topic Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command? in Operating System - OpenVMS

Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

johnslayton1 — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:00:30 GMT

Hi

Is there any way to access the DECwindows desktop from a DCL command?

I am using Putty to connect to a VMS host thats running the DECwindows enviroment. I am authorized, but how can I access this just by doing a DCL command?

Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

Steven Schweda — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 19:14:02 GMT

I don't understand what you want.

Because you didn't describe the system at
which you're sitting, should I assume that
it's a Windows system?

PuTTY is, I gather, a terminal emulator with
Telnet and SSH communication. By itself, it
can't do DECwindows (X windows) graphics
stuff.

Is some kind of X server software installed
on whatever you're sitting at? That's what
you need (I'd guess).

Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

Hoff — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:14:07 GMT

I will make some assumptions on the goal here.

If you want to display DECwindows output on a remote system -- this all works rather differently than the remote desktop stuff seen on some systems -- you can use DECwindows and X Windows for these remote displays.

Specifically, you can bring up a remote session using X Windows and an X Windows server running on your local box; DECwindows can display output remotely.

http://64.223.189.234/node/134 has details of how to do this with ssh and Mac OS X and the associated X11 support, though you do mention PuTTY, which implies your client is Microsoft Windows -- the steps are basically the same, though you'll have to acquire an X Windows server for your particular local client box. Reflection is one, the HP PATHWORKS 32 client provides eXcursion, and there are others.

Some X terminology, as this can be potentially rather confusing: the X server drives the X Windows display and is usually running on the system with the display, and in this case the client applications running on OpenVMS use the DECwindows X Windows client software and the IP network to present displays on the remote system; on the X server display.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs.com

Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

Heinz W Genhart — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 02:17:32 GMT

Hi John

What you need is a X-Server on your PC. We are using Reflection X, but you can use also Excursion or another X-Server product. Important is, that the X-Server is running on the PC.
You can then use PuTTY. Select Telnet or better SSH as Transport. (SSH must be configured on the OpenVMS machine)

In case you are using Telnet as transport, then you have to do the following after login to OpenVMS:

$ SET DISPLAY/CREATE/NODE=your-pc's-name-or-address/TRANSPORT=TCPIP
$ CREATE/TERM=DECTERM

this will launch a DECWindows Terminal on Your PC

In case you are using SSH as Transport:

Connect from PuTTY with SSH to your OpenVMS machine. If you do a
$SHOW DISPLAY
you will se something like this:

Device: WSA5: [user]
Node: your-OpenVMS-Machines-name
Transport: TCPIP
Server: 10
Screen: 0

If you enter now

$ CREATE/TERM=DECTERM[/DETACH]

DECWindows will send the terminal to your OpenVMS machine to port 6010 (6000 + Server nr) This is the SSH tunnel to Your PC. In this case the DECWindows terminal will use the SSH-tunnel between the OpenVMS machine and your PC as transport.

I hope that helps

Regards

Geni

If you dont mind, could you please also assign points to the people which helped you with their answers?

In your profile we see
"I have assigned points to 0 of 23 responses to my questions"

Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

johnslayton1 — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 04:17:07 GMT

I am using Putty on Windows to connect to a VMS host via Putty port 23.

Now, I managed to download Reflection, so if someone can be so kind to give me the full steps then that would be great.

If it does not work, no sweat...No problem.

Re: Accessing the GUI DECwindows from DCL command?

Hoff — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:48:10 GMT

Please consider getting somebody in to assist you with this if what's in the product documentation isn't sufficient; getting help and assistance from your local IT organization or from whatever out-sourced support entity is used at your site will be significantly faster for you here.

What you're now asking (Windows product install and configuration questions) is rather far afield of the ITRC OpenVMS forum, and also of text-only media such as ITRC. (The product documentation for most Windows products has pictures and diagrams, and most Windows product installations are fairly visually-oriented processes.)