topic Re: x.25 access on emulator in Operating System - OpenVMS

x.25 access on emulator

John Welsh_2 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:07:33 GMT

Hi, I am trying to determine a solution for a customer wishing to move off his VAX hardware to an emulator. He currently has x.25 access using a dpv11 on the q-bus.
He wont have a q-bus on the emulator so what ethernet device can replace it? He is running VAXVMS V7.2 with DECnet IV. Possibly a DECNIS ???
Are there any others and what Layered Prod is needed for each device ?
Thanks, John.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Phil.Howell — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:34:54 GMT

If you are looking at charon-vax then it includes emulation of serial lines and these can be mapped to a multi-port pci card.
You can then use an opengear box of some sort (SD4002?) to get to ethernet.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Volker Halle — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:18:46 GMT

Phil,

X.25 uses a SYNCHRONOUS line, not an ASYNCHRONOUS one. Synchronous interfaces are not available for CHARON-VAX.

John,

a DECnis or X25 Gateway (DEMSA Box) comes to mind. But they might be hard to get...

Volker.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Oswald Knoppers_1 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:14:26 GMT

If you upgrade (VMS) and install DECnet-Plus you could use LLC2 (over ethernet) and have some cisco box do the physical connection to the X.25 network.

Oswald

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Hoff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:12:43 GMT

And the alternative solution that wasn't mentioned...

...Add emulation for the DPV11 on the Q-Bus.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

John Gillings — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:10:44 GMT

John,
This begs the question, what are they using X.25 for, and who, or what are they talking to? I don't imagine the X.25 phone book is very thick these days. Maybe time to upgrade their comms?

Re: x.25 access on emulator

John Welsh_2 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:23:52 GMT

Hi all,
Thanks for the replies so far.
I believe the DECNIS should be the way to go.
They are still available if you look hard enough.
The customer says that they expect that they will use x25 for a few more years yet.

I will keep this discussion open for a while yet in case there are more replies then I will assign points.
Best regards, JohnW.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Volker Halle — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:13:38 GMT

John,

the following thought just crossed my mind:

Can a DECnis or X.25 Gateway be used without DECnet-OSI ? Don't you need something like X.25 Access to talk to a DECnis ?

It's too long ago that I've seen X.25...

Volker.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

John Welsh_2 — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:19:13 GMT

Hi Volker,
I believe that PSI or PSI-access s/w is needed and this can be run with DECnet Phase IV.
I'm still searching for a VAX PSI SPD. So far I have had no luck. I think I have some VAX Layered Products CD's somewhere around. I have checked in a 1995 set but it must have been prior to this. Thanks.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Volker Halle — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:29:29 GMT

John,

P.S.I. Access V4.3 (UPI: 061AA) was available on the OpenVMS VAX Layered Product CDs from JUL-1991 until MAY-1993.

Here is a very handy tool to research something like this:

http://org.openvms.de/spl.php

Volker.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Volker Halle — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:34:35 GMT

John,

I'm pretty sure, your customer must be already running DECnet-OSI, if he is really using X.25 on his OpenVMS VAX V7.2 system !

P.S.I. Access V4.3 was used in the VAX/VMS V5.1 timeframe.

Look for @sys$manager:psi$configure, this procedure is used to configure X.25 on OpenVMS VAX as described in the 'HP DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS Installation and Configuration' manual Chapter 8.

Try a MC NCL SHOW X25 PROT DTE * STATE command...

Volker.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Ian Miller. — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:56:57 GMT

have you talked to a Charon VAX reseller like Stan Quayle - may be able to offer something.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

Oswald Knoppers_1 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:32:10 GMT

You need DECnet-Plus to manage the DECnis.

Oswald

Re: x.25 access on emulator

John Welsh_2 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:49:07 GMT

Thanks for all your help guys.
It looks that it is likely that they may already be running DECnet Plus and I believe the DECNIS is the way to go. I am not directly involved in a solution so I will pass the info along. Thanks again, this is a great resource.
Regards, JohnW.

Re: x.25 access on emulator

JohnDite — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:19:36 GMT

If you cannot get hold of a DECNIS or X25 Gateway (Microserver), then you could consider an Alpha with synchronous interfaces to play the role of the X25 Gateway. However, in addition to your VMS license you will need a X25 Native license.