Nebula 1994 June/NEBULA_SE.ISO/Documents/FAQ/Dec-faq/common

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From: [e-mail]
Subject: comp.unix.ultrix Common Frequently Asked Questions
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: comp.unix.ultrix
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions
    (and their answers) about the ULTRIX and OSF/1 operating systems from
    Digital Equipment Corporation.
Sender: [e-mail] (Win Treese)
Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Organization: DEC Cambridge Research Lab
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1993 04:05:41 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
Expires: Sat, 18 Sep 1993 04:05:19 GMT
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Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.unix.ultrix:21907 comp.sys.dec:17748 comp.unix.osf.osf1:738 news.answers:11042 comp.answers:1505

Archive-name: dec-faq/common
Last-modified: Thu Jul 01 22:58:25 EDT 1993
Version: 1.2

This is part 3 of the Frequently Asked Questions posting for
comp.unix.ultrix, with answers that apply to both ULTRIX and DEC
OSF/1.  It is also posted on comp.sys.dec and comp.unix.osf.osf1, but
it is not a full FAQ for those groups. Companion postings have answers
specific to ULTRIX and OSF/1.

A separate FAQ describes how to get information about Digital products
and interacting with Digital.

This FAQ is available in the following archive sites, in the directory
/pub/DEC/dec-faq:

    gatekeeper.dec.com
    crl.dec.com
    decuac.dec.com

It can also be obtained by sending mail to [e-mail] with the
following lines:
    connect
    get /pub/DEC/dec-faq/common

Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site
rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers.  The name under
which a FAQ is archived appears in the Archive-name line at the top of
the article.  This FAQ is archived in the directory dec-faq.

To receive this posting by mail, send a note to [e-mail].

If the location of a file in an archive is not specifically mentioned
below, it is in /pub/DEC on the above machines.

To make suggestions for changes or additions to this Frequently Asked
Questions list, send mail to [e-mail].  Answers are
especially appreciated.

An archive of recent postings to comp.unix.ultrix can be found via
anonymous FTP on ftp.cc.rochester.edu in /pub/usenet/comp.unix.ultrix.
Thanks to folks at the University of Rochester for providing this
service.

Some general notes:

When used alone, the word "DECstation" is used to mean any of the
DECstations or DECsystems that use MIPS RISC processors.  Similarly,
"Alpha" refers to any DEC systems that use the Alpha AXP processor.

Unless otherwise specified, these answers refer to ULTRIX 4.3, which is
the current release of ULTRIX.

Many people have contributed to this list, directly or indirectly.  In
some cases, an answer has been adapted from one or more postings on the
comp.unix.ultrix newsgroup.  Our thanks to all of those who post answers.
The name (or names) at the end of an entry indicate that the information
was taken from postings by those individuals; the text may have been
edited for this FAQ.  These citations are only given to acknowledge the
contribution.

Although the editor of this FAQ is an employee of Digital Equipment
Corporation, this posting is not an official statement from Digital
Equipment Corporation.

Software
======================================================
S1. How can I get lots of free software for ULTRIX?
S2. Where can I get a T-shell (tcsh) that works on ULTRIX and OSF/1?
S3. How can I use audio on DECstations?
S4. How do I play music CDs on DEC CD-ROM drives? **CHANGED**

Installation
======================================================
I1. How do I copy a setld(8) tape?
I2. How do I copy a CDROM installation kit to TK50?

Disk
======================================================
D1. Where can I get a disktab entry for the XXX disk?
D2. How can I read/write MS-DOS floppy disks on ULTRIX?
D3. How can I make an RZxx disk spinup on power-on?

Programming
======================================================
P1. What does "unaligned access" mean, and how can I fix it?
P2. What about "unaligned access" in FORTRAN programs? **NEW**

Laser and Line Printers
======================================================
L1. Where can I get a printcap entry for the XXX printer?

Hardware
======================================================
H1. What are the pinouts of the MMJ jacks on the back of various DECstations
    and VAXstations?
H2. How do I set the SCSI ID on an RZ25?

Miscellaneous
======================================================
M1. How do I get a list of available patches for my release of ULTRIX or OSF/1?
M2. How can I get files available by anonymous FTP if I'm not connected
    to the Internet?
M3. How can I write documentation in Bookreader format?
M4. How can I read VMS BACKUP tapes on a UNIX machine? **NEW**

******************** Software ***************************************

==============================================
S1. How can I get lots of free software for ULTRIX and OSF/1?

The main FTP server for DEC is gatekeeper.dec.com, which maintains a
large selection of sources from the net in general, as well as public
code for ULTRIX, such as "monitor", "top" and other system-specific
tools.  /pub/DEC has sources for several packages written by employees
at Digital (though they are not supported Digital products), as well
as some programs that required special changes to port to ULTRIX. None
of these sources or utilities are "supported" by anyone other than
their authors.  The directory /pub/DEC/Alpha/apps has several programs
to have been ported to Alpha OSF/1.

In addition, Digital's "European UNIX Competency Circle" produced a
CDROM of free software for UNIX.  To get a copy, speak to a local
person from Digital.  For questions or suggestions about it, except
about availability, write to

    [e-mail]

Because the disk is in ISO 9660 format, it can be mounted and used
n almost any UNIX system and many proprietary systems, including ULTRIX,
OSF/1, Solaris, DOS, and VMS.

Answer A1 in the OSF/1 FAQ says how to order the Alpha OSF/1 Freeware CD.

==============================================
S2. Where can I get a T-shell (tcsh) that works on ULTRIX and OSF/1?

Versions of tcsh later than 6.01 run on ULTRIX 4.2.  The latest
version the FAQ editor knows is 6.03, available by anonymous FTP from
tesla.ee.cornell.edu. You do not need csh sources for this version of
tcsh.

A version that works on OSF/1 is available on the Freeware CD-ROM.

==============================================
S3. How can I use audio on DECstations?

Personal DECstations (DS5000/25) and Alpha workstations have builtin
audio consisting of an 8KHz CODEC.  Digital also sells a TURBOchannel board
called DECaudio (sometimes known as LoFi).  A free software package called
AudioFile is available from Digital's Cambridge Research Lab.

The AudioFile System (AF) is a device-independent network-transparent
audio server.  With AudioFile, multiple audio applications can run
simultaneously, sharing access to the actual audio hardware.  It
supports all of the hardware listed above, as well as SPARCstation
audio hardware.  It can be copied from
crl.dec.com:/pub/DEC/AF/AF2R2.tar.Z.
                    [Win Treese, [e-mail]]
==============================================
S4. How do I play music CDs on DEC CD-ROM drives? **CHANGED**

Music CDs can be played through a speaker jack on RRD42 CD-ROM drives,
which is the one contained in the DECstation 5000/{120,125} box.

The are three different programs available. A command line version and
a Motif-based version can be found in:

    gatekeeper.dec.com or decuac.dec.com
    in /pub/DEC:
            cdp.c[.Z]        /* command line version */
            xcd_source.tar.Z    /* Motif version. */

Neither of these programs is supported by Digital.

For DEC OSF/1, sources for xcd are included in
/usr/examples/motif/xcd.  A newer version of xcd is on the Freeware
CD-ROM in both source and binary form.

WorkMan, which also runs on several different platforms and has several
additional features, is available from ftp.hyperion.com in /WorkMan.  A
binary for RISC/ULTRIX can be found in ultrix.tar.Z.  To compile from sources,
you will need XView 3.0.

                    [Anthony Baxter, [e-mail]]
******************** Installation ***************************************

==============================================
I1. How do I copy a setld(8) tape?

First, a few words about the format of a setld tape.

Tapes used by setld(8) consist of a number of tape files that contain the
product subsets, installation control files and other stuff.  The fourth
file on the tape is an uncompressed tar(1) archive of the inventory files
(.inv), subset control programs (.scp) and control information (.ctrl).
There is also a file that lists the subsets, their sizes and checksums
(.image).  The tapes files after the 4th are the subset files.  They may or
may not be compressed.  They will have a block size of 10 KB.  The order of
lines in the .image file is the order of subset on the tape, with the
classic exception.

There are two flavors of tapes; Layered product tapes and ULTRIX
distribution tapes.  The first three files on layered product tapes will
typically be space holders and only one 10 KB file.  Distribution tapes use
the first three files for other things.  The 3rd of these files is dump(8)
image of the root file system.  The block size of this file will be 10 KB.
In the .image file for the distribution it would be listed ROOT:

    44419 12720 ROOT
    01690 12080 UDTBASE420
    47187 14340 UDTBIN420
    etc...

So, on this distribution tape ROOT is 3rd, the installation control
archive (INSTCTRL) is 4th, UDTBASE420 is 5th and so on.

The first two files are a primary and secondary boot program.  Whether
the 2nd is necessary depends on system architecture.  The MIPS-based
systems typically only use the first boot file; the VAX uses both.
The block size of the first boot program is 512 bytes.

Copying a setld tape

Use dd(1) to copy each tape file using the appropriate block size.  When you
run out of tape input files you're done.  For example, if you are using
two tape drives:

       dd bs=512   if=/dev/nrmt0h of=/dev/nrmt1h
       dd bs=10240 if=/dev/nrmt0h of=/dev/nrmt1h
       dd bs=10240 if=/dev/nrmt0h of=/dev/nrmt1h
       ...
       mt -f /dev/nrmt0h rew
       mt -f /dev/nrmt1h rew

==============================================
I2. How do I copy a CDROM installation kit to TK50?

The two shell shell scripts below can be used to duplicate CDROM or disk
layered product distributions (note: not the base system) onto a TK50.
They are not supported by Digital.

--------------------------cut here--------------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh5
# cdrom_kitcap
# This script is based on one from "Guide for Preparing Software for
# Distribution" (but this one really works).  This script prepares the
# /etc/kitcap file which is needed by the gentapes script to create,
# in this specific case, a copy of cdrom software (layered product only)
# to TK50...
# note: this script uses tmp space, insure $TMPDIR is pointing to a file
# system with enough space to copy files...
# Original author:   John R. Frandsen, Digital Equipment Corporation

TMPDIR=/usr/tmp
KITCAP=$TMPDIR/kitcap
CURVOL=1

BINDIR=`pwd`

touch $TMPDIR/space
tar cf $TMPDIR/SPACE $TMPDIR/space

cd instctrl

I=`expr *.image : '\(.*\).image'`
echo "Your product code is $I"

tar cf $TMPDIR/INSTCTRL *

echo "${I}TK:$TMPDIR:SPACE:SPACE:SPACE:INSTCTRL:\\" >> $KITCAP

for S in `awk '{print $3}' *.image`
do
    [ $S = ROOT ] && continue
    . $S.ctrl
    set -- `(IFS=:;echo $MTLOC)`
    VOL=$1
    LOC=$2
    [ $VOL -ne $CURVOL ] &&
    {
        echo ":%%$VOL        CURVOL=$VOL" >> $KITCAP
    }
    echo ":$S\\" >> $KITCAP
    cp $BINDIR/$S $TMPDIR
done
echo >> $KITCAP

mv $TMPDIR/kitcap /etc
cd $BINDIR

--------------------------cut here--------------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh5
# disk_kitcap
# This script is based on one from "Guide for Preparing Software for
# Distribution" (but this one really works).  This script prepares the
# /etc/kitcap file which is needed by the gentapes script to create,
# in this specific case, a copy of disk software (layered product only)
# to TK50...
# Original author:   John R. Frandsen, Digital Equipment Corporation


KITCAP=/tmp/kitcap
CURVOL=1

touch space
tar cf SPACE space

cd instctrl

I=`expr *.image : '\(.*\).image'`
echo "Your product code is $I"
cp $I.image ..

tar cf ../INSTCTRL *

cd ..

echo "${I}TK:`pwd`:SPACE:SPACE:SPACE:INSTCTRL:\\" >> $KITCAP

cd instctrl

for S in `awk '{print $3}' *.image`
do
    [ $S = ROOT ] && continue
    . $S.ctrl
    set -- `(IFS=:;echo $MTLOC)`
    VOL=$1
    LOC=$2
    [ $VOL -ne $CURVOL ] &&
    {
        echo ":%%$VOL        CURVOL=$VOL" >> $KITCAP
    }
    echo ":$S\\" >> $KITCAP
done
echo >> $KITCAP

mv /tmp/kitcap /etc

#----------------------------------------------------------------------------

******************** Disk ***************************************

==============================================
D1. Where can I get a disktab entry for the XXX disk?

A collection of contributed disktab entries is in
/pub/DEC/ultrix-disktabs on the usual archive machines.  Get a copy of
the file for an up-to-date list.

==============================================
D2. How can I read/write MS-DOS floppy disks?

If you have a floppy disk drive on your ULTRIX or OSF/1 system, get
"mtools", a set of MS-DOS utilities for UNIX.  The package can be
copied from prep.ai.mit.edu:/pub/gnu/mtools-2.0.7.  It works on
both DECstations and Alphas.

When you build mtools, you need to find out which device your floppy
is (/dev/rrz2c is common).  Then you can clone the SPARC definitions,
or #define SPARC and make /dev/rfd0c a symlink to the one you need.
                    [Win Treese, [e-mail]]

==============================================
D3.  How can I make an RZxx disk spinup on power-on?

In order to conserve power, the builtin disks on VAXstations,
DECstations, and Alpha workstations do not spinup when the power is
turned on, but do so under software control.  If you need to change this
to use an RZxx disk on another system, there are several ways to do it:

1) Move a jumper.  The location of this varies from drive to drive.
2) Use the SCSI console diagnostics on a DECstation.
3) Use the VAXstation service diagnostics (tricky)
4) On a Macintosh, use the "Silverlining" program.
5) On a DOS PC, use the shareware program SPINUP.
                [William Jackson, [e-mail]]

******************** Programming ***************************************

P1. What does "unaligned access" mean, and how can I fix it?

Unaligned accesses typically come up when programs use malloc(3) or
other memory allocation routines in atypical ways, or when programs do
certain (hazardous) kinds of type casts.

malloc(3) returns data aligned to the most restrictive alignment (8
byte boundaries on MIPS machines).  If you are writing your own
malloc wrapper (say to add a reference count) and you write code like
this:

    char *mymalloc(int size)
    {
      short *newmem;

      newmem = (short *) malloc(size + sizeof(short));
      *newmem = 1; /* initialize reference count */
      return (char *) (newmem + 1);
        }

you are then returning a pointer that is no longer 8-byte aligned.  Now, code
like

    int *i;
    i = (int *) mymalloc(sizeof(int));
    *i = 10;

will generate unaligned access messages whenever *i is used.

An example of dangerous casting would be something like

        char buffer[100];
        int i;

    i = (int)*((int *)&buffer[3]);

The program will usually still run correctly, because an exception
handler in the kernel performs an unaligned read.  There are some rare
cases, however, where the fixed read yields incorrect results.  The
messages are printed by default because one usually wants to know when
a program is generating the unaligned accesses.

Now, if you're only getting a few of these messages, it might not
matter, but if you're getting pages of them (or worse, have turned off
the logger because you were getting so many unaligned access
messages), you might consider correcting your program.

You can use the uac(1) (Unaligned Acces Message Control) command to
turn off the messages.

If you want to find the the problem in the source code, you can use dbx.
Suppose the message is:

    Fixed up unaligned data access for pid 2337 (bozo) at pc 0x5ad364

This tells you that the problem occurs in the program "bozo".  In dbx,
you would type, for example:

    % dbx bozo
    (dbx) 0x5ad364/i

    *[main:206, 0x0x5ad364]  lw      r0,40(sp)

dbx prints the offending instruction, along with its location: line 206
in main().
If you need to do unaligned accesses, you might find the following useful:

int unaligned_load_word(int *src);
int unaligned_load_half(short *src);
unsigned int unaligned_load_uhalf(unsigned short *src);
float unaligned_load_float(float *src);
double unaligned_load_double(double *src);

void unaligned_store_word(int *dst,int val);
void unaligned_store_half(short *dst,int val);
void unaligned_store_float(float *dst,float val);
void unaligned_store_double(double *dst,double val);

These unaligned access routines are an unsupported component of the
standard C library on RISC/ULTRIX. They provide for alignment-safe
access to the primitive data types (short,int,float,double). They are
fairly fast as they use the special MIPS unaligned instructions
(LWL,LWR,SWL,SWL) for doing the complicated part of the work.

If you are running ULTRIX 4.2, and you would like to disable the automatic
fixup of unaligned accesses, use:

#include <sys/syscall.h>
#include <sys/sysmips.h>

syscall(SYS_sysmips, MIPS_FIXADE, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL);

The above code fragment will disable address fixups for your process,
and this will be inherited by any children. Where a fixup would have
occured, you will get a SIGBUS.

==============================================
P2. What about "unaligned access" in FORTRAN programs? **NEW**

Certain common block arrangements can cause this error, particularly if
integers are mixed with real or double precision numbers.  One workaround
is to create separate common blocks for each data type.
                    [Marc Day, [e-mail]]

******************** Laser & Line Printers **************************

==============================================
L1. Where can I get a printcap entry for the XXX printer?

A collection of contributed printcap entries is in
/pub/DEC/ultrix-printcap on the usual archive machines.  Get a copy of
the file for an up-to-date list.

******************** Hardware ***************************************

==============================================
H1. What are the pinouts of the MMJ jacks on the back of various DECstations
    and VAXstations?

This describes the 6-pin modified modular jack (MMJ) used for serial ports
on various DECstations and VAXstations, as well as on other DEC equipment.

DEC carries four DB-to-MMJ adaptors.  They are internally wired as follows

                   Rdy Out  TX+  TX-  RX-  RX+  Rdy In
 Adaptor   Gender     1      2    3    4    5     6       Use with:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 H8575-A     F      20      2    7    7    3    6&8     VTxxx terminal
 H8571-C     M       6      3    7    7    2     20     DEC printer
 H8571-D     M       6      3    7    7    2     20     Modem
 H8571-E     M      20      2    7    7    3    6&8     Female terminal
                                                        or LaserWriter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

RS-232 using DB-25 connectors:
                                                DTE           DCE
                                             Terminal        Modem
                                            or computer
Pin Number Signal Name
    2          TD        Transmit Data                   -->
    3          RD        Receive Data                    <--
    7          GND       Ground                          ---
    6          DSR       Data Set Ready                  <--
    8          DCD       Data Carrier Detect             <--
   20          DTR       Data Terminal Ready             -->



==============================================
H2. How do I set the SCSI ID on an RZ25?

Back by the power connector are a row of 3 jumpers. These set the scsi
id. The one closest to the power connector is bit 2, and you install a
jumper to get a "1". The default id is 7, which conflicts with the
controller.  Note that the mounting bracket on the drive covers these
jumpers, so they are not immediately obvious.

******************** Miscellaneous ***************************************

==============================================
M1. How do I get a list of available patches for my release of Ultrix?

At this time, Digital does not publish lists of available patches.
The Customer Support Centers will inform you if you call about a
problem for which there is a patch.

==============================================
M2. How can I get files available by anonymous FTP if I'm not connected
    to the Internet?

One way is to use the DECWRL ftpmail server.  To find out how to use
it, send a one-line message to [e-mail] (or
...!uunet!decwrl!ftpmail or decwrl::ftpmail).  The subject line can be
anything you want since it will be ignored.  The text of the message
should be one unquoted lowercase word: "help".

==============================================
M3. How can I write documentation in Bookreader format?

On ULTRIX and VMS, DECwrite will produce Bookreader files.  On VMS,
VAX Document will also produce Bookreader files.  Digital will provide
information about the format of Bookreader format files upon request,
although it is apparently difficult to work with (most have concluded
that it's not worth the trouble).  If you're interested in getting the
format, send mail to the FAQ Editor, Win Treese ([e-mail]),
and he'll see about getting the information.
            [Patrick Stephens, [e-mail]]
            [Win Treese, [e-mail]]

==============================================
M4. How can I read VMS BACKUP tapes on a UNIX machine? **NEW**

There is a utility called vmsbackup to do this.  Available by FTP from

    bongo.cc.utexax.edu:/source/util/vmsbackup
    cs.tut.fi:/pub/src/tape-readers/vmsbackup
    emx.cc.utexas.edu:/pub/mnt/source/util/vmsbackup

(These may or may not be exactly the same program.)
[I don't know if vmsbackup runs on Alpha OSF/1 yet. --ed.]
                [Timothy Williams, [e-mail]]