Re: FACSnet (thanks), Fetch

FACS_COPY@wehi.edu.au
Thu, 15 Jun 1995 11:59:15 +1000

Public thanks to all those with suggestions regarding our FACSnet problem
(of the system occasionally hanging while attempting to make a network
connection). Tom Frey's solution (also proffered independently by Ken
Hook and Neal Benson) of looking for the NFG messages:
"Device......now up
"Route.......now up"
and not attempting a login if they don't appear, has worked for us (spared
us much gnashing of teeth). The couple of times we were not vigilant and
allowed the system to hang we tried Marcia=Woda's fix (F8 F8 F1, repeat as
needed) but unfortunately to no avail (yes, we tried hitting the keys
harder). Maybe you need to do it at just the right time?

A second, related subject that becomes topical as more labs upgrade from
hp to Mac workstations is using "Fetch" (or other ftp packages) to
transfer your old hp files to the Mac. This institute's Mac network is
separated from its VMS/unix/hp network by a gateway, yet the Macs' numeric
IP addresses look to FACSnet as though they should be local. This
configuration may be quite common. Under this circumstance, a Mac may see
the hp system but FACSnet can not reply. Gateway information *must* be
added to FACSnet's network data base, #46:net.db (this suggestion also
made by Eric Van Buren). We added a line like:

heha:1:1:[INET]->nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn::::::

where heha is the ethernet card (also known as the sinister chuckle card;
thanks Nan Harvey), nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn stands for the numeric address of the
gateway node which provides dynamic routing information. Since FACSnet
doesn't include a special purpose data base editor, any editor will do, as
long as you are careful with the format.

\ / < Flow Systems Laboratory
Frank Battye \__/ <<<<< The Walter & Eliza Hall Institute
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