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Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by bqt＠softjar.se

On 2013-05-14 17:07, Bob Armstrong wrote: Guys Here s the situation I ve got several PDP11s and a couple of PDP8s and I want them all to be able to share a single console terminal. I could just use an old fashioned RS232 switch box, but I was looking for something better. For one thing, a smart switch that would actually buffer output from the unselected ports would be nice, and it d be nice to be able to change the selected port from the terminal keyboard. What d be idea is something like the multi session support that some of the later VTxxx terminals had, but with multiple physical ports and without any special host software. It d also be nice if I wasn t limited to just one physical console but I could use any terminal anywhere on the network too. I thought about using a DECserver in reverse LAT for this, but AFAIK the only way to connect to a DECserver in reverse is from a real host system, like VMS or RSX. That means my console terminal would have to connect to a VAX, log in, and from there connect out again to the DECserver and the PDP-11 or 8 console port. Kinda complicated and ugly. I don t think there s any way to have one terminal server connect directly to another terminal server w/o a host system in between, at least not with LAT. Telnet would be OK, if anybody can recommend a multi-port telnet terminal server that works in reverse. It d be especially cool if it can telnet to itself then I could just connect directly from one port on the server to another. Anyway, I was thinking that I can t be the only collector with a bunch of computers and room for only one console, so I thought I d ask what other people are using. No. Any DECserver can act both as ingress and egress, without any intermediate system. What you need to do is to set up a service. Any computer with LAT can set up one or several services. But any terminal server can also setup a service. And with a terminal on a DECserver, you connect to a service. Don't matter who is presenting the service. Reverse LAT is slightly different, in that you can connect to an outgoing port on a DECserver without using a service, by using reverse LAT. You just tell which DECserver, and which port on that DECserver to connect to. But you don't need reverse LAT in your case. Connect all console interfaces to ports on a DECserver. Define all ports access as remote, and setup services for all of them, and you're in business. However, as you note, they will not really buffer anything, so it's not perfect. You'd need something like screen in Unix, with connections to each machine, in order to get buffering and so on working they way you want. Johnny

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by form＠pdp-11.org.ru

I thought about using a DECserver in reverse LAT for this, but AFAIK the only way to connect to a DECserver in reverse is from a real host system, like VMS or RSX. That means my console terminal would have to connect to a VAX, log in, and from there connect out again to the DECserver and the PDP-11 or 8 console port. Kinda complicated and ugly. My AlphaServer DS10 and PDP-11/83 console ports are connected to DECserver 90M, and I can connect to these consoles from terminals connected to this DECserver.

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by bob＠jfcl.com

> I found the DECserver 90TL does it but thry are rare. I didn t know a 90TL could do all that. It s a nice compact little box, but like you say they re hard to come by. Bob

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by bob＠jfcl.com

>I use Livingston Portmasters (like the 2e). Do you mean like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Livingston-Portmaster-2E-PM2E-24-port-Communication… It s a big guy, isn t it ?? Can it connect directly from one port to another? Bob

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by fcoffey＠misernet.net

On Tue, 14 May 2013, Bob Armstrong wrote: like VMS or RSX. That means my console terminal would have to connect to a VAX, log in, and from there connect out again to the DECserver and the PDP-11 or 8 console port. Kinda complicated and ugly. If I'm understanding you correctly, that doesn't seem to be the case with my DECServer 90M that I have. I have MISER, THRIFTY (a linux box), and used to have FRUGAL's (when it was a physical VAX and not SIMH) consoles connected to the DECServer. Created services on the DECServer that allow me to connect to the console of any host from any other host. I have a VT525 attached to the terminal server and do not have to log in to a host first if I want a console. I have multisessions enabled, and use an "un-named" session on the terminal, and just connect to say "miser_con" service and BOOM there I am on MISER's console. You can even password protect services if you wish. Is this what you are trying/wanting to do? ... or did I just bark up the wrong tree? Fred

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by ploopster＠gmail.com

Mark Benson wrote: I looked into doing the same for my VT510. I found the DECserver 90TL does it but thry are rare. I have 2 frim Mark W but they are bith being petulant. Don't the 700 and 900 do it too? Peace... Sridhar

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by md.benson＠gmail.com

I looked into doing the same for my VT510. I found the DECserver 90TL does it but thry are rare. I have 2 frim Mark W but they are bith being petulant. -- Mark Benson

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by ian＠platinum.net

It doesn't have all of the features you're looking for, but I use Livingston Portmasters (like the 2e). It was originally used as a modem concentrator, but you can telnet into it and attach to any serial port (up to 30). They are usually found quite cheap on eBay. I used them extensively in the 90s when I owned a dial up ISP and if you need to know anything more about them, let me know. Ian Sent from my iPad On 2013-05-14, at 8:07 AM, "Bob Armstrong" <bob at jfcl.com> wrote: Guys Here s the situation I ve got several PDP11s and a couple of PDP8s and I want them all to be able to share a single console terminal. I could just use an old fashioned RS232 switch box, but I was looking for something better. For one thing, a smart switch that would actually buffer output from the unselected ports would be nice, and it d be nice to be able to change the selected port from the terminal keyboard. What d be idea is something like the multi session support that some of the later VTxxx terminals had, but with multiple physical ports and without any special host software. It d also be nice if I wasn t limited to just one physical console but I could use any terminal anywhere on the network too. I thought about using a DECserver in reverse LAT for this, but AFAIK the only way to connect to a DECserver in reverse is from a real host system, like VMS or RSX. That means my console terminal would have to connect to a VAX, log in, and from there connect out again to the DECserver and the PDP-11 or 8 console port. Kinda complicated and ugly. I don t think there s any way to have one terminal server connect directly to another terminal server w/o a host system in between, at least not with LAT. Telnet would be OK, if anybody can recommend a multi-port telnet terminal server that works in reverse. It d be especially cool if it can telnet to itself then I could just connect directly from one port on the server to another. Anyway, I was thinking that I can t be the only collector with a bunch of computers and room for only one console, so I thought I d ask what other people are using. Thanks, Bob --- Filter service subscribers can train this email as spam or not-spam here

12 years, 2 months

Console terminal switch and/or reverse terminal server suggestion?

by bob＠jfcl.com

Guys Here s the situation I ve got several PDP11s and a couple of PDP8s and I want them all to be able to share a single console terminal. I could just use an old fashioned RS232 switch box, but I was looking for something better. For one thing, a smart switch that would actually buffer output from the unselected ports would be nice, and it d be nice to be able to change the selected port from the terminal keyboard. What d be idea is something like the multi session support that some of the later VTxxx terminals had, but with multiple physical ports and without any special host software. It d also be nice if I wasn t limited to just one physical console but I could use any terminal anywhere on the network too. I thought about using a DECserver in reverse LAT for this, but AFAIK the only way to connect to a DECserver in reverse is from a real host system, like VMS or RSX. That means my console terminal would have to connect to a VAX, log in, and from there connect out again to the DECserver and the PDP-11 or 8 console port. Kinda complicated and ugly. I don t think there s any way to have one terminal server connect directly to another terminal server w/o a host system in between, at least not with LAT. Telnet would be OK, if anybody can recommend a multi-port telnet terminal server that works in reverse. It d be especially cool if it can telnet to itself then I could just connect directly from one port on the server to another. Anyway, I was thinking that I can t be the only collector with a bunch of computers and room for only one console, so I thought I d ask what other people are using. Thanks, Bob

12 years, 2 months

Reviving the DECnet on TOPS-10 project

by gregg.drwho8＠gmail.com

On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 9:37 AM, G. <gerry77 at mail.com> wrote: On Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:52 -0000, you wrote: Unfortunately it only /mostly/ works. MARLEY TOPS-10 03:23:12 CTY system 1 Connected to Node MARLEY(0) Line # 632 [Checking terminal type . . . found VT100] ..LOGIN 1,2 ..R OPR [CCPWFD Waiting for file daemon to start] %%TTY STOMPER - Starting And it stalls right there unless I repeatedly hit Ctrl/C... That happened to me more than once with some older pre-built monitors, then went away when I did my own install and build of 7.04, so I do not have a solution, and at the time I hadn't any knowledge about TOPS-10. That does not mean that now I'm very proficient on it, but... Upon further investigation, the problem is with OPR.EXE. It WILL NOT execute on my generated monitor. The one provided with TWONKY works fine though. ... Make sure that ORION and other Galaxy processes are all there and that none of them shows a "^C" or "TO" status (IIRC). Also compare processes between TWONKY and your installation and see if there are any differences. OPR is just a client that talks to a daemon process so maybe it just stalls because the daemon is not working, not responding, or not there. Compare contents of SYS:SYSJOB.INI too. HTH, Hello! We are discussing the concepts of running DECNET via TOPS over the implied serial connectors that are now available? Correct? The big problem is the circumstances behind it. You'd need to rebuild your entire monitor to support it, I believe. --- These problems are also Dave's fault as supplied by four dozen Yetis, and an equal amount of Cybernen. And not your fault completely Cory, outside of tempting the deities of the ceiling. (Now if that implied science fiction reference misses you please ask off list.) ----- Gregg C Levine gregg.drwho8 at gmail.com "This signature fought the Time Wars, time and again."

12 years, 2 months

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