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     Ethernet Communications Server

     Terminal Server

     Release Notes

     (TOPS-20)


















     February 1986


     The Terminal Server Release Notes contain update information  and
     other  miscellaneous  items  not  included  in  the  rest  of the
     Terminal Server documentation set.



          SOFTWARE VERSION:  Terminal Server V2.1



The information in this document is subject to change  without  notice
and  should  not  be  construed  as  a commitment by Digital Equipment
Corporation.  Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no  responsibility
for any errors that may appear in this document.

The software described in this manual is furnished under a license and
may  be  used  or  copied  only  in  accordance with the terms of such
license.

No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software on
equipment that is not supplied by Digital or its affiliated companies.



         Copyright (c) 1986 by Digital Equipment Corporation.
                         All Rights Reserved.










The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation:

          DEC            PDP            UNIBUS
          DECmate        P/OS           VAX
          DECnet         Professional   VAXcluster
          MicroVAX       Rainbow        VMS
          MicroVMS       RSX            VT

And the Digital logo:

 ___________________________
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | TM
| d | i | g | i | t | a | l |
|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|
                                                              Page iii


                                   CONTENTS

        1       DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TERMINAL SERVER V2.0 AND V2.1  . 1
        2       USING TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 WITH TOPS-20 LAT SERVICE 
                NODES  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
        3       RESTRICTIONS ON HOST-INITIATED CONNECTIONS . . . . . 2
        4       BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY OF SERVER SOFTWARE . . . . . 2
        5       TROUBLESHOOTING  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
        6       DEFAULT PASSWORDS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
        7       COMMAND SYNTAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
        8       CONNECTING TO TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 SERVICES  . . . . 3
        9       PORT FLOW CONTROL  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
        10      SIDE EFFECTS OF USING THE BREAK KEY  . . . . . . . . 5
        11      USING PARITY WITH TERMINALS AND PERSONAL COMPUTERS . 5
        12      PORTS WITH DEDICATED SERVICES  . . . . . . . . . . . 5
        13      USING THE TEST COMMAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
        14      VT200 TERMINALS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
        15      FILE TRANSFERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
        16      EXITING FROM THE REMOTE CONSOLE PROGRAM (RMTCON.EXE) 7
        17      REPORTING PROBLEMS AND ERRORS  . . . . . . . . . . . 7
        18      DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR TERMINAL SERVER GUIDES  . . . . 8
        19      HOW TO ORDER ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION  . . . . . .  11











                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES



1  DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TERMINAL SERVER V2.0 AND V2.1

Ethernet Terminal Server V2.1  is  an  enhanced  replacement  for  the
current  Ethernet  Terminal  Server  V2.0  product.  The V2.1 software
provides the functionality of the V2.0 software with added features to
allow the server to:

      o  Provide optional password protection at connection  time  for
         services offered by the server.  Users who wish to connect to
         such services may be prompted for  a  password  before  their
         connection can be completed.  The server manager can assign a
         unique password to each service.

      o  Automatically log out from the server  those  users  with  no
         sessions.   This  feature  can  be  enabled on a port-by-port
         basis and uses a timer interval that can be modified  by  the
         server manager.

      o  Automatically drop modem signals on a  dial-in  port  with  a
         dedicated service when the user logs out of from the service.
         The port must have the autoconnect feature disabled.

      o  Provide a single command that a user can invoke to prepare  a
         LAT  session  for  applications  (such as file transfers with
         personal computers) that require data transparency.

      o  Permit non-privileged users to set any subset of  the  server
         groups  for  their  individual ports, rather than just one or
         all groups.

In addition, the V2.1 software includes V2.0 bug fixes and  a  variety
of  minor enhancements.  For a complete description of the features of
Terminal Server V2.1, refer to the Terminal  Server  Operations  Guide
and User's Pocket Guide.







                                  1
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


2  USING TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 WITH TOPS-20 LAT SERVICE NODES

Terminal Server V2.1 has two new features that cannot be used when the
server is communicating with TOPS V6.1 service nodes:

      o  The server can accept (and optionally  queue)  host-initiated
         connections  to  provide  transparent printer support for LAT
         service nodes.  Server command are  provided  to  manage  the
         queuing of host-initiated connections.

      o  The server can pass physical terminal  characteristics  (such
         as  speed  and  parity),  server  name,  and port name to LAT
         service nodes.

Terminal Server V2.1 uses an enhanced  version  of  the  LAT  protocol
(V5.1)  in  implementing these features.  A LAT service node must also
implement the same version of the protocol in order to take  advantage
of  these  features.   TOPS  V6.1 supports only the LAT V5.0 protocol.
Therefore, these features are unavailable to TOPS-20 systems.



3  RESTRICTIONS ON HOST-INITIATED CONNECTIONS

This style of connection to the Terminal Server is supported only from
VAX/VMS and MicroVAX/VMS V4.2 (or later) systems which are running the
LATplus/VMS V1.0 software.  In addition, this style of  connection  is
supported only for use in remote printer applications.

LATplus/VMS software is available with Terminal Server  V2.1  VMS  and
MicroVMS  kits  and  cannot be ordered separately.  However, these VMS
systems can connect to printers on Terminal  Servers  that  have  been
downline loaded from TOPS-20 load hosts.



4  BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY OF SERVER SOFTWARE

Terminal Server V2.1 is compatible with other existing  products  that
implement  the  LAT  protocol.   This  compatibility  will  be ensured
dynamically  by  the  server  software  and  will  not   require   any
intervention on the part of the server manager.



5  TROUBLESHOOTING

Chapter 5 of the Terminal Server Operations Guide has been expanded to
include  more information on how to recognize and recover from some of
the more  common  problems  and  mistakes  that  occur  when  managing
Terminal Servers and LAT networks.



                                  2
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


One problem that is not documented in the Operations Guide occurs when
the server is running low on available pool or has reached its current
node limit.  If the server receives a multicast  message  from  a  new
node  under  the  circumstances  above,  the node will be announced as
"unknown" rather than  "reachable".   The  server  will  increase  the
resource  error  count in the SHOW SERVER display each time this event
occurs.  Refer to Chapter 5 of the Operations Guide concerning ways to
reduce occurrences of server resource errors.



6  DEFAULT PASSWORDS

The default log-in password is ACCESS.  This password is requested  on
those  ports  for  which a SET PORT PASSWORD ENABLED was issued before
the user logged in.

The default privilege password is  SYSTEM.   This  password  allows  a
nonprivileged user to gain access to privileged functions.

You  should  change  both  of   these   passwords   after   successful
installation  of  the  software,  and  thereafter  on a regular basis.
Change the passwords using the following TSC commands:

TSC> DEFINE LOGIN PASSWORD new-password
TSC> DEFINE PRIVILEGED PASSWORD new-password



7  COMMAND SYNTAX

The command syntax for the server and TSC utility  has  been  modified
slighty  to  accomodate  new  V2.1  functionality.  Some existing V2.0
commands have new parameters, and new commands have been added.

The command syntax for unprivileged and  secure  users  are  backwards
compatible  so  that  either  the  V2.0  or  V2.1  syntax is accepted.
Certain privileged commands have been changed, however, such that  the
server cannot provide backwards compatibility to the V2.0 syntax.

Please review the new command syntax  as  specified  in  the  Terminal
Server  Operations  Guide to note the changes.  You may have to change
your TSC command files if they used V2.0 privileged commands  such  as
SET SERVICE.



8  CONNECTING TO TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 SERVICES

If users of Terminal Server  V1.0  or  LAT-11  V1.1  terminal  servers
attempt  to  connect to a Terminal Server V2.1 server that offers more
than one service, those users will always be connected  to  the  first


                                  3
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


service  that  is offered, rather than the service they specify in the
CONNECT command.

If a Terminal Server V2.1 server offers more than  two  services,  the
LAT-11  V1.1  and Terminal Server V1.0 servers will not show that node
as reachable in the SHOW NODES display.  These problems  originate  in
the  LAT-11  V1.1  and  Terminal  Server  V1.0  software products, and
upgrading to  Terminal  Server  V2.1  software  is  recommended  where
possible.

Using the TSC program, a maximum of 200 services  can  be  permanently
defined in the server image on a load host.  If more than 200 services
are  defined,  the  server  may  display  a  halt  error  code  during
initialization, following a downline load.  Refer to Appendix B of the
Operations Guide for  more  information  on  codes  displayed  by  the
server.



9  PORT FLOW CONTROL

There are several situations that arise on a port where  flow  control
mechanisms  (on  either  the server or the port device) can cause port
I/O to be blocked unintentionally:

      o  Resumption of a  session  may  block  terminal  I/O  if  flow
         control  has  been disabled with a SET SESSION PASSALL or SET
         PORT FLOW DISABLED command.

      o  If a line card has been hotswapped out and back in,  terminal
         I/O  may  become  blocked.  On remote-access ports, it may be
         necessary to force the port device to recycle or  logout  its
         side of the connection to unblock the I/O.

      o  When output is in progress to a terminal and the BREAK key is
         used to get back to local mode, some types of terminals (such
         as VT125s) may block I/O.

In most cases, entering <CTRL/Q> or entering and exiting SETUP mode on
the  terminal  will  resume I/O.  On VT200 series terminals, is may be
necessary to use the "Clear Comm" option in the SETUP directory  while
in SETUP mode.

Some types of applications programs  issue  system  service  calls  to
enable  "pass-all"  mode  when  they begin execution.  With "pass-all"
enabled, these programs are passed any XON/XOFF  characters  that  are
sent  from  the  terminal.   I/O  may become blocked if the server has
received an XOFF  character  from  the  terminal  when  this  mode  is
enabled.   To  recover,  press  BREAK,  enter <CTRL/Q>, and resume the
session.  To avoid the situation, use the server's SET SESSION PASSALL
command prior to running the application program.



                                  4
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


The SET SESSION PASSALL command also should be used  to  disable  flow
control  for a session when doing operations such as personal computer
file transfers.  The host application,  however,  may  override  this.
When  doing  file  transfers,  be sure to follow the directions in the
Terminal Server User's Pocket Guide to insure  that  flow  control  is
handled  properly.   The  directions can be applied to most situations
that require the server to not intercept  special  characters  in  the
data stream.



10  SIDE EFFECTS OF USING THE BREAK KEY

The use of the BREAK key on some terminals may cause  some  characters
typed to be ignored if the characters are typed very quickly after the
BREAK.  Subsequent characters are echoed and handled correctly.

The source of the effect is within the  terminal  itself  and  is  not
related  to  the  Terminal  Server  software.   The terminals known to
exhibit this side effect are the VT101, VT102, and VT220.



11  USING PARITY WITH TERMINALS AND PERSONAL COMPUTERS

Using certain terminals and personal computers with odd parity enabled
may cause an anomaly when using the BREAK key to force the server port
into local mode.

It is possible to get a BELL when you enter the first character  after
the  BREAK  instead  of  having  the  typed character echoed.  On some
terminals, the BELL may occur on the BREAK itself.   Characters  typed
after the BELL are processed normally.  You might also notice that the
number of parity errors, as shown in the SHOW PORT and  SHOW  COUNTERS
displays, has increased at the same time.



12  PORTS WITH DEDICATED SERVICES

If a port has been defined to have a  dedicated  service,  the  server
simulates  a  "hardwired"  connection  to  the  node  which offers the
service.  Depending on what other parameters have  been  set  for  the
port, the server may require the user of the port to press <RETURN> as
many as four times before receiving a login prompt  from  the  service
node.








                                  5
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


The parameters which affect the behavior of a port in  this  situation
are  AUTOBAUD  and AUTOCONNECT.  Disabling the autobaud feature forces
the server to requires two less keystrokes.  Enabling the  autoconnect
feature may save two additional keystrokes.



13  USING THE TEST COMMAND

The test pattern that is output to a terminal when the user  issues  a
TEST  command  can usually be stopped when the user presses any key on
the keyboard.  The local mode prompt is then displayed, and  the  user
may issue another command.

If the optional PORT keyword is used in the TEST command, however, the
user  will  be  able  to stop the test pattern to the terminal only if
<BREAK> or the local switch character is pressed.



14  VT200 TERMINALS

The function keys on the VT200 series of terminals are  not  supported
in  local  mode.   For  example,  the HELP key will not display a help
message in local mode.



15  FILE TRANSFERS

ASCII and binary file transfers between an TOPS-20  LAT  service  node
and  a  Digital  personal computer are supported.  The Terminal Server
User's Pocket Guide explains the general procedure for file transfers.
Part  of  that  procedure  requires that once you have logged into the
service node using the PC in terminal emulation mode, you should issue
a  server  command  to  disable flow control for the session, and then
disable flow control at the service node before starting the transfer.

There are two steps that are necessary to disable flow control  for  a
TOPS-20 session:

     1.  Either before or after  the  session  has  been  established,
         enter  local  mode  on  the  server and issue a SET PORT FLOW
         CONTROL DISABLED command.  Note that this command  cannot  be
         issued  by  a server user whose port has been set as "secure"
         by the server manager.








                                  6
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


     2.  Resume (or establish) the session to the TOPS-20 service  and
         issue  a  SET TERMINAL NO PAUSE command after you have logged
         in.


To re-enable flow  control  after  a  file  transfer  over  a  TOPS-20
session, you must go through two steps again:

     1.  From the TOPS-20 service node, issue  a  SET  TERMINAL  PAUSE
         command.

     2.  Return to local mode on the server and issue a SET PORT  FLOW
         CONTROL  ENABLED command.  The user who has a "secure" server
         port cannot issue this command.


Refer to the TOPS-20 Commands Reference Manual for more information on
the usage and applications of PAUSE and other terminal parameters.



16  EXITING FROM THE REMOTE CONSOLE PROGRAM (RMTCON.EXE)

Do not issue either an NCP LOAD NODE or an NCP  TRIGGER  NODE  command
within one minute of entering <CTRL/D> to exit from the Remote Console
Program.

Entering either of these commands from the host within the  one-minute
period  causes  the Terminal Server to loop.  If the server does loop,
you will need to press the START button on the  Communications  Server
hardware unit to reload the Terminal Server.



17  REPORTING PROBLEMS AND ERRORS

Use Software Performance Reports (SPRs) to report  any  problems  with
the  Terminal  Server.   SPR  forms  are  included  in  your  software
distribution kit.  Additional forms can be obtained  from  your  local
Digital office.














                                  7
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


When completing an SPR form, please  describe  only  one  problem  per
form.  An SPR can be used for:

      o  Software errors

      o  Documentation errors when the documentation comment  form  is
         not appropriate

      o  Inquiries

      o  Suggestions

      o  Follow up on a previously submitted SPR

Because problems are  often  difficult  to  reproduce  with  different
system  configurations, please include as much detail as possible when
reporting a problem.  Define as precisely as  possible  the  state  of
your  system  when  the  problem occurred and indicate the sequence of
events or commands that caused the problem.  Attempt to reproduce  the
situation  -  if  it  can  be reproduced - using the minimum number of
commands.

If one of your user programs causes a problem in the Terminal  Server,
and  you  are  unable to send the program to Digital, try to reproduce
the problem with a standard utility.  If this is not possible, try  to
describe  the  operation  of  the program around the suspected failure
area.  If the problem is difficult  to  describe  or  isolate,  it  is
recommended  that you force a crash dump of the server at the time the
problem occurs.  Refer to Chapter 5 of the Terminal Server  Operations
Guide for instructions on forcing crash dumps.

Crash dumps may be created manually, or the server  may  automatically
force  a  crash  dump  if  an  internal error has been detected.  When
available, please send such crash dump file(s) to Digital on 1600  BPI
magnetic  tape  with  a short description of how the dumps were copied
onto the media.

                                 NOTE

        All media sent to Digital with an SPR will be returned
        to the sender.




18  DISTRIBUTION OF YOUR TERMINAL SERVER GUIDES

The documentation set for your Terminal Server consists of a number of
separate guides.  Some are packaged with the Terminal Server software,
some with the Terminal Server hardware.  Here  is  a  summary  of  the
guides and their intended readers.



                                  8
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


These guides are packed with the Terminal Server software:

      o  Terminal Server Operations Guide

         This guide presents the information  needed  to  operate  and
         manage  the  Terminal  Server.  Give this guide to the person
         responsible for installing,  maintaining  and  managing  your
         Terminal Server.

      o  Terminal Server Software Installation Guide (TOPS-20)

         This  contains  the  information  necessary  to  install  and
         down-line  load  the server software.  It is intended for the
         system manager of a load host or for your network manager.

      o  Terminal Server User's Pocket Guide (1 copy)

         This guide presents details on  how  to  use  an  interactive
         terminal  connected to a Terminal Server.  Each terminal user
         should have a User's Pocket Guide except those for  whom  the
         server  manager  sets  up  a dedicated service.  You may need
         more User's Pocket Guides.  See the  last  section  in  these
         Release  Notes  for  information  on  how to order additional
         documentation.

      o  Terminal Server Identification Card

         This card provides space  to  record  information  about  the
         Terminal Server hardware unit and information to identify the
         server in  DECnet  databases.   The  system  manager  of  the
         server's primary load host should keep this card.

      o  LAT Network Manager's Guide

         This is a reference guide that describes the LAT architecture
         and  the  configuration guidelines that apply to LAT terminal
         servers and service nodes.  Give this guide to  your  network
         manager.   This  guide  has  not  yet been updated to reflect
         changes made to the architecture to support new features such
         as connection solicitation.

These guides are packaged  with  the  Ethernet  Communications  Server
hardware:

      o  Site Preparation and Planning Guide

         This provides the planning  information  you  need  prior  to
         installing the Ethernet Communications Server.  This guide is
         intended for the hardware installers.





                                  9
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


      o  Operations and Maintenance Guide

         This provides checkout information, an  operational  summary,
         and  servicing  information  for  the Ethernet Communications
         Server.  It should remain with the hardware unit.

      o  Installation Guide

         This  contains  the  information  required  to  install   the
         Ethernet  Communications  Server hardware unit.  The hardware
         installers use this guide.











































                                  10
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


19  HOW TO ORDER ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION




                       DIRECT TELEPHONE ORDERS

In Continental USA      In Canada               In New Hampshire
or Puerto Rico          call 800-267-6146       or Alaska
or Hawaii                                       call 603-884-6660
call 800-258-1710



               DIRECT MAIL ORDERS (US and Puerto Rico*)

                    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
                           P.O. Box CS2008
                     Nashua, New Hampshire 03061



                     DIRECT MAIL ORDERS (Canada)

                   DIGITAL EQUIPMENT OF CANADA LTD.
                           940 Belfast Road
                   Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1G 4C2
                     Attn: P&SG Business Manager
                       or approved distributor



                            INTERNATIONAL

                    DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION
                   Peripherals and Supplies Centers
                        P&SG Business Manager
                    c/o Digital's local subsidiary
                       or approved distributor



         * Any prepaid order from Puerto Rico must be placed
                  with the Local Digital Subsidiary:
                             809-754-7575









                                  11
                  TERMINAL SERVER V2.1 RELEASE NOTES


                    Ethernet Communications Server
                           Terminal Server


                     DOCUMENTATION ORDER NUMBERS



     Ethernet Communications Server
     Terminal Server Operations Guide (AA-BT83C-TK)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Terminal Server Software Installation Guide
     (TOPS-20) (AA-FA57A-TM)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Terminal Server User's Pocket Guide (AV-X021C-TK)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Terminal Server Identification Card (AV-EF44A-TE)


     Local Area Transport (LAT) Architecture
     Network Manager's Guide (AA-DJ18B-TK)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Site Preparation and Planning Guide (EK-DECSA-SP)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Operations and Maintenance Guide (EK-DECSA-OP)


     Ethernet Communications Server
     Installation Guide (EK-DECSA-IN)















                                  12