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Document:	VAXstation 100 User’s Guide
Order Number:	AA-N660A-TE
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VAXstation 100 USER'S GUIDE
Order Number AA-N660A-TE

June 1984
This document describes how to use the VAXstation 100 system.

SUPERSESSION/UPDATE INFORMATION:

New document

OPERATING SYSTEM AND VERSION:

VAX/VMS Version 3.4
(or greater)

SOFTWARE:

VAXstation Version 1.0

DECLIT
AA
"..lAX
N660A

digital equipment corporation • marlboro, massachusetts

First Printing. June, 1984.
The informatjon in"this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or
copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.
Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility for the use or reliability of its software
on equipment that is not supplied by DIGITAL.

The postage prepaid READER'S COMMENTS form on the last page of this document
requests the user's critical evaluation to assist us in preparing future documentation.
Pellucid a ™ fonts, Copyright © 1984 by Bigelow & Holmes. Pellucida, Macrotype, and Bigelow
& Holmes are proprietary trade designations of Bigelow & Holmes.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation:
DEC
DECSYSTEM20
DIBOL
MASSBUS
RSTS
VMS

~DmDDmD

DECNET
DECUS
DIGITAL
PDP
UNIBUS
VAXstation

DECsystem-10
DECwriter
Edusystem
PDT
VAX
VT

VAXSTATION 100 USER'S GUIDE
Table of Contents
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
What the VAXstation Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
What We Assume About Our Readers. .
Other Documents for VAXstation Users . . . . . . ..

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
Turning on the VAXstation 100 .
User Authorization. . . . . .

3
3
4
4

5
7
8

Some Preliminary Concepts . . . .

. 10
The Utility and Work Areas . . .
. 10
The Pointer. . . . . . .
10
Selecting Things. . . . . . . . .
11
Moving Things. . . . . . . . . .
12
14
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . .
Storing the Help Document. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Doing Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Creating a VAXNMS Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing and Retrieving a VAXNMS Job . . . . . . . . 18
Discarding a VAXNMS Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Changing Operating Characteristics . . . . . . . . . 20
Short-term Changes in Terminal
Characteristics. . . . . . . . . .
. 21
Long-term Changes in VAXstation
Characteristics. . . . . . . . . .
22
Attaching the Keyboard to a Terminal . . . . . . . . . 23
Printing an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Uncovering Covered Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Reading Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .' . . . . . . . 26
Ending a VAXstation Session. " . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Some Advanced Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Control Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
27
Upper Terminal Control Bars. . .
Lower Terminal Control Bars. . .
29
30
VAXNMS Jobs with Multiple Terminals
VAXstations with Graphics Data Pads.
31
VAXstation Special Symbols . . . . . .
33

In Case of Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Glossary of VAXstation Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Figures
1. The VAXstation 100. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5
2. The VAXstation 100 (Rear View). . . . . . . . . .. 6
3. VAXstation Screen at Start-up. . . . . . . . . . .. 7
4. VAXstation Screen With the Authorization Form .. 8
5. VAXstation Screen After Authorization . . . . . .. 9
6. The Mouse and the Pointer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7. Screen After Selecting a Terminal Border . . . . . 12
8. Screen During the Move Process . .
13
9. Screen Displaying a Help Page. . .
14
10. Screen Displaying Help on Menus. . . . . ..
15
11 . Screen Displaying the Main Menu. . . . . ..
16
12. Screen Displaying a New Job . . . . . . . ..
17
13. Screen After Invocation of the Terminal Menu .. 18
14. Screen After Storing a VAXNMS Job . . . . . . . 19
15. Screen Displaying a Settings Document Page . . 21
16. Screen Displaying a Profile Page . . . . . . . . . 22
17. The Printer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
.. 24
18. The Notices Document . . . . . . . . . ..
.. 26
19. Upper Terminal Control Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
20. Screen Displaying a TEK 4014 Terminal. . . . . . 29
21. Connecting the Data Pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
22. Special Symbol Selection (the 'A' series) ..... 33
23. VAXstation Special Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

VAXSTATION 100 USER'S GUIDE
Preface
The purpose of this guide is to provide new users of the
VAXstation 100 with enough information to allow comfortable
access to the system's primary resources, This guide is small,
not because needed information has been omitted nor
because the VAXstation itself is unsophisticated, but because
the system requires few specialized skills of its users, Those
skills that are required are natural and consistent: once you
have learned how to perform one control operation, others will
seem self-evident.

What the VAXstation Is
The VAXstation can
simulate as many terminals as you need all readily accessible
and all simultaneously in communication with VAXNMS.

The VAXstation 100 expands the utility and convenience of
the VAX/VMS operating system by providing each VAXstation
user with as many terminals (simulated on the VAXstation
screen) as he or she needs, Each of tnese simulated terminals
is connected to the VAX/VMS host and can run processes
independently of the others, and each terminal permits the
VAXstation keyboard to be associated with it at any time,
Control of these simulated terminals is simple and straightforward: they are created moved, printed, and discarded by
pointing and by using menus, The result is a world in which a
variety of activities can be viewed or managed in parallel. For
example, you can:
• Examine a compilation listing while editing the source
file,
• Read notices without exiting from other programs,
• Start one task and follow its progress while interacting
with another,
If your normal work at a video terminal involves you explicitly
with the VAX operating system, you can continue the same
involvement when using a VAXstation, And if you rely on software that shields you from the need to issue explicit VAX/VMS
commands in response to $ prompts, those software shields
can remain in place, The point is that the VAXstation does not
change the behavior of the operating system, Once a simulated terminal has been created on the VAXstation, it can be
used just as if it were a real terminal. The operating system is
neither changed nor simplified by the VAXstation - but it may
be made significantly more convenient.

What We Assume About Our Re~ders
Our assumption as we wrote this guide was that all of our
readers would have prior experience of some kind with VAX
systems and would either recognize elementary VAXNMS
terms or not have to worry about them because some sort of
applications interface would make such knowledge unnecessary. If you have had no experience of any kind with VAX systems, you should probably not read this guide until you have
learned (from other users and the VAXNMS document set)
something about what your particular VAX system requires
of you.

Other Documents for VAXstation Users
Other printed VAXstation documents are available in addition
to this guide.
• VAXstation 100 Software Installation Guide
(AA-N661A-TE). For VAX system managers and operators. Covers the details of installing, tuning, and testing VAXstation software on existing VAX systems.
• Programming for the VAXstation DIsplay System
(AA-P153A-TE). For programmers who are developing applications for the VAXstation Display System.
Describes the procedures in the VAXstation Display
Management Library and the VAXstation CORE
Graphics Library.
• VAXstation Native Grahpics Procedures
(AA-AG30A-TE). For graphics programmers whose
applications require access to the native graphics
commands that drive the VAXstation Display system
hardware. Describes the five native graphics procedures in the VAXstation Display Management Library.

Getting Started

Main Power Switch

Figure 1. The VAXstation 100

Status Lamps

-----------Monitor Power
Switch

Contrast Control
Monitor Power Cable

Fiber OptiC Cable
to the VAXIVMS host

To Active AC Power Outlet

Figure 2. The VAXstation 100 (Rear View)

VAXstation 100
Figure 3. VAXstation Screen at Start-up

Turning on the VAXstation 100
Press any mouse button
to start.

1. Turn on the main power switch (see Figure 1). When
the system has warmed up, you should see a display
like that shown in Figure 3. If a different display (or no
display) appears on the screen after about 30 seconds, refer to Figure 2 and the "In Case of Trouble"
section.
2. Press any button on the mouse.

Authonzallon Form

ABCDEF
VAXstatlon software, Version 1 0
User name •

Password

VAXstation 100
Figure 4. VAXstation Screen with the Authorization Form

User Authorization
Type your name and
password to begin a
session.

The VAXstation will clear the screen and display a small hourglass to indicate that you must wait for the startup process to
take place. After a few seconds, the hourglass will change to
an up-pointing arrow and the screen will display the Authorization Form shown in Figure 4.
An input marker appears beside "User name:" indicating that
the system will accept input from the keyboard. This marker
moves forward as you type.
1. Type the name by which the VAXstation knows you
(previousfy assigned by the manager of the VMS system your VAXstation is connected to). If you mistype,
you can erase characters by pressing the ill key.

FANGER
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Welcome to VAXNMS version V3 4 on node ABCDEF

G
IDDDDD DDDDD ~~E1D E3~ DODO\

VAXstation 100
Figure 5. VAXstation Screen After Authorization

2. Press (8TI). The input marker will move to the password line. Type your password (to protect its
secrecy, it will not be displayed legibly); then press
(8TI) again.
If your name and password are accepted, the Authorization
Form will be erased, and the screen will appear as shown in
Figure 5.
If you mistype either your name or your password, the message "Invalid user name or password" will appear in the blank
area at the bottom of the Authorization Form. The input marker
will move back to the end of your name and you can correct it,
if it is wrong, by deleting characters (with the ill key) and
retyping. When it is correct, press ru and carefully enter your
password again, followed by another ru. this should produce
the display shown in Figure 5. If it does not, refer to the "In
Case of Trouble" section.

You are now authorized to use the VAXstation. A simulated
DEC Terminal (see "Glossary of VAXstation Terms") is displayed on the VAXstation screen. The keyboard is attached to
this terminal and the terminal can be used very much as you ~
would use an actual VT100-family terminal logged in to the
VAX system.

Some Preliminary Concepts
The Utility and Work Areas
The VAXstation screen
The VAXstation screen is divided into two major areas:
is divided into utility and
• The utility area: this area occupies the right side and
work areas.
the bottom of the screen. After authorization, the right
utility area contains your name and the date and time,
and three rectangles resembling small pieces of
paper wi~h one corner folded over. These are labeled
"Notices," "Help," and "Profile." (Throughout this
guide such representations are called "icons.")
Between the date/time and the Notices icon.are
a number of empty slots that can be used to store
VAXNMS jobs.
The bottom utility area depicts the top row of
VAXstation keyboard keys. Except for the ( HELP) key
and the ( MENU) key, these depicted keys may either
be blank or contain the "Fxx" labels associated with
the physical keyboard keys. The significance of these
labels is discussed later in this guide .
• The work area: this area includes all of the screen not
occupied by the two VAXstation utility areas. The work
area contains the terminals, viewports, and documents you are currently working with. In Figure 5, only
a DEC Terminal occupies the work area.

The Pointer
Move the pointer with
the mouse.

In general, you do things with VAXstation objects, first by
pointing at them, then by indicating that you are choosing the
object thus identified as the target for an action. Pointing IS
always done by means of the mouse which, when moved

around your desk top, generates corresponding movements
of the pointer, the black up-arrow shown on the screen in
Figure 6. For best results, use the mouse on a piece of paper.

Pointer
Piece of Paper

....

Figure 6. The Mouse and the Pointer

Point at a VAXstation
object by moving the
pointer until a box
appears around the
object.

Move the mouse around on the desk top to see how it affects
the pointer. If you have before you the display shown in Figure 6,
you will see not only that the pointer moves as you move the
mouse, but also that when you point at the terminal border, a
thin line appears inside the border, in effect enclosing the terminal in a box. This transient "boxing" of the terminal- and
many other VAXstation objects - indicates that the VAXstation
has sensed the pointer's proximity to the object and will permit
you to take action relating to whatever is thus enclosed.
Throughout this guide, "point at" an object means to move the
pointer so that the object is "boxed" as described above.

Selecting Things
Select an object by
pointing at it, then
pressing SELECT.

Most VAXstation operations are performed by selecting an
object and then requesting some action with respect to that
object. You select an object by:

1. Pointing at the object as defined above.
2. Pressing the leftmost mouse button (SELECT).

FANGER
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Welcome to VAXNMS version V3 4 on node ABCDEF

$ •

..---------1

Terminal Menu

:~:,;~~~p

IMove

Logouljob

Terminal settmgs
Terminal RESET
Print

Help

IDDDDD DDDDD I§I~~D ~8 DDDDI

B
G
B

VAXstation 100
Figure 7. Screen After Selecting a Terminal Border

Moving Things
Move a terminal or
document by selecting it, selecting
the "Move" menu item,
then by moving
the mouse.

Terminals and documents in the VAXstation work area can be
moved anywhere on the screen. To move such objects:

• Select the border of the terminal or document you
wish to move. A menu will materialize around the
pointer (see Figure 7).
• If you select "Move", the menu will disappear, and
after a short delay the pointer will become a 4-way
arrow.
Moving the pointer off the menu also causes the
menu to disappear.

FANGER
1249
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Welcome to VAXNMS verSion V3 4 on node ABCDEF

$ •

...•100000 00000 §]~~O E3~ 00001

B
G
B

VAXstation '100
Figure 8. Screen During the Move Process
Fix the moved object in
a new position by again
pressing the mouse
button.

The object is now attached to the pointer and will
move with the pointer about the screen. Figure 8shows the DEC Terminal moved to a new position.
Pressing SELECT again will deposit the object in the
new location and detach the pointer from the border.
The pointer again becomes an up-arrow.

FANGER
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CHAPTER 4 VAXSTATION MENUS
The Mam Menu (cont)

MAIN MENU SELECTIONS
CREATE JOB (DEC TERMINAL)
Selecting thIS Item causes a logged-m DEC termmal to be
displayed In the work area Its screen will be blank except
for the VMS prompt, md,catmg that the termmalls logged
In and that VMS IS awaiting a command The VAXstatlOn
keyboard wIll be attached to the new termmal and you can
now commumcate with VMS via the new terminal precisely as
you would vIa a logged-m real termmal
RELATED ITEMS (~desired Item)
Chapter 2 Creating a VMS Job
Chapter 2 Logging Out a VMS Job
Chapter 4 Auxiliary Main Menu -. Create DEC Terminal
Chapter 4 Auxiliary Main Menu _. Create TEK 4014

t
-66-

100000 DDDDD I§II!!l@]D E!3~ DDDDI

VAXstation 100
Figure 9. Screen Displaying a Help Page

Getting Help
Get Help by pressing
the ( HELP) key.

You can get help at any time by:
• pressing the (@) key on the keyboard, or
• se/ectmg the "Help" item in a menu, or
• selecting the Help icon in the right utility area
To get help about something on the screen, point at it and
press the (tlill) key on the keyboard. The VAXstation will display the Help Document opened to a page that contains information about whatever you pointed at. The displayed page
will resemble that shown in Figure 9.
Selecting "Help" in a menu displays the Help Document
opened to a page that contains information about the menu.
Selecting the Help icon in the right utility area displays the
Help Document opened to the Table of Contents or to the last
page previously accessed during the current VAXstation
session.

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VAXSTATION HELP DOCUMENT
CHAPTER4 VAXSTATION MENUS
Auxlhary Mam Menu (cont)

AUXILIARY MAIN MENU SELECTIONS
CREATE DEC TERMINAL
SelectIng this Item causes a DEC termmal to be displayed In
the work area ThIS termmal will be blank except for "User
name", mdICatmg that the VAX host has 100tiated Its normal
logm procedure You can now enter any acceptable
name and password and use this terminal as you would a
real DEC termmal

RELATED ITEMS (~deslred Item)
Chapler 2 Creatmg a VMS Job
Chapter 2 Logging Out a VMS Job
Chapter 4 Main Menu -- Create Job (DEC Termmal)

Job 1

I Kbd I Hold

-72-

Contents

Index

I Back I Forward

B
I home',
VAXstation 100

Figure 10. Screen Displaying Help on Menus
Page through the Help
Document by selecting
references or icons.

In addition to the Table of contents, the Help Document has
numbered pages and an index. You can page through this
document in the following ways:
• by Selecting the "Contents" or "Index" item at the bottom of the page to open the Help Document to these
locations (at which points you can select any listed
topic in the document)
• by Selecting the preceding page ("Back") or next
.
page ("Forward") icon
• by Selecting internal references (displayed in boldface type), either in the body of the text or in the
"Related Items" lists.
For example, selecting the Related Item "Auxiliary Main
Menu" would open the Help Document to the page beginning
the discussions of this subject shown in Figure 10.

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MaIO Menu

II Create Job (+= termmal)

Create Job (TEK4014)

DECtermmal

Other chOlce~
End session
Help

Welcome to VAXNMS version V3 4 on node ABCDEF

G
VAXstation 100
Figure 11. Screen Displaying the Main Menu

Storing the Help Document
Remove the Help Document by selecting its
border and then selecting "Store" from the
resulting menu.

Remove the Help Document trom the screen by selecting its
border and then selecting "Store" from the resulting menu.
The currently displayed Help page will disappear from the
work area and the Help icon will reappear in the right utility
area.

Doing Things
Creating a VAXlVMS Job
Create a VAXlVMS job
by using the ( MENU) key.

A VAXNMS job on the VAXstation is a collection of one or
more terminals under the control of a VAXNMS process. To
create a new VAXNMS job:
• Press the ( MENU) key. The VAXstation Main Menu will
be displayed (see Figure 11).

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DEC terminal

Job 2

IIBIIII Hold

$shou!>cr..
VAXIVMS Imeractlve U~cr.. - Total = 3

25-0CT-1983 13 57 5499
ITB7
VDBI
VOBIS

FANGER

00010017
00010012
00080018

$
$
$
$
$

~..$-.----------------------....

Welcome to VAXNMS verSIon V3 4 on node ABCDEF

$ •

IDDDOD DDDDO I§)~@]D 8~ DODOI

S
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B

VAXstation 100
Figure 12. Screen Displaying a New Job
To create a new VAXNMS job, you can then:
• Select the "Create Job" item that will provide the
desired type of terminal. The menu will be replaced
by this terminal running a logged-in VAXNMS job
(Figure
shows two DEC terminals).

You can now use VAX/VMS commands, illustrated in
Figure 12.

FANGER

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DEC termmal

Job 2

IBIII Hold

$ <,hoU<'lr<,

VAXIVMS in1l'raCIIV(,' Uwr<,-Tolal = 3
25-0CT-198313 57 5499
TTB7

VDSI

FANGER
FANGER
FANGER

00010017

00010012
00080018

Tt.'nmnal menu

Pop to lOp

$
$

LogOUllob
Tcrmlllal<,clllng<,

Tcnmnal RESET
Print
Help

Welcome to VAXNMS verSion V3 4 on node ABCDEF

$ 1

100000 OODDD [§I[!!]~O E3~ DDDDI

VAXstation 100
Figure 13. Screen After Invocation of the Terminal Menu

Storing and Retrieving a VAXNMS Job
Store a job by selecting
one of its terminals and
then selecting "Store
job" in the Terminal
Menu.

The VAXstation imposes no specific limit on the number of
jobs that can simultaneously display terminals in the work
area. As you create new jobs, they may obscure older ones.
This stacking of objects creates a limit to the number of
objects that you can keep track of on the screen. For that reason, the VAXstation permits you to "store" as many as 9 jobsthat is, to move them out of the work area into utility area storage slots, where they can be easily accessed when needed.
See Figure 13.

FANGER

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DECtermmal

t
Job I

JKbd IHoid

Welcome to VAXNMS version V3 4 on node ABCDEF

$ •

B
G

VAXstation 100
Figure 14. Screen After Storing a VAXNMS Job
Retrieve a stored job by
selecting its icon in the
storage area.

A job or document can be retrieved from storage by selecting
its icon in the utility area. This will cause the object to reappear
in its position prior to storage. You can move the object elsewhere in the work area (see the "Moving Things" section).
If you wish to preserve a slow or temporarily unneeded
VAXNMS job but want to keep the work area uncluttered for
other uses, store the job as follows:
1. Select any terminal in the job. A Terminal Menu will
materialize around the pointer.
2. Select "Store job." All terminals associated with the
job will disappear from the work area, and a job icon
containing the job identification will appear in the first
available storage slot in the utility area as shown in
Figure 14.
.

Discarding a VAXNMS Job
Logout a VAXNMS job

by means of the
Terminal Menu.

To log out a VAXNMS job, you can either:
• Issue the LOGOUT command to VAXNMS. This will
cause the job to be logged out and the terminal to disappear from the VAXstation screen.
• Select the terminal border and then select "Logout
job" from the resulting menu. This action will also
cause the job to be logged out and the terminal to disappear from the VAXstation screen.

Changing Operating Characteristics
The VAXstation allows you to control a variety of behavior
characteristics both of individual terminals and of the
VAXstation as a whole.

DEC terminal settmg,>

FANGER
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Job J

The followmg Items allow you to change the
terminal "setup" optIOns defined for the current
lermmal,by your User Profile
Screen background,

o Dark background

Q' light background
Terminal mode

. . ._ _. . .

Q' ANSI (DEC termmal) mode
0 VT52 mode

\ Kbd\ Hold

-1-

Begm

I End I

Batk

Forward

8
G

B
~D~DDmD

VAXstation 100

Figure 15. Screen Displaying a Settings Document Page
Short-term Changes in Terminal Characteristics
Make short-term
changes in terminal
characteristics by
means of the Settings
Document.

To make short-term changes in an individual terminal setting
(screen background, for example):

1. Select the border of the terminal to be changed.
2. Select the "Terminal settings" item in the resulting
menu. The system will display a Settings Document
specific to the terminal. Figure 15 shows a portion of
the Settings Document for a DEC terminal. You can
page through this document by selecting the "Sack"
and "Forward" controls at the bottom of each page.
3. Select the characteristics you want from this document. Changes will take place as you specify them

FANGER'
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USER PROFILE
PHYSICAL KEYBOARD SETTINGS

Do you want keystrokes to be audible?

1;2 Yes

o No

Do you want autorepeat?

0' Yes

o No

I Kbdl Hold

-3Begm

End

B
G
VAXstation 100

Figure 16. Screen Displaying a Profile Page
and persist until you discard the terminal, make subsequent changes by using the Setting Document, or
select "Terminal RESET" in the Terminal Menu.
4. Select the border of the Settings Document when
you have completed your changes. The VAXstation
will display a short menu.
5. Select "Done." The Settings Document and menu will
disappear.

Long-term Changes in VAXstation Characteristics
Make long-term
changes in VAXstation
characteristics by
means of the Profile.

To make long-term changes in the behavior of the overall
VAXstation (initial terminal characteristics, time/date format,
start-up terminal type, and so on):
1. Select the Profile icon in the utility area to display the

Profile Document in the work area. Figure 16 shows a
portion of a typical page of the User Profile.

You can page through the Profile by selecting the
"Sack" and "Forward" controls at the bottom of each
page. Indicate your choices by selecting the items
you want or by selecting and filling in the editable
fields. Some changes will take effect as soon as you
enter them.
2. When you have made the desired changes in the
Profile, select the Profile border, then select "Store"
from the resulting menu.

Attaching the Keyboard to a Terminal
Attach the keyboard to
a terminal by selecting
the terminal's interior.

Although the VAXstation allows any number of terminals to
exist simultaneously, it never permits attaching the keyboard
to more than one terminal at a time. An active Kbd (keyboard)
indicator in the upper terminal control bar identifies which terminal on the VAXstation screen presently has the keyboard
attached.

Note: Indicators in VAXstation terminal control bars signal their "on" or "active" condition by reversing their visual state - changing
from black characters on a white field to
white characters on a black field.
To change the terminal that the keyboard is attached to,
select the interior of the terminal or the keyboard (Kbd)
indicator.

Figure 17. The Printer

Printing an Object
Print an object by
selecting a "Print"
menu item.

You can print an object that is displayed on the screen if you
have the printer option as shown in Figure 17. To print an
object, select the "Print" menu item from a menu for a document, terminal, or viewport.
When you select a "Print" menu item, the pointer changes to
an hourglass indicating "Please wait." The pointer then
returns to its normal arrow shape, and you can resume working. After a short time, the printer prints the page of the document or the terminal or viewport that you selected.

Use the "Print" menu
item to print a
VAXstation object.

Turn the knob on the printer to position the paper so that printing can begin at the top of the form.
If the printer has a keyboard, do not type the keys on the keyboard. (The printer is a spooled terminal device connected to
the VAXNMS system.)
The printer can print an object that measures 864 x 864 pixels. Thus, if you try to print an object that is 900 pixels wide,
the printer truncates the printed object to a width of 864
pixels.
By selecting a "Print" menu item, you can print the current
page of the Help Document, the User Profile Document, the
Notices Document, or the Terminal Settings Documents. You
can also print the current display of an emulated terminal or a
-viewport.

Uncovering Covered Terminals
Uncover an object by
selecting "Pop to top."

If a terminal or document you wish to see is partially obscured
by other VAXstation objects, select the border of the desired
object and then select "Pop to top" from the resulting menu.
The VAXstation displays the selected object at the top display
level. (Selecting "Move" from the action menu will also place
the object at the top display level.) If an object is entirely
obscured by other VAXstation objects, you may have to move
one or more of them far enough to allow you to point at the
desired object.

Reading Notices
Read notices by selecting the Notices icon.

The Notices icon in the utility area turns black when system
messages, or VAXphone calls arrive. If you select this icon, a
Notices Document is displayed in the work area. this document, shown in Figure 18, will display system messages that
have arrived since the beginning of the current session. when
the Notices Document is filled with accumulated messages, it
scrolls to accommodate new messages, discarding the topmost message.
Notices

ABCDEF::USER 12:24:20 (DCL) CPU=OO:00:16.60 PF=661 10=254 MEM=102.

Figure 18. The Notices Document
When you are done reading notices, select the Notices Document border and then select "Store" from the resulting menu.
The Notices Document will disappear from the work area and
its icon will reappear in the utility area.

Ending a VAXstation Session
End a VAXstation
session by means
of the Main Menu.

To end a VAXstation session:
1. Get the Main Menu by pressing the ( MENU) key.
2. Select "End session." A Confirmation Menu will
appear on the screen.
3. Select "Yes" if you are sure you are done and want all
remaining jobs automatically logged out.

Some Advanced Concepts
Details regarding the following VAXstation features will not be
needed by all VAXstation users. If you are reading this guide
for the first time, you may wish to skim this section for later
reference.

Control Bars
Simulated terminals have an elongated bar attached to the
top - and, in the case of the TEK 4014, a bar attached to the
bottom as well. These bars contain labels and icons that provide information about and permit control of the associated
terminal.

Upper Terminal Control Bars
Upper terminal control bars are similar for both DEC and TEK
4014 terminals.
Terminal Name

Job Name

I I I
Pad

Kbd

Hold

Figure 19. Upper Terminal Control Bar
Each upper terminal control bar can have five regions (see
Figure 19), identified from left to right below:
• Terminal Name. A region that normally defines the
type of terminal: "DEC terminal" or "TEK 4014."
(Programs that create terminals can fill this field with
other text.) You can, if you wish, select this region and
edit its contents - deleting characters with the (I]
key,. and entering characters by typing on the
keyboard.
• Job name. A region that identifies each job ("Job 1" or
"Job 2"). You can, if you wish, change the text in this
region by selecting the Job name region and editing
its contents as described above.
• Pad. An indicator/switch icon that appears when a
DEC Graphics Data Pad is specified for this terminal.
(This specification is controlled by the program being
run; if no data pad is identified by the program, this
region does not appear in the terminal control bar.)
This function turns black when you select the icon.
If the pad is attached to one terminal (icon reversed)
and you select the pad icon in another terminal, the
pad is detached from the first terminal and attached
to the other.

• Kbd (Keyboard). An indicator/switch icon that shows'
a dark (active) background when the VAXstation keyboard is attached to this terminal. The Keyboard indicator becomes active when you select the icon or the
interior of the terminal. If the keyboard is attached to
one terminal (icon active) and you select the keyboard icon (or body) of another terminal, the keyboard will be detached from the first terminal and
attached to the other .
• Hold (not present on TEK 4014). An indicator/switch
icon that shows a dark (active) background whenever
output to the terminal is stopped. To stop (or hold)
output to the terminal, you can type (ClRUS) or you can
select the terminal's inactive (white background)
HOLD icon.
You can restart output to a terminal by typing (ClRUQ) or
by selecting the active Hold icon.

TEK4014

Job 3

FANGER
1413
25-0CT-1983

~
t

Welcome to VAX VMS version V3 4 on node ABCDEF

I ~E1~x~~ I

IDDDDD 00000

I§I~~D

IOFF2

RESET

00001

0
B

VAXstation 100
Figure 20. Screen Displaying a TEK 4014 Terminal
Lower Terminal Control Bars
Only the simulated TEK 4014 terminal has a lower control bar.
The TEK 4014 Lower Terminal Control Bar (see Figure 20)
contains six regions:
• PAGE. A selectable switch that clears the screen l
forces the terminal into alphanumeric model and
resets the cursor.
• MARGIN RELEASE. A selectable switch that releases
the terminal from a page full condition.
• FULL. An indicator that becomes active when no
more lines can be written onto the screen.
• GIN. An indicator that becomes active when graphics
input mode is in effect.
• MARGIN. A selectable switch/indicator that permits
users to define page full conditions. Selecting "111

causes the page full condition to occur when the terminal reaches the right margin of the bottom alphanumeric line on the screen, regardless of the margin
width. Selecting "2" causes the page full condition to
occur only after the terminal reaches the right margin
of the bottom alphanumeric line in the second column. Selecting "OFF" prevents generation of the
page full condition .
• RESET. A selectable switch that moves the cursor to
the home position without erasing the screen. Selecting RESET also resets the characteristics of the TEK
4014 to those specified in the User Profile.

VAXNMS Jobs with Multiple Terminals
The VAXstation allows a VAXNMS program to create terminals (or viewports) in addition to the one from which the RUN
command was issued and to assign them logical names that
the programs can access as required. When such terminal
clusters are created, you can change individual terminal positions by means of the Terminal Menu "Move" item. Multipleterminal jobs can also be stored and retrieved precisely like
other jobs.

71 B3J1 power
from display
processor

processor

Figure 21. Connecting the Data Pad

VAXstations with Graphics Data Pads
One of the options for the VAXstation 100 is the DEC Graphics
Data Pad. This unit affects the behavior of the VAXstation only
when programs that require it are running.
Connect the DEC Graphics Data Pad as shown in Figure 21.

Use programs to control When the VAXstation system starts, the connected data pad
the DEC Graphics Data
responds with four beeps to indicate proper operation.

Pad.

The DEC Graphics Data Pad has a crosshair cursor (puck)
with 5 buttons that you can use to control graphic data. (The
application program that you are using should provide information about how to use the puck.) The puck also has a red
lamp and a green lamp.
The red proximity lamp on the puck indicates when data can
be sent to the VAXNMS host by pushing one of the buttons on
the puck. Although the pad is approximately 16 inches
square, you can use only 11 square inches in the center of the
surface area. When the puck is within the 11-inch area and
less than approximately 1 inch above the surface of the data
pad, the red proximity lamp lights.
The green lamp on the puck indicates when operation of the
puck changes from point mode to line mode. Point mode
yields one point for each depression of a button; line mode
yields a stream of points for as long as you depress a button.

VAXstation Special Symbols
Type special-symbols by The VAXstation permits you to create and display a large variety of special symbols in addition to the standard characters
means of the ( SYMBOL)
available on the keyboard To type such symbols you must
key.
use the ( SYMBOL) key in conjunction with a "seed" character
key to temporarily assign symbols to the F1-F5 keys on your
keyboard. These assignments are depicted along the bottom
of the VAXstation screen as shown in Figure 22.
To type a special symbol, hold down the ( SYMBOL) key and
then press the desired "seed" key on the keyboard. If your
terminal IS set to the 8-bit DEC multinational symbol condition,
the system will change the depiction of the leftmost five keys
to show the symbols that will be generated if you press the
corresponding key on the keyboard In most cases, the special symbols are visibly related to the seed key:
for example, gives access to all accent-bearing forms of the letter A, as
well as the diphthong ",LE" Some special characters, however, are arbitrarily associated with one or more keyboard
keys: the yen sign with the 00 and the CD key, for example.
These associations can be ascertained by reference to Figure
23 on the next page.

If you hold down (SYMBOL) and press the
key, the symbol key
depictions at the bottom of the screen will take the form
shown in Figure 22.

Figure 22. Special Symbol Selection (the "A" series)

Keyboard Key

Symbols Presented

A A A A

C
E
I
L
N

0 6 6 6

U
X
Y

U 0 0 0

1-1

Y ¥
A E I 0
1

U A N

1/4

1/2

£ ¥

1/4

61\

A E I 6 0

±
±

Q .Q

A E f 6

\1
<>

¢
«

0 A E

C
(f)

¢ V4 V2

Figure 23. VAXstation Special Symbols

b 0

A A ,lE

b 0 Y «

In Case of Trouble
The following table contains several of the more likely VAXstation trouble symptoms, each
coupled with a short list of possible cures. If you encounter problems that do not appear in
this table, call Digital Field Service 1-800-DEC-8000.

Problem

Possible Cause

Possible Solution

No image on screen

No power to system

Turn on main power switch
(on display processor)
Plug display processor into
active power outlet
Turn on monitor power switch
(on rear of monitor)
Plug monitor into switched
outlet on display processor
Rotate brightness control
(see Figure 2)
Check all three connectors
at both ends of video
cable

No power to monitor

Screen intensity too
low
Video cable not
connected
Keyboard does
not respond

Keyboard is not
plugged in

Keyboard is not
attached to
desired terminal

Connect keyboard cable to
display processor (see
Figure 2); check plug
underneath keyboard
Select body of terminal
or Kbd icon

Mouse does not move
pointer

Mouse is not
connected
VAXstation is stuck

Connect mouse cable to main
chassis
Turn main power switch OFF
then ON

Application program
does not detect data
pad puck operations

Data pad is not
connected

Connect data pad (see
Figure 21)

Authorization failure

Wrong name or
password

Consult system manager

Internal VAXstation
failure

Call Digital Field Service
1-800-DEC-8000

VAX/VMS host is not
running VAXstation
software; communications failure

Turn main power switch OFF
then ON. Consult system
manager.

~~ "Trouble" icon

~~"" J on
appears
screen

...:-

"Unable to
connect to
host" icon
appears
on screen

Glossary of VAXstation Terms
Although the VAXstation has been designed with the intent of
avoiding needless specialized terms, a few terms, used both
in this guide and in the Help Document, have unavoidably
taken on special meaning. These terms are discussed below.
• DEC Terminal. A simulated terminal forthe VAXstation
that duplicates the relevant characteristics of the current video terminals manufactured by Digital
Equipment Corporation. For most practical purposes,
the VAXstation DEC Terminal behaves like Digital
VT200 family terminals. These are units similar to the
Digital VT100 and VT1 02, but with the additional ability to generate and display the DEC multinational
character set.
• Documents. VAXstation displays that simulate many
of the characteristics of printed media. They are often
characterized by having pages which can be
"turned;" they may also have tables of contents and
indexes. The VAXstation has Notices, Help, Profile,
and Settings Documents.
• Help. The assistance that the VAXstation makes available to users by means of the (H~LP) key and certain
menu items. Pressing the (f[[p) key at any time causes
the VAXstation to display the Help Document opened
to a related page. If the pointer has no specific context, the Help Document is displayed opened to the
first page of the table of contents. From there the user
can select any other page in the Help Document,
including the Index - which in turn allows opening the
document to any of its entries.
• Icon. A pictographic or alphanumeric symbol that
identifies a VAXstation action, object, or function. The
- hand pressing a mouse button that appears prior to
authorization is an icon that means "Press the mouse
button to start." Alphanumeric icons are "Kbd,"
"Hold," and "Pad" in terminal control bars. Combining
pictographic and alphanumeric techniques are the
Notices, Help, and Profile icons (which depict a
labeled piece of paper with one corner folded over).
• Job. A VAX/VMS job on the VAXstation that is a collection of one or more terminals (or viewports) under the
control of a VAXNMS process.

• Menu. Any of several short selection forms displayed
at certain times in the operation of the VAXstation.
These forms allow the user to select VAXstation
actions from a variety of options by pointing at the
desired item and pressing the SELECT button on the
mouse.
• Move. An explicit menu item that allows the pointer to
be connected to an object so that, when the pointer
is moved, the associated object moves with it. The
VAXstation informs the user of the move state by converting the pointer from an up-arrow to a four-way
arrow.
Objects that have been moved are fixed in the current
position when the SELECT button on the mouse is
pressed. The pointer resumes its up-arrow form.
• Mouse. The small unit attached to the VAXstation. The
mouse has three control buttons (the leftmost of which
is SELECT), a movement-sensing ball in its belly, and
a tail (oriented away from the user) through which it
transmits ball motions and button operations to the
VAXstation.
The mouse is used to move the pointer about the
VAXstation screen and to select screen locations
defined by the pointer.
• Multinational symbols. The graphics symbols (defined
by Digital Equipment Corporation) that uses eight bits
to encode all of the standard ASCII characters as well
as an additional set of special characters aimed at
satisfying the requirements of a large variety of
Western European languages.
• Point. The act of identifying an object or a location on
the VAXstation screen by bringing the pointer to that
object or location.

Selectable VAXstation objects acknowledge being
pointed at by surrounding themselves with a box. This
is true of terminal borders, menu items, Help crossreferences, and Profile and Settings choices.
Whenever an object acknowledges being pointed at,
pressing the SELECT button on the mouse produces
an action related to that object. A terminal border displays the Terminal Menu, a menu item executes the
named action, a Help cross-reference opens the Help
Document to the referenced page, a'Profile item sets
the VAXstation to the named state.

• Pointer. The location identifying arrow that moves in
close synchronism with the movements of the mouse.
When a selected object is capable of being moved,
the pointer becomes a four-way arrow. The pointer
changes to an hourglass to indicate "Please wait."
• Profile. A VAXstation document that allows the user to
define and confirm the operating characteristics of
the VAXstation. The Profile allows user control of such
features as date and time display format, kind of terminal (if any) to be created after authorization, and
default characteristics of DEC and TEK 4014
terminals.
• Select. The act of moving the pointer until an object
acknowledges being pointed at, then pressinq the
leftmost button on the mouse (SELECT).
• Store. The act of selecting the "Store" item in a menu
and thereby moving a storable object into the storage
area. Jobs are the most commonly stored VAXstation
objects, although the Notices, Help, and Profile Documents are also "stored" when not in use.
Storing a job does not affect its state (running or
paused).
• Storage area. The group of twelve compartments
immediately below the date/time box in the right utility
area. Nine of these compartments are dedicated to
storing jobs, and three to storing the Notices, Help,
and Profile Documents.
• Utility area. The two VAXstation control blocks normally visible at the right and along the bottom of the
screen. The right utility area contains the date/time
utility, nine job storage slots, and three storage slots
containing the Notices, Help, and Profile icons. The
bottom utility area contains a depiction of the top row
of keyboard function keys. The leftmost group of five
keys are used in conjunction with the ( SYMBOL) key to
produce special DEC multinational symbols.
• Work area. All of the VAXstation screen that is not
occupied by the utility areas. This is the region in
which you use simulated terminals (or viewports).

VAXstation 100 User's Guide
AA-N660A-TC

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