu!leah!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU!SCHMIDT From: SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (Christopher Schmidt) Newsgroups: comp.sys.xerox Subject: Re: Vax file servers Message-ID: <12371361215.99.SCHMIDT@SUMEX-AIM.Stanford.EDU> Date: 1 Feb 88 23:56:50 GMT References: <8801291534.AA03356@siemens.siemens.com> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 69 Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 10:34:43 EST From: steve@siemens (Steve Clark) To: info-1100@sumex-aim.stanford.edu Subject: Vax file servers [...] Unfortunately, our fileserver-for-lisp-users is a lemon. It's so bad that we are losing files and it's down most of the time. Is this a Xerox 8033? 8037? Except that the T-300's on the 8037 are succeptible to file system damage during power failures, these have been pretty good servers for us. Admittedly, as an XDE grant site, we have the advantage of possesing more expertise than the average customer. [...] The obvious solution is to get some software and a disk, and use one of the Vaxes as a fileserver. Protocolwise, the Xerox servers are such a good match for the d-machines, I'd recommend another try at getting them to work for you. We already can use TCP-IP to acces files on some Vaxes, but we think we need the XNS based server so we can keep sysouts, and because TCP-IP is not really 100% comfortable. (It struggles to deal with different ideas about file names for example.) I, too, wish Xerox would add a TCP FTP option to the Tajo SystemTool for installing sysouts. How much work is required to get the DEI software from Xerox up and running? Is it really satisfactory? Does it collide with other ethernet software running on the same Vax? How much Vax computer power does it use up? We don't use DEI, but my understanding from reading this list is that it is a pretty good implementation of the PUP network protocol for VMS. A common complaint seems to be that releases of DEI lag those of VMS sometimes. Is there satasfactory software to run under Unix? The Unix guys point out that XNS is available on the distribution tape from Berkeley or Mt. Xinu, but does that include the server program(s)? [...] My understanding is that it does not; client software only. Some time back, Xerox AIS (or EOS, more precisely) distributed a unix implementation of PUP. We use a locally modified copy dating back to 1981, but apart from telling you that this approach was satisfactory to us for several years, I can't offer you any assistance on that front. We now use a Xerox 8037 as our primary d-machine server. I imagine Xerox would rather help you to get your Xerox server working right than to spend time helping you install PUP. Extra credit question: Is it possible to set up a Postscript type printer (that is, an Imagen) that is currently sitting on the Ethernet printing files from a variety of Vaxes and workstations all running Unix, so that the D-machines access it as if it were a print server? I have seen that there is software for producing Postscript files, but what eelse is necessary? [...] Although Imagen has announced an intention to ship a PostScript-compatible product in the future, their current product line interprets the Impress page description language. There is a Impress driver for Xerox Lisp filed on SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU in IMPRESS.DCOM or IMPRESS.LCOM. Documentation is filed in IMPRESS.TEDIT; fonts in *.* I wrote it, but time doesn't permit offering much in the way of help installing it. --Christopher -------