While trying to add an MPE network printer device a while ago, I stumbled across an interesting, and completely unknown (to me anyway) aspect of MPE/iX 5.5. 

I was trying to add LDEV 90 in IOCONFIG but received an error message that the device existed. I checked SYSGEN with a LD command but no LDEV 90. I did a SHOWDEV and sure enough LDEV 90 was displayed on the screen. Next, I checked NMMGR for LDEV 90, but no such LDEV existed. I did another SHOWDEV and noticed that LDEVs 90 through 99 "existed" but none of them were "configured" in SYSGEN or NMMGR. Finally I gave in and called the HPRC.

The answer: With MPE/iX 5.5, LDEVs 90-99 were "reserved" for use by Reverse VT Service, a feature of the full NS Services product. They allow an application to move (transfer, I presume) data via NS3000 to VT sessions on remote HP3000 systems.

Has anyone ever used this feature? The engineer could not explain the details but I am just wondering what functionality this feature would be used for, in practical terms. My interest is one of pure curiosity.

Thanks,

Rocky Costantino
Computer Design and Integration LLC
830 Broadway
Norwood, NJ 07648
Phone:  (201) 767-8786 ext. 224
Fax:    (201) 767-8627
e-mail: [log in to unmask]