Welcome to our 14th edition of Online Extra, the e-mail update of articles in the February 3000 NewsWire and items of interest since we last mailed our First Class issue. This service is an exclusive to our paid subscribers. We'll e-mail you this file between the First Class issues you receive by mail, updating stories you've read and adding items that have developed between issues.
More TurboIMAGE links via Java
The longer Java stays in touch with the HP 3000, the more its
traditional tools
suppliers seem to provide to work with this new interface. DISC has posted
a demo on
the World Wide Web of a Java applet working with a TurboImage database. The
applet,
which loads in about three minutes of 28.8 modem time, reads the database
through a
Java interface that Rich Trapp of DISC says "is much nicer than HTML." And
that points
out one of the more visible advantages of learning to use Java with your HP
3000
applications -- an interface that's better than any Web page you can write
with HTML.
You can check out the demo at http://www.disc.com/de mo/turboimage/ib/smjava.html. Trapp points out that Internet Explorer works with the applet, but some sites could not access the applet because of firewall security settings. That illustrates one of the current downsides to using Java applets for interfaces: external users can still be blocked from accepting any applets by the settings at their sites. After all, applets are executable code that's loaded onto your client. That breaks security rules for some site administrators.
If you're working on getting Java into your HP 3000 environment -- and you should be thinking about it since HP's offering a Java Developer's Toolkit for MPE/iX this spring -- tools are coming online quickly. Trapp said Symantec's Visual Cafe software latest version is a much better tool than those DISC found six months ago. DISC (303.444.4000 x2400) offers a set of tools that combine its well-regarded Omnidex indexing tool with the Internet. DISC's offering is Omnidex for the Web.
Minisoft also posted a demo of its Web
tools, showing off FrontMan WebPage
Server. A VPlus application runs over the Internet in a demo which is a raw
import of a
VPlus Forms File into Minisoft's FrontMan. Steve Chappel of Minisoft adds,
"we then
install the FrontMan WebPage Server on an NT box and bang -- VPlus on the
Web!"
The new tool also lets you create applications that access TurboIMAGE or ODBC
databases -- so anything you create in FrontMan can be an instant Web Page.
See the
demo at http://www.minisoft.com/sample.htm
HP has a hot first quarter, and so does the 3000
HP announced a 15 percent increase in profits, 11 percent growth
in revenue
and a 9 percent increase in orders for the 1997 fiscal year's first
quarter, which ended
Jan. 31. The HP 3000 did its share in the increased order department,
according to
Wayne Lukacsko of the HP 3000 SWAT Team. Speaking at the Showcase Event held in
Cleveland, Ohio on Feb. 26, Lukacsko, the CSY Product Line Sales Manager
for the
midwest region, said that HP 3000 sales for the first quarter are ahead of
the same
period last year. HP's last fiscal year was the one in which the 3000 beat
quota by 30
percent, so this is a strong indication that the 3000's sales are still on
the rise after more
than a year.
HP accomplished its profit growth on a smaller increase in sales than it saw during 1996, in part by trimming its expenses. HP racked up $10.3 billion in sales, but CEO Lew Platt said that the next quarter may show some tougher sledding, as "economic conditions in some major markets are sluggish, and we expect an extremely challenging competitive environment in the months ahead."
Another Year 2000 tool surfaces
Kriss Rant of HP, who's been working on delivering a Year 2000
White Paper on
solutions any day now, pointed to another longtime HP 3000 supplier who's got
software to help. Productive Software Systems (612.471.8866). Their ROBOT/3000
package provides on-line inquiry to a cross-reference database that
contains indexes to
all your source programs, form files, job streams, UDCs, data names,
fields, datasets, and
databases. ROBOT's database, typically located on a development 3000, can
also be used
to cross-reference files, such as job streams, on networked production
CPU's.While still
you're working in ROBOT you can change a file with your favorite editor
after tracking it
down with the ROBOT search tools.
You build and maintain ROBOT's database by defining the files you want to cross reference, (@.@.SOURCE) and ROBOT automatically updates its database. If you run ROBOT daily, all files that have changed are updated. These kinds of tools, such as Diamond Optimum System's D-Day 2000 set, can play a big part in your Year 2000 impact analysis.-- providing metrics for estimating the size of your project. Get in touch with Productive on the web at http://www.prodsoft.com/prod06.htm
Get a line on 3000 job opportunities and talent
You can get the latest information on available jobs in the HP
3000 community
online not far from the NewsWire's web site. 3k Associates, which hosts our
Web services
on its HP 3000, has posted job listings organized by job type at
Springfield CyberLink.
To find HP 3000-related positions in North America, cruise to
http://www2.3kassociates.com/jobs
or follow the link from the 3k home page at http://www.3kassociates.com. Managers
searching for
talent can also post listings online for free, and the site include a
section for placement
agencies to list their services.
Cool free stuff at 3k
With just an FTP or Web link you can get your hands on the latest
shareware at
the 3k Associates site, too. Jump to http://www.3kassociates.com/progs.html for a
Web page listing
of things like the SAMBA/iX client-server for MPE/iX that lets you
access(read/write) files
on Windows, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 or Windows NT systems and allows
you to create a shared area on your 3000 available to those systems. Other
goodies at the
3k site include a single-printer version of an HP 3000 print spooler for TCP/IP
connected JetDirect printers (see below), the VT3k package (a freeware
implementation
of HP VT protocol for Unix systems), and a freeware version of NetMail/3000
that gives
you two SMTP/POP/MIME e-mail mailboxes on any 3000.
Loading your soft fonts from MPE to a networked laser
If you're looking for a way to get soft fonts from an HP 3000 into
networked
printers, you might want to check out a free solution on the 3k site. SMM
Software Ltd.
in the UK has developed an HP 3000 product called IPS which prints files to
JetDirect
cards. It also tracks the electronic forms actually resident in the printer
before
commencing the print run. The software "associates fonts with a baby
electronic form,
and thereby always prints with the correct font," says tech director Kirk
Whelan. "IPS
works in a mixed printing environment. In other words there is no need to
transfer a
spoolfile across the LAN to another host just to print it back across the
LAN. A single
printer version is available at ftp://ftp.3kassociates.com/PROGS/ips3000.zip
Slice down those spams with NetMail
3k also shares its spam list with the freeware version of NetMail,
giving you an easy
way to cut peddlers out of your mailbox by refusing their mail in the first
place. Chris
Bartram of 3k explains:"There's a file called "refuse.data.threek" that we
ship with a list
of known spammers, which can be customized. It causes any incoming mail
from any
address listed in the file to be refused before it ever even enters your
system. A somewhat
satisfying side-effect of this technique is that the mail bounces back to
the sender
without ever entering (and taking up space in) your system. The actual
sender of the
message (not just the possibly forged e-mail address within the message)
gets a bounce
in his/her mailbox, with a message informing him/her that "your mail was
refused
because this site does not accept trash mail from spammers". I got a lot of
satisfaction
just COMPOSING that message! We even send a one-line message to the console
telling
you that a spam message was refused. I LOVE seeing those messages."
At the risk of taking up too much space here, we'll run down the list
of known
spammers. Here's a couple dozen lines that could cut down lots of bandwidth
when
used with the right mail filter:
# records starting with "*" mean anything from that domain.org
# records starting with "#"s are comments
#
# financial spams
wiseowl@gti.net
*creditwise.com
# pyramid marketing spams
*valleynet.net
# Jeff Slaton's SpamHaus
*sftcell.com
# spamming company
*moneyworld.com
# promote your website spams
delores*@ix.netcom.com
delores*@gis.net
# spammers
*ppgsoft.com
*ppginc.com
*bristol.com
*edo.com
*cvcom.com
walt*phoenixnet.com
*bluefin.net
*exd78295*interramp.com
*cyber0.*sprynet.com
*cyber0.*ix.netcom.com
*KORBS*ix.netcom.com
*homebiz@info.mwci.net
# grocery club spam
*sel@cyberhighway.net
# travel club spam
*clubdiscount.com
# care financial group
*royal@95net.com
# Lifestyle E-Mail Network
*len-update.com
# Assorted others
*sunsetdirect.com
*promo-ent.com
*natureplus.com
*cyberdevinc.com
owl@owlsnest.com
solution1@earthlink.net
*earthstar.com
websites@http2.nyic.com
*lvsweeties.com
*progressfort.com
tt@akula.com
*softcell.net
# computer h/w spammers
jumbo@tpts1.seed.net.tw
A new FTP client that understands the 3000
Whisper Technology, based in the UK, has announced Whisper FTP
Plus, an FTP
client for Windows 95 and Windows NT with full HP 3000 support. Whisper FTP
Plus,
which works in conjunction with HP's FTP Server as well as servers on Unix
and Digital
systems, includes an Explorer-like shell for navigating directories and
files and a
Notepad-like editor for viewing and modifying text files online. Specific
HP 3000 features
include editing of numbered files like those in COBOL, support for file labels
(compatible with WRQ Reflection), support of lockwords, support for Native
MPE and
POSIX file systems, the ability to stream MPE/iX jobs, MPE security and
viewing of HP
3000 specific file information.
The company includes Graham Wooley, formerly of DISC Europe, as one of its members "fused from HP3000, Unix and Windows engineers." We remember Wooley as a fellow so concerned about HP's treatment of the 3000 in 1993 that he bet Alfredo Rego that HP wouldn't advertise the system -- mostly as a prod for HP to do so. Wooley lost his bet, happily, when HP put ads in both US and European publications for the 3000 at the 11th hour.
A full-function evaluation copy of Whisper FTP Plus can be downloaded from http://www.whispertech.com/ftpmpe.h tm The software starts at $99 a copy and goes down to $79 each for 5-9, with discounts all the way down to $39 a client. Order though the Internet, or phone a sales line at 44.1372.360080 in the UK.
Free paging software that works with your 3000
If you're looking for cool free stuff, Telamon has a program that
lets you integrate
a pager with the HP 3000. Telamon recently upgraded its freeware numeric paging
program DIALPAGR to be able to send alphanumeric messages using the IXO/TAP
protocol. PAGER, the new software, handles both numeric and alphanumeric
messages,
and runs on both MPE/V and MPE/iX machines.The new program is located at:
ftp://ftp.telamon.com/dist/pager.nm for an MPE/iX Native mode version, and
ftp://ftp.telamon.com/dist/pager.cm for an MPE/V Compatibility mode
version.
After you download it, run the program with no INFO string for a short help
display.
Before you start, you'll need to have a text or numeric pager, a Hayes
compatible modem
attached to a serial port, a paging service provider that supports IXO/TAP
and a suitable
modem phone number for the above service provider. While Telamon doesn't
want your
phone calls about supporting this present to the 3000 community, Randy Medd
of the
company says he'll respond to e-mails, time permitting, at
randy@telemon.com.
That IPROF tape is gonna be great
Michael Hensley of Lund Performance Solutions was working overtime
in the
week of Feb. 28 to create the first ever user tape for HP 3000 managers.
It's not truly a
swap tape in the sense that people didn't need to contribute a program to
get a tape.
(And in the era of the Internet, that's not surprising. Exchanging
information is just so
much simpler now).
The tape will be available after the show to anybody who wants it for a nominal fee to cover tape costs, shipping and handling. Hensley promises to update us by mid March on how to get it. To make you want it, here's the list of what's included, a treasure trove of the latest freeware and shareware advances for the HP 3000 including Java tools for the 3000, Samba, the Apache and HTTP-D web servers, the GNU C++ compiler and much more. It's just the thing for sites that want to get into the Posix and Internet fast lane and extend the capabilities of their 3000s -- but don't have hours to spend downloading and unpacking software.
The FREEWARE account contains the following groups:
3000 EDI supplier adds new CEO in prep for IPO
St. Paul Software, whose EC solutions run on HP 3000s, announced
that it
appointed Steve Waldron as president and chief executive officer. Former
President Gary
Anderson will remain chairman of the board of St. Paul, and said that
Waldron is "one of
the essential components for positioning St. Paul Software for the
completion of an
Initial Public Offering and maintaining the company's stock price after the
IPO."
Waldron, with 28 years of experience in the software and telecommunication
industries,
came to St. Paul after a stint as president of Innovex, a $70 million
developer of
computer software and manufacturer of precision components for the computer
disk
drive and medical device markets. Innovex' software product won "Best of
Show" at
Comdex 1995.
Watch out for that report of whether a DAT tape is online
If you're doing unattended backups, keep an eye out for a bug where MPE
incorrectly reports whether a DAT tape is online. Several customers report
that they can
mount a tape, and MPE says it sees the tape. Then they dismount the tape,
and don't
write to it, just put it in their pocket. When they do a SHOWDEV n, MPE
happily reports
you still have a tape mounted.
NewsWire subscriber Jim Phillips reports that the bug didn't exist in MPE/iX 4.0, which he recently migrated from to MPE/iX 5.5. subscriber Lars Appel of HP says "DDS or TAPE drives send an interrupt to the 3000 when you put a DDS or TAPE media online (which AVR = Automatic Volume Recognition picks up and looks for the volume label); This is not the case when you remove the media." Stan Sieler reports that the HPDEVCONTROL intrinsic has a "serious" problem in that it still has a bug that can result in a system failure. A call to HP's Response Center reveals it's a reported problem; the SR is 5003318774. No word on fix yet.
Getting Telnet enabled with no TAC
Wondering if you I need a Telnet card in your DTC to Telnet into
your HP 3000?
Or can you just run a networking service, and if so, how do you start that
Telnet/iX server
on MPE/iX 5.5 PowerPatch 1?
Subscriber Gilles Schipper says, "It depends."
"The most efficient way is via a Telnet card in a DTC - or stand-alone Telnet box - both which require HP's OpenView DTC Manager for Windows software to configure and manage. The Telnet server is started via this Windows software. Otherwise, if you have MPE/iX 5.5 with PowerPatch 1, you can telnet into the HP3000 via software.
To start the Telnet server via software, you need to:
1. log-on as MANAGER.SYS and copy incnfsmp.net.sys to inetdcnf.net.sys
2. modify inetdcnf.net.sys to remove the #'s, which serve to comment out
the lines, from
the lines containing telnet, bootp, and tftp (the last 3 lines in the
file).
3. chdir /bin
4. ./ln "-s /SYS/NET/INETDCNF /etc/inetd.conf
5. ./ln -s /SYS/NET/BOOTPTAB /etc/bootptab
These above 5 items are performed once.
Then, to start the Telnet server, stream JINETD.NET.SYS. This will launch a job will runs at all times. You can simply abort the job to bring down the Telnet server."