VSI Hobbyist licences

[Chris Townley]

I see the last batch of VSI Community licences expire on 22nd Sept

Do we know the timetable for renewals?

--
Chris

[Single Stage to Orbit]

On Fri, 2022-08-19 at 18:46 +0100, Chris Townley wrote:
> I see the last batch of VSI Community licences expire on 22nd Sept
>
> Do we know the timetable for renewals?

Thanks for the heads-up. I had forgotten this is coming up next month!
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] I had forgotten this is coming up next month!

You might add something like the following script to your daily batch
job.

ITS $ type license_check.com
$! 16 March 2016. SMS.
$!
$! License/PAK expiration check.
$!
$ days = 30
$ user = "sms"
$!
$ if p1 .nes. ""
$ then
$ days = p1
$ endif
$!
$ define /user_mode sys$error nl:
$ define /user_mode sys$output nl:
$ pipe show license /warning_interval = 'days'
$!
$ if ($STATUS .ne. %X10000001)
$ then
$!
$ pipe ( -
write sys$output -
" Licenses/PAKs have terminated or will terminate in ''days' days." ; -
write sys$output "For more information: SHOW LICENSE" -
) | -
mail /subject = " * LICENSE/PAK EXPIRATION WARNING *" -
sys$input 'user'
$!
$ endif


If you don't have a daily batch job:

ITS $ type daily.com
$! 8 October 2000. SMS.
$!
$! Daily tasks. Run once per day.
$!
$ SET NOON
$!

[...]

$!
$! Check the license PAKs.
$!
$ CPR = "SYS$MANAGER:LICENSE_CHECK.COM"
$ IF (F$SEARCH( CPR) .NES. "")
$ THEN
$ @ 'CPR'
$ ENDIF

[...]

$!
$! Re-submit the latest version of this procedure.
$!
$ CPR = F$ENVIRONMENT( "PROCEDURE")
$ CPR = F$PARSE( ";", CPR)
$!
$ IF (CPR .NES. "")
$ THEN
$ SUBMIT -
/AFTER = "TOMORROW+ 00:10:00" -
/NOPRINTER -
'CPR'
$ ENDIF
$!

[Single Stage to Orbit]

On Sat, 2022-08-20 at 09:08 -0700, Steven Schweda wrote:
> > [...] I had forgotten this is coming up next month!
>
>    You might add something like the following script to your daily
> batch job.

[ snip ]

Cool, ta. That'll be useful.

(I just caught myself typing in Control-Z to exit!)
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens

[Simon Clubley]

On 2022-08-19, Chris Townley <ne...@cct-net.co.uk> wrote:
> I see the last batch of VSI Community licences expire on 22nd Sept
>
> Do we know the timetable for renewals?
>

It's now a week on and inside the month that HPE used to give for
renewing the licence.

Has anyone heard from VSI ?

Are we expected to apply this time around instead of VSI sending them
to us ?

I was still on the HPE licences last year, but I seem to recall that
last time, the VSI community licence users were automatically offered
the new licences when the old ones were about to expire.

Simon.

--
Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.

[Chris Townley]

On 26/08/2022 18:46, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2022-08-19, Chris Townley <ne...@cct-net.co.uk> wrote:
>> I see the last batch of VSI Community licences expire on 22nd Sept
>>
>> Do we know the timetable for renewals?
>>
>
> It's now a week on and inside the month that HPE used to give for
> renewing the licence.
>
> Has anyone heard from VSI ?
>
> Are we expected to apply this time around instead of VSI sending them
> to us ?
>
> I was still on the HPE licences last year, but I seem to recall that
> last time, the VSI community licence users were automatically offered
> the new licences when the old ones were about to expire.
>
> Simon.
>

That is what I recall. Also why I posted - nothing on the VSI site -
perhaps I should ask there

--
Chris

[Chris Townley]

Following very prompt reply from VSI on their forum:

We are in the process of updating the licenses. We will send an email
notification to the CLP subscribers as soon as it is complete. This will
definitely be achieved before the current licenses expire.

Thank you,

VSI Community License team

--
Chris

[Simon Clubley]

On 2022-08-27, Chris Townley <ne...@cct-net.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Following very prompt reply from VSI on their forum:
>
> We are in the process of updating the licenses. We will send an email
> notification to the CLP subscribers as soon as it is complete. This will
> definitely be achieved before the current licenses expire.
>

Thank you for finding the answer Chris, and also thank you to VSI for
running the hobbyist program in the first place.

[John H. Reinhardt]

On 8/19/2022 12:46 PM, Chris Townley wrote:
> I see the last batch of VSI Community licences expire on 22nd Sept
>
> Do we know the timetable for renewals?
>

The new VSI Community Licenses are being delivered now. I just got my copies in the mail. Some on one of the OpenVMS Facebook groups noted theirs arrived several hours ago.

No radical changes to the PAK licenses. Alphas is still restricted to enough units to run two DS10 (150 availability A and 1050 Availability H) in a VMSCLuster, but the LP PAK limits you to one. Integrity allows up to a 1-CPU 2-core system I believe.

--
John H. Reinhardt

[gah4]

On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 1:08:26 PM UTC-7, John H. Reinhardt wrote:

(snip)

> No radical changes to the PAK licenses. Alphas is still restricted to enough units to run two DS10 (150 availability A and 1050 Availability H) in a VMSCLuster, but the LP PAK limits you to one. Integrity allows up to a 1-CPU 2-core system I believe.

I haven't opened it up, or even tried to run it, recently, but I believe
my RX2600 is dual CPU.

[Steven Schweda]

> I haven't opened it up, or even tried to run it, recently, but I
> believe my RX2600 is dual CPU.

Around here, mine is dual:

ITS $ show cpu

System: ITS, HP rx2600 (1.50GHz/6.0MB)

CPU ownership sets:
Active 0,1
Configure 0,1

Knowing nothing, I'd guess that two single-core CPUs might be
considered equivalent to one dual-core CPU.

That would seem to bode ill for my two-dual-core-CPU rx2660. I seem
to recall getting a bunch of complaints like:

%LICENSE-W-NCLOAD, VSI <various> was loaded in noncompliant mode
with 2 unit(s). 4 units required

but I'm not sure if I ever tried to resolve that, or if it actually
mattered. I haven't run that system lately, due to noise and power
considerations.

[gah4]

On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 8:57:09 PM UTC-7, Steven Schweda wrote:

(snip)

> but I'm not sure if I ever tried to resolve that, or if it actually
> mattered. I haven't run that system lately, due to noise and power
> considerations.

More recently I have been working with a Sun T5220 SPARC system,
which is similarly noisy and I suspect power hungry. But I can remotely
power it up, so I don't have to be close. It is in the basement, and I am
usually upstairs. There is a small fan that stays on when it is plugged
in, but powered down.

But I could power up the RX2600 again.

[Steven Schweda]

> [...] a Sun T5220 SPARC system,

> which is similarly noisy and I suspect power hungry. But I can remotely

> power it up, so I don't have to be close. It is in the basement, [...]

All true for my rx2660, too, but it's in an old house with old
wiring, and fuses, one of which might pop if I try to make toast while
the rx2660 is on.

> ITS $ show cpu

Also potentially interesting: show lice /unit

ITS $ show lice /unit
OpenVMS I64/LMF Charge Information for node ITS
This is an HP rx2600 (1.50GHz/6.0MB), with 2 cores active
This platform supports up to 2 processor socket(s)
Type: PPL, Units Required: 2 (I64 Per Processor)
Type: PCL, Units Required: 2 (I64 Per Core)

ITX $ show lice /unit
OpenVMS I64/LMF Charge Information for node ITX
This is an HP rx2660 (1.59GHz/9.0MB), with 4 cores active
This platform supports up to 2 processor socket(s)
Type: PPL, Units Required: 4 (I64 Per Processor)
Type: PCL, Units Required: 4 (I64 Per Core)

[chris]

One way around the cpu limitation might be to physically
remove one cpu and keep as a spare. Will reduce power
consumption as well. Do that often on various 2 socket
machines here to save power. For hobby use, probably
not even noticeable from a performance pov....

Chris

[Simon Clubley]

I wonder how power hungry they are compared to this guy's personal S/390:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytMgyrZm87A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrKbh5HwF3Q

:-)

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 9/15/22 08:45, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2022-09-15, gah4 <ga...@u.washington.edu> wrote:
>> On Wednesday, September 14, 2022 at 8:57:09 PM UTC-7, Steven Schweda wrote:
>>
>> (snip)
>>> but I'm not sure if I ever tried to resolve that, or if it actually
>>> mattered. I haven't run that system lately, due to noise and power
>>> considerations.
>>
>> More recently I have been working with a Sun T5220 SPARC system,
>> which is similarly noisy and I suspect power hungry. But I can remotely
>> power it up, so I don't have to be close. It is in the basement, and I am
>> usually upstairs. There is a small fan that stays on when it is plugged
>> in, but powered down.
>>
>> But I could power up the RX2600 again.
>
> I wonder how power hungry they are compared to this guy's personal S/390:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytMgyrZm87A
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrKbh5HwF3Q
>
> :-)

Probably no worse than the Apollo I used to run at home. Made a great
heater in the winter time but couldn't really run it in the summer.

And then there was the 11/24 with 4 RA80's. Used to dim the lights
spinning up the disks. Good think they were sequenced and didn't all
start at the same time.

bill

[John H. Reinhardt]

I was just guessing when I said the new Integrity PAKs were for a 1-CPU, 2-core system. I have a rx2660 with two CPUs but it's down because of a main board fault that I haven't been able to diagnose. I have an HP c3000 Bladeserver chassis with a couple of BL860c i2 blades but I haven't been able to fire them up in a while due to heat (I'm in Texas). One of my BL860c blades is a dual CPU, quad(?) core that I planned on taking one CPU and putting it in the other BL860c since it's a faster chip to get around the unit limitations of the VSI PAKs - I'm really missing HP at this point because HP put no limits on what a Hobbyist could run and VSI is quite adamant that you can only run one or two DS10 class systems.


--
John H. Reinhardt

[Dave Froble]

Yeah, but, ...

As a developer, and I'd guess as a hobbyist also, I'm quite happy with the
AlphaServer 800 (one CPU) that I'm using. I have several EV6 systems which I
haven't powered up in quite a while. No need. Also have an itanic that isn't
powered up.

I will admit that there might be some hobbyist usage that would benefit from
more capability, but so far I haven't imagined what that would be.

Actually, when I don't need current VMS, I'm happy with the VAXstation 4000
Model 90A that I use quite often. But it's not a hobbyist system, got a real
license.

--
David Froble Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc. E-Mail: da...@tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA 15486

[gah4]

On Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 4:58:22 AM UTC-7, chris wrote:

(snip)

> One way around the cpu limitation might be to physically
> remove one cpu and keep as a spare. Will reduce power
> consumption as well. Do that often on various 2 socket
> machines here to save power. For hobby use, probably
> not even noticeable from a performance pov....

As well as I remember, the CPUs run about 100 amps and 1 volt.
(That is 100W if you multiply them.)

I suspect one would be about right for most of the hobby
use that I can think of doing.

[Mark DeArman]

I just recieved my IA64 hobbiest paks and it doesn't look like there
are any unit or availibility flags.

Mark

[John H. Reinhardt]

You're right. I was looking at my original set of PAKs. They have UNITS=2 but starting with the Sept 2020 issue they changed to UNITS=0. So that's my mistake.


--
John H. Reinhardt