From: SMTP%"RELAY-INFO-VAX@CRVAX.SRI.COM" 7-AUG-1993 12:17:14.34 To: EVERHART CC: Subj: DECUS DFWLUG Aug 10th, NETnewsletter/Meeting Notice X-Newsgroups: comp.org.decus,comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec,comp.sys.vms,biz.dec Subject: DECUS DFWLUG Aug 10th, NETnewsletter/Meeting Notice Message-Id: <1993Aug2.234641.11846@fallout.lonestar.org> From: system@fallout.lonestar.org Date: 2 Aug 93 23:46:41 CST Organization: DECUS DFWLUG BBS *Dallas*TX* Lines: 1349 To: Info-VAX@kl.sri.com X-Gateway-Source-Info: USENET =========================================================================== = __________ = =| ______ | THE DFWLUG = =| / ---- \ | 10th Anniversary(*1982-1992*) = =| | | | Celebrating over 10 Years of DECUS = =| \ ____ / | in Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas = =| ------ | = = ---------- dfwlug@fallout.lonestar.org BBS: (214) 270-3313 = = D E C U S = = = = The DFWLUG is the Local Users Group for the = = Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS) = = = = *DECUS* DFWLUG NET/Newsletter = = = =Volume 3 Number 8 August 3rd, 1993 = =========================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 INDEX (in this issue) PAGE 1 * The next DFWLUG meeting Info and Map (July 13th, 1993) PAGE 2 * DFWLUG Speakers and Calendar DECUS of Events for 1993 PAGE 3 * TECHNICAL TIPS FOR MAX SPEED OUT OF ALPHA-AXP SYSTEMS PAGE 4 * Fortune Magazine names Digital as an Environmental Leader in 1993 PAGE 5 * A Letter from Bob Palmer to All Digital Employees PAGE 6 * Digital Posts a Profit of 110 Million Dollars in Q4 PAGE 7 * Digital/US Government Removes ALPHA-AXP Supercomputer from Internet PAGE 8 * Digital Employees help Midwest to weather flooding PAGE 9 * Microsoft released both WNT and WNT Advanced Server PAGE 10 * DFWLUG Staff members and contact list PAGE 11 * DFWLUG BBS Info PAGE 12 * Digital's 1-800 Service Phone Numbers (Consulting and Sales) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOT TIP: Lost or Forgot your DECUS number? Moved and want DECUS to find you again;-) There are two ways you can obtain your DECUS membership number: 1) Call 1-800-DECUS55 and ask for it. 2) Send a mail message to "information@DECUS.ORG" with your full name and full USPO mailing address. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 1 8/10/93 -- >>>>>> The DFWLUG August meeting agenda is as follows: "Information Engineering in the 1990s" Presented by Lon Crozier Vice President of Information Systems, Snelling and Snelling Lon will talk about the exploding information technology and the tools required to navigate the morass and turn Information into Knowledge. State of the Practice and State of the Art information retrieval and manipulation will be discussed. Information Utilities, Superhighways, Data Repositories, and much much more will be explored. -- Robert Eden will also have the Fall 92 DECUS Symposia Software on 9-track reel tapes. Please Don't bring your 9 Tracks to trade, Robert says he has enough to just give away. (but if you would like to donate 2 TK50 in trade...;-) -- Chris Simon (The DFWLUG Meeting Coordinator) is looking for speakers for our fall season If you'd like to give a 30-45 minute talk about any technical topic you have expertise in, she'd like to talk with you about getting on the DFWLUG meeting Schedule. -- David Cathey (The DFWLUG Membership coordinator) can help you join DECUS and the DFWLUG. Membership for both is free of charge and will put you on our mailing list for our technical newsletter. Membership forms for DECUS and the DFWLUG are available at our regular meetings or log-on to our Electronic BBS system INFO account at 214-270-3313 and request our information package. You'll receive the membership forms and LUG information via regular mail. -- The DFWLUG staff will have information on the new DECUS Class-Pass Program that discounts Digital ED Service Classes and the Free DECUServe accounts for new members. -- The DFWLUG BBS DECUS and DFWLUG membership has always been free but we offer private E-Mail and Newsreader accounts on our Electronic BBS system. DFWLUG BBS users can upload and download from over 800MBytes of newsfiles, read and extract program sources, read answers and news from over 1300 Internet Newsgroups, and send and receive E-mail to anywhere in the Internet. The DFWLUG charges a modest $10/Year for private accounts to cover the costs of phone lines and supplies. Join the LUG and the BBS! Plug into the best connected and most diverse Computer users group in the DFW metroplex -- The DFWLUG. -- Refreshments will be served courtesy of Digital Equipment. -----------ASCII MAP TO THE MEETING----------------------------------------- Meeting Location: 7:00pm This meeting will be at the - - - Digital's Application Center |Enter| | for Technology (214) 702-4400. | \|/ | |-------| | |----|----|----|| |-----| 9th floor of the Digital Building | Hilton| | |DEC |Bank|OXY || | | in North Dallas. |-------| | |----|----|----|| |_____|Galleria - - - - - - - - -| ______________________________|________________________ | LBJ Freeway I-635 D|T A|O ^ L|L /|\ L|L | A|W |North S|A |Y -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 2 THE DFWLUG 1993/1994 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Aug. 10th Lon Crozier V.P. Information Services Snelling & Snelling "Information Engineering in the 90s" Aug. 22-27th DECUS Symposia - Australia Aug. 30th DECUS 93/San Francisco Session Submission Deadline Sep. 6-10th DECUS Symposia - Europe Sep. 14th Brendan Eagan Consultant Digital Equipment Genroco's Velocitor 20Mbyte/sec Disk Subsystem for Digital Systems Oct 12th John Wisniewski Consultant Digital Equipment *Major Digital Announcment in October* Nov 9th DFWLUG Meeting (>Open< *Got a Topic Contact Chris Simon*) Dec. 4-10th DECUS 93/San Francisco Event Dec. 14th DFWLUG Meeting (>Open< *Got a Topic Contact Chris Simon*) 1994 Jan. 11th DFWLUG Meeting (>Open< *Got a Topic Contact Chris Simon*) Feb. 8th DFWLUG Meeting (>Open< *Got a Topic Contact Chris Simon*) Mar. 19-22 DECUS University Comes to Dallas, TX -- 40 Seminars in 4 days on Streamed Topics THE DECUS SCHEDULE OF LOCAL SEMINARS Aug. 7-10th Sacramento, CA Aug.14-17th Albany, NY Aug.21-24th Indianapolis, IN Aug.28-31th Nashua, NH Sep.22&25th Minneapolis, MN Regional Conference Sep.25-28th Nashville, TN Oct.16-19th Newport, RI Oct.16-17th Washington, DC Regional Conference Oct.30- Nov. 2nd Newark, NJ Nov. 6-9th Salt Lake City, UT PATHWORKS PC ROADSHOWS Oct.23-25th Orlando, FL -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 3 TECHNICAL TIPS FOR MAXIMUM SPEED OUT OF ALPHA-AXP Here are some tips for getting the most out of Alpha Compiled by Andy Thomas General Tips (Apply to BOTH OpenVMS and OSF/1) o Get a pass 3 chip ! Alpha OSF/1 and OpenVMS have their run time libraries written for pass 3 Alpha chips. As a result, the RTL does not perform as well on the pass 2 chip as the pass 3 chip. Check the version of the alpha chip from the console: >>> Show conf CPU ................. DECchip 21064 P2.1 ^ |---- This is pass 2.1 If you have a pass 2 chip, call field service and ask for FCO KN15-AA-O001 (part no. EQ-01659-01). o Latest compilers Always check with Digital to insure you have the latest releases of the compilers and operating system. o Alignment It pays to avoid using a Fortran INTEGER*2 and C short data types on Alpha. As the smallest unit of access in Alpha assembly is 32 bits, accessing a 16bit (or 8bit) data type causes Alpha to issue LDx_U instructions and some bitmasking instructions to get at the data, rather than a single LDL instruction for the 32 bit datatype. o Data structure alignment Naturally align your data within structues (common blocks) to at least 64 bit boundaries. Also try to ensure that alignment within the common block is proper. DEC Fortran has an option to align fields within a COMMON block, and will give you a warning at compile time if fields are not aligned. o Multiple source files When using multiple source files consider using: $ fortran main.for + sub2.for + sub3.for (VMS) # f77 -o main.exe main.f sub2.f sub3.f (OSF/1) This allows the compiler to get at a bigger chunk of code to optimize and reduces the amount of linkage generated which improves image activation since less disk I/O and page faulting are required as the image is fixed up. o Integer division Integer division is achieved by converting the integer to a float and dividing and converting back to an integer. If possible, recode the integer to a floating point data type to avoid the conversion or just avoid division. This isn't as bad as it sounds since the compiler will perform tricks for certain compile-time known integers that don't require more bits of precision than the floating point format can provide. In the general case, the code calls a libots routine written in MACRO-64 for performance. o Integer to Float (& vice versa) casting. It is a good idea to avoid integer <-> float conversions. The current Alpha CPU chip has no direct connection between its floating point unit and its integer unit, which mean such conversions require a load/store operation and are thus less efficient. o KAP Pre-Processors Use the KAP pre-processors for Alpha; they are available for Fortran and C on VMS and OSF/1 from your Digital sales representative. These are the most cost-effective tools to improve your performance. It's worth trying the KAP pre-processor without any qualifiers, which will optimize away any seriously bad programming and acheive dramatic results. Please refer to the KAP manuals for more details. To use KAP effectively on ALPHA with the GEM compilers: 1) Make sure you are running on a pass 3 chip in your system; the KAP 2-d unrolling will only "kick in" on a pass 3 chip. 2) FKAP by default will not do 1-d unrolling since GEM already does it. If results for GEM unrolling are not sufficient try: a) FKAP/ur=n/ur2=m (where n=4/8/16, and m=200/300/400) Use FKAP/ur=12/ur2=320 to utilize all 32 registers in its 2-D unrolling. b) FKAP/lc=blas will attempt to make DDOT calls to DXML. You must install DXML V2.0. c) FKAP/inline/inll=4/ind=2 will inline small routines. d) FKAP/ag=a is used to stagger arrays near a power of 2 to avoid cache collisions. All points are important and try them cumulatively; leave the switches on for cases that KAP helped. Consider inlining certain subroutines in deeply nested loops which may be costing a lot in performance. With C code use the C pre-processor first. VMS $ CC/preprocess_only=xxx.pre xxx.c $ kapc/ xxx.pre $ CC/ xxx.cmp OSF # cpp89 xxx.c xxx.pre (see cpp or cpp89 for DEC C man page) o Fast Math Libraries Consider using on VMS /math=fast OSF/1 -math_library fast (DEC Fortran) These libraries give faster routines for many common mathematical functions like sqrt. o DXML libraries Install the DXML libraries. The KAP pre-processors will pick up the more efficient DXML routines automatically. Tremendous performance improvements have been seen using DXML. o Avoid sharable images Link files against ".OLB" object libraries rather than shareable images whenever possible. For a VMS fortran program do: $ link/nosysshr mycode rather than just: $ link my_code If you do use shareables, consider linking some of them /SECTION and installing them /RESIDENT. This will not improve activation performance but it should improve run time performance. You may want your RTLs to be installed /RESIDENT if they aren't already. OSF/1 # f77 -o myprog -O4 -non_shared myprog.f (-O4 and -non_shared should be used togeather anyway) The linker cannot do instruction replacement on calls to shareable images. There is more linkage to read on activation and more Icache misses because the top of the Icache tends to be more heavily utilized than the bottom as the number of shareable images increases. o Scrolling text When possible, re-direct sys$output to a file. Code that causes a lot of text output will slow you down because scrolling text in a terminal window uses compute cycles. A better thing to do is: VMS OSF/1 $ define sys$output results.lis # myprog > results.lis $ run myprog # more results.lis $ deassign sys$output $ type results.lis o Multi Dimensional array access Make sure multi-dimensional arrays are traversed in 'natural' order (column major) for FORTRAN. Code written without this in mind can often trash the CPU's cache. o Tracking down LDx_U & STx_U instructions Track these down by inserting assembly code into the listing file: $ FORTRAN/LIST/MACHINE/NOOPT file.for (VMS) # f77 -V -machine_code (OSF/1) Are there any Unaligned instructions? $ search file.lis _U /stat (VMS) # grep _u file.l (note: lowercase 'u') (OSF/1) If this search returns anything then look at the listing file and back track from the LDx_U instruction to the problematic source code line and then figure out what data or data structure is causing the problem. This procedure is highly recommended, even if you think the code is OK. o Use a RAM disk to hold any files your code reads or writes. If you are primarily concerned with the CPU performance of the system, then it makes sense to read data and write results to a RAM disk created by DECram (VMS) or look at # man mfs (OSF/1) Here is an example demonstrating how to generate a 6MByte /tmp area: > mfs -s 12288 /dev/rz8a /tmp > df /tmp Filesystem 512-blks used avail capacity Mounted on mfs:27903 11710 2 10536 0% /tmp o Use a profiling tool You may want to use VMS Monitor for system resources and PCA for profiling the code under VMS. These tools may give you more information on where to concentrate your tuning efforts. Under OSF/1 you can use vmstat for system resources (a limited version of monitor for OSF/1 is available on the Alpha Freeware disk), prof, and pixie for profiles and cord for feedback. You should be able to drive a lot of these tools using DEC Fuse. VMS specific tips ------------------- o FORTRAN compiler qualifiers Some recommended fortran command qualifiers are: $ fortran == "fortran/align=none/warn=(gen,align)/novms"+ - "/assume=(noaccuracy)/math_library=fast" This command sets up a global symbol for the fortran command that includes some of the recommended qualifiers. /novms -- don't assume vax fortran behaviour. /assume=(noaccuracy). The compiler is free to reorder floating-point operations based on algebraic identities (inverses, associativity, and distribution). This allows the compiler to move divide operations outside of loops and thus improves performance. The default, ACCURACY_SENSITIVE, means the compiler uses only naive scalar rules for calculations. This setting can prevent some optimizations. The /align=none and /warn=align are for detecting alignment problems. Consider changing these qualifiers to /align=all instead. DEC C use: /assume=noaccuracy_sensitive - /math_library=fast - /ansi_alias - ! Specify that the code does not violate Ansi C rules for aliasing. /prefix=all - ! Forces compiler to prefix all functions for the linker to properly load system functions. /reentrancy=none - ! Do not perform re-entrancy checks on RTL. /plus_list_optimize - /unsigned_char - ! Change default type from char to un char. /extern=strict_refdef - ! Affects the way externs are allocated in memory. Strict puts them in same PSECT. o Multi-User performance & Quantum If you are running OpenVMS on a multi-user system and have compute bound processes hanging around (say in a batch queue), you may notice sluggish interactive responsiveness. In such cases it has been observed that lowering the system parameter QUANTUM, helps improve the situation dramatically. o SYSGEN and AUTHORIZE quotas Ensure you have enough working set quota for the job you are trying to run (AUTHORIZE wsquota,wsextent). Be sure to run AUTOGEN with feedback to tune the systems SYSGEN parameters based on the systems statistics o OpenVMS 1.0 I/O issues You should now upgrade to OpenVMS 1.5 since it has significantly improved I/O performance. Also check the RMS settings. SET RMS/BLOCK=127/BUFFER=2/DISK e.g. OSF/1 specific tips ------------------- o Get OSF/1 V1.2 and the patched libm.a. Without this patched version of libm.a some code may run 10x slower. To check if you have the patched version of libm.a: # cd /usr/ccs/lib # sum libm.a 65509 1406 libm.a If you don't get these results returned, you need to upgrade to the newer version of libm.a DEC OSF/1 1.3 will have better RTL's than V1.2 so it will be important to upgrade to V1.3 as soon as it becomes available. o Use -math_library fast V1.2 has better routines in libm.a (e.g. sqrt()). These can be accessed through the switch -math_library fast with the DEC Fortran compiler. o As the ultimate compile line consider using: # f77 -O4 -non_shared -assume=noaccuracy_sensitive -math_library fast \ -o myprog myprog.f & for C (c89 or cc) # c89 -O4 -D_INTRINSICS -non_shared -assume=noaccuracy_sensitive \ -unsigned -o myprog myprog.c Note: -O4 MUST be used with -non_shared and can NOT be used with -c. o Cache buffers There is a flag "delayed_bufferwrites" that introduces delayed buffer cache writes and is particularly effective in programs that randomly read and write small files fit in buffer cache. This parameter can be set in the running kernel using kdbx. # kdbx -k /vmunix /dev/mem dbx version 3.11.1 Type 'help' for help. stopped at [thread_block:1458 ,0xfffffc00002dc110] (kdbx) p delay_wbuffers 0 (kdbx) a delay_wbuffers=1 1 (kdbx) p delay_wbuffers 1 (kdbx) q o Modify Xserver parameters Edit the file /usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xservers and change /usr/bin/X --> /usr/bin/X -su -bs This helps to minimize Xserver memory usage. o Check the csh limits with limit command. Increase any of the limits that you suspect you may be bumping up against. o Alpha suggested "-T" and "-D" numbers on ALPHA/OSF By using the "-D" and "-T" options to ld(1), you can load your executable so that all addresses will fit within 32 bits. This allows POINTER, which is a 64 bit quantity, to be stored in INTEGER*4. There is a lot of flexibility in the values you can use for -T and -D, but some suitable general purpose values: -T 30000000 -D 40800000 Use "-v" to make sure what you want to get passed to ld(1) really is passed. And if you want the "num" after "-D" or "-T" to start with a letter, start "num" with a leading "0". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 4 "Fortune" Names Digital Environmental Leader {VTX Livewire} {Contributed by John Lehto} "Fortune" magazine has named Digital to its list of America's 10 environmental leaders. Digital was honored for its CFC elimination efforts, reduction of toxic releases, innovative manufactured waste reduction programs, and product return efforts. To develop the list, "Fortune" evaluated 130 of America's largest manufacturing companies and scored each company's performance in 20 key areas. Databanks from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration were used to obtain most of the information. Data was also provided by the Council on Economic Priorities, which honored Digital in May for its "environmental stewardship." Additional information was provided by socially responsible investment firms such as Franklin Research & Development in Boston. The list, published in the July 26 issue, also includes AT&T, Apple Computer, Church & Dwight, Clorox, Dow Chemical, H.B. Fuller, IBM, Herman Miller and Xerox. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 5 Digital - A letter from Bob Palmer to employees {Livewire, Worldwide News, 28-Jul-93} (The following message from President Bob Palmer is being sent to all employees via electronic mail in conjunction with the release of Q4 and FY 93 operating results.) Our hard work and focus are beginning to show encouraging results. Digital's first quarterly profit in more than two years is a significant milestone. And you, our employees, have reason to be proud. In the three quarters since new management has been in place, Digital has posted a net profit of $9 million. We have come a long way. We are making rapid progress -- more rapid than many observers had expected. We are on track with our plans to reclaim the industry leadership that we once had. We still have much to do before realizing this ambition. We must be relentless in pursuing our goal to be "best-in-class." Our stockholders and customers should not accept anything less from us. Our intent is clear: o To deliver customer solutions based on our leadership in open client/server systems. o To establish Alpha AXP technology as the industry's standard. We begin this fiscal year with an integrated business plan -- with clearly defined accountability -- that has been approved by the Board of Directors. It's the first time in recent memory that we began the fiscal year with such a plan. We also begin the year with a new organization structure that is truly customer-focused. Digital is the first and only worldwide, fully integrated information technology supplier that is organized by customer business. It hasn't been a simple matter getting to this point, but we are responding to inescapable realities that our competitors are only now beginning to face. We have some concerns about the first quarter that require us to keep our focus on cost-competitiveness and revenue growth, but we are poised for a resurgence. Now that we can see the beginning of our success potential, let's sharpen our focus on delivering business solutions that customers truly value. With your hard work and dedication, I am confident that Digital has a bright future. Ultimately, Digital's success depends upon you. Business plans and organization structures don't deliver customer solutions. People do. We have achieved aggressive goals under difficult circumstances. On behalf of our stockholders and Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for your continued efforts and commitment to Digital's success. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 6 ------------------------------- Digital - Reports fourth quarter profit {Livewire, Worldwide News, 28-Jul-93} (A letter from President and CEO Bob Palmer about the results is being sent to all employees via electronic mail and is posted in LIVE WIRE's Worldwide News menu.) Digital has reported results for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year that ended July 3, 1993. For the quarter, the corporation reported net earnings of $113,196,000 or $.85 per share on revenues of $3,913,951,000. This compares with a net loss of $1,855,132,000 or $14.76 per share on revenues of $3,905,784,000 for the comparable quarter a year ago. The loss in the fourth quarter of fiscal 1992 included a restructuring charge of $1.5 billion, primarily to be used for employee separations, facility consolidations, asset retirements and related costs. For the full fiscal year ended July 3, 1993, Digital reported a net loss of $251,330,000 or $1.93 per share on revenues of $14,371,369,000. This compares with a net loss of $2,795,507,000 or $22.39 per share on revenues of $13,930,872,000 for the comparable period a year ago. The prior year's loss included a one-time charge of $485,495,000 for the cumulative effect of an accounting change and a $1.5 billion restructuring charge. "I am pleased to be able to report a continued, significant improvement in our overall operating results both for the quarter and the full year," said Bob Palmer, president and chief executive officer. "While I am not satisfied with any loss, my confidence in Digital's future is fueled by the improvements we have been able to achieve over the past three quarters. I am particularly pleased to be able to report that for the three quarters since the new management team has been in place, Digital has posted a cumulative net profit of $9 million. With our new customer-focused business unit structure now in place, we are poised to grow revenues and increase our market share, while continuing to work diligently to reduce our costs," he added. "The year just ended was a year of significant change for Digital and we will continue the transformation of the corporation throughout fiscal year 1994. Our customers are counting on us to be successful and to help them succeed. We have leadership competitive products -- both hardware and software -- from the fastest workstations at any price to the most robust, open, client/server systems. We offer comprehensive worldwide service and support for thousands of products, not just from Digital, but from other vendors as well. As a result, the excitement of our employees and partners is generating growing enthusiasm in the marketplace," he said. "Notwithstanding our concern about the seasonally soft September quarter, I am confident that Digital is poised for resurgence and the responsibility is with this management team to make that happen," Bob concluded. Bill Steul, vice president and chief financial officer said, "We experienced slight revenue growth in the U.S. and solid growth throughout Asia, compared with the fourth quarter of last year. However, our European business in general was weak, as was true for many other technology companies," he added. "Most economists do not look for growth in Europe next year. As a result of the uncertain economic outlook, we remain very cautious about our ability to maintain profitability for the seasonally soft first quarter." "We continue to be encouraged by the results from our focus on reducing costs. As we rationalized our engineering effort and product offerings, research and engineering spending declined by 24% or $116 million compared with the same quarter a year ago to be more in line with competitive norms. In addition, selling, general and administrative expenses declined by 17% or $215 million compared with the same quarter a year ago. Capital spending was $529 million for the full year, the lowest level since 1984," he said. "For the second quarter in a row, the corporation generated a positive cash flow from operations and ended the year with a cash balance of more than $1.6 billion." Bill Strecker, vice president of Engineering said, "During fiscal year 1993, Digital launched the Alpha AXP systems, and introduced the world's fastest PC, as well as the fastest workstations at every price point in the industry. Over 2,600 Alpha AXP software solutions are available to customers today. Our Alpha AXP strategy continues to support unified UNIX, Windows NT and OpenVMS operating systems." "While Alpha AXP-based revenues were a small factor in this year's results, we look forward to increasing contributions, consistent with historical trends in the introduction of a new generation of technology. In increasing numbers, customers, software developers and systems vendors are selecting the Alpha AXP architecture for their future computing needs," he said. "For example, Carrier Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment, standardized on Alpha AXP technology for its worldwide manufacturing and engineering operations." ------ UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. FOURTH QUARTER ENDED: JULY 3, 1993 JUNE 27, 1992 PRODUCT SALES $2,085,567,000 $2,143,345,000 SERVICE & OTHER REVENUES 1,828,384,000 1,762,439,000 TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES 3,913,951,000 3,905,784,000 COST OF PRODUCT SALES 1,277,981,000 1,220,059,000 SERVICE EXPENSE & COST OF OTHER REVENUES 1,060,298,000 1,085,419,000 TOTAL COST OF SALES 2,338,279,000 2,305,478,000 GROSS MARGIN 40.3% 41% RESEARCH & ENGINEERING 369,376,000 485,241,000 SELLING, GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE 1,088,067,000 1,303,134,000 RESTRUCTURING CHARGE --- 1,500,000,000 INTEREST INCOME 20,081,000 24,447,000 INTEREST EXPENSE 18,091,000 10,664,000 INCOME/(LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES 120,219,000 (1,674,286,000) INCOME TAXES 7,023,000 180,846,000 NET INCOME/(LOSS) $113,196,000 $(1,855,132,000) NET INCOME/(LOSS) PER SHARE $0.85 $(14.76) AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES OUTSTANDING 133,476,529 125,691,368 OPERATING RESULTS FOR THE TWELVE MONTHS ENDED: PRODUCT SALES $7,587,994,000 $7,696,029,000 SERVICE & OTHER REVENUES 6,783,375,000 6,234,843,000 TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES 14,371,369,000 13,930,872,000 COST OF PRODUCT SALES 4,464,445,000 4,248,118,000 SERVICE EXPENSE & COST OF OTHER REVENUES 4,166,946,000 3,883,705,000 TOTAL COST OF SALES 8,631,391,000 8,131,823,000 RESEARCH & ENGINEERING 1,530,119,000 1,753,898,000 SELLING, GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE 4,447,160,000 4,680,822,000 RESTRUCTURING CHARGE ---- 1,500,000,000 INTEREST INCOME 63,831,000 96,176,000 INTEREST EXPENSE 50,837,000 38,517,000 LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES & CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE (224,307,000) (2,078,012,000) INCOME TAXES 27,023,000 232,000,000 LOSS BEFORE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE (251,330,000) (2,310,012,000) CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE, NET OF TAX ---- 485,495,000 NET LOSS $(251,330,000) $(2,795,507,000) AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES OUTSTANDING 130,408,884 124,864,122 LOSS PER SHARE AFTER TAXES BEFORE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ACCOUNTING CHANGE $( 1.93) $(18.50) LOSS PER SHARE ON CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ACCOUNTING CHANGE - (3.89) NET LOSS PER SHARE $(1.93) $(22.39) BALANCE SHEET/CASH FLOWS - Q4 FY93 CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS....................... $1,643,195,000 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET...................... 3,020,252,000 A/R DAYS SALES OUTSTANDING.................... 69 DAYS INVENTORIES: RAW MATERIALS........ 331,506,000 WORK IN PROCESS...... 502,200,000 FINISHED GOODS....... 921,434,000 TOTAL INVENTORIES ............... 1,755,140,000 PREPAID EXPENSES.............................. 379,122,000 DEFERRED INCOME TAX CHARGES, NET.............. 84,806,000 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS.......................... 6,882,515,000 PROPERTY, PLANT & EQUIPMENT, NET.............. 3,178,291,000 TOTAL ASSETS.................................. 10,950,343,000 BANK LOANS & CURRENT PORTION OF LONG-TERM DEBT.............................. 21,335,000 TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES..................... 3,918,714,000 LONG TERM DEBT................................ 1,017,577,000 POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS....................... 1,128,653,000 TOTAL LIABILITITES............................ 6,064,944,000 STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY.......................... 4,885,399,000 BOOK VALUE PER SHARE.......................... $36.19 INVESTMENTS IN PP&E - QTR..................... 170,272,000 DEPRECIATION & AMORTIZATION - QTR............. 208,950,000 INVESTMENTS IN PP&E - YEAR.................... 528,691,000 DEPRECIATION & AMORTIZATION - YEAR............ 838,183,000 NON U.S. REVENUES - QUARTER................... 2,449,366,000 OR 63% NON U.S. REVENUES - YEAR...................... 9,164,148,000 OR 64% TOTAL EMPLOYEE POPULATION..................... 94,200 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 7 Digital - Pulls computers off global network {The Nashua Telegraph, 24-Jul-93, p. 23} Digital abruptly pulled two powerful new computers off a global computer network out of concerns about possible export violations, even though the computers never left the country. The result of Digital's action was to deny U.S. computer users access to U.S. computers operating in the United States. Critics said the episode demonstrates how export laws intended to regulate weapons technology are not only infringing on American civil liberties, but also stifling innovation and hurting American businesses. Digital said its concern was the foreigners could connect to the computers from abroad, generate data, and illegally export it over the Internet computer network, which carries data and electronic mail around the world. The computers were reconnected to the computer network on July 7, but access is now limited to people who are screened by the company, Mark Fredrickson, a Digital spokesman, said Friday. A former Commerce Department official who is now a trade consultant in Washington said the connection of a supercomputer to a global network could lead to violations of federal export regulations. "If it was available overseas and they allowed people overseas to use it, then technically they were allowing access to a supercomputer to people they didn't know," said Paul Freedenberg, who was the Commerce Department's undersecretary for export administration at the end of the Reagan administration. Freedenberg is an international trade consultant at Baker and Botts in Washington, the law firm of former Secretary of State James Baker. He emphasized that he had no personal knowledge of the Digital computer hookup and that he was speaking of the regulations generally. "I can't say Digital violated the law, because I don't know what Digital did," he said. Lee Mercer, Digital's corporate export manager, said making the computer available was not a violation. A Commerce Department official, speaking on condition that he name not be used, agreed that making the computer available was not a violation, but that export of data generated on the computer would be a violation of regulations. The computer hookup was in place for five weeks in April and May, said Fredrickson. It was intended to give potential customers the opportunity to test-drive the computers. It was terminated by company executives who wanted to avoid any appearance of violating export regulations, he said. Digital, the nation's No. 2 computer maker after IBM, said 65% of its annual $14 billion are overseas. In December 1991, the Commerce Department charged the company with 62 violations of export laws and fined it $2.4 million. It was the largest fine the department had imposed for export violations. Digital agreed to pay without admitting or denying guilt. The Digital computers connected to the network were two of Digital's new AXP 4000 computers, operating in a Digital laboratory operating in Palo Alto, Calif. The computers, which cost from $77,000 to $100,000, are considered mid-sized computers by industry standards. Freedenberg said that the government would probably soon revise its outmoded standards that define those models as supercomputers and bring them under export regulations. Critics called for speedy revision of the export laws, which date from the Cold War. "Export control policies are shutting us directly out of certain markets," costing U.S. businesses at least $10 billion a year in lost exports, said Howard Lewis, VP of the National Association of Manufacturers. "It's harmful to innovation, but we think it's also very harmful to the privacy interests of American citizens," said the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group concerned with computers and civil-liberties issues. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 8 Digital - Employees help Midwest to weather flooding {Livewire, U.S. News, 23-Jul-93} Digital employees are pitching in to help people in the flood-ravaged Midwest, from stacking sandbags to operating ham radios to moving customers' equipment. Company offices in the seven-state area affected by the flood -- Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota -- continued to operate, despite some inconveniences, and disaster recovery teams are in place to help customers. As the waters rose, the Mississippi Valley Flood Disaster Recovery Team began calling customers to offer their help. Fortunately, many customers' facilities were located well outside the flood plain, the area closest to the river. Team member Chuck Rabe says the real work will begin after the water goes down and equipment needs to be cleaned and restored. Regardless, says Chuck, "we're offering our help to anyone who asks us." The 52-foot floodwalls along the Mississippi at St. Louis have protected many employees and customers in that area from the worst of the flooding. Upstream in Des Moines, Iowa, however, it has been a different story. Portions of the metropolitan area were still experiencing power outages. The 250,000 residents of the Iowa capital had no clean drinking water for 10 days because the city's pumping station had been flooded out. The Des Moines Water Works is a Digital customer. Brad Sommer, sales manager for the district that covers the flooded area, says Digital moved all of the Water Works' equipment to higher ground. As in St. Louis, many customers had located outside of the flood plain, and, like their counterparts downstream, Iowa reps offered their expertise to whomever needed it. "Most of our customers are doing pretty well," Brad says. "But when you've lost electricity and you've lost water, you're pretty much out of it." Iowa-wide, at least two million acres of farmland are under water, and damage is estimated to be close to $5 billion. Brad assesses the impact on future business: "Some businesses that are self-insured may have to delay capital expenditures for new equipment because of the losses they incurred. Some businesses may have to spend money that they were going to use on new equipment to restore other parts of their business. On the positive side, eventually people will have to replace equipment that's been ruined." The "500-year flood" resulted from months of heavy precipitation upriver where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers form. Meteorologists say the situation is improving, but it will still take weeks for the water to recede. To further complicate matters, more rain is forecast. The agencies listed below are accepting cash donations to help victims of the Midwest floods. Write "Midwest Flood Relief" in the memo space on the check. Employee contributions to these agencies will be matched 50 cents on the dollar through Digital's Employee Matching Gift Program. Employees who wish to pool their contributions should follow the instructions on the back of the form for "Disaster Funds" so their funds can be matched. American Red Cross American Red Cross 4050 Lindell Blvd. P.O. Box 37243 St. Louis, Mo. 63108 Washington, D.C. 20013 The Salvation Army Disaster Relief P.O. Box 1621 Des Moines, Iowa 50306 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 9 REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE) via First! -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Tuesday released both the Microsoft Windows NT operating system and Windows NT Advanced Server to manufacturing. The Windows NT Advanced Server is being released 30 days ahead of schedule. Shipments of both products, designed for client-server solutions, are scheduled to be available from value-added resellers, systems integrators, computer manufacturers and software retailers -- as well as direct from Microsoft -- within three weeks. "Windows NT is one of the largest software projects ever undertaken," said Paul Maritz, senior vice president of the systems division at Microsoft. "In four-and-a-half-years of development, the Windows NT team has delivered a new operating system with a new graphics and window management system and a new networking system (client and server) -- all sharing a common, integrated, open and certifiably secure design -- for three different chip architectures and both uniprocessor and multiprocessor systems. To have done this without sacrificing any of the original design goals is an incredible achievement. "I am confident that as more people become familiar with Windows NT, it will be seen as a robust, well-structured foundation that can be expanded upon for many years to come." The robustness of Windows NT and its compatibility with existing hardware and software were tested by an unprecedented 70,000-plus developers and 10,000-plus corporate end-user sites prior to release. Microsoft has also been using Windows NT internally for more than two years -- both as a development platform and as its corporate server platform. In addition, the formal test process subjected daily builds of Windows NT to heavy stress testing to expose any potential problems. "For business-critical computing, corporate users place a high priority on stability and reliability," Maritz added. "We subjected Windows NT to the most extensive testing effort in our history. The massive industry support infrastructure now in place for Windows NT should make corporate users confident that Windows NT is, as promised, an extremely powerful, reliable and open solution for client-server computing." Widespread Industry Support The computer industry is responding to this major milestone with a large outpouring of third-party support. Windows NT has been tested for compatibility with more than 2,800 computers, printers and peripherals. More than 70,000 development kits for Windows NT have been shipped, and more than 2,000 new 32-bit applications for the Microsoft Windows and Windows NT operating systems are being developed for release over the coming months. These new applications will add to the base of tens of thousands of existing applications for the Windows and MS-DOS operating systems that can be run without change on Windows NT. More than 15,000 people at 3,000 companies have been trained under the Microsoft Solution Providers program to offer end users high-quality training and technical support worldwide. Leading computer hardware manufacturers, such as Acer, Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., ICL, Olivetti, SNI and more than 25 others, will ship Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server pre-installed on their high- end computer systems. "We are thrilled to see the availability of Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server," said Casey Powell, CEO, president and chairman of Sequent Computer Systems Inc. "Corporate customers are voicing high demand for Sequent's WinServer family of symmetric multiprocessing systems running Windows NT. Clearly, Windows NT is a great applications server for business-critical solutions." These initial releases support both the Intel x86 and MIPS R4400- based platform. In addition, Microsoft and Digital Equipment Corp. expect to have the Alpha AXP version of Windows NT available within 60 days. Users Praise Power, Stability, Open Architecture NASA is taking advantage of the portability and reliability of Windows NT with a range of networked RISC, symmetric multiprocessor computers and x86 uniprocessor computers to manage its Mission Planet Earth project, which analyzes and consolidates two terabytes of satellite-based geographic information per day. "Windows NT is highly robust and stable and is truly a next generation operating system," said Dr. Briscoe Stephens, manager of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "Microsoft has taken the best parts of the operating systems that exist today and put them into Windows NT, while reducing the expense of training employees because of its ease of use." The Arizona Department of Transportation will use Windows NT and Windows NT Advanced Server as a platform for a workgroup CAD solution. "Stability and single network log on are the biggest issues for my business," said Cliff Barnett, EDP programmer and analyst, Arizona Department of Transportation. "Windows NT is a much more stable platform, security is tighter and log on is greatly simplified. We don't have to keep track of 30 different passwords anymore. And using the Windows interface with Windows NT is a real benefit. Our employees have seamless access to the operating system without having to think about what platform they are using." Nordstrom, a leading West Coast-based retail chain, is rolling out an enterprisewide inventory and sales management system based on Windows NT technology and large NCR multiprocessing systems. "After studying many alternatives, Nordstrom chose Windows NT Advanced Server for its new enterprise management system," said Larry Shaw, PC coordinator at Nordstrom. "We made this choice because of the clear advantages Windows NT offers in the area of distributed systems management, control and security. The Windows NT Advanced Server makes our administrator's job much easier by offering a single log-on feature plus remote administration and management capabilities. These features give Nordstrom the ability to administer all of its stores from one central location." Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. CONTACT: Microsoft Corp., Redmond | General sales and product information, 800/426-9400 | or (for media only) | Collins Hemingway, 206/882-8080 | or | Waggener Edstrom, Portland, Ore. | Linda O'Neill or Erin Holland, 503/245-0905 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 10 DFWLUG Contact list The DFWLUG Steering Committee: Chairman: Lon Crozier Meeting Chris Simon Snelling & Snelling Coordinator: FMC Corporation 12801 N. Central Expwy 1460 Round Table Dallas, TX 75243 Dallas, TX 75247 (214) 239-7575 (214) 689-7127 Membership David Cathey Secretary/ Jim Rodgers Coordinator: Montagar Software Concepts Treasurer: SSC Laboratory P.O. BOX 260772 2550 Beckley Meade Plano, TX 75026 MS 1011 (214) 618-2117 Dallas, TX 75237 (214) 708-6134 SW/Tape Robert Eden NEWSLETTER Jo Ann Catcott Librarian: JCS Consulting Services CO-EDITOR: Computer Education & Design 5905 Beverly Dr. West #3133 750 Hammon Dr. Bldg #9 Fort Worth, TX 76132 Atlanta, GA 30328 (817) 897-0491 (214) 733-4318 NEWSLETTER Alan Bruns DIGITAL John Wisniewski CO-EDITOR: Allied Electronics COUNTERPART: Digital Equipment Corp 7410 Pebble Drive 14131 Midway Road Fort Worth, TX 76118 Dallas, TX 75244 (817) 595-3500 (214) 404-6412 DECUS Membership Processing NATIONAL: DECUS US Chapter 333 South Street, SHR1-4/D33 Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4195 (508) 841-3341 EMAIL TO THE DFWLUG STAFF SEND TO: dfwlug@fallout.lonestar.org The entire DFWLUG staff will receive a copy of the E-Mail message. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 11 THE DFWLUG DECUS ORIENTED BBS __________ | ______ | THE DFWLUG BBS: (214) 270-3313 | / ---- \ | Chartered since 1982 (214) 270-5383 | | | | Celebrating Over 11 Years of DECUS | \ ____ / | in Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas | ------ | ---------- E-mail: dfwlug@fallout.lonestar.org D E C U S The DFWLUG is the Local Users Group for the Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS) THE DFWLUG DECUS ORIENTED BBS | NEWS | DECUS | E-MAIL | FREEWARE | DIGITAL | SHAREWARE | ALPHA AXP | We've upgraded to the VAXstation 4000/90 72MHz Processor! "The Fastest BBS in Dallas" The NEW AT&T Paradyne "Dataport" 14400 Baud Modem is in too! The DFWLUG hosts a semiprivate OpenVMS BBS for use by it's membership, we currently are using VMS 5.5-2, POSIX or DCL shells, DECUS FREEWARE, CDROMS and have over three GIGAbytes of storage dedicated to industry information, OpenVMS, Unix-OSF/1, MSDOS/Windows/Windows NT and providing net access for our members. The DFWLUG BBS also hosts multiple phone lines and currently supports V.32 and V.42bis (9600 and 14400 baud) modems. The DFWLUG BBS has been in continuous operation since 1991 and is one of the few DECUS oriented BBS's in the United States. We provide a menu-driven environment that features: *Individual Private Accounts and directories *VAXnotes Local Conferencing *USEnetNEWS 1300+NEWSgroups Internet Distributed Conferencing *DECUS UUCP For E-Mail communications anywhere on the Internet *Files Upload and Download with Kermit X/Y Modem, or Reflections *Indexes And locations of all the DECUS Software Libraries *Internet Network Fileservers access (via E-mail) *DFWLUG Local Fileserver (100MBs and growing) *Access to DCL and/or the Posix/krn Shell *Editors We provide EDT, TPU, TECO, and vi editor choices Programs, source code and binary files for all models of computer systems are distributed world wide via USEnet NEWS in a variety of standard encoding formats (Primarily UUENCODED). Sources for UUENCODE and UUDECODE are available on our local Fileserver. The USEnet NEWS expiration on source and binary file NEWSgroups on the DFWLUG BBS is 12 months. This assures capture and the ability to extract all of the posted program parts even if they take several days/weeks to be posted from the source. The DFWLUG BBS offers the news readers selected Newsgroups from alt, austin, comp, dfw, news, rec, sci,tx and vmsnet news hierarchies for over 1300+ choices and over 800MBytes of online news, programs and tools (you just can't read it all;-) C-Kermit, X/Y modem, and Reflections protocols are supported for upload and download. In addition to 1300+ Newsgroups and extended archives, the DFWLUG BBS has set up a permanent Fileserver for many files of interest to our members. Membership in the DFWLUG and attending our User Group meetings has always been free but a private account for the BBS is a modest $10.00 per year and available to students and professionals in the DFW area. Accounts may be obtained at one of the monthly meetings that take place every second Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm at the Digital ACT (702-4400) in Dallas TX. Or contact the DFWLUG Membership Coordinator David Cathey davidc@montagar.com (214)618-2117. For more information and brief access to USEnet NEWS via DECUS's ANUnews Newsreader, you may dial-in into our public account: (214) 270-3313 1200 - 9600 Baud 8/n/1 V.32 (Digital DF296 Modem) (214) 270-5383 300 - 14400 Baud 8/n/1 V.42/V.42bis (AT&T Dataport Modem) Use account name INFO. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 3 NUMBER 8 PAGE 12 TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR DIGITAL SUPPORT AND ORDERING PC DESKTOP Direct (to purchase a PC or for PC configuration questions) 1-800-722-9332 1-800-SOFTWARE (to purchase any of 12,000 PC software products) 1-800-763-8927 DECdirect (to purchase any non-PC product computers, network, supplies 1-800-344-4825 or for DECdirect Prepurchasing Technical questions.) DECdirect Modem Line 1200-2400 Baud 1-800-234-1998 Education Services hotline (For information on upcoming DEC classes and locations) 1-800-332-5656 --------------------- The above service numbers are free. The following requires a valid Digital support Contract and are available 24 hours per day. --------------------- Colorado Customer Support Software support under contract 1-800-354-9000 Master Champs 24x7 Mission Critical Support under special contract. 1-800-345-3746 24 hour each day Customer Support to log a call with Field service and have something repaired 1-800-354-9000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MASTHEAD/DISCLAIMERS/LEGAL STUFF __________ | ______ | THE DFWLUG | / ---- \ | 10th Anniversary(*1982-1992*) | | | | Celebrating over 10 Years of DECUS | \ ____ / | in Dallas/Ft. Worth Texas | ------ | ---------- dfwlug@fallout.lonestar.org BBS: (214) 270-3313 D E C U S The DFWLUG is the Local Users Group for the Digital Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS) *DECUS* DFWLUG NET/Newsletter Volume 3 Number 8 August 3rd, 1993 The DFWLUG is an affiliated and licensed Local Users Group of the U.S. DECUS Chapter. The DFWLUG Net/Newsletter is published as a monthly service in electronic form Copyright (c) DFWLUG, DECUS, and Digital Equipment Corporation 1993. All rights reserved. This information in this document is subject to change and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation, DECUS, or the DFWLUG. Digital Equipment, DECUS and the DFWLUG assume no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. It is assumed that all material submitted for publication in this newsletter is with the author's permission to publish in any DECUS publication. Content is the responsibility of the author and DECUS, Digital Equipment, the DFWLUG, the Editors and Staff assume no responsibility or liability for information appearing in this document. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of DECUS, the DFWLUG or Digital Equipment Corporation. Address correspondence to the editors: "dfwlug@fallout.lonestar.org" <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Permission to copy material from this VNS is granted (per DIGITAL PP&P) provided that the message header for the issue and credit lines for the VNS correspondent and original source are retained in the copy. <><><><><><><><> VNS Edition Jul-1993 <><><><><><><><> ---------------------------------end-------------------------------------------