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Hidden Value

HiddenValue details commands and programs in MPE that can improve productivity on HP 3000 systems. Get a free NewsWire "HP 3000 Always Online" cap -- submit an MPE tip to Hidden Value. E-mail your tips to rseybold@zilker.net, or fax them to 512.331.3807.

I seem to recall a contributed utility back on the Classic 3000s that would allow you to read the contents of input spoolfiles. Does that utility exist for the PA-RISC machines, and is there any way to get it other than the Interex contributed library tape?

If you're not using MPEX or NBSpool, you can use Native Mode Spooler Commands to do this. Type this command: :LISTSPF @;SELEQ=[JOBNUM=#J1020]

Then Look for the SPOOLID for the $STDIN. It will start with an "I" Then Type :PRINTSPF [SPOOLID].IN.HPSPOOL

I am trying to "uncompress" a file in the Posix file space, but keep getting a "not found" message. I made sure I was in the /WWW/WWW directory, but thought I'd specify it anyway:

shell/iX> uncompress /WWW/WWW/httpd_1.3.tar.Z
uncompress: not found
shell/iX> uncompress /WWW/WWW/httpd_1.3.tar
uncompress: not found
What am I doing wrong?

Chris Bartram replies:
Sounds like you don't have your Posix environment fully installed. Check to see if you have the /bin directory -- that's where all the links are kept that link shell commands to MPE programs. /bin is off the root; also look for the /dev and /etc directories also. If you don't have any of those, then perhaps at some point you reloaded the system and didn't restore your Posix files... or they were never installed correctly.

What's an easy way to rename an account -- or can this even be done at all? I'm spending lots of time storing and purging, only to restore to a different account.

You can do this through DSCOPY using the MOVE. It takes two commands but gets the job done:
DSCOPY base.grp.acct;@.grp2.acct2;fcode=-400;move
DSCOPY base##rp.acct;@.grp2.acct2;fcode=-401;move
Don't forget to change internal references in the restored file to refer to the new account.

I've need my MPE/iX command files to work on files that exist in the Posix name space. I can run the appropriate command from HPBIN.SYS and pass the parameters in quotes. However, I can't seem to get passing wild cards to work. For example, let's say I've got a file called "fred.091196". The command LS.HPBIN.SYS "fred.091196" works just fine. But the following command returns a "file not found" message: LS.HPBIN.SYS "fred.*" What's the trick to getting this to work?

Ross Scroggs replies:
Typically the shell expands wildcards. Non-shell programs can be linked with a special library LIBCWC.LIB.SYS that expands MPE wildcard characters in their ;INFO strings. (Page 8-20 HP C/iX Ref. manual.)

And Randy Medd adds:
There is a way to use wild cards when executing Posix commands from the MPE environment. This example executes a "ls fred.*" command.

:xeq sh.hpbin.sys "-c 'ls fred.*'"

Note that the "xeq" is only required if you have a system-wide UDC named "SH" that already invokes the Posix shell. If you don't, you can leave off the ""xeq".

We are trying to put together a 9x7 system together with some DTCs using MPE/iX version 4.0. Upon each system boot, we experience a DCC STARTUP - ERROR after seeing an error message for each configured DTC logical device number. I've been told that HP used to (and perhaps still does) sell systems without DTC functionality, including networking software to permit VT access. How do I recognize such a DTC-challenged system (other than seeing these errors)?

To know for sure:

SYSDIAG -> SYSMAP -> CPUMAP
Look for line that says:
SW CAPABILITIES ----------> $1000000nn

If nn is between 81 to F1 inclusive, the system is a "server" system and does not support DTCs.

Can an HP 3000 which is running release 5.5 print (via the network) to a printer with a different class "C" address than the HP 3000? In other words, can I use multiple class C addresses on my LAN?

Bill Lancaster replies:
When you set up network printing, the steps involved are:
1. Configure the printer ldev using a virtual printer driver. 2. Configure the file NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS with appropriate configuration information. 3. Spool the device.

When you configure the file NPCONFIG.PUB.SYS, the minimum entry is for LDEV and IP address.

Jeff Kell adds:
If you have the proper gateway configured in NMMGR (for numeric addresses) or DNS enabled via reslvcnf.net.sys (for names), then yes. It is standard TCP/IP (nothing proprietary about the transport other than the JetDirect protocol).

I keep hearing about files that I can download if I use something called RYDER. Where can I get RYDER, and what does it cost?

Jeff Kell replies:
Ryder is freeware and is available at the following addresses on the World Wide Web:

http://jazz.ex ternal.hp.com/src/ryder/RYDER.bin, or http://opus.admin.utc. edu/hp/ryder.pub.

Ryder was replaced by Mover. Mover is now shipped with the fundamental HP 3000 operating system as of the 5.5 release; the file is called MOVER.PRVXL.TELESUP. If you're not on 5.5 yet, you can also get Mover from:

http://jazz.ex ternal.hp.com/src/ryder/MOVER.bin. You must upload these to the 3000 as NMPRG files. MOVER is supposed to handle RYDER files (but not vice-versa).

What's an easy way of listing files in a group in date order, sorted by date modified, accessed or created?

Ah, one of the many goodies of Posix. You'll need to be on the 5.0 or later release of MPE/iX. Try the command 'ls' (or LS.HPBIN.SYS if you're working from the colon prompt). From the Posix shell prompt type: 'ls -mt', 'ls -ut', 'ls -ct' for modified, accessed, created. You need to specify that 't' flag to get the order you want. So ls -mt gives you "ordered by modification date." Add the -r flag and it will reverse the ordering. Add the -l flag and it will give you details. Type 'man ls' for full details on the ls command.

How can I make HP OpenDesk distribution lists update automatically? We have several 3000s running HP Desk in different sites, so keeping those distribution lists up to date is kind of difficult by hand.

Lars Appel replies:
If you want to adjust (public or personal) distribution lists on a server (or group of servers) because users changed names, locations or sublocations, then you can use the UPDATEDL feature of Desk, which is a kind of "find and replace" for distribution lists.

For example, if John Doe moved from /HERE/01 to /THERE/01, you want to avoid a lot of ugly non-delivery errors until he manually updates all the respective distribution lists, then you can send a message like this to *UPDATEDL and Desk will take care of it and reply with a short result report:

$ the 0001 can be UpdateUser, UpdatePublic or UpdateALL
0001UPDATEALL
$ change John Doe from /HERE/01 to /THERE/01
4002John Doe /HERE/01
4001John Doe /THERE/01

With multiple servers you simply send the above commands to *UPDATEDL on all these servers (using a DL again). See the OpenDesk Admin Reference (Chapter 17) for details.

I want to create a drop box group that would enable users from several accounts to save files into it, without giving them access to the files. I tried setting it up, but it seems I need SM capability to save files in another account, even if the access for the group and acct are set to R,W,X,S,A,L:any. Am I missing something, or is it just not possible without giving SM to everyone?

Jeff Kell replies:
On 5.0 some users can save across accounts. There are some restrictions on MPE accounts/groups (or were), but if you don't mind playing in the HFS namespace, you can create a "disembodied" directory under the system root and allow anyone to have read/write/save/etc access to it. For example, /tmp works this way.

I'm trying to limit users from streaming jobs from account A that have a job card that logs into account B. The only way that I have been able to prevent this is if the user or account in the job card has a password. Is there a better way?

Stan Sieler replies:
There are two approaches: Prevent the STREAM (i.e., no job is ever started) or detect the STREAM from within the new job, and terminate the job.

Number one requires intercepting the CI's attempt at executing the STREAM command, which can be done by writing a procedure exit (AIE:PE) that intercepts at a variety of spots, including: exec_cmd, get_logon_cmd, slo_get_comnd, stop_user, and telluserlogon.

Number two can be done with a logon UDC for account B that checks the HPSTREAMEDBY variable. (Example: HPSTREAMEDBY = Q,STAN.A (#S109)) If ".A " is in the variable, then do a "BYE" command.

There has been considerable interest in using the HP 3000 as a WEB server. However, as good as the NCSA http-d server port available on HP's JAZZ site is, many people have had minor, but frustrating problems setting it up on their systems. In some cases, the size of the files has been a major stumbling block. Is there an easier way to test out the HP 3000 as a Web server?

Joe Geiser replies:
After some hacking, Lars Appel's popular HP 3000 Web Server Starter Kit is now available for download. The download includes a small program called TapeCopy, which allows you to create a :STORE tape from a data file and the data file itself. Both are available in Reflection/Labels and Binary FTP formats.

If you don't yet have a web server running on your HP 3000 -- and would like the Freeware Server found on Jazz without the mess as well as the Lynx Browser (for terminal and termulator users who don't have browsers) and sample pages -- then you can download it (for free, of course!)

The files containing the Tape Images, originally 7 Mb (16 Mb on Jazz), are now about 2.5 Mb. This was done using PKZIP, therefore there is an extra step in unpacking the kit. A link to PKUNZIP is also supplied in the event you do not have it. Once downloaded, it will be up and running in less than an hour! [Editor's Note: personal experience bears this out. And, I'll add what the author is too polite to say: it is nearly idiot-proof. I am living proof. -- John Burke]

The URLs are: In the US: http://www.idpnet.com/hp3000/ and in Europe: http://www.entrix.c o.uk/download/freeware/

I see a list in HPENV.SYS that looks like:

ELITE2X
ELITE4
ELITE450
ELITE50
GOTH88A
GOTH88E

Aside from using each of these files, how can I find out what they will make the print look like? I checked LaserRom, but it didn't help.

Larry Byler replies:
It's embarrassing, but we seem to have omitted the documentation for these files. They are a part of the Release 5.5 network printing package. I'll file an SR. Thanks for pointing this out.

Since we neglected to document the files properly, let me give you a sneak preview here. We shipped five network printer setup files with Release 5.5, all in HPENV.SYS. Although there are five separate files, there are really only three functional differences. This is because there are two pair of files which (within their pair) are almost identical.

PCLELITE and PCLELITD are 12-pitch portrait mode setup files. This allows 80 characters per line with one-inch margins. The only difference between the two is that PCLELITE specifies simplex (one-sided printing) mode, while PCLELITD specifies duplex.

PCLLP and PCLLPD are similar (simplex and duplex) files for landscape operation MPE style (60 lines per page, 132 characters per line, with 1/2 inch top and bottom margins, and just under 1/2 inch left and right margins). The resident LP font in the LaserJet series of printers is not scalable, and the size provided is incompatible with these measurements. So we used a suitably-scaled Courier font instead.

By the way, the duplex specification in PCLLPD is for long-edge binding. This gets you head-to-toe output, similar to what you'd get with HP2680 fanfold paper.

Finally, PCLPOST switches the printer's language personality to PostScript for printing PostScript files (assuming the printer supports that personality). The spooler switches the printer back to PCL at the end of the output.

Sorry for omitting the description of these files from user documentation, and I hope this helps with their use.

I keep getting TurboStore tapes from customers and I only have Store. Is there any hope? It appears that compression is enabled on the store even if the Store command didn't use ";COMPRESS".

Stan Seiler replies:
My suspicion is that you're getting tapes compressed with HARDWARE compression. As far as I know, the FOS RESTORE should restore tapes compressed with software compression by TurboSTORE.

Tip off: when you put the tape in the drive, do you get an I/O error during AVR? If yes, then the tape is hardware compressed (assuming DDS tape).

[Editor's note: third-party vendors of storage products with software compression always include on any tape produced by their product a program in MPE STORE/RESTORE format that will read the tape.]


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