DECnet Node Configuration

[Snievan]

I've been updating back | track 4 and was prompted to set a DECnet node name. I was unfamiliar with this, so I google'd and wiki'd it. After reading about this and a few articles on the subject, I am still lost.

Can anyone give a better in-depth description of these network protocols? What phase is back | track 4 trying to get me to configure? Any other insight is encouraged. =]

Thanks.

[gunrunr]

personally i wasn't really interested in what decnet had to offer so i hunted down the package and uninstalled it, it comes up under 2 packages
dnet-common
dnet-progs
if you are unclear to what decnet does for you google it like i did, it sets the mac addresses up for each of your interfaces to a defined address when you startup. I don't really change macs much so i took it out...after you uninstall it, next time you get your upgrades just make sure to de-select it before clicking the green check!

[MunyA]

personally i wasn't really interested in what decnet had to offer so i hunted down the package and uninstalled it, it comes up under 2 packages
dnet-common
dnet-progs
if you are unclear to what decnet does for you google it like i did, it sets the mac addresses up for each of your interfaces to a defined address when you startup. I don't really change macs much so i took it out...after you uninstall it, next time you get your upgrades just make sure to de-select it before clicking the green check!

Thanks, I usually just skip it, Wiki said this about it

DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s.

Initially built with four layers, it later (1982) evolved into a seven layer OSI compliant networking protocol.

DECnet was built right into the DEC flagship operating system VAX/VMS since its inception. Digital ported it to its own Ultrix variant of UNIX, as well as Apple Macintosh computers and PCs running both DOS and Windows under the name DEC Pathworks, transforming these systems into DECnet end-nodes in a network of VAX machines. More recently, an open-source version has been developed for the Linux OS: see Linux-DECnet on Sourceforge.

Your explanation is much simpler, thank you.

[Snievan]

personally i wasn't really interested in what decnet had to offer so i hunted down the package and uninstalled it, it comes up under 2 packages
dnet-common
dnet-progs

apt-get remove dnet-common
apt-get remove dnet-progs

Is that the sufficient way to remove it?

I don't see why I'd need to define address. Out of curiosity, when would I need to establish something like this? What kind of scenario would I be in if I wanted to actually utilize this?