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Conference csc32::consolemanager

Title:POLYCENTER Console Manager
Notice:Kits, Scans, Docs on CSC32:: as PCM$KITS:,PCM$DOCS:, PCM$SCANS:
Moderator:CSC32::BUTTERWORTH
Created:Thu Aug 06 1992
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1541
Total number of notes:6564

321.0. "How are LTA numbers assigned on OpenVMS platforms?" by CSC32::C_TOWNSEND () Wed Jul 27 1994 19:06

Hey -

Former VCS customers are asking about this business with the LTA devices
being automatically mapped at PCM startup.  Could you answer two questions:

	1.  How are the numbers assigned ... next highest or 
               next available or what?

        2.  Will there be a way that customers may make their own
               number assignments?  Some sites do wish to be in 
               control of the LTA device number scheme due to other
               products in their environment that are not flexible.


Thanks for the info,
Connie
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
321.1OPG::PHILIPAnd through the square window...Wed Jul 27 1994 21:0224
>>	1.  How are the numbers assigned ... next highest or 
>>               next available or what?

  All we do is a QIO and let the LAT software do the rest, I would guess
  that they get created in numerical order.

>>        2.  Will there be a way that customers may make their own
>>               number assignments?  Some sites do wish to be in 
>>               control of the LTA device number scheme due to other
>>               products in their environment that are not flexible.

  We had no plans to do this, we thought we were being clever and making the 
  product easier for the customer to use by doing all this for them,
  especially as we had quite a few problems from VCS customers who could never
  get their LAT setup right. 

  Can you get your customers to submit a Phase 0 request or SPR, whichever is
  appropriate, it will then get on the "official" list of things to do, even
  though its is now on my "unofficial list". 

Cheers,
Phil
321.2OPG::SIMONThu Jul 28 1994 11:067
Connie,
       I do understand the customer's view, but I do feel this is a retrograde
step to take. We (Digital) constantly get bombarded with critisism that our
products are difficult and timeconsuming to configure. The idea of automating
this sort of thing is in response to this sort of critisism.

Cheers Simon....
321.3CSC32::BUTTERWORTHGun Control is a steady hand.Thu Jul 28 1994 19:3219
    You can't please all of the people all of the time.....sigh...
    
    And Phil is correct. The LTDRIVER clones the UCB for LTA0 and assigns
    the unit number in ascending numerical order. Connie, when we talked
    about this the other day we told the customer that all he needs to do
    is start PCM after all other software that uses LAT has been started
    and he probably will never run into a problem. The only failure
    scenario I can thik of is if the guy deleted one of the preconfigured
    ports for his other software and then restarted PCM and it grabbed it.
    Even then it's unlikely as the LTDRIVER doesn't start reusing port
    numbers until it as reached LTA9999: . As Simon stated, it
    would be a retrograde step to revert back to the old way of doing
    things? Think about how many calls we got on the old VCS$LTA.COM!!!
    The method used in PCM is far and away superior to the old method. 
    The development time for implementing this is not worth the effort as
    I doubt we'll see any reasonable demand for it.
    
    Regs,
       Dan