2.16 shouldn't have answered for your Alpha system. I think that's OK - the Linux host is also running DECnet/Linux and its (the host, that is) name is SKETTI, 2.16. It took some fooling, but I'm pretty sure the host DECnet is using eth0 (as it should be). That is a difference between our systems. I don't have DECnet on the host, so there isn't anything listening on eth1 except for CHARON-AXP. I'm still concerned that a "TELL 2.17" got answered by the wrong system. Here are a couple bad examples: NCP>tell charon show exec Node Volatile Summary as of 1-NOV-2009 13:16:12 Executor node = 2.17 (CHARON) State = on Identification = HP DECnet for OpenVMS Alpha NCP>tell charon show exec Node Volatile Summary as of 1-NOV-2009 13:16:13 Executor node = 2.16 (SKETTI) Circuit = eth0 State = on Identification = DECnet for Linux V2.6.31-14-generic on x86_64 And this looks worse: $ set host charon Welcome to OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.3 Username: Exit Error reading command input End of file detected %REM-S-END, control returned to node DUSTY:: $ set host charon Welcome to OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.3 sketti login: ^Z Login incorrect sketti login: Interrupt Interrupt Are you repeating ^Y to abort the remote session on node CHARON? Y Sometimes when you connect to 2.17, you're getting 2.16 answering instead. That can't be good. --Marc