Pathworks best way to connect Windows XP to VMS 5.5 LAT?

[Eric Lorgus]

I have a MicroVax 3100-80 running VMS 5.5-2HW with LAT over Ethernet but no TCP/IP service.

My older PC's (Win2K) are connected to the VAX using serial connections and MultiView 2000 terminal emulator.

I have a new PC with XP Professional, and would prefer to connect to the VAX over Ethernet than by serial. Since I have to buy new a new terminal emulator anyway, would I be better off buying Pathworks?

BTW, I first tried contacting some local HP resellers, and none of them know anything about Pathworks. So if Pathworks is a good thing, I will need recommendations for knowledgable resellers.

Eric Lorgus
Great Valley Industries, Inc.
Downingtown, PA

[Hoff]

I'd poke around and find out if you had purchased a TCP/IP Services (UCX) or NAS (NET-APP-SUP-* PAK) license with the box, either of which would allow you to connect to the OpenVMS VAX box via IP. This license could be packaged and purchased with the box, depending on exactly how it was configured. Issue SHOW LICENSE, see if you have one of these PAKs.

The LAT and DECnet and the pieces of the PATHWORKS 32 client have largely been superseded by IP, and most platforms support and use and expect IP.

The PuTTY and VTstar emulators are both good terminal emulators for Windows, and both are free. Both can operate over a serial line, or over an IP network connection. Maybe also over LAT in the case of VTstar, I haven't looked for and haven't run that.

PATHWORKS Server would not be my first choice here for interactive client access, as that provides print and disk services from OpenVMS to the Windows clients. It's not a communications package for sessions and interactive access.

TCP/IP Services V4.1 and V4.2 seem to mostly work on this release and there are folks using same, and V4.0 is the supported release for V5.5-2, IIRC. If you can't get TCP/IP Services V4.x, then things get a bit more interesting. Complicating things: V5.5-2HW was a pre-release (early) version of V5.5-2, and dates back to 1992. (This is some seriously old gear.)

Networking and PATHWORKS details are here:

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/network/networking.html

PATHWORKS 32 (the Windows client) would allow DECnet connections, if you have a DECnet license for the OpenVMS VAX box. LAT, too. But I'd look for a TCP/IP Sevices (UCX or NET-APP-SUP) license and product installation first, or I'd look to acquire TCP/IP Services, a third-party IP stack, or (maybe) at the free CMU-IP package.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs

[Doug Phillips]

Eric,

If you don't have a UCX license (with VMS 5.5-2 you probably don't, and even finding software that old is a challenge!), then if you buy a client license and beg, borrow or buy a Pathworks32 v7.4 client CD you can install LAT (and DECnet) on the XP. The CD also has a pretty good emulator, PowerTerm 525, which is LAT aware. Nothing is needed on the server.

If you ever upgrade your server to one that has TCP/IP, then your PowerTerm config can be changed to use TELNET if you want. So, your investment isn't wasted. Otherwise, whatever old software you install on your old server is finished when it is.

[Eric Lorgus]

In answer to whether I have TCP and don't realize it, we got our system in 1993 and the OS has never been upgraded. Output of SHOW LICENSE is:

Active licenses on node GVIVAX:

DVNETEND
Producer: DEC
Units: 230
Version: 0.0
Date: (none)
Termination Date: (none)
Availability: E (System Integrated Products)
Activity: 0
MOD_UNITS

VAX-VMS
Producer: DEC
Units: 18
Version: 0.0
Date: (none)
Termination Date: (none)
Availability: A (VMS Capacity)
Activity: 0
MOD_UNITS
NO_SHARE

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

http://www.meridian.com/SuperLAT_Gateway.html ?

Wim

[Antoniov.]

Hi Eric,
I use Pathwork32 and LAT serivces without any problem.
LAT protocol works better tahen telnet because some features are not been set in telnet (e.g. ctrl+c doesn't halt server transmission).
If you want to use PowerTerm emulator (that's the Pathwork32 emulator) within windowx XP, you MUST use Pathwork32 V7.4.
The older version of Pathwork32 cannot install LAT protocol on windows XP.

Antoniov
http://it.openvms.org

[Andy Bustamante]

Another option is telnet to LAT conversion. Cisco can provide this functionality, search cisco.com for "protocol translation."

Andy