WWW Server Multivax

Why `Multivax'?

When I started working at Jodrell Bank, I bought an ALPHAstation 255/233 running VMS. I needed a name for the computer, so I chose Multivac (scroll down to "Multivac stories") after a computer in a series of tongue-in-cheek short stories by Isaac Asimov. Later, when I set up the computer at home in Germany, I needed a domain name. Unfortunately, Multivac.de was already taken.

The ALPHAstation 255/233 was, of course, an ALPHA but by this time I had already collected a number of VAX computers as well. VMS started out on VAX computers, and I had more VAX than ALPHA computers, so `multivax.de' seemed an appropriate combination of the old multivac name and an hommage to the wonderful line of VAX computers.

Multivax C&R

Multivax C&R (Communications and Research) doesn't exist in anything but name. I use it as a placeholder for required fields on web forms and in other contexts where an institute of company name must be provided. Since putting `none' might have unintended consequences, I use a placeholder instead. For people who aren't interested in the details it doesn't matter; those who do can easily find this web page.

What can one find here?

Originally, I had just my personal, mostly astronomy-related, web pages here. At Jodrell Bank, and later at the Kapteyn Intituut I was employed by the CERES project, so I set up a list of CERES-related links here as well.

Why is it running on port 8000?

My web pages started their life at the Hamburg Observatory as part of the personal web pages there, but I quickly moved them to a VAXstation at the observatory, on which I did essentially all of my work. Since I had just a non-priviledged account, I couldn't run the web server on port 80, so I had to resort to running it on port 8000. This required running the OSU HTTP server in an unorthodox configuration. When I moved to Jodrell Bank, I could have run the server on port 80, but I had so many other things to do that I kept the configuration as it was. Ditto when I moved to the Kapteyn Intituut and later when I set up my computers at home in Germany.

I now run the web server in the normal configuration on port 80 as well; there's not much there now, but I might later use it for something else. Even if I later move these web pages there, they will probably remain accessible under port 8000 as well.

go to Phillip Helbig's home page
go to Phillip's CERES pointers

last modified on Sunday, March 24, 2013 at 08:53:24 AM by helbig@astro.mNuOlStPiAvMa!x.de