Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!ames!amdahl!nsc!taux01!yuval From: yuval@taux01.UUCP (Gideon Yuval) Newsgroups: comp.os.vms Subject: Re: Testing for a node Message-ID: <541@taux01.UUCP> Date: 31 Mar 88 06:41:44 GMT References: <17216@beta.UUCP> Reply-To: yuval@taux01.UUCP (Gideon Yuval) Organization: National Semiconductor (Israel) Ltd. Lines: 17 Summary: use error-messages from DIR or MAIL 2 easy methods: (1) run DIR :: . the error-message lets you know whether you got to the node (and possibly got blocked there), or whether the node is dead. (2) send VMS mail to ::alibaba . If the node is alive, you get "E-blahblah no such user". If not, you get "... no such node". Bothe methods are great for documenting "phantom nodes" (i.e. nodes that exist on SHOW NET output, but are 100% inaccessible -- it happens a good deal with satellite & X.25 links). -- Gideon Yuval, yuval@taux01.nsc.com, +972-2-690992 (home) ,-52-522255(work) Paper-mail: National Semiconductor, 6 Maskit St., Herzliyah, Israel