AAREADME.2ND =============================================================================== BUILDING / USING THE SOFTWARE 1. If you want to rebuild the software from the sources... Once you have obtained/expanded (etc) the kit files, set default to the [.SRC] subdirectory: $ SET DEFAULT [PROBE.SRC] ! or whatever specification is appropriate Invoke the building process by typing: $ @BUILD ! default or $ @BUILD NOCOMPILE ! if you do not have VAXC installed or if ! your compiler is generating errors. This command procedure will assemble/compile and link 4 different images, namely PROBE.EXE, ACQ.EXE, DMS.EXE and REPLAY.EXE. All intermediate files will be preserved. 2. Before the programs can be executed... The *JOB* logical name SYS_PROBE must be defined to point to the directory where the executable files exist. The file [PROBE]SETUP.COM is provided for this purpose and to modify the process command table with the definition for PROBE. You would typically prepare the utility once per login by issuing the following command: $ @[PROBE]SETUP ! or equivalent specification where is the logical or physical specification of the drive where the software is installed. You may wish to update the system command table SYS$LIBRARY:DCLTABLES.EXE so that the PROBE command is permanently available system-wide. You could also define the (JOB) logical name SYS_PROBE as part of your login procedure. If you do both of these steps, the file SETUP.COM is of no further use to you. 3. Reading the documentation... A help library is provided for your perusal: $ HELP/LIBRARY=SYS_PROBE:PROBE PROBE You may wish to merge the help information located in [PROBE.SRC]PROBE.HLP into the VMS library SYS$LIBRARY:HELPLIB.HLB or some other library of your choice and pointed to with a HLP$LIBRARY_x logical name. You would then see PROBE information by issuing an unqualified HELP command. 4. Trying it up... Invoking the utility is simply: $ PROBE /qualifier... as described by the help information. =============================================================================== A BIT OF HISTORY... Probe evolved from a personal project (EE master's course and research) and was mostly developed circa 1989-1991. Since it proved a useful utility in my then-current job, I enhanced it on my spare time based on co-worker feedback and on my own experience and interests. I consider Probe to be unfinished in some areas. Some parts are unpolished, some I would rewrite for clarity (modularity), some commented-out (future plans) stubs could be expanded (given time!), some development code could be removed... but overall, the software has shown itself to be very robust and stable, even under very heavy network loads. Early implementations have run on VAX/VMS since version 5.2. More recently, the software has been tested on OpenVMS VAX 5.5 through 6.1. This software was written with a "low-powered" (microVAX class) machine in mind. It is known to run on (at least): microVAX II / VAXstation 2000 VAX 3x00 / VAXstation 3100/xx VAX 4x00 / VAXstation 4000/xx VAX 6430 VAX 6610 VAX 7610 VAX 8350 VAX 8550 Due to the numerous VAX assumptions/optimizations done, this software is not AXP-ready nor could it be made such without extensive rewrite. =============================================================================== FUTURES One feature that is missing is the actual count of collisions. If someone knows how to get to this in *real-time*, your input would be valued. In the meantime, I provided a static workaround for those who have an idea of their actual average collision rate (see PROBE.CLD) to have them included in the load computations. You can roughly (statically) compute your collision rate by looking at DECnet line counters (NCP> SHOW KNOWN LINE COUNTER), dividing the total number of collided frames by the number of frames transmitted. One limitation that is hard to get around is that a given node cannot see its own transmissions. The projected workaround (V3.0) is to have another node on the same segment run a light-weight Probe to listen and feedback to the main node at regular interval. This software has not yet been tested with DECnet/OSI. An AXP/C-rewrite could be interesting. Better yet, a complete BLISS rewrite would be a nice project. Who knows ?! ===============================================================================