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INTRODUCTION TO THE PRIMOS OPERATING SYSTEM
Part III (Useful PRIMOS Applications)
Written by Violence
Copyright (C) 1989 The VOID Hackers
_______________________________________________________________________________
Welcome to Part III of my series on the PRIMOS operating system. In this part
I will detail the several useful appliactions you are likely to find on Prime
computers. You will learn about the DSM (Distributed System Management) util-
ities, the EDIT_PROFILE utility (the PRIMOS user editor), and several others.
_______________________________________________________________________________
EDIT_PROFILE
EDIT_PROFILE is the utility that is used to add, delete, and modify users on a
Prime computer running PRIMOS. It is similar to the VAX/VMS AUTHORIZE utility.
There are three modes of EDIT_PROFILE access, and these are:
o System Initialization (SI) mode
o System Administrator (SA) mode
o Project Administrator (PA) mode
You will probably never be using EDIT_PROFILE in System Initialization mode as
that mode is used for initial system user setup). SA mode will allow to perf-
orm wholesale user modifications, whereas PA mode will only allow you to perf-
orm modifications to users in the same project as you. When you decided to try
out EDIT_PROFILE on the system that you have hacked into, type this:
OK, edit_profile
If it gives you an error message then you obviously don't have good enough pri-
vileges. Don't give up hope, however, as there are ways around this. Unfort-
unantly, though, the methods which you must use are beyond the scope of this
tutorial. It involves programming in a high level language (FORTRAN IV, FORTR-
AN-77, PL/1 Subset G, et. al.) as well as knowledge of the appropriate system
calls to make. Do lots of research and experiment. You might just get lucky.
If, on the other hand, it allows you to invoke EDIT_PROFILE then it will disp-
lay the utility's herald (revision number, serial number and copyright inform-
ation) and a message stating what mode you are in. The mode message will be
one of these:
In system administrator mode
In project administrator mode
If you are in SA mode then the account you are using has SYS1 privileges (thats
the best you can do from a remote standpoint). Before I get deep in how to use
EDIT_PROFILE properly I should mention that I have the source code to this won-
derfully useful program and a security audit feature was added in during the
last few years (circa 1986). It will log all successful and failed commands.
The only ways I have discovered around this is to remove the logging procedures
from the code and recompile it online, but that's pretty advanced stuff and not
advised at any rate. The best you can do at maintaining your presence on the
system is not to use EDIT_PROFILE overly much. In fact, don't use it unless
you must. I generally use EDIT_PROFILE once per hack, and that is after I get
in. What do I do? I obtain a full user/project listing for future hacking
purposes. You can't obtain an account's password from within EDIT_PROFILE, but
you can obtain a full user and project listing, as well as add, modify and
delete users. If you get a user list, try and hack at those accounts before
wontonly adding user accounts. Be sensible. Get all that you can before add-
ing a user. And if you must add a user, just add one. There is no need to add
3 or 4 users. No need at all. One user is easier to hide than 3+. Use common
sense here, guys.
Once EDIT_PROFILE has been invoked you will be dispatched mercilessly to the
">" prompt. To obtain help, just type HELP and press RETURN. Before I get in-
to adding users, I'll discuss the procedures for pulling user lists and similar
information.
To get full information about the system you are on (projects, users, etc) you
simply need to type:
>list_system -all
You can abbreviate the LIST_SYSTEM command with LS. You can list individual
system attributes by substituting new arguments in place of the -ALL argument.
To see what LS arguments are available, type HELP. You should experiment with
the available "LIST_" commands in EDIT_PROFILE.
Before attempting to add a user on any Prime system you should always list the
system attributes so that you will know what projects and groups are in use.
When you decide to add a super-user, make sure that you add yourself to the
common project (usually DEFAULT) and all of the high-access groups (examples I
have seen are: .ADMINISTRATORS$, .PROJECT_ADMINISTRATORS$, .OPERATORS$,
.NET_MGT$, etc). Adding super-users is not always a good idea. Never add
more than 1 or 2 users on a system. Also, try to follow the naming convent-
ions used on the system. If users have their first name as a User ID, then
when you add a user make sure that your new user's User ID is a first name.
Likewise, if all users have their initials as their User ID then make sure
that your new user has a User ID with initials. Now, to add a user, type:
>add_user username
Where "username" is the User ID you wish to use. After you type this you will
be asked for your password. Enter the password that you wish to use. Then you
will be asked for your group(s) and your default login project. Like I said,
you should use the "LIST_" commands to see what group(s) are in use. Groups
always start with a period (.). Give yourself the administrator groups and you
will be doing good. As for project, an entry of DEFAULT will usually suffice.
An easier method to add users is to use the -LIKE argument. Try this:
>add_user username -like system
Again, "username" is the name of the User ID that you wish to use. This arg-
ument of the ADD_USER command will make a copy of the user called SYSTEM (found
on all Primes that I have seen; also a user of the super-user class) and add
the copy as a new user but with a different name. Now, set your password with
the CHANGE_USER command. Type:
>change_user username -pw
You will be prompted for your new password. Ta da. You now have a User ID
with the same stats as the User ID "SYSTEM". Occasionally upon adding a user
you may have to add your User ID to a file called LOGUFD located in one of the
UFD's off of MFD 0. This will generally not happen. If it does, then simply
correct it with one of your other accounts.
You are advised not to wontonly delete users or edit them. Also try not to use
the CHANGE_SYSTEM_ADMINISTRATOR command. In basis, type HELP and start to exp-
eriment (but be careful of what you do). Make sure that you keep track of the
changes that you make so that in the case you mess something up you can fix it.
Get your feet wet.
If you find yourself in PA mode you can do most of the above, but only regard-
ing the project that you are administrating. Thus you can only add users to
that project, only delete users from that project, etc. This means no adding
of super-users, etc.
_______________________________________________________________________________
THE DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM MANAGEMENT (DSM) UTILITIES
The DSM utilities is a set of commands and services that help with the admini-
stration and day-to-day operation of Prime computer systems. It is intended
primarily for use with networked systems, but can also be used on single Prime
systems (those lacking networking capability).
The DSM utilities allow Prime system administrators and senior operators to
perform system management tasks from any point on a network.
DSM's main facilities are summarized below.
o SIM (System Information/Metering) Commands
System status and resource monitoring of local and remote
systems from any point within the network.
o RESUS (REmote System USer) Facility
Control of remote Prime systems from any terminal. Allows use of
console-only commands from a remote terminal.
o Collection and collation of event messages, including PRIMOS and
network events, through DSM's Unsolicited Message Handling (UMH)
and logging services, with redirection of event messages to
log files or users throughout the network.
o Generalized logging of DSM messages in private or system logs, with
commands for administering, displaying and printing logs.
o Facilities for defining users' access to DSM commands throughout the
network, in a single configuration file.
As you can see, the DSM utilities can be a very useful asset to have. Unfort-
unately, SYS1 privileges (administrator) are required to use the most exciting
aspects of the DSM utilities. All normal users can utilize the SIM commands,
and I have even mentioned some of them in other parts of this series. What is
really useful to us, however, are the RESUS and log utilities. In a nutshell
here are the basic DSM commands. After this list will be full discourses on
the RESUS utility and the SIM commands.
Remote System Control:
RESUS -- Invokes Prime's REmote System USer facility.
Event Message Handling and Redirection:
CONFIG_UM -- configures DSM Unsolicited Message Handling.
Administering Logs:
ADMIN_LOG -- creates and administers DSM log files.
Displaying and Printing Logs:
DISPLAY_LOG -- displays and prints the contents of log files,
including system and network event logs.
DSM Configurator Commands:
CONFIG_DSM -- creates a new DSM configuration file.
DISTRIBUTE_DSM -- distributes a new DSM configuration file.
STATUS_DSM -- displays the currently active configuration.
DSM Startup and Shutdown Commands:
START_DSM - starts DSM system console commands.
STOP_DSM - stops DSM system console commands.
For more information on any of the DSM commands, type:
HELP command-name or command-name -HELP
_______________________________________________________________________________
THE RESUS UTILITY
RESUS is the REmote System USer facility, and allows remote operation of the
physical supervisor console from any terminal. What this basically means is
that, with RESUS enabled, all users with administrator access will be able to
execute commands that are normally only executable from the system console. It
will let you force log other users off the system (not a good idea to use this
capability unless you MUST), take the system down (you must be STUPID to do
such a thing), etc. RESUS supports the following command line options:
{-ENABLE }
{-DISABLE [-FORCE] }
{-START [-ON node name] }
{-STOP }
{-STATUS [-ON node group] }
{-HELP [-NO_WAIT] }
{-USAGE }
-ENABLE
This option enables RESUS to be used on a system. It is only
valid from the supervisor terminal.
-DISABLE
This option is used to prevent RESUS from being used on a system on
which it has previously been -ENABLEd. The -FORCE option must be
supplied if the RESUS is actually in use. It is only valid from the
supervisor terminal.
-START [-ON node name]
This is the means by which an authorised user of RESUS may
invoke REmote System USer facilities on a system. If -ON node name
is omitted, the default is the local node. For this command to be
successful, RESUS must previously have been -ENABLEd at the
supervisor terminal.
-STOP
This option terminates remote control of the supervisor terminal,
leaving the REmote System USer facilities available for use by
other authorised users. It is only valid from the remote terminal
in control of the supervisor terminal through RESUS.
-STATUS [-ON nodegroup]
This displays the current status of RESUS on all nodes in a
specified node group. If a node group is not specified, the status
of the local node is displayed.
-HELP, -H [-NO_WAIT, -NW]
Displays command-specific Help text.
-USAGE
Displays command line syntax.
_______________________________________________________________________________
THE DSM SIM COMMANDS
The DSM SIM (System Information/Metering) commands gather and display
information about system/network status and resource usage from any point on
the network.
SIM commands are invoked from the PRIMOS command line. They can be invoked
from any terminal to display information about any system on the network. They
can be invoked once, or periodically at specified time intervals. Output
displays are paginated for screen display and can be recorded in private or
system log files. User access to SIM commands on local and remote nodes is
controlled by DSM security.
A list of SIM commands and descriptions of the general SIM options follows.
LIST_ASSIGNED_DEVICES - lists assigned devices
LIST_ASYNC - lists asynchronous terminals
LIST_COMM_CONTROLLERS - lists comms controllers configuration
LIST_CONFIG - lists PRIMOS coldstart configuration
LIST_DISKS - lists disk partition names
LIST_LAN_NODES - lists nodes on LAN300 local networks
LIST_MEMORY - lists physical memory usage
LIST_PRIMENET_NODES - lists PRIMENET configured nodes
LIST_PRIMENET_LINKS - lists active PRIMENET links
LIST_PRIMENET_PORTS - lists assigned PRIMENET ports
LIST_PROCESS - lists active system processes
LIST_SEMAPHORES - lists active semaphores
LIST_SYNC - lists synchronous line configuration
LIST_UNITS - lists users open file units
LIST_VCS - lists active virtual circuits
General SIM options are:
-HELP, -H [-NO_WAIT, -NW]
-USAGE
-ON {node, nodegroup}
-PRIVATE_LOG, -PLOG pathname [-NTTY, -N]
-SYSTEM_LOG, -SLOG pathname [-NTTY, -N]
-NO_WAIT, -NW
-FREQ integer
-TIMES integer
-START, -S date+time
-STOP date+time
-ON {node, nodegroup}
This option allows you to specify the target node, or nodegroup
to which the command is to be directed. The default is to direct
the command to the node on which the command is invoked.
-PRIVATE_LOG, -PLOG pathname [ -NTTY, -N ]
-SYSTEM_LOG, -SLOG pathname [ -NTTY, -N ]
The -PRIVATE_LOG option allows you to specify a standard PRIMOS
pathname as a DSM log file to which all messages from the target
nodes are to be logged. If the log does not already exist, it is
created automatically for you. User DSMASR (the DSM application
server) must have ALL access to the directory that contains the
log.
The -SYSTEM_LOG option allows you a similar facility using logs
that are maintained on the system logging directory DSM*>LOGS.
System logs only exist on this directory or its subdirectories,
and must be created with the ADMIN_LOG command prior to use.
Logged data can subsequently be retrieved, printed and
displayed using the DISPLAY_LOG command.
-NTTY, -N; can be used with the -PRIVATE_LOG and -SYSTEM_LOG
options, and indicates that no data is to be displayed to the
user. When this option is used, the command spawns a phantom
which executes the command on your behalf, and frees your
terminal.
-HELP, -H [NO_WAIT, -NW]
This option overrides all other options to display help
information about the associated command.
-USAGE
This option overrides all other options to display usage
information, for the associated command.
-NO_WAIT, -NW
This option indicates that you are not to be prompted or queried
during the command output display.
If this option is not used, you are prompted between each target
node's response, and after every 23 lines (1 page) of output
displays '--More--' and waits, for your response. To see more
output press the carraige return. To supress further output and
return to command level, type Q, Quit, N, or No. Any other
response will display more output.
-FREQ
-TIMES
-START, -S
-STOP
These options can be used to implement periodic execution of a
command.
-FREQ option provides periodic execution of a command, with
the interval between executions determined in seconds. The
interval you specify is the interval between two successive
executions of a command, and not the interval between completion
of the command's display and the next execution. The interval is
corrected to the nearest multiple of four seconds below that
specified.If FREQ 0 is specified, the command is re-executed
immediately on completion of the previous execution. If the
interval elapses before completion of the previous display, the
next execution is delayed until the display is complete.
-TIMES is used in association with the -FREQ option, to set a
limit on the number of times that a command is to be executed.
-START, -S sets the date and time that execution starts. The
format can be in either ISO standard:
(YY_MM_DD.HH:MM:SS)
or in USA standard:
(MM/DD/YY.HH:MM:SS)
Defaults are: year to current year; date to current date; and
time to zero.
-STOP sets the date and time execution stops; format and
defaults are the same as for -Start.
In the absence of any of these four options, the command is
executed once, and immediately.
In the presence of any of these four options, the defaults
applied to the unspecified options are:
-FREQ immediate reexecution
-TIMES infinite
-START now
-STOP never
For more information on any of the SIM commands, type:
HELP command-name or command-name -HELP
_______________________________________________________________________________
PRIMOS ELECTRONIC MAIL CAPABILITIES
PRIMOS, like any other operating system worth it's beans, supports full elect-
ronic mail capabilities. However, the mail system used will vary from system
to system. A lack of standards? Perhaps. But I find it enjoyable learning
the differences between the many mail systems available.
I won't discuss how to use the mail systems I discuss due to lack of space, but
that should pose no problem, as all of them have online help available.
Prime Computer, Inc.'s old mail system (invoked by typing MAIL) is your typical
run-of-the-mill mail system. It's not too difficult to figure out how to use.
Prime Computer, Inc. has also created a PRIMOS implementation of the UNIX XMAIL
system. This seems to be their preferred electronic mail system. It is very
easy to use, not to mention very powerful.
My favorite electronic mail server is NETMAIL, written by those cunning prog-
rammers at Bramalea Software Systems (the same firm that created LOGIN_SENTRY).
NETMAIL is the mail server with the most useful features. Not only do you get
the normal features of sending user-to-user mail locally and to similarly con-
figured sites on the network, you can also send:
o Courtesy copies to other users
o Encapsulated non-SAM files
Courtesy copies is basically message forwarding. Assume I wrote a memorandum.
If I wanted all the people on the 'Board of Trustees' to get a copy I just send
cc's (courtesy copies) to them.
The file encapsulation feature makes NETMAIL a pseudo-file transfer application
like FTS (File Transfer Service, Prime's answer to UNIX's FTP utility). Say I
wrote a useful public domain program and want to distribute it to some users on
the local system and some remote systems. Don't want them to get the sources,
now do we? So we encapsulate the executable file (compiled program) and mail
it out as an encapsulated file. When the recievers read their mail, they will
be able to tell NETMAIL to save it as a file to their directory. Very nice!
Some sites use custom-written mail utilities. It all depends. Most, if not
all, are rather user-friendly and easy to learn without documentation. Don't
forget! Online help files.
_______________________________________________________________________________
ED - THE PRIMOS TEXT EDITOR
ED is the PRIMOS text editor and it is line-oriented as opposed to full-screen.
If you are using VT-100 or a similar emulation, you might play around with the
EMACS full-screen editor, but I won't be discussing EMACS here. After all, it
comes with it's own interactive tutorial. Another reason why I won't be discu-
ussing it is because not all Prime sites have it online (it is a separately
priced product). RUNOFF is another separately priced product. It is a fully
equipped word processor. ED, on the other hand, comes with PRIMOS and it is
always available.
To invoke the PRIMOS EDitor, type:
OK, ed
This will enter ED with an empty workspace. You are creating a new file. To
edit an existing filesystem object, type:
OK, ed filename
When you enter ED with an empty workspace you will be dumped into INPUT mode.
Everything you type here will be taken as input into the file you are creating.
If you tell ED to load a file and edit it (ie, ED filename) then you will be
dumped into EDIT mode. Everything you type will be taken as ED editing comm-
ands.
To switch between INPUT and EDIT mode, issue a null line (that is to say, press
the RETURN key). This brings a new problem into mind. How do you make a blank
line if when you press RETURN alone it switches between modes? Yes, this is a
shortcoming to PRIMOS users that are used to standard text editing systems. To
create a 'null' line, type a space and then press RETURN. It looks null, but
it is really treated as a line 1 character in length by ED. Take note that
both INPUT mode and EDIT mode use no prompt.
Ok, to illustrate what we have learned so far, consider this 'pretend' session
with the ED line editor:
OK, ed
INPUT
Hey, this is pretty nice. A nice text editor. Heh. Ok, lets see what
Damn! No wordwrap. Remember, press RETURN at the end of each 79
characters, ok? Now, lets go to EDIT mode...
EDIT
wow
BAD WOW
INPUT
oops! 'wow' is not an ED command! I'll discuss ED's EDIT mode
commands in a few minutes. Let's quit!
EDIT
q
FILE MODIFIED OK TO QUIT? y
OK,
Okay, we are back at the PRIMOS command line. Damn! We forgot to save our
newly-created text! What do we do now! Don't panic. Your text is still
floating around in PRIMOS' memory. To restore your ED session, type:
OK, start 1000 <-- Continues from break
or
OK, start 1001 <-- Resume in EDIT mode
So, let's test it out, shall we?
OK, start 1001
EDIT
file sample_text
q
OK,
Alright. A few comments are now in order. Normally, when done with a docu-
ment you would FILE the text away and then QUIT. If you try and QUIT without
saving new text or changes made to text, you will be told that the file has
been modified and asked for verification to quit. Should you make a 'boo-boo'
you can save your text by using one of the START command variations. The two
EDIT mode commands we have just learned are:
FILE (abbreviated FIL) Files your text to the current UFD
QUIT (abbreviated Q) Exit ED to the PRIMOS command line
An alternate command to save your text is the SAVE command (abbreviated by SA).
I prefer SAVE to FILE because SAVE is also used on my microcomputer. Use
whichever you prefer, however.
A great feature of the START command will now be illustrated. Say you are mov-
ing around UFD's and you end up trying to create a file in a directory that
you don't have W (Write) access in. Oh no! How do we save this new CPL prog-
ram we just created? Simple! Using techniques that you have just learned you
can move to a different UFD (one that you have W access in) and save your text
in. First, get into EDIT mode and QUIT the EDitor. From the PRIMOS command
line, use the OR command to get to your 'home' UFD or ATTACH to a different one
and then issue the START 1001 command. Now FILE your text. Voila! A nice
trick for the forgetful.
We now know the very basics of the PRIMOS line EDitor. We can create new files
from scratch, append text to existing files, save or abort our modifications,
and recover our text if we accidentally quit or hit the BREAK key (or send a
BREAK signal). What we don't know is how to edit the text within an existing
file or how to insert/delete text from an existing file (which is really easy).
So read on!
CAVEAT! PRIMOS normally uses the '?' and '"' (double quote) as the kill and
erase characters, respectively. So typing a '?' in INPUT mode will kill the
entire line. A '"' will similarly erase the previous character. I find the
'?' and '"' characters integral in my documents and you will probably too. The
fix? Simple. From the PRIMOS command line, type:
OK, term -erase <Ctrl-H>
OK, term -kill _
Press CONTROL-H where it says '<Ctrl-H>'. This will make the erase character
a backspace and the kill character the DELETE key. Substitute whatever char-
acters you feel most comfortable with on your microcomputer. I will detail
the TERM command more fully in Part V in the section entitled CUSTOMIZING
YOUR ENVIRONMENT.
Another caveat. The semicolon character at the end of a line (';') will force
a linefeed (as if you had pressed RETURN instead). You can end a line with
either RETURN or a semicolon (useful if your RETURN key is broken?). If you
enter a line of text containing semicolons such as this:
line one;;line three
ED will take it and output it as this:
line one
line three
instead of:
line one;;line three
Depending upon the location of the semicolon it may produce a linefeed or a
mode switch. Thus, the line of text:
This is a caveat;
will switch you from INPUT mode into EDIT mode. Avoid having semicolons at
the end of a line of text. I will detail the method you will have to use to
get around this if you want to have semicolons in your file.
Should you wish to edit/insert/delete lines of text within an existing file you
will have to learn how ED addresses text in it's buffer. I'll assume that you
have loaded a file into ED and are in EDIT mode. The basis of our example:
OK, ed example_file
EDIT
Ok, now let's view the entire file:
p 9999
.NULL.
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
I will change this file around so that you will see how
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
.NULL.
BOTTOM
This example used 'P 9999' to display the contents. 'P' is the abbreviation
for the PRINT command. So you see, I told ED to PRINT the first 9999 lines of
the file in it's buffer. PRINT displays the specified number of lines (9999 in
the example) and makes the last line displayed the'current' line.
The .NULL. is not a part of the file, but rather a marker. It marks a place
where you can insert text. BOTTOM indicates that you are at the bottom of the
file. Should you type PRINT (or P) again it will simply say:
.NULL.
You can type PRINT (or P) by itself without a numeric argument. PRINT has a
default value of 1. Conversely, a PRINT -n ('n' being a whole number) command
will cause ED to display the file backwards.
To get to the top or bottom of a file, type:
top <--- Abbreviation is T
or
bottom <--- Abbreviation is B
Very simple. To see what the line number of the current line you are pointing
to is, type:
where
BOTTOM
Since we did that PRINT 9999 command we are at the BOTTOM of the file. Let's
go to line 2. Type:
point 2
This will set the ED pointer to line number 2. ED will tell you that you are
at line 2 by displaying line 2 on your screen. You can abbreviate the POINT
command by typing PO instead. Now try the WHERE command (it also has an abb-
reviated form, which is W). Type:
w
LINE 2
Ok, we now know how to move around in a file and display some or all of the
lines of text it contains.
The NEXT command (abbreviated by N) will move the pointer to down the specified
number of lines towards the BOTTOM of the file (assuming that the specified
number is positive). Negative numbers will move the pointer up. As per the PO
command, the new pointer line will be displayed. Here are two examples:
n 1
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
n -2
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
To find text in the bufferm use the LOCATE command (abbreviated L). For exam-
ple, to find the string 'change this file' type:
l change this file
I will change this file around so that you will see how
Now look and see where you are. Type:
w
LINE 2
Aha! The LOCATE command not only finds the specified string, but sets the
pointer to the new line. Now, try and LOCATE the string 'Aunt Jamima'. Type:
l Aunt Jamima
BOTTOM
ED could not find the string in the text. The new pointer is BOTTOM, meaning
that you are at the last line in the file.
Similar to LOCATE is the FIND command (abbreviated F). FIND only checks to see
if the specified string is at the beginning of a line (ie, the first character
is in column 1, the second in column 2, and so forth). Here is an example:
find to edit/add
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
As with LOCATE, FIND displays the line and resets the pointer to its new loc-
ation. If the string is not found FIND returns with BOTTOM and sets the point-
er to the bottom of the file.
NFIND is a similar command which works in the opposite manner of the FIND comm-
and. NFIND (abbrevated NF) will locate the first line below the current line
which does not begin with the specified string. In the following example, I'll
display use of the NFIND command as well as display the method you may use to
have multiple ED commands on one line.
EDIT
p3
.NULL.
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
I will change this file around so that you will see how
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
top, nfind This is
I will change this file around so that you will see how
As you can see, NFIND only finds the first line that does not start with the
specified string. Also note the use of the comma as a command delimeter when
issuing the TOP and NFIND commands. Just like with LOCATE and FIND, NFIND will
also return BOTTOM and set the pointer to the end of the file if it cannot find
a line not starting with the string you specify.
You can also FIND and NFIND string patterns on a line starting at a column pos-
ition other than 1. The format for this option is displayed below:
f(8) change this file
I will change this fie around so that you will see how
The parenthesis are required and there cannot be any spaces between the command
and the (#).
To append text to the end of the current line, use the APPEND command (abbrevi-
ated with A). To append ' 02/24/89.' to the end of the last line,
type:
po3
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
a 02/24/89.
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 02/24/89.
You must have a space between the APPEND command and the string you wish to
append. If you had instead typed:
a 02/24/89.
you would have gotten:
to edit/add/delete text in a file.02/24/89.
Use the CHANGE command (abbreviated C) to change a string in the current line.
The first character after the CHANGE command is used as the delimeter. This is
a more complicated command than most other ED commands. Format:
CHANGE/string-1/string-2/[G] [n]
'string-1' is the original string and 'string-2' is the replacement string. G
specifies a global change. If G is ommitted then only the first occurance of
string-1 will be changed. 'n' is a pointer value. If it is 0 or 1 (default
values) then the change will be made to the current line (assuming the G option
is not in use). If 'n' is a value other than 0 or 1 then ED will inspect and
make changes on 'n' lines starting at the current line. As sual, ED will reset
the pointer to the last line inspected. Should the file contain fewer than 'n'
lines then ED will make the specified changes in all the lines of the file and
end by saying BOTTOM.
Should you wish to change a string containing slashes ('/'), CHANGE's delimeter
character, then substitute a new delimeter character. Examples:
f 02
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 02/24/89.
change:02/:01/:
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 01/24/89.
c#/#-#
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 01-24-89.
c/01-24/24-Feb/
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 24-Feb-89.
You should always issue the TOP command prior to making global file changes.
To insert characters at the beginning of a line, use CHANGE like this:
po3
to edit/add/delete text in a file. 24-Feb-89.
c//Last Line --> /
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file. 24-Feb-89.
Remember our dilema with the semicolon character (';')? Say you want to have
semicolons in your file. Lets put a semicolon in our file. First, lets mark
where we want ED to put the semicolon. Do this:
po3
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file. 24-Feb-89.
c/. 24/@ 24/
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file@ 24-Feb-89.
top, c/@/;/g9999
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file; 24-Feb-89.
If you know where you want your semicolons from the start then just use a char-
acter that you don't plan on using elsewhere in the file (like the '@' charact-
er) and place them where you desire. Then perform the above procedure. Voila!
Instant semicolons when you thought it couldn't be done.
To delete commands from a file, use the DELETE command (abbreviated with D). I
believe I don't like the second line of our example file. Let's delete it. To
do this, type:
po2
d
top
p9999
.NULL.
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file; 24-Feb-89.
.NULL.
No more line 2. As with other ED commands, DELETE deletes from the current
line. DELETE 1 will not delete the first line of the file, but rather the
current line. DELETE 5 will delete the fifth line from the current line (with
starting line being the current line).
The last ED command I will go over is the RETYPE command (abbreviated with R).
RETYPE will delete tge current line and replace it with the specified string.
Notice that the text of our example is now nonsensical. The second line is a
sentance fragment. All hackers should spell correctly (grin). Let's fix this
grammatical error.
po2
Last Line --> to edit/add/delete text in a file; 24-Feb-89.
r Now you will learn how to edit/add/delete text in a file.
Now you will learn how to edit/add/delete text in a file.
RETYPE followed by a space and a RETURN will delete the current line. This
will make a 'null' line. This can be used as an alternate method for creating
'null' lines (to delimit paragraphs in your text) as opposed to making the line
a blank space.
Let's look at both the original example file and its present form:
ORIGINAL:
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
I will change this file around so that you will see how
to edit/add/delete text in a file.
CURRENT:
This is the text of the file we are using in our example.
Now you will learn how to edit/add/delete text in a file.
The most useful means of using ED is to upload text (documents or sources) to
the host Prime. Simply load in the file on your microcomputer and go into your
terminal program's editor. Change all occurances of a null line to a space and
a RETURN. Now enter ED and upload your file via the ASCII protocol. You might
need to lower the sending speed (the line delay) if you seem to be sending text
too fast for ED to get it. When done with the send, just enter EDIT mode and
SAVE or FILE the text.
WARNING: If the filename you specify ED to save your text as exists in the cur-
rent UFD then ED will overwrite the file with the text in its buffer. Be care-
ful not to use an existing filename when you save files or you might be sorry.
Now for some important notes on PRIMOS filenames.
1. Filename can be up to 32 characters long.
2. Filenames can only contain the following characters: A-Z, 0-9, & - $ . _ / #
3. The first character cannot be a number.
4. No embedded blanks or special characters (like [ ] ( ) { } etc).
5. All characters are mapped to UPPER CASE by PRIMOS.
Legal Filenames Illegal Filenames
MYFILE MY FILE
TODAYS-SYSTEMS SYSTEMS?
$MONEY 4MONEY
TEXT_FILE ACCTS@PRIME
PRIMES&VAXEN "COOL"
NOTE: ED does not like TABs! Do not use your terminal's TAB key! ED will
not understand them. To tell ED to use a TAB, use the backslash ('\') charac-
ter. Example:
tab\this\out\for me.
is interpreted as:
tab this out for me.
EDitor has many other commands. Type HELP ED to obtain a list of them and a
brief statement of each one's function.
Question: Ever see a more detailed description of how to use a text editor on a
mainframe in a 'how-to-hack-this-op/sys' type of file?
_______________________________________________________________________________
EXPERIMENTATION WITH OTHER PRIMOS APPLICATIONS AND UTILITIES
There are many other applications that you will find on Primes. Some of them
useful and interesting, some of no use whatsoever to the hacker. I can't begin
to describe them here. This part of the series is already larger than I had
planned, so I am going to have to end it here. Here is a very incomplete list
of applications commonly found on Prime computer systems:
PRIME INFORMATION A database system
PRIME WORD A word-processing system
MIDAS A graphics design utility
TELL-A-GRAF A graphing utility
ORACLE A database system
There are tons more application systems to be found on Primes. Experiment! It
is best to experiment with available applications to see if they can be useful.
Read people's word processing documents, see what's in their database. Never
know what you might find! Just be careful not to delete or change anything!
In the next installment of this series I will detail the networking utilities &
software available for the Prime computer. I will cover the network-related
SIM commands, the NETLINK utility, PRIMENET, and more! Look for it.
May the forces of darkness become confused on the way to your house.
_______________________________________________________________________________
End of Part III of the "Introduction to the PRIMOS Operating System"
_______________________________________________________________________________