From:	SMTP%"jeh@cmkrnl.com"  5-DEC-1994 10:27:18.02
To:	EVERHART
CC:	
Subj:	RE: VMS V6.2 and DECnet

From: jeh@cmkrnl.com (Jamie Hanrahan, Kernel Mode Systems)
X-Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.os.vms
Subject: RE: VMS V6.2 and DECnet
Message-Id: <1994Dec3.174433.4913@cmkrnl>
Date: 3 Dec 94 17:44:32 PST
Organization: Kernel Mode Systems, San Diego, CA
Lines: 45
To: Info-VAX@Mvb.Saic.Com
X-Gateway-Source-Info: USENET

In article <1994Dec2.172649.5966@hoasys>, dhayes@hoasys.isd1.tafensw.edu.au (David Hayes - TAFE NSW, Australia) writes:
> I agree - there will always be Phase IV compatability, BUT you will have to
> install Phase V to get! You won't be able to manage it on VMS using NCP, but 
> via those dreaded NCL commands! 
> 
> Phase V will always be compatabile WITH Phase IV.
> 
> I'm not looking forward to learning NCL myself from everything I have heard
> about it! :-).

It isn't THAT bad.  NCL has its own internal logic, and once you understand it,
you'll find it's actually more consistent than NCL.  

The real problem with NCL, as I see it, is that there is no good way to
"browse" a configuration.  You can find the names of the instances of a
particular class of entity, but you can't easily find out what classes of
entities might exist.  eg you can say

	NCL> show routing circuit * name

to get the names of the routing circuits, but if you don't know to ask for
"routing circuits", there isn't anything other than the on-line help to tell
you.  

Nor is the structure of the system obvious from within NCL, or from the 
on-line help for that matter.  For example it is not always clear where the
names of things have to agree.  These waters are muddied further by DEC's
auto-config procedures, which often create entities in several different
classes with identical names, which may lead you to think that they HAVE to
be the same; they don't always.  

A hint:  Take NCLHELP.HLB and do

	$ library/help/extr=*/output=sys$help:nclhelp.hlp sys$help:nclhelp.hlb

(I've included file extensions to make it clear what is going on)  Now you
have a text file that you can browse with an editor.  If you have a windowing
terminal, having an editor open on this file in one window while you're talking
to NCL in another window is a BIG help.

Another hint:  SET TERMINAL/PAGE=48 (or however many lines your workstation
screen will allow!) before starting NCL.  You'll be glad you did...

	--- Jamie Hanrahan, Kernel Mode Systems, San Diego CA
Internet: jeh@cmkrnl.com (JH645) Uucp: uunet!cmkrnl!jeh  CompuServe: 74140,2055