From: SMTP%"RELAY-INFO-VAX@CRVAX.SRI.COM" 7-FEB-1994 09:15:19.21 To: EVERHART CC: Subj: DECUS DFWLUG Feb 8th Meeting notice/Netnewsletter X-Newsgroups: comp.org.decus,comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec Subject: DECUS DFWLUG Feb 8th Meeting notice/Netnewsletter Message-Id: <1994Feb2.231815.11950@fallout.lonestar.org> From: system@fallout.lonestar.org Date: 2 Feb 94 23:18:15 CST Organization: DECUS DFWLUG BBS *Dallas*TX*214-270-3313 Lines: 1527 To: Info-VAX@CRVAX.SRI.COM X-Gateway-Source-Info: USENET =========================================================================== = __________ = =| ______ | THE DFWLUG = =| / ---- \ | 12th Anniversary(*1982-1994*) = =| | | | Celebrating over 12 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 4 Number 2 February 2nd, 1993 = =========================================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 INDEX (in this issue) PAGE 1 * The next DFWLUG meeting Info and Map (November 9th, 1993) PAGE 2 * DFWLUG Speakers and Calendar DECUS of Events for 1993/1994 PAGE 3 * Digital Announcement February 1994 PAGE 4 * Microsoft releases 900 drivers for WNT devices PAGE 5 * Digital Customer Testimonials - Weave ASK PAGE 6 * - The Limited VIS/CICS migration PAGE 7 * - US Navy Oracle PAGE 8 * - TriValley Sybase OpenVMS PAGE 9 * - Shaw Comm Polycenter PAGE 10 * - Siliconix SAP R/3 Promis PAGE 11 * - Systemetrics Multi-Platform Suppt PAGE 12 * - BANK OF MONTREAL Linkworks PAGE 13 * DFWLUG CONTACT INFO PAGE 14 * DFWLUG BBS Info PAGE 15 * 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 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 1 02/08/94 -- >>>>>> The DFWLUG February meeting agenda is as follows: Accessing Internet for Individuals Texas Metronet will discuss the services and tools that the Internet can provide to individuals who would like to connect directly to the Internet. Bring your Internet questions for some answers! -- *TAPE LIBRARY* Long time DFWLUG member Richard Wilson has assumed staff duties of LUG librarian. Richard will be trading symposia tapes at the next meeting on 9-tracks and TKs. Please Don't bring your 9 Tracks to trade, there are enough of these just give away. (but if you would like to donate 2 TK50, 4mm or 8mm in trade...;-) -- *MEETING SCHEDULES* David Whitten is a recent member of the LUG who has take on the mantle of responsiblity for coordinating DFWLUG meetings. Dave's hit the ground running (with the Internet meeting this month) but still would like some input or meeting topics presented by our LUG membership. If you have a topic you'd like to speak on to the LUG folks, contact David. -- *MEMBERSHIP* 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. -- *CLASS-PASS* Wayne Sewell is the DFWLUG Class-Pass Coordinator. The DECUS Class-Pass program offers any Digital Ed Services class (Hardware and royalty classes excluded) at $1320.00 per class. Typical classes range from $1500-$1900 dollars regularly priced a savings of $180-$480 per class! If you are considering any of Digital's courses here in Dallas or anywhere Digital offers them, this is the program for you! For more information contact Wayne at Voice: (214)-553-9760, Fax: 214-553-0077 -- *THE DFWLUG BBS* DFWLUG BBS has just celebrated it's third anniversary of continuous service and growth! Check out what all the excitement is about and learn more about USEnet, Internet, Email and Open Systems. 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. -- *SOCIAL CHAIR* 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 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 2 THE DFWLUG 1993/1994 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 1994 Feb. 8th Texas Metronet discusses Internet Access for Individuals. Mar. 19-22 DECUS University Comes to Dallas, TX -- 40 Seminars in 4 days on Streamed Topics March 21st DFWLUG will move it's regular meeting to Monday to be onsite with DECUS University. This open Meeting will be a social event for DFWLUG members to meet the Consultants, Presenters, and attendees at DECUS University. No fees will be required of this LUG sponsored event. May 7-12 DECUS National Event In New Orleans ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FEBRUARY 1994 4-7 DECUS UNIX Roadshow/Washington, DC 4-7 DECUS NT Roadshow/Boston, MA 4-7 DECUS OpenVMS/Networks Roadshow/Seattle, WA 19-21 DECUS PATHWORKS Roadshow/San Diego, CA 25-28 DECUS OpenVMS/Networks Roadshow/Atlanta, GA 25-28 DECUS NT Roadshow/Ann Arbor, MI MARCH 1994 4-7 DECUS UNIX Roadshow/Cincinnati, OH 7-9 ASAE/Washington, DC 19-22 DECUS University Dallas Texas 22-24 Federal Office Systems Expo/Washington, DC 23-25 UniForum/San Francisco, CA APRIL 1994 8-11 DECUS NT Roadshow/Portland, OR 9-10 CASE World/San Francisco, CA 10-13 SAS Users Group Int'l Conf/Dallas, TX 16-18 DECUS UNIX Roadshow/San Francisco, CA 16-18 DECUS PATHWORKS Roadshow/Chicago, IL 16-18 DECUS OpenVMS/Networks Roadshow/St. Louis, MO MAY 1994 2-6 Networld+INTEROP94/Las Vegas, NV 9-13 DECUS National Event/New Orleans, LA 21-23 DB Expo/San Francisco, CA 23-26 American Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology/Washington, DC JUNE 1994 6-10 USENIX, Boston, MA 7-9 Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Assoc/Washington, DC 13-16 SUN World Expo/San Francisco, CA JULY 1994 11-18 SEMICON/San Francisco, CA SEPTEMBER 1994 12-16 Networld+INTEROP94/Atlanta, GA 13-16 SEYBOLD/San Francisco, CA 20-22 NETWORKS/Dallas, TX 25-29 ORACLE/San Francisco, CA OCTOBER 1994 23-27 ACM OOPSLA/Portland, OR NOVEMBER 1994 2-4 North American Telecommunications/Washington, DC 10-16 DECUS National Event/Anaheim, CA 14-18 COMDEX/Las Vegas, NV 15-17 Supercomputing Show '94/Washington, DC 30-12/2 Int Biotechnology Ex/San Francisco, CA DECEMBER 1994 11-13 ASAE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 3 Digital Watch February 1994 February 8 is the second wave of Digital's Open Client/Server Initiative Digital is continuing roll out the Client/Server tools and products that it announced October 93. The product are mostly middleware; tools that enable multiple Operating systems to communicate and cooperate with different Hardwares and Different Softwares. We live in a wondrous ages where every vendor's hardware and software magically talks to every other vendor effortlessly! *NOT*. Digital today has software integration for not only it's platforms but all the major Desktops, UNIX systems and IBM mainframe systems too. You could build these software bridges from Open Systems tools but Digital has already done it for you, and guarantees the interoperablity! Announcement highlights include: Key software products for the UNIX (OSF/1) environment: ACCESSWORKS, DEC DB Integrator, DECADMIRE, DEC Rdb, Multi-Level Security +, Reliable Transaction Router (RTR) and CohesionworX software. A joint agreement between Digital and IBM to provide the CICS transaction processing monitor on OSF/1 A joint agreement between Digital and Transarc to offer the Encina OLTP product family on OSF/1 AXP New POLYCENTER NetView management software from both Digital and partners that make it simpler and less expensive to manage complex client/server environments. A joint agreement between Digital and Forte Software. Forte the industry's hottest client/server application development and deployment environment. Forte runs on leading operating systems including Windows 3.1, Mac, OSF/1, OpenVMS, HP-UX, Solaris & IBM AIX platforms. DBA Workcenter, a new product which allows customers to monitor and manage leading databases, such as Oracle, Sybase, Informix and Rdb from an Alpha AXP workstation. Enhanced capabilities for LinkWorks, including availability for OS/2 Presentation Manager clients and OpenVMS servers; extensive support for 22 local languages; starter pack and pilot services. RoamAbout mobile software, the industry's broadest portfolio of mobile computing products, connecting laptop, palmtop and portable PC users to company networks from any location. Powerful new Alpha AXP workstations and new applications for Alpha AXP including AutoCAD, Parametric, DCE and MUMPS on NT; and SAP/R3, Coda, and Peoplesoft on OSF/1. New services to help customers evaluate client/server benefits, learn how to use new client/server technologies and methods, manage distributed client/server systems, and deal effectively with all aspects of the transition from their existing systems to a client/server environment. A new service from Digital, THE SOFTWARE CONNECTION solution, that manages the entire life cycle of software assets from acquisition to retirement. The electronic distribution, tracking and user support capabilities reduce the cost of ownership for software assets and help customers better control and manage their assets. Our initial emphasis is on managing PC software assets. -- And Speaking of waves, have you seen the NEW Digital TV commercials on the SCI-FI channel! Yes Digital is advertising it's PCs on A&E, and the business channels in an effort to become the 3rd or 4th largest PC manufacturer in the U.S. Lead off PC is the New upgradable DECpc XL which will upgrade from an Intel 80486 to Pentium, or A-L-P-H-A! by just swapping CPU daughter cards. OSF/1 has just started shipping it's 1.3 release with Dual processor SMP support. Look for the Field Test for more processor SMP in Late spring! OpenVMS will achieve full functional Parity between OpenVMS AXP 6.1 and OpenVMS VAX 6.1. Look for this functional parity to be kept in lock step until 64Bit memory features become part of the OpenVMS AXP releases. 64Bit features will not be able to support the OpenVMS VAX so there will be a divergence of functionality sometime in 1995 between AXP and VAX. Look for first ship of OpenVMS AXP 6.1 in the Early Spring. Pathworks 5.0 has just begun it's First Customer Ship (FCS). Maintenance customers should begin receiving it within the next 30 days. New features include the Pathworks point and click User Management tools for MS Windows (looks a lot like the WNT user manager interface;-) and the decoupling of the Pathworks APIs from the underlying network transport protocols. Look for Pathworks to be sold either as a bundled software set (like before) or by whichever API or network protocol you want as individual packages. And in our "Deal That's Too Good to be True" department, there is a virtual memory, pre-emptive kernel Unix-like Operating system that runs on an Intel 80386 or 80486 processor today called Linux (Lye'nix). Linux supports TCP/IP, SLIP, includes C and C++ compilers, UUCP AND USEnet softwares, VI, GNU EMacs editors, an Xwindows system and an MSDOS emulator. Distribution is on CDrom or 30 floppies for $29.99! Call Morse Telecommunications at 1-800-706-4046 if you'd like a copy (I ordered mine and will tell you how it goes next month;-). Linux has been placed in the public domain and is considered freeware but various support groups and Internet newsgroups are available... Finally if you liked the SIRDS (Single Independent Random Dot Stereograms) pictures I passed out at the last meeting and would like to make your own, (instead of paying $20 for the ones at the Mall;-) be sure to check out a program in BBS$PUBLIC:[GAMES] on the BBS called RDSDRAW.ZIP. RDSdraw an easy MSDOS paint program that allows you to create on 16 layers; each layer is then translated into a plane of the SIRDS automatically! You'll also want to get ALCHEMY.ZIP (format converter program)to translate the .TGA files from RDSDRAW into postscript or .GIF file formats. RDSdraw appears to be freeware, Alchemy.zip is Shareware (it asks for money after 21 days) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 4 MICROSOFT RELEASES 900 DRIVERS FOR WNT FRAMINGHAM - Computerworld via First! : A recently released CD-ROM from Microsoft Corp. that contains more than 900 drivers lets users install Windows NT to work with a wide variety of devices. Called the Microsoft Drivers and Patches CD, the disk includes drivers for accessing printers, storage devices, networks and video displays, as well as audio and pen systems. It also includes patches for NT as well as code samples, utilities and articles, according to the company. "It's going to help reduce the cost of finding the right drivers for customers," said Rich Tong, Microsoft general manager for corporate and network systems, which includes Windows NT marketing. The disk was the first CD released for Windows NT under the Microsoft TechNet program, a quarterly service offering that provides users with substantial volumes of additional support materials. Annual subscriptions to the TechNet CD cost $295 for a single-user license or $695 for a single-server license that allows access by an unlimited number of users. A subscription to TechNet also provides cumulative monthly CDs that contain Microsoft's Knowledgebase, its internal support database on the company's products, and Resource Kits for all of Microsoft's systems products. Also included are training materials and session notes from key Microsoft conferences, according to the company. Stuart J. Johnston, Computerworld -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 5 Digital Customer Testimonials OSF/1, OpenVMS and WNT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- CUSTOMER NAME LOC Alpha Operating Client Other Highlights AXP System(s) Server Featured in Testimonial --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weavexx NC Yes Comm Unix No ASK, Migrations The Limited OH Yes Comm Unix No VIS/CICS Migrt'n US Navy RI Yes Comm Unix Yes Oracle DB TriValley CA Yes OpenVMS Yes Sybase, VMS Migrtn Ease Shaw Comm Canada Ready OpenVMS Yes POLYCENTER Siliconix CA Yes OpenVMS Yes SAP R/3, PROMIS Systemetrics MA Yes NT Yes Mult. Platform Support WEAVEXX P.1 Weavexx, the largest supplier of fabric belts to North America's paper and pulp industries, was established in October 1992 from two competing companies. The new company is integrating the former operating units into a single, more responsive and cost-effective operation using an information system from Digital Equipment Corporation and ASK Computer Company, a Digital cooperative marketing partner. Forging one strong organization that spans the previous companies' nine plants in the United States and Canada meant Weavexx had to replace their mix of dated mainframes with a single, enterprise system open to the future. Finding no common foundation for the new company among the legacy systems, Weavexx decided to build an open systems environment and to purchase industry-leading applications software. Weavexx chose as its platform a DEC 7000 AXP computer with the DEC OSF/1 operating system that runs ASK's MANMAN/X complete business management system for manufacturers. "We faced five different information systems," says John McCarley, manager of information systems for Weavexx. "One open system from Digital replaces four mainframes and four minicomputers, and provides far more power at less cost. "We believe our Alpha AXP solution gives us far greater flexibility, performance, and speed than a proprietary mainframe, and at a fraction of the price," says Mr. McCarley. "The Alpha AXP solution provides us with ample power to drive our organization now and in the future. And, as our needs grow and change, this open systems environment has the flexibility to change with our business. We are well positioned to easily add a client-server dimension as our business evolves." Weavexx is meeting its aggressive timetable to implement the new system. "Our goal is full functional integration of nine plants by the middle of 1994, when we will decommission every mainframe," Mr. McCarley says. The company began to use the corporate general ledger module within 45 days of purchase. Now, users in Weavexx's nine sites in the United States and Canada perform order processing, sales reporting, invoicing, and accounts receivables functions with the system, which handles both US and Canadian currencies and units of measure. Because Weavexx custom-builds every product, its profitability requires tight control of cost, quality, and timeliness. Access to integrated plant and corporate information enables Weavexx to make more efficient use of resources. Weavexx will schedule nine plants centrally as nine work centers, and view and manage the plants' backlogs as one. "We are gaining the flexibility to build product where costs are lowest and delivery is shortest, without sacrificing quality," says Mr. McCarley. The coupling of the Alpha AXP environment with the business management system allows rapid processing of complex information that can help Weavexx more precisely manage operations. Mr. McCarley commends the collaboration of Digital and ASK. "Digital's commitment to OSF/1 and Alpha technologies is impressive," he says. "We value the depth and availability of Digital's expertise. "Building a system that is integral to our company, we chose our business partners with care. We selected responsive companies with outstanding reputations for delivering complex information systems." John McCarley Weavexx, Manager of Information Systems Wake Forest, North Carolina -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 6 US NAVY P. 1 A group that performs systems integration for the United States Navy, the Naval Computer Telecommunications Station (NCTS) chose the Digital Equipment Corporation to downsize a mission-critical application from an outdated Unisys mainframe to an open, client/server environment. The Digital solution will dramatically increase the productivity of end users and reduce processing costs. NCTS selected an Alpha AXP DEC 4000 database server with DEC OSF/1 to run the ORACLE V7 relational database system from the Oracle Corporation. "The Alpha AXP environment offers the best price-performance among open systems platforms," says Joseph Czerwinski, NCTS Director of the Information Systems Division, and manager of the project on behalf of the Information Resources Management Division (IRMD) of the Naval Material Quality Assessment Office. "And the Alpha AXP architecture can satisfy IRMD's needs now and in the future." Meeting the project's aggressive goals and schedule, Digital provided consulting to specify an open-systems environment and then participated in converting the application onto the open Alpha AXP platform preferred by NCTS. Navy procurement officers use the application to track contractor performance and improve the quality of materials that contractors supply to Navy system commands. Already strained by severe backlogs and costly programming overhead, IRMD recognized that the existing information management system was no match for end users' expanding requirements. The Federal Government's 1995 goal of 100% contractor compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations promised to increase the size, speed, and complexity of these information needs. IRMD required rapid definition and delivery of an open, client/server environment for the application. NCTS and Digital proposed and delivered a solution that provides end users with timely, flexible access to information while cutting programming cost and time. "Digital consultants steered us into the appropriate technology," says Paul A. Couture, Head, IRMD. "And they subdivided our transition to the client/server environment into a multi-phased, cost-effective, user-friendly process." Digital provided expertise in relational database and client/server design and development for the open system, which allows end users to make ad hoc queries and design their own reports using standards-compliant packages that IRMD can easily integrate, change, and expand to meet end-users' evolving requirements. US NAVY P. 2 "The scalable Alpha AXP environment allows us to size our investment to our needs," says Mr. Couture. Now serving 30 users, when fully implemented the system will support 400 users nationwide. "Digital's direct participation was a major advantage," says Mr. Czerwinski. "They provided indepth expertise in open systems, and applied a methodology that builds customer consensus and progresses in well-defined phases. We learned a great deal from working with Digital that we can apply in future projects." Joseph Czerwinski Director of Information Systems Division Naval Computer Telecommunications Station Newport, Rhode Island Paul Coutere Head, Information Resources Management Division Naval Material Quality Assessment Office Portsmouth, New Hampshire -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 7 THE LIMITED DISTRIBUTION SERVICES P. 1 The Limited, Inc., one of the nation's largest specialty retailers, ships more than one million cartons of merchandise during peak months to its 4,600 stores. The shipping and transportation arm of the $7 billion retailer, Limited Distribution Services efficiently processes this enormous volume of goods using an open, distributed Alpha AXP computing environment from Digital Equipment Corporation. "The shipping system handles far more volume now that the open environment from Digital has replaced an IBM mainframe," says David Leighton, Director of Information Systems for The Limited Distribution Services, located at corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. "And the Digital environment saves us $600,000 a year in mainframe usage and payroll." Achieving higher return from information systems is a goal of The Limited, which is decentralizing information processing to its business units. "We need the agility to move quickly in a fast-paced, highly competitive industry," says Mr. Leighton. This goal led Limited Distribution Services to seek a more efficient platform for its complex, CICS-based shipping and transportation application, which ran on a shared IBM mainframe. Digital proposed downsizing the application with a cost-effective solution that spared Distribution Services the cost and time of rewriting the 350-module application. Digital consultants conducted feasability studies and specified a DEC 4000 AXP Server with the DEC OSF/1 operating system, which offered a robust environment for the large COBOL application. They also proposed a third-party package that allowed Distribution Services to rehost the application without rewriting code: VIS/TP from VISystems, which emulates the CICS environment on the DEC OSF/1 operating system. Pruning dated code to take advantage of the new Alpha AXP architecture, Distribution Services IS staff pared the application down to 200 modules. They transfered the streamlined application to the VIS/TP platform, satisfying Distribution Services' timetable to move off the mainframe. Digital's Console Manager workstation software monitors the computers as they process shipments around the clock. The TCP/IP network also includes an application on dual DECsystem 5500 computers. This system controls the conveyors and scanner devices that track incoming and outbound cartons. THE LIMITED DISTRIBUTION SERVICES P. 2 While increasing the efficiency of operations, the Digital solution also enhances the productivity of IS staff. "Lights out" management with such software as Console Manager and DEC Network Save and Restore enables IS professionals to focus on development rather than operations. Developers find the flexible, dynamic environment easy to adapt and expand to suit evolving business needs. "The open, modular environment from Digital enables us to distribute functions in ways that advance our business," says Mr. Leighton, "while allowing us to retain the 'glass house' advantages of a single, central point for management, back up, and security. We have the best of both worlds." David Leighton Director of Information Systems The Limited Distribution Services Columbus, Ohio -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 8 TRI VALLEY GROWERS P. 1 Tri Valley Growers, a privately-held cooperative that includes California's major producers, runs the second-largest canned goods operation in the United States. A Fortune 500 company, Tri Valley has increased its cost effectiveness and competitiveness with an open, Alpha AXP, client/server environment from Digital Equipment Corporation. "Our existing system had all kinds of problems," says James M. Spitze, Tri Valley Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. "We replaced it with a demonstrably superior system that can better handle our mission-critical applications. We've trimmed the cycle time of customer orders, and increased the timeliness and accuracy of payments to growers." Two years ago, Tri Valley recognized its need to achieve dramatic productivity gains. "Margins are slim in the food business," says Mr. Spitze. "The industry is in flux. We needed to change our processes and information systems." Tri Valley supplies private label accounts, which comprise 75% of its customer base, as well as its own brand, S & W Fine Foods. Storing produce in unlabeled cans, Tri Valley assembles, labels, packs, and ships inventory to order. "To remain competitive, we had to improve our cycle time from order to delivery," says Mr. Spitze. "The industry average was 7 days. Our first goal was to achieve a consistent 12-to-13 day cycle time. We met this goal by cleaning up our processes." Then Tri Valley introduced the Alpha AXP system, which gave customer service representatives immediate, online confirmation of produce availability and account credit status. "Combining our new system with streamlined processes, we trimmed cycle times to 7 days, and reduced cycles for some items to 4 days," says Mr. Spitze. During Tri Valley's annual 12-to-15 week packing season, the Alpha AXP environment issues progress and cash payments to more than 700 growers' multiple assignments, including their members, business partners, and banks. Tri Valley's dynamic production and development environment replaces its slow, error-prone, and rigid batch system based on COBOL and RMS. Tri Valley chose Digital's OpenVMS operating system and SYBASE SQL Server from Sybase, Inc., a Digital cooperative marketing partner, as its strategic client-server platform. The corporate data repository comprises DEC 4000 AXP Servers in a dual- processor configuration with the OpenVMS operating system and the Sybase relational database management system. A high-speed Ethernet LAN from Digital links the Alpha AXP server at Tri Valley's San Francisco headquarters with customer service representatives' 100 PCs and growers' 40 Macintosh systems, located at sites throughout California. The Digital system enables growers and customer service representatives to access critical information when, where and how they need it using their preferred desktop tools. And the solution provides Tri Valley with a dynamic application development environment. "Digital was already inhouse when I joined Tri Valley," says Mr. Spitze, whose prior experience was with IBM mainframes. "The Digital computers are very reliable and require few staff. And the Alpha price/performance advantage is obvious: we went with the Alpha AXP systems as soon as they were available. "I was impressed with the ease of transfering OpenVMS from the VAX to Alpha AXP," says Mr. Spitze. "We installed the Alpha AXP systems over a weekend, with no hiccups." The Sybase system offers flexible and efficient database management, including compatibility with Tri Valley's choice of object-oriented tools. For example, customer service representatives use PowerBuilder from Powersoft on their DEC 486 PCs. Mr. Spitze credits Tri Valley's success to the effective interplay of the right people, processes, and tools. "We were focused," he says. "We knew what we wanted to do and we kept our eyes on the ball. Senior management were committed to the project. Luckily, we had talented and eager users and systems people. They formed a small but excellent team. Simplicity was another advantage. We focused on core business needs. Users decided what they really wanted. And Digital's Alpha AXP client/server environment gave us the flexible, reliable, and cost-effective foundation to achieve our goals." -James M. Spitze Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Tri Valley Growers San Francisco, CA. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 9 SHAW COMMUNICATIONS, INC. P. 1 Shaw Communications, Inc. operates the third-largest cable company in Canada and serves more than 900,000 subscribers. Shaw Communications is building its leadership by enhancing services while controlling costs with a continent-wide network from Digital Equipment Corporation. "We are moving ahead, working with Digital," says Bill Sorensen, Shaw's Vice President of Information Services. "Digital enables us to expand our systems with our business, taking advantage of the latest technology. Digital provides us with a smooth migration path to the Alpha AXP architecture, which offers the fastest processing and best price performance in the industry. "Our goal is to give subscribers the best value for their dollar," says Mr. Sorensen. "This goal challenges us to be on the leading edge in both cable delivery systems and information technology." Shaw's subscriber base has tripled, and the growing customer population demands an ever-expanding spectrum of services. Shaw plans to extend operations to provide pay-per-view around the clock. As Shaw transforms the subscriber's television into a comprehensive entertainment and information resource, the company plans to offer a virtually unlimited array of services. Shaw manages this growth using Alpha-ready VAX 7000 computers with the OpenVMS operating system as hubs of a coast-to-coast, high speed Ethernet network from Digital. Advanced DECHub router and bridging technology connects Shaw's headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta; regional centers in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Bedford, Nova Scotia; and sites that serve subscribers in outlying areas. Shaw uses the Digital network to deliver advanced services, manage explosive growth, and pursue an aggressive acquisitions strategy to increase revenue. In the rapidly-consolidating cable industry, competing with the best value and price requires the financial strength that Shaw is building by diversification. The network provides cost-effective, efficient, centralized operation and administration of Shaw's nationwide operations. This dynamic portfolio includes Shaw Cablevision, Shaw Radio, and Shaw Televisual Services. "We handle it all through our computing environment from Digital," says Mr. Sorensen. Shaw relies on this transaction processing environment to run its inhouse-developed subscriber management and billing systems and pay-per-view application as well as the Renaissance CS Financial Series from Ross Systems, Inc. "The Digitalenvironment is 100% reliable," says Mr. Sorensen of Shaw's decade-long experience with Digital computers. SHAW COMMUNICATIONS P. 2 Pay-per-view subscribers order through the system at a local level. Regional centers prepare bills and then transfer them via the network for printing on high-volume laser printers in Edmonton headquarters. Shaw generates revenue with the system by outsourcing cable billing and customer database services to smaller cable companies. Mr. Sorensen and his twelve-member Information Services team efficiently manage a network that spans four time zones. As Shaw Cablevision becomes an around-the-clock operation, they plan to use Digital's POLYCENTER "lights out" network management solution to expand service without adding staff. "Digital and Shaw complement one anothers' expertise," says Mr. Sorensen."We work together well to move Shaw Communications ahead with timely and cost-effective information solutions." --Bill Sorensen Vice President of Information Services Edmonton, Alberta Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 10 SILICONIX INTEGRATES WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS WITH ALPHA AXP CLIENT/SERVER TECHNOLOGY Siliconix, a worldwide semiconductor manufacturer based in Santa Clara, California, is implementing an integrated client/server business and manufacturing solution on Digital's Alpha AXP technology. The Digital systems will run R/3, a suite of integrated business applications from SAP, and PROMIS, a plant and shop floor control application from PROMIS Systems Corporation. The solution will unify the company's worldwide operations, allowing Siliconix to better manage its business, control costs and increase responsiveness to customers. Like many companies with facilities dispersed around the globe, Siliconix's computing environment comprised a mix of disparate hardware platforms and standalone applications. For example, manufacturing systems were split between an outsourced IBM mainframe running a standalone MRP application for assembly and testing, and an in-house Digital VAX system running the PROMIS solution. In total, 18 different standalone business and manufacturing applications were in use at Siliconix sites around the world. In response, Siliconix set a corporate goal to simplify its IS environment. "The environment was limiting our ability to manage our worldwide business operations," explains Lois Cornell, Senior IT Manager for Siliconix. "We needed real-time business and manufacturing data to improve our decision-making capacity, increase our responsiveness to customers, and cut processing costs. To reach these goals, we chose an integrated client/server solution from Digital and software partners SAP and PROMIS Systems." Siliconix will be the first company to integrate the PROMIS application with the R/3 applications, which include accounting, fixed assets, costing, sales and distribution, and material management modules. The solution will provide headquarters, as well as four other Siliconix sites in Manila, Taiwan, the UK and Singapore with immediate on-line access to critical data, such as financial and product availability information. SILICONIX P. 2 "Siliconix has always had a strong customer service focus. With desktop access to worldwide information 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, we can respond quickly to customer requests for product availability and delivery, giving us a distinct competitive advantage," says Cornell. The solution is also expected to save Siliconix millions in outsourcing costs--the company expects a return on its investment within 24 months of implementation. "The bottom line is that Siliconix will be better able to implement and control our business today and in the future," says Cornell. "We look forward to enjoying a long and profitable partnership with Digital." Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, MA is the leading worldwide supplier of networked computer systems, software and services. Digital leads the industry in interactive, distributed and multivendor computing. Digital and its business partners deliver the power to use the best integrated solutions--from desktop to data center--in open information environments. -Lois Cornell Senior Information Technology Manager Siliconix Santa Clara, California SAP is a Digital business partner and has worked jointly with the company since 1986. Headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, SAP is one of the world's largest software vendors with more than 2,300 customers worldwide. PROMIS is developed, marketed and sold by PROMIS Systems Corporation, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. TESTIMONIAL QUOTE FOR EXTERNAL AUDIENCE/CUSTOMER PRESENTATIONS Siliconix, a worldwide designer, manufacturer and marketer of semiconductor products, is implementing an integrated client/server manufacturing and business solution on Alpha AXP technology. "We needed real-time business and manufacturing data to improve our decision-making capacity, increase our responsiveness to customers, and cut processing costs. To reach these goals, we chose an integrated client/server solution from Digital and software partners SAP and PROMIS Systems Corporation. With desktop access to worldwide information 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, we can respond quickly to customer requests for product availability and delivery, giving us a distinct competitive advantage. The bottom line is that Siliconix will be better able to understand and control our business today and in the future." - Lois Cornell Senior Information Technology Manager Siliconix Santa Clara, California -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 11 SYSTEMETRICS INC. P. 1 Windows NT Application Uses DECpc AXP Technology to Put Message Control into the Hands of the PC User A new version of PageMate software from Systemetrics, Inc. gives personal computer users hands-on control of pager messaging by offering them the ability to send messages directly from their desktops to electronic pagers around the world. Direct access to international pager networks eliminates the need for operators who can garble messages, slow down transmission, and drive up costs. Users can send text or numeric messages directly from OpenVMS, Windows NT, and Windows 3.1 systems via industry-leading local, national, and international networks, including MobileComm, SkyTel, PacTel, Cantel, and other commercial and private networks. The ability to offer users this broad variety of support stems from Systemetrics' decision to develop on the new Digital Alpha AXP platform using Windows NT technology. "The opportunity to develop PageMate on the DECpc AXP has enabled us to broaden our marketing focus to include not only Windows NT but most of the Windows 3.1 user community as well," said Chris Summerfield, Product Manager for Systemetrics. According to Summerfield, the close working relationship between Digital and Microsoft and Digital's strong commitment to industry standards was critical to achieving this goal. "Digital and Microsoft's support for the Open Software Foundation's DCE RPC (Distributed Computing Environment Remote Procedure Call) provided us with a compatible procedure calling mechanism between OpenVMS, OSF/1, and Windows NT, making cross- platform development easy. Digital's commitment to support three major, industry standard operating systems on a single DECpc AXP platform, and the company's ability to provide early hardware and software support on Windows NT gave us a head start," Summerfield said. "This is the first time in the history of computing that we have been able to buy a system that has broad use across such a wide spectrum of operating systems." PageMate, the industry's first support for text and numeric paging from OpenVMS and Windows NT systems, operates as a distributed application in a heterogeneous computing environment. The product offers a broad range of paging features including a variety of user interfaces: video forms interface for character-cell terminals, Windows interface for Windows NT and Windows 3.1 PCs, Motif interface for X Windows terminals and workstations, and an API for site-specific applications. Users need not have a modem or a telephone line connected to their PC, workstation or terminal if a PageMate server is configured in their network. SYSTEMETRICS, INC P. 2 Systemetrics, Inc., a Digital Independent Software Vendor, was established in 1984 and is a pioneer in the development of new technologies for system management. Its SENTRY automated operations software was the first to use DECtalk speech synthesis technology in a system management application. The company's AudioToolKit product provided the industry's first support of desktop audio on VAXstation 4000 and Alpha AXP workstations. Digital Equipment Corporation, headquartered in Maynard, Massachusetts, is the leading worldwide supplier of networked computer systems, software and services. Digital pioneered and leads the industry in interactive, distributed and multivendor computing. Digital and its business partners deliver the power to use the best integrated solutions - from desktop to data center - in open information environments. --Chris Summerfield Product Manager Systemetrics, Inc. Cambridge, MA SYSTEMETRICS, INC. P. 3 CUSTOMER QUOTES FOR EXTERNAL USE "The DECpc AXP technology is a quantum leap in processing power." "The opportunity to develop PageMate on the DECpc AXP 150 has enabled us to broaden our marketing focus to include not only Windows NT but most of the Windows 3.1 user community as well." "The DECpc AXP platform provides us with two major benefits. First is the window it provides into the PC market. Second is the economic benefit of running and supporting multiple operating systems on a single hardware platform." "Digital's decision to support all three major operating systems on the DECpc AXP platform has been the single most significant factor in getting us to port software to other operating system environments." "Having confidence in the longevity of our investment in the DECpc AXP platform is important to us. This is the first time in the history of computing that we have been able to buy a system that has broad use across such a wide spectrum of operating systems. It is also very nice for us that it happens to be one of the fastest hardware platforms in the world today." --Chris Summerfield Product Manager Systemetrics, Inc. Cambridge, MA. COMPANY OVERVIEW Systemetrics, Inc., a Digital Independent Software vendor, was established in 1984 and is a pioneer in the development of new technologies for system management. Its SENTRY automated operations software was the first to use DECtalk speech synthesis technology in a system management application. The company's AudioToolKit product provided the industry's first support of desktop audio on VAXstation 4000 and Alpha AXP workstations. Its newest product, PageMate, offers the industry's first support for text and numeric paging from OpenVMS and Windows NT systems. PRODUCT OVERVIEW PageMate software from Systemetrics, Inc. allows users to send messages to international pager networks directly from PCs on a network. Designed to operate on a DECpc AXP platform, the system can accommodate OpenVMS, Windows NT or Windows 3.1 environments. PageMate gives PC users direct access to international pager networks eliminating the need for operators who can garble messages, slow down transmission and drive up costs. The product offers a wide spectrum of paging features. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 12 BANK OF MONTREAL CENTERS ITS BUSINESS APPROACH AROUND THE CUSTOMER Putting Imagination to Work... Implementing Open Client/Server Solutions "The 'Desktop' project helped the Bank rethink the way it does business," explains Mike Frow, Vice President at Bank of Montreal and a key visionary behind the pilot. The Bank's goal was straightforward: to change its business process to improve its service to large corporate customers and improve productivity. However, with worldwide users on 44 different databases, the implementation of that goal presented a challenge to the Bank's business and technical management. >From its roots as Canada's first bank 175 years ago, Bank of Montreal has learned to change competitively with the times. One of the country's largest banks, with 1,200 domestic branches and 33,000 employees globally, Bank of Montreal currently has assets of $110 billion (CDN), which make it the tenth- largest bank in North America. Approximately one-third of those assets are held in the United States, where in addition to corporate customers, the Greater Midwest retail and commercial marketplace is served by Harris Bankcorp of Chicago, an affiliate of Bank of Montreal. In an increasingly complex global environment, Bank of Montreal's Corporate and Industrial Financial Services group decided to re-engineer the way it did business -- to build an organization where the creativity of its people would replace the drudgery of its processes -- and where its human advantage would be its competitive advantage. The tactic would be to put technology right at the front of the business process in order to leverage the individual and team capabilities of the Bank's employees. This decision was also driven by the Bank's focus on customer service. Bank of Montreal is committed to an ongoing program of customer satisfaction monitoring, and clients told the Bank that they wanted responsive, creative professional staff who understood their needs and were in constant contact. Also important to clients was the turnaround time on credit applications. Essentially, the better the Bank understood and could meet the needs of its clients, the more likely it would continue its success. But obtaining a comprehensive picture of a client's relationship with Bank of Montreal was not simply done. The separate computer systems introduced to deliver and manage new products and services each contained a different subset of information on the Bank's clients. While the systems were advanced in design and nature, access to information in each required a different procedure and typically a paper-based request. Furthermore, creating and updating basic client documents could be a lengthy process. To take a practical example, "if you wanted to fill in a credit application," said Frow, "you had to go to a multitude of different databases or talk to many different people." The first priority of the "Desktop" was to organize information around corporate client relationships. The second priority was to start delivering information in a more timely manner directly to people who needed it. Innovation in a New Business Management Framework ================================================= LinkWorks(tm) is a new Business Management Frameworks environment from Digital. Based on the most modern client/server computer technology, LinkWorks provides an integration infrastructure which combines the "Desktop" with the advantage of a unified, centrally managed multiuser system environment. With its innovative focus on improving customer service, the Bank decided to implement LinkWorks. In addition, the Bank selected Digital to deliver integration and consulting services. Recognizing that any new tools would have to work with the existing data systems and network, the Bank reviewed a number of vendors' solutions and chose Digital because the Bank wanted to move toward an object-oriented client/server environment. The Bank also needed expertise to integrate its systems. "We weren't going to replace 44 systems," said Frow. "The trick was going to be how we could integrate many of those systems within the desktop environment and make them appear to be one -- in short, to align the architecture of our data with our corporate customer focused strategies." Information Sharing Without Risking Confidentiality =================================================== "There are considerable advantages to a mature object-oriented environment," Frow adds. "The only way to meet the business need is to run with an object- oriented client/server environment to make certain we're distributing a common file and one-step entry. We are also concerned with making sure that information is provided only to the people who need and are entitled to it." Another Bank requirement was platform independence. "We didn't want to be tied to a particular office system or a particular vendor. We have documents going back and forth between different divisions and various support groups. To accommodate UNIX(r), Macintosh(r) and PC environments all hooked up together, both at the front end and the back end, there had to be a lot of platform independence." The new system also had to be usable. Successful management of end-user computing is a major issue for business today. There is a tremendous cost to maintenance and provision of a supporting infrastructure, and a growing acknowledgment that successful companies will take steps to make systems "pay their own way." This is reflected in Bank of Montreal's approach to technology. "Our relationship managers had used computers before," observed Frow, "but in some cases they were almost little more than expensive paperweights on people's desks. They definitely weren't integrated in a meaningful way into the way we did business. Our approach could be compared to inverting the pyramid of a desk and a PC -- historically a PC sat on a desk, and with the 'Desktop' we took the desk and put it in the PC." Streamlining Business While Improving Productivity ================================================== The Bank recognized that the technology tool would be effective only if its work force found it useful. One of the greatest challenges would be to ensure that the new technology served relationship managers instead of subjugating them to increased pressures and demands. The Bank decided that if people with limited technology exposure endorsed the ease of use and productivity of the new system, there was a far greater chance of its acceptance, so it purposely piloted the "Desktop" in an environment with the least technological exposure. And it focused the first applications prototyped on the credit process, where it was judged the biggest paybacks would occur both in terms of customer service and productivity. Productivity was an important consideration for the Bank, as it had made an organizational commitment to be a leading Canadian bank in this area. Within one month of introducing LinkWorks to the pilot workgroup, the process was reduced substantially. By automating the information collection from the mainframe and entering it into the credit application form, employees saved up to eight hours per application. When asked if they wanted to go back to doing the business the way they used to, the employees responded with a unanimous, "No!" A Common Business Problem and an Integrated Team Solution ========================================================= Frow also sees the Bank's business needs as common to other businesses. "There's nothing unique to a bank. I think our needs are the same as many large corporations that invested in technology over a period of time. These are the challenges corporations have when they are organized around functional units. Customers don't see us that way -- customers see us as one unit, as Bank of Montreal. "Big corporations have invested in technology, and they've got systems that they can't afford to replace. So they need to find a way of working with them. The business challenges that we've tackled are not specific to the banking industry." Frow emphasizes, "I can't stress strongly enough that it's a business project as opposed to a technology project. We went through a rapid prototyping and development that challenged people on the technology side and the business side. As a result, we found new and constructive ways of working together." - Mike Frow Vice President Bank of Montreal BANK OF MONTREAL P. 3 LinkWorks provides a tailorable, easy-to-use interface and supports common user desktop devices. Based on industry-standard relational technology, LinkWorks is an object-oriented integration platform for open systems. LinkWorks Highlights ==================== o Ability to easily extract information from corporate databases without changing the corporate infrastructure. o A strong security capability to assure control of both the raw data and the result. Control can vary by each report. o An inherent workflow capability to effectively manage the process without leaving the environment, transparent to the user. o A sharing capability to make results more readily obtainable -- with controlled security. o A remote capability, which allows an account manager to gain access to information about accounts from any authorized location. o An iconic user interface that emulates the desktop (filing cabinets, wastebaskets, etc.), which simplifies the inherent features of the application, making it friendly for nontechnical users. o An ability to combine functions (transparent to the user) in a manner that allows users desktop choices in an environment that incorporates personal and groupware applications on an integration platform. Standard desktop applications, such as WordPerfect(tm), are included. Digital is the leading supplier of Business Management Frameworks. LinkWorks combines a framework, mail/word processing with other applications, and customization capability. Consulting support is available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 13 DFWLUG Contact list The DFWLUG Steering Committee: Chairman: Lon Crozier Meeting David Whitten Snelling & Snelling Coordinator: National Health Labs 12801 N. Central Expwy 12160 Abrams Rd #601 Dallas, TX 75243 Dallas Texas (214) 239-7575 (214) 437-5255 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 VENDOR Robert Eden NEWSLETTER Jo Ann Catcott SERVICES: 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 CLASS-PASS Wayne Sewell CO-EDITOR: Allied Electronics COORDINATOR: Tachyon Software Consulting 7410 Pebble Drive P.O. Box 550937 Fort Worth, TX 76118 Dallas, TX 75355 (817) 595-3500 (214) 553-9760 (VOICE) (214) 553-0077 (FAX) LIBRARIAN: Richard Wilson DECUS Membership Processing Electronic Data Systems NATIONAL: DECUS US Chapter 5400 Legacy Dr 333 South Street,SHR1-4/D33 Plano, TX 75024 Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4195 (214) 604-1456 1-(800) DECUS55 DIGITAL John Wisniewski COUNTERPART: Digital Equipment Corp 14131 Midway Road Dallas, TX 75244 (214) 404-6412 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 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 14 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 1400+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 4 NUMBER 2 PAGE 15 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 | / ---- \ | 12th Anniversary(*1982-1994*) | | | | Celebrating over 12 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 4 Number 2 February 2nd, 1994 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 1994. 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 : -1994 <><><><><><><><> ---------------------------------end-------------------------------------------