topic Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem in Operating System - OpenVMS

Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

spart007 — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 11:38:08 GMT

Hi, i have a mv3300 with vms 5.2 as it was 20+ yrs ago. I can log into system but it was stand alone so DECNET not running. I have run startnet.com but fails with Error opening proxy database. I have run netconfig but still the same. There is no [DECNET] folder (which is on my vms 5.4 server). I want to get a terminal server DS200 on it but it looks like i have files missing? Any advice appreciated as i am at a dead end. Thanks

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Steven Schweda — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 14:36:38 GMT

> [...] I have run startnet.com but fails with Error opening proxy
> database.

And is that fatal? Or did you just never create the proxy database?

SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM:
RUN AUTHORIZE
HELP CREATE

> [...] There is no [DECNET] folder [...]

"There is no [DECNET] folder" (usually called a "directory") _where_?

> [...] (which is on my vms 5.4 server).

Where? What's in it?

> [...] I want to get a terminal server DS200 on it but it looks like i
> have files missing? [...]

With my weak psychic powers, I can't guess what you think is missing
from where.

It's been a long time since I set up a DECserver, so I know nothing,
but, around here, I have VMS V8.4-2L3 on my main IA64 system, and I see
no "[DECNET]" directory any place. I _do_ see DECserver system files in
a "[DECSERVER]" directory:

ITS $ dire /date /size SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER].SYS Directory SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER] MNENG1.SYS;1 1159 21-MAY-1996 10:36:41.51 PR0801ENG.SYS;1 378 10-DEC-1990 16:27:46.00 Total of 2 files, 1537 blocks.

And some others elsewhere:

ITS $ dire /date /size SYS$COMMON:[MOM$SYSTEM].SYS Directory SYS$COMMON:[MOM$SYSTEM] ETS.SYS;1 1030 29-JAN-2001 21:47:44.97 MNENG1.SYS;1 1159 21-MAY-1996 10:36:41.51 MNENG2.SYS;1 1721 29-OCT-2013 23:06:24.31 PR0801ENG.SYS;1 378 10-DEC-1990 16:27:46.00 Total of 4 files, 4288 blocks.

A quick Web search suggests that PR0801ENG.SYS is the one for a
DECserver 200 (one of which I haven't used in decades). Potentially
interesting:

SHOW LOGICAL *MOM*

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Volker Halle — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:43:28 GMT

spart007,

you do not need a proxy database to run DECnet. But you can create one, if you like:

$ SET DEF SYS$SYSTEM

$ MC AUTHORIZE

UAF> CREATE/PROXY

UAF> EXIT

Once you've configured DECnet and started it, what do the following commands return::

$ MC NCP SHOW EXE

$ MC NCP SHOW KNOWN LINES

$ MC NCP SHOW KNOWN CIRCUITS

Did you install the DECserver 200 software on OpenVMS ? If so, there should be a SYS$SYSROOT:[DECSERVER] directory and a DSVCONFIG.COM procedure in that directory. Use it to configure the necessary parameters on your VAX/VMS V5.2 system to be able to downline load the DECserver software. You can find the DECserver 200 Software Installation Guide in the WEB.

Volker.

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Steven Schweda — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 18:21:12 GMT

> [...] DSVCONFIG.COM [...]

I also see DSV$SERVER_DEFINE.COM (which is mentioned in my
DSVCONFIG.COM), but I'm looking at a newer non-VAX system.

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

spart007 — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 09:44:21 GMT

Hi,

Apologies for my lack of VMS knowledge, I have not done this for 30 years.

Does $dir [*...]*.sys search the entire disk?

The SVA-0 circuit looks up.

In my other server (on vms 5.4 ) there is a [DECSERVER] directory with the PR0801ENG.SYS files and other network files.

This server $dir [*...]*.sys finds 4 files ending in .sys, errlog pagefile, swapfile, read_addr.

I could copy [DECSERVER] files via a TK70 from my 5.4 server to this 5.2 server but would that work?

Many thanks

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Steven Schweda — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:13:02 GMT

> Does $dir [*...]*.sys search the entire disk?

Depends on your current default directory. I'd suggest:
[000000...]

> I could copy [DECSERVER] files [...] but would that work?

I'd try to find a real product kit, but I wouldn't be amazed if the
SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER] files were good enough.

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

spart007 — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:16:36 GMT

NCP show results:-

SHOW EXEC

Node Volatile Summary

Executor Node =1.7 (MV3300)

State = On

Id= Decnet-Vax 5.2

SHOW KNOWN LINE and CIRCUITS

SVA-0 State ON

For adding terminal servers on my other system:-

I also have on my 5.4 server an emulex program P4Kconfig.com in MOM$LOAD which configures a list of Emulex P4000 and Decserver terminal servers. Again, can I just copy this across or do I need an Install tape, which I recall using but don't have that anymore.

Great Help Thanks.

I may get another MV3300 diskless which I might try to netboot, but thats another project...

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Volker Halle — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:35:27 GMT

You can copy over the files from the other system, but pay attention to directory and file ownership. Make sure it is the same as on your other server.

MC NCP SHOW CIR SVA-0 CHAR must show SERVICE ENABLED, otherwise you won't be able to download a DECserver image.

Re: Vax vms 5.2 decnet problem

Maurizio De Tommaso_ — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 15:05:15 GMT

In OpenVMS VAX V5.2, the MOP (Maintenance Operations Protocol), which was used to download software images to DECserver terminal servers and to boot satellite nodes in a LAN-based VAXcluster (LAVC) environment, was provided as part of the DECnet Phase IV software stack.

Only with the introduction of OpenVMS V6.2, MOP support was integrated into LANACP/LANCP, making it available independently of DECnet. As a result, it was no longer necessary to install and configure DECnet in order to perform DECserver downline loading or satellite node boot operations via MOP. Additional enhancements were introduced in later OpenVMS releases, including OpenVMS Version 8.4 for Alpha and Integrity, particularly in the areas of satellite booting, LAN boot support, and OpenVMS Cluster functionality. However, a discussion of these enhancements is beyond the scope of this thread.

In OpenVMS VAX V5.2, once the DECnet Phase IV stack has been configured, MOP (Maintenance Operations Protocol) services must be explicitly enabled on the LAN circuit; this is typically accomplished using the following NCP commands:

$ mc ncp define circuit <circuit-name> service enable ! Enables MOP services in the permanent DECnet database, ensuring that the setting is retained across system reboots.
$ mc ncp set circuit <circuit-name> service enable ! Enables MOP services in the volatile DECnet database, making the change effective immediately.

In most cases, DECserver 200 products were shipped with a host software kit for OpenVMS. The kit included the terminal server load image used for MOP downline loading and the DSVCONFIG utility, which was used to create and maintain the DECserver database and associated service definitions on the OpenVMS load host.

If the DSVCONFIG utility is not available, it is still possible to manually create the DECserver 200 definition in the appropriate Decnet databases; however, the corresponding DECserver 200 load image is still required, as it must be downloaded to the terminal server using MOP downline loading during the bootstrap sequence. Without the correct load image, the DECserver 200 cannot be initialized and therefore cannot be configured or placed into service.

Only the later generations of DECserver products, such as the DECserver 90M and DECserver 900, could be equipped with optional non-volatile Flash memory capable of storing the operating software image locally. This allowed the terminal server to boot from its resident Flash memory, eliminating the need for routine MOP downline loading from an OpenVMS host. MOP-based image downloads could still be used for software upgrades, image replacement, or recovery operations.

The following examples illustrate several DECserver models and their corresponding software images as provided by the MOP load host:

DECserver 200 -> PR0801ENG.SYS ! <- you are here
DECserver 250 -> DP0601ENG.SYS
DECserver 300 -> SH1601ENG.SYS

While, the following example shows a typical DECserver 200 manual definition in the DECnet Phase IV database using NCP :

ncp> define node ds1 address 53.111
ncp> define node ds1 hardware address 08-00-2b-02-10-66 ! MAC Address of the DecServer
ncp> define node ds1 load file sys$common:[decserver]pr0801eng.sys
ncp> define node ds1 dump file sys$common:[decserver]sys$common:[decserver]ds2ds1.dmp
ncp> define node ds1 service circuit sva-0
ncp> set node ds1 all ! update the volatile database with all the parameters stored for a particular node in the permanent database.

ncp> show node ds1 char

Node Permanent Characteristics as of 14-OCT-2026 16:40:31

Remote node = 53.111 (DS1)

Service circuit = SVA-0
Hardware address = 08-00-2B-02-10-66
Load file = SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER]PR0801ENG.SYS
Dump file = SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER]SYS$COMMON:[DECSERVER]DS2DS1.DMP

Once the DECserver 200 has successfully loaded its operating image through MOP downline loading, it switches to the LAT (Local Area Transport) protocol for normal communications.

To allow users to establish connections to the system, LAT services must be configured and started on the target OpenVMS host. In a typical configuration, the DECnet software is started first, followed by LAT, and finally the TCP/IP software stack.