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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:STAR::VATNE
Created:Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3726
Total number of notes:19516

1603.0. "WAN support for X11" by PRSUD1::NERAAL () Thu Oct 19 1989 09:13

    We are trying to build up a deal with a big french radiotelephone
    manufacturer. Our main advantage over the existing SUN solutions:
    the client/server architecture of XWindow v11. Our problem : what
    kind of physical WAN will we be able to support ?
    
    The client is very fond of X25... If X11 on X25 lines is not possible,
    could we use solutions like Vitalinks' ?
    
    Thank you for your answers.
    
    							Erik Neraal
    							SWAS Workstations/Paris 

T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1603.1Theory and practiceSDSVAX::SWEENEYI was focused when focus wasnt coolThu Oct 19 1989 11:2321
    "Timing" isn't everything, but assuming that the WAN is layered on
    reliable protocols as DECnet, OSI, and X25 are, it is the principal
    consideration.
    
    In theory, X is independent of any timing considerations.
    
    In practice, the Digital implementation of X over specific transports
    like DECnet and TCP/IP has timing considerations.
    
    In theory, client applications shouldn't care about timing, but the
    human users of very slow networks using applications that perform a lot
    of drawing will appear slow or unusable at less than T-1 (1.5 Mbps) in
    my experience.
    
    And forget about images and smooth mouse tracking.  Now, there's always
    someone who'll say that clock will run over 2400 baud.  That confirms
    the theory.
    
    Whether your customers' real applications will run on a WAN requires
    some thought about the traffic created by the application.

1603.2Has anyone had success over a WAN?SPCTRM::GORCZYCAFri Oct 20 1989 17:4524
Well, this may be as good a spot to ask as any...

Does ANYONE have much experience running DECwindows outside of a LAN?

Recently, I tried to connect to an application over leased lines (I think) 
running DECnet between Littleton and Marlboro.  The application that I tried
to start was VUE$MASTER.  Everytime I tried, after several minutes, I'd get
the following error message:

           XIO: non-translatable vms error code: 0x2DBA002, vms message:
   %decw-e-cnxabort, connection aborted
   %XLIB-F-IOERROR, xlib io error

Due to the delay, I assumed that it was due to some time-out somewhere, but
have no idea of where to start looking.  Keep in mind that I'm your classic
"naive user".  I just "followed the instructions" and expected it to work.

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what I might tweak? 

Thsnks,
John



1603.3How good is path?DELNI::MHARRISNetwrk Integ'n ProjectsFri Oct 20 1989 18:2924
    I routinely run X appliocations from Littleton,MA to Merrimack.
    Works fine, even with really slow lines. I don't think the timeouts are
    killing you DIRECTLY, but something else making the network
    running really slow, or flaky, or...
    
    Have you tried DTSEND to 'bounce' packets between the two nodes to see
    how well the path is?
    
    NODE1:
    
    	$ MC DTSEND
    	> CONN/NODE=NODE2
    	> DATA/SIZ=512/SEC=30
    
    	(A full report indicating the effective baud rate will be printed
    	after 30 seconds...)
    
    	> DISC/NODE=NODE2
    	$
    	
    
    Try it, see what happens
    

1603.4NAC::THOMASThe Code WarriorFri Oct 20 1989 22:554
    I've do X over DECnet between ZKO and LKG all the time.  I've also
    done it between LKG and MRO,MLO,SHR,WFO,CXO,WRO, and SNO.  SNO was 
    slow but the others were quite nice.  I normally use remote DECterms.

1603.5Who can beat 3500 miles?KASINO::TALLETTJust one more bug to fix...Mon Oct 23 1989 12:5714
    	DECwindows works fine over a WAN....
    
    	I ran a DECimage display from here in Karlsruhe, West Germany to
    	WSL in Palo Alto, California. I make that 5500 kms (3500 miles)
    	and network speed was waaayyyyy down (took about 15 minutes to
    	get a response to a mouse click!).
    
    	Now, do we have someone from Australia?...... :-)
    
    Regards,
    Paul Tallett,
    CEC Karlsruhe,
    West Germany

1603.6Some applications are better than othersMARVIN::COBBGraham R. Cobb (Wide Area Comms.), REO2-G/H9, 830-3917Thu Oct 26 1989 19:5913
I have  tried this a little (not at all scientifically!) and found that some
applications  are  much more sensitive than others.  Bookreader is the worst
one I have found.  DECterm is the most robust I have found.

The answer is to try it out for your particular applications.

Make sure, of course, that you do everything you can to reduce transit delay
across the  WAN.   See  the  MARVIN::X25PSI  conference  for a discussion of
things  you  can  do  to  help  that (although it depends on your PTT).  The
crucial thing is to use a large packet and window size for the DLM SVC.

Graham