Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Adrian Graham]

On 13 October 2016 at 11:07, Tom Moss  wrote:

> Until fairly recently we were using Alphastation DS10s and DS15s to control
> Variable Message Signs (a staple of British motorways, basically a large
> orange dot-matrix display on an overhead gantry for anyone who hasn't seen
> them, they privide traffic and weather information, and are used to set
> speed limits and close lanes), MIDAS systems (Inductive loops in the road
> for measuring the flow of traffic), traffic cameras, and I believe the
> Tamar Bridge and Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing too.
>

That sounds like the company I nearly joined in 2001 but didn't because I'd
have had to commute to Guisborough every day. They wanted VMS people for
new highway info systems for the new managed motorways they're still
building now.

-- 
adrian/witchy
Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection?
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Tom Moss]

For a moment there I thought I was getting work emails sent to my personal
account!

I happen to work for a company that is contracted to build and maintain
Highway Control systems for Highways England (Formerly Highways Agency)

I can't say I've seen anything that old in production now, but we used to
have PDP-8s and 11s long before I joined the company.

Until fairly recently we were using Alphastation DS10s and DS15s to control
Variable Message Signs (a staple of British motorways, basically a large
orange dot-matrix display on an overhead gantry for anyone who hasn't seen
them, they privide traffic and weather information, and are used to set
speed limits and close lanes), MIDAS systems (Inductive loops in the road
for measuring the flow of traffic), traffic cameras, and I believe the
Tamar Bridge and Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing too.

There's a new-ish HP Integrity server running OpenVMS still, no idea what
it's for. We're mainly a x86 + Linux shop now.

We still have 7 of these Alphas on the scrap pile, which I've spent a
couple of weeks trying to get permission to save.

-Tom

On 13 October 2016 at 09:44, Peter Coghlan  wrote:

> >
> > I'm sure there are fellow roadgeeks on this list, so I find VMS(*) in
> this
> > context to be thoroughly ambiguous. :)
> >
>
> Well, at least you can be fairly sure it's not this one:
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_milking
>
> I wonder if this has any hardware in common with VAX vacuum cleaners?
>
> Regards,
> Peter Coghlan.
>

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Peter Coghlan]

>
> I'm sure there are fellow roadgeeks on this list, so I find VMS(*) in this
> context to be thoroughly ambiguous. :)
>

Well, at least you can be fairly sure it's not this one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_milking

I wonder if this has any hardware in common with VAX vacuum cleaners?

Regards,
Peter Coghlan.

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Cameron Kaiser]

> Some years ago I was talking to Virginia DOT about access to camera feeds 
> in the Hampton Roads (Southeastern Virginia) region. I eventually got 
> access to the ftp site where the pics were dumped out every 5 minutes.
> 
> The listing of cameras was screen shots taken from an OpenVMS control 
> application that had the camera names and locations on maps, as well as 
> digital signage and some other functions. I was kind of surprised since 
> this was late in the VMS game, perhaps mid 2000's. And the system was 
> still being built.
> 
> Not sure if that board is a part of that setup but it was VMS. Probably 
> still have the screenshots somewhere.

I'm sure there are fellow roadgeeks on this list, so I find VMS(*) in this
context to be thoroughly ambiguous. :)

-- 
 personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ --
  Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckai...@floodgap.com
-- And now for something completely different. -- Monty Python 

(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable-message_sign

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Charles Dickman]

On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 8:18 AM, jim stephens  wrote:

> I found an Allen Bradley box which uses this, not sure if it needs a hub,
> but points to the use of the hardware.
>
> Allen-Bradley-Data-Highway-Communication-Interface-1770-KF2-Ser-B-Rev-D-/
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/391591793086
>
>

Data Highway brings back memories that aren't that old really. Its an
industrial communications network produced by Allen Bradley. I've used
it mostly for what would be called a machine cell: HMI connected to a
machine controller and then some ancillary equipment. It was 156k bps
(there were other speeds too depending on cable length), token
passing, multi-drop network over shielded twisted pair. The 1770-KF2
is sort of AUI for Data Highway. It allowed a computer or PLC with a
serial port to communicate on the network.

I remember the Pyramid Integrator advertisements that include VAX
connections. PLC programming software was offered for VMS. That was
all too high end for the industries we were involved in. We used
Compaq Portable 3 with 1784-KT cards in the 3 slot ISA box that
plugged on the back.

Data Highway was still reasonably current with Rockwell until ethernet
became dirt cheap and ubiquitous.

-chuck

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Fred Cisin]

Could Traf-o-data be revived?

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[ethan]

I found an interface I've never seen, a Fisher Rosemont Highway interface.  I 
don't know much in the history of Dec / VMS, but am guessing this is for Vax 
system only.

HIGHWAY-INTERFACE-49A8569X052-62-FISHER-ROSEMOUNT-DC6450X1-HA5-40B1745-W-CABKIT-/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371645465846
I found this flyer sheet about it with the info on the interface. I'm 
guessing if you don't have one of the central boxes, you have some expensive 
gold scrap in these boards.


Some years ago I was talking to Virginia DOT about access to camera feeds 
in the Hampton Roads (Southeastern Virginia) region. I eventually got 
access to the ftp site where the pics were dumped out every 5 minutes.


The listing of cameras was screen shots taken from an OpenVMS control 
application that had the camera names and locations on maps, as well as 
digital signage and some other functions. I was kind of surprised since 
this was late in the VMS game, perhaps mid 2000's. And the system was 
still being built.


Not sure if that board is a part of that setup but it was VMS. Probably 
still have the screenshots somewhere.



--
Ethan O'Toole

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[Adrian Graham]

I used to service a VAX 4000-200 that had one of those in, monitoring
17,000 endpoints in an oil refinery and crunching the numbers for a daily
report to the site manager. If you don't have the peerway at the other end
and the custom software it won't do anything.

That machine's probably still in its home behind the panels in the control
room. I had to head over there every january to do a PM on it even after
the chap who ran it left and they didn't replace him. One year I 'serviced'
it (not much to do, it was clean and dust free) then went back the next
year to find the Dead Sergeant prompt (>>>). Booting it back up I
discovered it had crashed 3 days after my previous visit and nobody noticed.

Not much point in going back after that!

On 12 October 2016 at 13:18, jim stephens  wrote:

>
>
> On 10/12/2016 12:57 AM, jim stephens wrote:
>
>> I found an interface I've never seen, a Fisher Rosemont Highway
>> interface.  I don't know much in the history of Dec / VMS, but am guessing
>> this is for Vax system only.
>>
>> HIGHWAY-INTERFACE-49A8569X052-62-FISHER-ROSEMOUNT-DC6450X1-HA5-40B1745-W-CABKIT-/
>>
>>
>> http://www.ebay.com/itm/371645465846
>>
>> I found this flyer sheet about it with the info on the interface. I'm
>> guessing if you don't have one of the central boxes, you have some
>> expensive gold scrap in these boards.
>>
>> http://emersonprocess.com/systems/support/documentation/prov
>> ox/docvue/Product%20Data%20Sheets/Communications/buDH6032.pdf
>>
>> The fact this reference is where it is suggests there must be embedded
>> systems using it to justify the price though.  Also the other manual
>> referred to indicates that there is something that runs on NT, as well as a
>> mention of AIX.
>>
>> http://emersonprocess.com/systems/support/documentation/prov
>> ox/docvue/CHIP/P4_0/pnCHIP_NTp4.pdf
>>
>> thanks
>> Jim
>>
> I found an Allen Bradley box which uses this, not sure if it needs a hub,
> but points to the use of the hardware.
>
> Allen-Bradley-Data-Highway-Communication-Interface-1770-KF2-Ser-B-Rev-D-/
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/391591793086
>
>
>


-- 
adrian/witchy
Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection?
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

Re: Highway interface [warning contains an ebay ref], but is an old VMS network interface

[jim stephens]

On 10/12/2016 12:57 AM, jim stephens wrote:
I found an interface I've never seen, a Fisher Rosemont Highway 
interface.  I don't know much in the history of Dec / VMS, but am 
guessing this is for Vax system only.


HIGHWAY-INTERFACE-49A8569X052-62-FISHER-ROSEMOUNT-DC6450X1-HA5-40B1745-W-CABKIT-/ 



http://www.ebay.com/itm/371645465846

I found this flyer sheet about it with the info on the interface. I'm 
guessing if you don't have one of the central boxes, you have some 
expensive gold scrap in these boards.


http://emersonprocess.com/systems/support/documentation/provox/docvue/Product%20Data%20Sheets/Communications/buDH6032.pdf 



The fact this reference is where it is suggests there must be embedded 
systems using it to justify the price though.  Also the other manual 
referred to indicates that there is something that runs on NT, as well 
as a mention of AIX.


http://emersonprocess.com/systems/support/documentation/provox/docvue/CHIP/P4_0/pnCHIP_NTp4.pdf 



thanks
Jim
I found an Allen Bradley box which uses this, not sure if it needs a 
hub, but points to the use of the hardware.


Allen-Bradley-Data-Highway-Communication-Interface-1770-KF2-Ser-B-Rev-D-/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/391591793086