12 Nov
2020
12 Nov
'20
5:12 a.m.
I picked up a microvax 3100 this past weekend from a
office that was
shutting down.
I beg to differ with HP's recommendation (in their doc set) for Devin'ssituation.?
HP's description is meant for customer sites to have a copyof usernames/passwords to
which they can revert for nasty situationssuch as a corrupted SYSUAF.DAT.? *If* this
system has the 'alternate'file, it should have the same problem as the original,
of unknownpasswords.? What Devin needs is instructions to break into the system.
I happen to know how to do that (used to work in OpenVMS Engineering).Is that something
that should be discussed here?
Thanks,Dick
I was able to start the system up, it boots up to
a login prompt for VMS
VAX 7.3.
I do not have any login info for this machine, is
there a procedure i can
follow to reset a password to an account? 
12 Nov
12 Nov
5:56 a.m.
I have a copy of the process in my stash.... it is findable on the web.
I used to wear this funny hat, and used the methoo a few times - even
on my cluster at home.
It does work.
bb
On Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 8:13 AM Richard Curtis via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
I picked up a microvax 3100 this past weekend
from a office that was
shutting down.
I beg to differ with HP's recommendation (in their doc set) for Devin'ssituation.
HP's description is meant for customer sites to have a copyof usernames/passwords to
which they can revert for nasty situationssuch as a corrupted SYSUAF.DAT. *If* this
system has the 'alternate'file, it should have the same problem as the original,
of unknownpasswords. What Devin needs is instructions to break into the system.
I happen to know how to do that (used to work in OpenVMS Engineering).Is that something
that should be discussed here?
Thanks,Dick
I was able to start the system up, it boots up to
a login prompt for VMS
VAX 7.3.
I do not have any login info for this machine, is
there a procedure i can
follow to reset a password to an account? 
7:02 a.m.
On 12/11/2020 13:56, Bob Smith via cctalk wrote:
I have a copy of the process in my stash.... it is
findable on the web.
I used to wear this funny hat, and used the methoo a few times - even
on my cluster at home.
It does work.
bb
On Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 8:13 AM Richard Curtis via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> I beg to differ with HP's recommendation (in
their doc set) for Devin'ssituation. HP's description is meant for customer sites
to have a copyof usernames/passwords to which they can revert for nasty situationssuch as
a corrupted SYSUAF.DAT. *If* this system has the 'alternate'file, it should have
the same problem as the original, of unknownpasswords. What Devin needs is instructions
to break into the system.
> I happen to know how to do that (used to work in OpenVMS Engineering).Is that
something that should be discussed here?
> Thanks,Dick
>
"breaking in if you have physical console access" is not at all secret:
it used to be in the OpenVMS FAQ and (iirc) in the manuals. It's fine to
discuss it anywhere. VMS Engineering would have told you to make sure
you ensured that physical console access was only available? to
authorised personnel.
Antonio
--
Antonio Carlini
antonio at acarlini.com
7:42 a.m.
On 11/12/20 10:02 AM, Antonio Carlini via cctalk wrote:
On 12/11/2020 13:56, Bob Smith via cctalk wrote:
FREEWARE60/VMSFAQ Item 5.5.1
As an interesting aside, I was very surprised at how hard it was
to find this on the Web. The notion that everything on the Internet
is preserved for posterity is really becoming silly.
As another aside, it is rather interesting how many hits for VAX and
VMS I got that have nothing to do with what we think of as VAX and VMS.
bill
I have a copy of the process in my stash.... it
is findable on the web.
I used to wear this funny hat, and used the methoo a few times - even
on my cluster at home.
It does work.
bb
On Thu, Nov 12, 2020 at 8:13 AM Richard Curtis via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> I beg to differ with HP's recommendation
(in their doc set) for
> Devin'ssituation.? HP's description is meant for customer sites to
> have a copyof usernames/passwords to which they can revert for nasty
> situationssuch as a corrupted SYSUAF.DAT.? *If* this system has the
> 'alternate'file, it should have the same problem as the original, of
> unknownpasswords.? What Devin needs is instructions to break into the
> system.
> I happen to know how to do that (used to work in OpenVMS
> Engineering).Is that something that should be discussed here?
> Thanks,Dick
>
"breaking in if you have physical console access" is not at all secret:
it used to be in the OpenVMS FAQ and (iirc) in the manuals. It's fine to
discuss it anywhere. VMS Engineering would have told you to make sure
you ensured that physical console access was only available? to
authorised personnel.
Antonio
9:26 a.m.
On 12/11/2020 15:42, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk wrote:
FREEWARE60/VMSFAQ? Item 5.5.1
As an interesting aside, I was very surprised at how hard it was
to find this on the Web.? The notion that everything on the Internet
is preserved for posterity is really becoming silly.
Here's Steve Lionel quoting that particular section:
https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.vms/c/LtpI1ItxcbM.
The FAQ is here: https://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/vmsfaq.html but I
think that comes and goes (although archive.org has a copy).
Unsurprisingly, I can't find a copy on the HP web site!
Antonio
--
Antonio Carlini
antonio at acarlini.com
9:45 a.m.
On Nov 12, 2020, at 7:42 AM, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
FREEWARE60/VMSFAQ Item 5.5.1
As an interesting aside, I was very surprised at how hard it was
to find this on the Web. The notion that everything on the Internet
is preserved for posterity is really becoming silly.
Up until 3 or so years ago, I took a break from running OpenVMS at home (and only did the
tiniest amount of VAX/VMS at work). Between work, kids, and photography, I just didn?t
have time (technically I still don?t, but I?m back to running a cluster, and one other VAX
at home). When I got my main system back up, I was surprised how hard it is to find
anything VMS related on the Internet. I still don?t have a good idea as to what Archives
of software are still available (stuff like the site for DECwindows Freeware).
Hopefully with the move to x86, we?ll see more people interested in OpenVMS.
As another aside, it is rather interesting how many
hits for VAX and
VMS I got that have nothing to do with what we think of as VAX and VMS.
Vacuum cleaners and virtual machines?
Zane
10:28 a.m.
On 11/12/20 12:45 PM, Zane Healy wrote:
And Virtual Messaging Systems and Volunteer Management System
and Vendor Management System and Video Management Software,
etc. etc. etc.
bill
On Nov 12, 2020, at 7:42 AM, Bill Gunshannon via
cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>> wrote:
Personally, I doubt that.
FREEWARE60/VMSFAQ ?Item 5.5.1
As an interesting aside, I was very surprised at how hard it was
to find this on the Web. ?The notion that everything on the Internet
is preserved for posterity is really becoming silly.
Up until 3 or so years ago, I took a break from running OpenVMS at home
(and only did the tiniest amount of VAX/VMS at work). ?Between work,
kids, and photography, I just didn?t have time (technically I still
don?t, but I?m back to running a cluster, and one other VAX at home).
?When I got my main system back up, I was surprised how hard it is to
find anything VMS related on the Internet. ?I still don?t have a good
idea as to what Archives of software are still available (stuff like the
site for DECwindows Freeware).
Hopefully with the move to x86, we?ll see more people interested in OpenVMS. As another aside, it is rather interesting how
many hits for VAX and
VMS I got that have nothing to do with what we think of as VAX and VMS.
Vacuum cleaners and virtual machines? 
10:39 a.m.
Bill Gunshannon wrote:
And Virtual Messaging Systems and Volunteer Management System
and Vendor Management System and Video Management Software,
etc. etc. etc.
How could you forget to mention the Voluntary Milking System?
Regards,
Peter Coghlan.
On 11/12/20 12:45 PM, Zane Healy wrote:
There's something icky about VMS running on x86. I can't see the prospect
being attractive to either the VMS people or the x86 people.
On Nov 12, 2020, at 7:42 AM, Bill Gunshannon via
cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk at classiccmp.org>> wrote:
Hopefully with the move to x86, we?ll see more people interested in OpenVMS.
Personally, I doubt that.
As another aside, it is rather interesting how
many hits for VAX and
VMS I got that have nothing to do with what we think of as VAX and VMS.
Vacuum cleaners and virtual machines?
bill
11:27 a.m.
On Nov 12, 2020, at 10:39 AM, Peter Coghlan via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
There's something icky about VMS running on x86. I can't see the prospect
being attractive to either the VMS people or the x86 people.
Do you have any valid data to base that statement on? Quite a few people on the x86 side
that I?ve talked to are interested by the prospect, and from what I?ve seen, it?s being
well received on the VMS side. I know of one company that is interested in seeing if they
should add support in their product for it. Mark Daniel already has WASD up and running
on OpenVMS/x86. There have already been 6 customer releases of the x86 version, with a
7th due in about a month, in fact the V9.0-F release looks to be pretty significant (I
believe it?s where cluster support will start showing up).
The problem with the x86 port is when you have software that only runs on older versions
or architectures. This is also a big problem for the Itanium port. For example I keep a
system running VAX/VMS 5.5-2 for just this reason, and there is a ton of software that is
VAX only, or at best Alpha only.
One thing that is interesting about the x86 version is that people will be able to easily
get their feet wet with a modern version of the OS. I?m anxiously awaiting VMware and
Hobbyist support. Anything that makes it easier to get OpenVMS into the hands of
hobbyists and students is a good thing.
Zane
11:45 a.m.
Zane Healy wrote:
None whatsoever, only my own observations and opinions.
On Nov 12,
2020, at 10:39 AM, Peter Coghlan via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
There's something icky about VMS running on x86. I can't see the prospect
being attractive to either the VMS people or the x86 people.
Do you have any valid data to base that statement on?
Quite a few people on the x86 side that I?ve talked to are interested
by the prospect, and from what I?ve seen, it?s being well received on
the VMS side. I know of one company that is interested in seeing if they
should add support in their product for it.
Over the years, I've seen all sorts of people enthusing about how great
they think VMS would be, if only it:
- could use commodity SCSI disks
- could be orders of magnitude faster
- could do networking with this, that or the other
- could be more compatible with Unix
- could be more compatible with Windows
- could have a goofy graphical user interface
- could have native support for flavour of the month programming language x
- could support comodity ISA/EISA/PCI/USB/whatever flavour of the month I/O
- could be run on commodity hardware used for other operating systems
- could be used for free by students and hobbyists
- etc
All of these things and more were delivered in spades or were there from
the beginning and yet it never seems to be enough. Some people are just
never satisfied, not to mention it never seems to dawn on them just how
useful VMS clustering is compared to anything else they have seen.
Mark Daniel already has WASD up and running on OpenVMS/x86.
I don't want to belittle Mark's achievement here but if this x86 port is
going to be in any way worthwhile, it shouldn't be a big deal to build a
well behaved, long established VMS application on it.
There have already been 6 customer releases of the x86 version, with a 7th
due in about a month, in fact the V9.0-F release looks to be pretty
significant
(I believe it?s where cluster support will start showing up).
It doesn't even have cluster support yet???
The problem with the x86 port is when you have software that only runs on
older versions or architectures. This is also a big problem for the
Itanium port. For example I keep a system running VAX/VMS 5.5-2 for just
this reason, and there is a ton of software that is VAX only, or at best
Alpha only.
I've had plenty of success doing binary translation of VAX software to Alpha
when source was not available. I never had any interest in the Itanium
platform so I don't know if the same could be done there.
One thing that is interesting about the x86 version is that people will be
able to easily get their feet wet with a modern version of the OS.
Why can't people do that now using Alpha emulation running on their platform
of choice?
I?m anxiously awaiting VMware and Hobbyist support.
If VMware was worth it's salt, it would be transparent to whatever is running
under it, not needing specific support in whatever is running under it.
Anything that makes it easier to get OpenVMS into the hands of hobbyists
and students is a good thing.
I've been hearing that for 30 years or more and VMS doesn't seem to have
taken over the world yet.
Regards,
Peter Coghlan
Zane
6:46 a.m.
On Nov 12, 2020, at 5:12 AM, Richard Curtis via cctalk <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
wrote:
This has been in the FAQ for a very long time. As it requires physical access to the
system, I?m not sure it?s ever been considered that big of a deal.
Zane
What Devin
needs is instructions to break into the system.
I happen to know how to do that
(used to work in OpenVMS Engineering).Is that something that should be discussed here?
Thanks,Dick
6:55 a.m.
On 11/12/20 8:12 AM, Richard Curtis via cctalk wrote:
I thought it was in the FAQ.
bill
I picked up a
microvax 3100 this past weekend from a office that was
shutting down.
I beg to differ with HP's recommendation (in their doc set) for
Devin'ssituation.? HP's description is meant for customer sites to have a copyof
usernames/passwords to which they can revert for nasty situationssuch as a corrupted
SYSUAF.DAT.? *If* this system has the 'alternate'file, it should have the same
problem as the original, of unknownpasswords.? What Devin needs is instructions to break
into the system.
I happen to know how to do that (used to work in OpenVMS Engineering).Is that something
that should be discussed here?
Thanks,Dick
I was able to start the system up, it boots up to
a login prompt for VMS
VAX 7.3.
I do not have any login info for this machine, is
there a procedure i can
follow to reset a password to an account?
1501
days inactive
1501
days old
13 comments
7 participants
participants (7)
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a.carlini＠ntlworld.com -
bill.gunshannon＠hotmail.com -
bobsmithofd＠gmail.com -
cctalk＠beyondthepale.ie -
dick.curtis＠ymail.com -
emu＠e-bbes.com -
healyzh＠avanthar.com