Announcing TCP/IP V2.10 for RSX-11M-PLUS

[Johnny Billquist]

Time for a new release announcement of TCP/IP for RSX-11M-PLUS.

This is version 2.10 of BQTCP/IP.


It's been three months since the last official update. Some major
improvements and bugfixes have been done, and it is strongly recommended
that systems are updated. Some of the errors fixed could cause system
crashes under the right conditions.



Highlights:

. Improved TCP performance
. Improved telnet behavior and features
. Improved ftp/ftpd behavior
. Improved mail daemon
. More RSX patches


Detailed information on things that have been done since the last release:


ARP:
. Bugfix in ARP cache timer. If the time to the next event related to
the ARP cache was too big, the timer stopped.


IP:
. Bugfix. IP packet processing could cause a crash with fragmented packets.


TCP:
. Improve TCP flow control.
. Fix to make sure TCP socket in last-ack state will time out.
. Improved TCP reception code. (Sequence and window check.)
. Improved TCP probe handling and keepalive handling.
. Improved TCP retransmit handling.
. Changed semantics of TCP window update statistics.
. Improved TCP performance by better ACK handling at packet loss.
. Improved TCP window update and ack sending.
. Improved TCP retransmit and congestion recovery.


IFCONFIG:
. Added more TCP tuning parameters to IFCONFIG.


FTP/FTPD:
. Fix FTPD log file lock error. Implemented retries.
. Bugfix in FTP and FTPD. When block mode read of files was done, a
multibuffer implementation was used which did not free memory at completion.
. Added cleartext error messages in FTP and FTPD.
. Changed ftp directory Unix format timestamp.


MAILD:
. Improved MAILD SMTP server to better handle relaying and bad host
detection.
. Improved MAILD mail delivery to not do parallel delivery to the same
destination by several tasks.
. Changed MAILD to use possibly multiple tasks for delivering new mails,
since to some destinations, mail deliver can be really slow. Also
changed SMTP mail receiver to accept mails from hosts even if they
present bogus host names in HELO/EHLO command.
. Added some more spoof notification calls in smtp mail receiver.


TELNET/TELNETD:
. Improve telnet option negotiation in server and client.
. Added terminal type option to telnet client.
. Removed binary mode from telnet client.
. Added processing of SB/SE functions in telnet client.
. Added processing of SB/SE functions in telnet server.
. Added proper handling of terminal names in telnet server.
. Added proper handling of terminal names in telnet client.


Multinet:
. Bugfix in Multinet. Under some circumstances, the timers would stop.


LPT:
. Added hardtab expansion in LPT printer despooler.
. Added a simple TXT print spooler symbiont.


XLISP:
. Changed XLISP INET daemon functionality to use a filename based on
port connection accepted on.



Patch updates:
. Datatrieve-11:
. Fixed DTR leap year bug.
. Fixed DDMF (remote DTR) server to set correct default directory.
. Improve DTR programming interface to allow DECnet to work in
parallel with DTR.
. Updated MCR.
. Added patched ACNT, PSW and SYSLOG to distribution.
. Added patched NVPFSL.TSK to distribution.
. Added patched HELRES.TSK to distribution.



Some additional notes:

As usual, I would recommend people to update as soon as possible.
The changes are not critical, but will lead to a much better experience,
and might avoid system crashes in rare circumstances.

The patches to the TT: driver cannot be applied automatically, but
requires users to apply the patches themselves, and then run SYSGEN to
generate a new system.
Once added, the TNC2 task can be run at login, and will define logical
names for the user telling where he is connected from, if using telnet
or LAT.
The TT: driver patches also allows the updated MCR to give more
information with the DEV command (SHOW TERMINAL in DCL).

The other patches to RSX can be applied automatically by IPGEN, either
if used interactively when answering YES to the question about applying
RSX patches, or by running IPGEN explicitly to do the patches, with the
command:

@IPGEN PATCH

Specific information about the patches:
LAT: Fixes a memory leak, and adds the ability to read where a terminal
connection comes from when using LAT, using SF.GMC.
RMSDAP: Fixes a bug in getting the file protection, so the XAB gets
filled in correctly for remote files.
RMSDSP: Fixes that some numbers were displayed in signed octal, which
should have been displayed in decimal or unsigned octal, depending on
number.
DCL: Added terminal attributes for COLOR.
MCR: Too many fixes to be listed here...
INS: Fixes that users cannot circumvent protection on common regions.
HEL: Fix that users can login with session ID, or with directory, in
addition to name and UIC.
ACNT: Add no password change attribute to accounts.
PSW: Add no password change handling.
SYL (SYSLOG): Add terminal idle tracking on accounts without idle logout.
ECL: If the receiving machine is very slow, and the sending machine is
very fast, and the receiver announce several large buffers available,
ECL cannot keep up, and drops packets. This is a problem with the DECnet
flow control, as it is used in RSX. The simple solution is to allow more
outstanding buffers when receiving. A more complex solution would be to
change how RSX DECnet do flow control, but that would require rewriting
a fair chunk of the ECL module.
NMVACP: Fix handling of "show known nodes" command, which could skip
some nodes.
NVP: Add ability to use session ID or directory name for user identity
in DECnet nodename specifications.
EPM: Fix handling of ethernet multicast.
NTDEMO: Fix that hosts without names should display DECnet address.

As usual, the distribution is available from:
ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.dsk
ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.tap

!!! BQTCP is also available through RPM !!!


(As an additional note, if there are any problems communicating with Mim
using port 21, the ftp service is also available at port 10021)

The documentation is also available through ftp on Mim, or also at
http://mim.stupi.net/tcpipdoc

I hope people find this update useful.


On a final note, Mim have moved. Mim.Update.UU.SE does not exist anymore
as a domain name. The machine is now only available as Mim.Stupi.NET.


Johnny

--
Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
|| on a psychedelic trip
email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol

[John Brezak]

I followed the instructions in the tcpip.doc - Chapter E. Rebooted. After starting TCP - was prompted to configure -

>* Do you want to configure TCP/IP now? [Y/N D:N T:1M]: Y

>;

>; IP configuration X0.4.

I went through the config - and as startup resume, it an error:

AT.T0  -- Delaying

15:19:06  SPOOF detector V1.4 active.

15:19:06  Starting resolver V2.16 

15:19:06  DHCP - IF0: got 192.168.0.198

AT.T0  -- Continuing

>dfl =RESOLV$ORDER

AT.T0  -- Maximum indirect file depth exceeded

@LB:[1,2]

@LB:[1,2]IPPARAM.CMD

Any ideas before I jump in to debug?

Thanks in advance

[Johnny Billquist]

Hi.

On 2022-04-11 01:14, John Brezak wrote:
> I followed the instructions in the tcpip.doc - Chapter E. Rebooted.
> After starting TCP - was prompted to configure -

[...]

The maximum indirect file depth error is because the system image you
use is a bit unfortunate.

If I remember correctly, the IPINS script is at the end of another
script. So if you change it to a .CHAIN IPINS instead of @IPINS, you'll
be fine.

If that is a bit fuzzy, let me know, and I can try to help in more
detail. I think it was Mark Matlock who created that disk image. He
might have some better suggestions as well.

[John Brezak]

Thanks - changing lb:[1,2]insprog.cmd - to ".CHAIN LB:[IP]IPINS" worked.

[Johnny Billquist]

Hmm. Isn't there anything else in INSPROG that you wanted to be executed?

I suspect IPINS was/is called from INSPROG...

Johnny

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[Peter Long]

Are there any changes to the TT: driver between V2.9 and V2.10 as the
description looks the same as V2.8 -> V2.9

fwiw I have TTATT.MAC V6.19

Thanks

Peter

> Johnny
>
> --
> Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
>
> || on a psychedelic trip
> email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books
> pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
>
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[Mark Matlock]

In the RSX11M+ disk image that's been available with PiDP-11/70 using the switch setting 001, the easiest

way to correct the indirect command file depth problem is to change the line near the bottom from

@LB:[1,2]INSPROG.CMD

to

.CHAIN LB:[1,2]INSPROG.CMD

INSPROG.CMD was intended to be the place that one would customize your individual systems disks that are brought

online, installed various layered software etc. This could have been done by extending LB:[1,2]STARTUP.CMD as well

but the idea was to be able to have a fairly standard STARTUP.CMD and do customization in INSPROG.CMD

Johnny is right that @LB:[IP]IPINS.CMD is installed at the end of INSPROG. A question is asked about loading TCP/IP that defaulted to Yes to install TCP/IP with a 15 second delay. The reason for asking that question on boot was to allow an IPGEN to take place before loading TCP/IP. So to update to this new TCP/IP you need to

1. FTP BQTCP.TAP down from MIM.STUPI.NET

2. BRU /NOINI the tape image of BQTCP.TAP to DU0:

3. Then reboot and answer the no to the load TCP/IP

4. Do the IPGEN which also loads TCL/IP

This multistep process is being replaced by RPM UPDATE <package>

Also, now that RPM is available from Johnny much of what was done in INSPROG should be migrated to the RPM BOOT

way of doing things that it can do.

Mark

[Johnny Billquist]

You can always just check the TTATT version included in the distribution.
But no, there are no changes to the TT driver.

Johnny

[David Jennings]

Hmm.  I tried using RPM to update but it said it was already up to date (it's not).

[Johnny Billquist]

First of all, RPM isn't dealing specifically with TTATT, or the TT:
driver. Now we're talking about TCP/IP itself.

Second, there are two TCP/IP packages available in RPM. "TCPIP", which
is the release version, and "TTCPIP", which is the bleeding edge
development. Check which one you have installed (RPM STATUS). Also, if
you just do "RPM UPDATE", it will try to update based on whatever
information is on your machine. So you should do an "RPM FETCH" first,
so that you have the updated information from the repository before
doing the update. You can combine the two, so instead of typing "RPM
FETCH+UPDATE", you could do "RPM ALL", which does the same thing.

Let me know if this straighten things out, or if there is something else
broken.

Johnny

> >> ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.dsk <ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.dsk>
> >> ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.tap <ftp://mim.stupi.net/bqtcp.tap>

> >>
> >> !!! BQTCP is also available through RPM !!!
> >>
> >>
> >> (As an additional note, if there are any problems communicating
> with
> >> Mim using port 21, the ftp service is also available at port 10021)
> >>
> >> The documentation is also available through ftp on Mim, or also at

> >> http://mim.stupi.net/tcpipdoc <http://mim.stupi.net/tcpipdoc>

> >>
> >> I hope people find this update useful.
> >>
> >>
> >> On a final note, Mim have moved. Mim.Update.UU.SE

> <http://Mim.Update.UU.SE> does not exist

> >> anymore as a domain name. The machine is now only available as

> >> Mim.Stupi.NET <http://Mim.Stupi.NET>.

> >>
> >>
> >> Johnny
> >>
> >> --
> >> Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
> >> ||  on a psychedelic trip
> >> email: b...@softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
> >> pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
> >>
> >> --
> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> >> Groups "[PiDP-11]" group.
> >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
> it, send
> >> an email to pidp-11+u...@googlegroups.com.
> >> To view this discussion on the web visit
> >>
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pidp-11/aaed3cdf-f1f8-3c97-e055-17a7355298fe%40softjar.se

> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pidp-11/aaed3cdf-f1f8-3c97-e055-17a7355298fe%40softjar.se>.

>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
> || on a psychedelic trip
> email: b...@softjar.se || Reading murder books
> pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
>
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[John Brezak]

To get around the indirect nesting - I changed LB:[1,2]startup.cmd to .chain to lb:[1,2]insprog.cmd. As Johnny pointed out using chain in INSPROG.CMD wouldn't work because of the calls to IPINS and IPAPPL.

Hopefully this change now will enable future TCP updates using RPM.

Note - another change is that the ins for MKE and the logical names for PDP11C are no longer in the IP cmd files. I just added these to a new [ipc]devsetup.cmd and added a section to insprog.cmd to conditionally call it before loading TCP.

;

; INSTALL DEV TOOLS

;

.SETS IPDEV "LB:[IPC]DEVSETUP.CMD"

.TESTFILE 'IPDEV'

.IF <FILERR> = 1 @'IPDEV'

> type [ipc]devsetup.cmd

.ENABLE SUBSTITUTION

.ENABLE GLOBAL

 

; install make

INS LB:[MKE]MKEFSL

.; Logical below is needed for PDP11C to compile IPC MAKEFILES

DFL "LB:[PDP11C]" = PDP11C$INCLUDE/GBL

DFL "PDP11C$INCLUDE:CFPURSX" = CLIB/GBL

[Johnny Billquist]

If you want to customize things in the TCP/IP installation, there are
three files you can create:

[IP]POSTIP.CMD
[IP]PREAPPL.CMD
[IP]POSTAPPL.CMD

POSTIP is run after the initial startup of the core of TCP/IP is run.
Things that might make sense to put there are changes to IP
configuration, like the TCP tuning parameters, or changes to the ARP
cache and so on.

PREAPPL.CMD is run before the second phase of TCP/IP installation, in
where things could be set up that you want set before running
IPAPPL.CMD. Thing that you might want to do here are defining logical
names that should be used by IPAPPL, for example.

POSTAPPL.CMD is run after IPAPPL, and here you might add additional
things to install or tweak, or maybe some cleanup.

There are templates in the form of xxx.NEW files that can be used as a
starting point for this.

As for things around the PDP-11 C compiler. If you install the C RPM
package, it will define PDP11C$INCLUDE for you. And that's something you
only want/need if you actually compile things, so it makes sense to have
that with the compiler.

Johnny

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[Johnny Billquist]

Oh. And I should point out that these three CMD files are not touched,
overwritte or done anything to by any updating of TCP/IP, so it should
be a reasonable way to customize things on a system.

Johnny