🚀 go-pugleaf

    Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 10:34:43 EST
    From: steve@siemens (Steve Clark)
    To: info-1100@sumex-aim.stanford.edu
    Subject: Vax file servers

    [...] Unfortunately, our fileserver-for-lisp-users is a lemon.  It's
    so bad that we are losing files and it's down most of the time.

Is this a Xerox 8033?  8037?  Except that the T-300's on the 8037 are
succeptible to file system damage during power failures, these have
been pretty good servers for us.  Admittedly, as an XDE grant site, we have
the advantage of possesing more expertise than the average customer.

    [...] The obvious solution is to get some software and a disk, and
    use one of the Vaxes as a fileserver.

Protocolwise, the Xerox servers are such a good match for the d-machines,
I'd recommend another try at getting them to work for you.

    We already can use TCP-IP to acces files on some Vaxes, but we think
    we need the XNS based server so we can keep sysouts, and because TCP-IP
    is not really 100% comfortable.  (It struggles to deal with different
    ideas about file names for example.)

I, too, wish Xerox would add a TCP FTP option to the Tajo SystemTool for
installing sysouts.

    How much work is required to get the DEI software from Xerox up and
    running?  Is it really satisfactory?  Does it collide with other
    ethernet software running on the same Vax?  How much Vax computer power
    does it use up?

We don't use DEI, but my understanding from reading this list is that it
is a pretty good implementation of the PUP network protocol for VMS.
A common complaint seems to be that releases of DEI lag those of VMS
sometimes.

    Is there satasfactory software to run under Unix?  The Unix guys point
    out that XNS is available on the distribution tape from Berkeley or
    Mt. Xinu, but does that include the server program(s)?  [...]

My understanding is that it does not; client software only.  Some time
back, Xerox AIS (or EOS, more precisely) distributed a unix
implementation of PUP.  We use a locally modified copy dating back
to 1981, but apart from telling you that this approach was satisfactory
to us for several years, I can't offer you any assistance on that front.
We now use a Xerox 8037 as our primary d-machine server.

I imagine Xerox would rather help you to get your Xerox server working
right than to spend time helping you install PUP.

    Extra credit question:  Is it possible to set up a Postscript type
    printer (that is, an Imagen) that is currently sitting on the Ethernet
    printing files from a variety of Vaxes and workstations all running
    Unix, so that the D-machines access it as if it were a print server?
    I have seen that there is software for producing Postscript files,
    but what eelse is necessary?  [...]

Although Imagen has announced an intention to ship a PostScript-compatible
product in the future, their current product line interprets the Impress
page description language.

There is a Impress driver for Xerox Lisp filed on SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU
in <LISPUSERS.KOTO>IMPRESS.DCOM or <LISPUSERS.LYRIC>IMPRESS.LCOM.
Documentation is filed in IMPRESS.TEDIT; fonts in <SCRIBE.X300>*.*
I wrote it, but time doesn't permit offering much in the way of help
installing it.
--Christopher
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