Preface

The Purpose of This Manual

The Introduction to the VOS Fiber Distributed Data Interface (R408) describes the evolution and characteristics of high-speed, high-bandwidth FDDI networks. It also describes the Stratus implementation of FDDI for the Virtual Operating System (VOS).

Audience

This manual is intended for system and network administrators.

Before using the Introduction to the VOS Fiber Distributed Data Interface (R408), you should be familiar with the VOS System Administration manuals. You also should be familiar with the documentation for any other FDDI nodes in your configuration.

Revision Information

This is the first edition of this manual. For information on which release of the software this manual documents, see the Notice page.

Manual Organization

This manual is divided into two parts. Part 1 describes FDDI and contains seven chapters. Part 2 describes the Stratus implementation of FDDI for VOS. It contains three chapters and three appendixes.

Chapter 1 discusses the evolution of data networks.

Chapter 2 discusses the development of FDDI.

Chapter 3 describes FDDI network characteristics.

Chapter 4 explains FDDI medium-dependent characteristics.

Chapter 5 discusses FDDI medium-independent characteristics.

Chapter 6 describes medium access control and the FDDI medium access-control method.

Chapter 7 explains FDDI network management.

Chapter 8 provides an overview of VOS FDDI.

Chapter 9 describes the VOS FDDI hardware and software configuration requirements.

Chapter 10 discusses VOS FDDI network and internetwork connectivity.

Appendix A explains the VOS FDDI hardware initialization process.

Appendix B provides additional FDDI reference information.

Appendix C lists and expands the acronyms introduced in this manual.

Notation Conventions

This manual uses the following notation conventions.

  • Italics introduces or defines new terms. For example:

The token rotation timer (TRT) specifies the time that it takes for the token to make one round trip on the network.

  • Boldface emphasizes words in text. For example:

Customers cannot install the VOS FDDI hardware components.

  • Monospace represents text that would appear on your display screen (such as commands, subroutines, code fragments, and names of files and directories). For example:

Edit the file (master_disk)>system>module_start_up.cm to delete the ampersand (&) and the space preceding the load_kernel_program gdl driver command line.

  • Monospace italic represents terms that are to be replaced by literal values. In the following example, the user must replace the monospace-italic term with a literal value.

The slot value is the main-chassis slot number in which the I104 FDDI controller board resides.

  • Monospace bold represents user input in examples and figures that contain both user input and system output (which appears in monospace). For example:
ready: analyze_system 
VOS Release 12.2, analyze_system
Current process is 757, ptep 81154990, General_User.SysAdmin 
as: list_boards

Key Mappings for VOS Functions

VOS provides several command-line and display-form functions. Each function is mapped to a particular key or combination of keys on the terminal keyboard. To perform a function, you press the appropriate key(s) from the command line or display form. For an explanation of the command-line and display-form functions, see the Introduction to VOS .

The keys that perform specific VOS functions vary depending on the terminal. For example, on a V102 terminal, you press the and keys simultaneously to perform the INTERRUPT function; on a V103 terminal, you press the and keys simultaneously to perform the INTERRUPT function.

Note: Certain applications may define these keys differently. Refer to the documentation for the application for the specific key mappings.

The following table lists several VOS functions and the keys to which they are mapped on commonly used Stratus terminals and on an IBM® or IBM-compatible personal computer (PC) that is running the Stratus PC/Connect-2 software. (If your PC is running another type of software to connect to a Stratus host computer, the key mappings may be different.) For information about the key mappings for a terminal that is not listed in this table, refer to the documentation for that terminal.

 
VOS Function
 
V101
 
V102
V103
ASCII
V103
EPC
IBM or IBM-
Compatible PC
CANCEL
* †
* †
CYCLE
-
CYCLE BACK
-
-
-
-
DISPLAY FORM
- †
- †
HELP
-
-
-
-
-
INSERT DEFAULT
-
-
-
-
-
INSERT SAVED
INTERRUPT
-
-
-
-
-
NO PAUSE
-
-
-* †
-

† Keypad character

Format for Commands

Stratus manuals use the following format conventions for documenting commands. Note that the command descriptions do not necessarily include each of the following sections.

command_name
The name of the command is at the top of the first page of the command description.

Privileged
This notation appears after the name of a command that can be issued only from a privileged process. (See the Glossary for the definition of privileged process.)

Purpose
Explains briefly what the command does.

Display Form
Shows the form that is displayed when you type the command name followed by -form or when you press the key that performs the DISPLAY FORM function. Each field in the form represents a command argument. If an argument has a default value, that value is displayed in the form. (See the Glossary for the definition of default value.)

The following table explains the notation used in display forms.

The Notation Used in Display Forms

Notation
Meaning

Required field with no default value.

The cursor, which indicates the current position on the screen. For example, the cursor may be positioned on the first character of a value, as in ll.
current_user
current_module
current_system
current_disk
The default value is the current user, module, system, or disk. The actual name is displayed in the display form of the command or request.

Command-Line Form
Shows the syntax of the command with its arguments. You can display an online version of the command-line form of a command by typing the command name followed by -usage.

The following table explains the notation used in command-line forms. In the table, the term multiple values refers to explicitly stated separate values, such as two or more object names. Specifying multiple values is not the same as specifying a star name. (See the Glossary for the definition of star name.) When you specify multiple values, you must separate each value with a space.

The Notation Used in Command-Line Forms

Notation
Meaning
argument_1
Required argument.
argument_1...
Required argument for which you can specify multiple values.
 
 
Set of arguments that are mutually exclusive; you must specify one of these arguments.
[argument_1]
Optional argument.
[argument_1]...
Optional argument for which you can specify multiple values.
 
 
Set of optional arguments that are mutually exclusive; you can specify only one of these arguments.
Note: Dots, brackets, and braces are not literal characters; you should not type them. Any list or set of arguments can contain more than two elements. Brackets and braces are sometimes nested.

Arguments
Describes the command arguments. The following table explains the notation used in argument descriptions.

The Notation Used in Argument Descriptions

Notation
Meaning
There are predefined values for this argument. In the display form, you display these values in sequence by pressing the key that performs the CYCLE function.
Required
You cannot issue the command without specifying a value for this argument.
 
If an argument is required but has a default value, it is not labeled Required since you do not need to specify it in the command-line form. However, in the display form, a required field must have a value—either the displayed default value or a value that you specify.
(Privileged)
Only a privileged process can specify a value for this argument.

Explanation
Explains how to use the command and provides supplementary information.

Access Requirements
Explains any special access requirements that may affect the operation or output of the command.

Examples
Illustrates uses of the command.

Sample Output
Shows the output of the command.

Related Information
Refers you to related information (in this manual or other manuals), including descriptions of commands, subroutines, and requests that you can use with or in place of this command.

Related Manuals

Refer to the following Stratus manuals for related documentation.

  • VOS System Analysis Manual 
  • VOS Commands Reference Manual 
  • VOS OS TCP/IP Administrator's Guide 
  • VOS Administrator's Guide for Open StrataLINK 
  • VOS System Administration manuals:

- VOS System Administration: Administering and Customizing a System 

- VOS System Administration: Starting Up and Shutting Down a Module or System 

- VOS System Administration: Registration and Security 

- VOS System Administration: Disk and Tape Administration 

- VOS System Administration: Backing Up and Restoring Data 

- VOS System Administration: Administering the Spooler Facility 

- VOS System Administration: Configuring a System 

Online Documentation

You can find additional information by viewing the system's online documentation in >system>doc. The online documentation contains the latest information available, including updates and corrections to Stratus manuals and a master glossary of terms.

A Note on the Contents of Stratus Manuals

Stratus manuals document all of the subroutines and commands of the user interface. Any other operating-system commands and subroutines are intended solely for use by Stratus personnel and are subject to change without warning.

Ordering Manuals

You can order manuals in the following ways.

  • If your system is connected to the Remote Service Network (RSN), issue the maint_request command at the system prompt. Complete the on-screen form with all of the information necessary to process your manual order.
  • Call the Stratus Customer Assistance Center (CAC) at (800) 221-6588 or (800) 828-8513, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your manual order will be forwarded to Order Administration.

If you have questions about the ordering process, contact the CAC.

How to Comment on This Manual

You can comment on this manual by using the command comment_on_manual or by completing the customer survey that appears at the end of this manual. To use the comment_on_manual command, your system must be connected to the RSN. If your system is not connected to the RSN, you must use the customer survey to comment on this manual.

The comment_on_manual command is documented in the manual VOS System Administration: Administering and Customizing a System  and in the VOS Commands Reference Manual . There are two ways you can use this command to send your comments.

  • If your comments are brief, type comment_on_manual, press or , and complete the data-entry form that appears on your terminal's screen. When you have completed the form, press .
  • If your comments are lengthy, save them in a file before you issue the command. Type comment_on_manual followed by -form, then press or . Enter this manual's part number, R408, then enter the name of your comments file in the -comments_path field. Press the key that performs the CYCLE function to change the value of -use_form to no and then press .

Note: If comment_on_manual does not accept the part number of this manual (which may occur if the manual is not yet registered in the manual_info.table file), you can use the mail request of the maint_request command to send your comments.

Your comments (along with your name) are sent to Stratus over the RSN.

Stratus welcomes any corrections and suggestions for improving this manual.