  Serial console on MicroVAX 2000/VAXstation 2000? 
 The Question is:
 
We have a vax 2000 with a dec letterwriter 100 logger. The logger works fine
but when you go to type something on the keyboard nothing happens. The
logger is online. We tried to connect another logger to it with the same
results. We are struggling because
 we want to do stand alone backups before y2k...just in case ! Any help
would be greatly appreciated.
 
 
 The Answer is:
 
  This appears to be a hardware or a configuration error.  This could
  potentially be a hardware problem caused by an incorrect transmit
  speed or other setting, by an XOFF sent from the host to the printer,
  or by a broken or disconnected transmit wire.  This could also be a
  software or configuration error, such as a process or application that
  is holding the serial line used by the LetterWriter printer -- there
  are cases where processes incorrectly hold the serial line (and thus
  preventing logins), and there are cases where a print queue symbiont
  or application process has a channel assigned to the serial line and
  (correctly) prevents any attempted login from the serial line.
 
  Assuming that this problem persists when the VAXstation 2000 or
  MicroVAX 2000 system is shut down to the console prompt, and assuming
  that the printer is connected to the console serial line on the MicroVAX
  2000 or VAXstation 2000, and assuming that the correct "short" is in
  place on the console serial line connection -- see the OpenVMS FAQ
  discussion of DB9 pinout and the BCC08 discussion for details -- and
  assuming that the console printer line has the correct settings, then
  please contact your hardware support vendor or the Compaq Customer
  Support Center for assistance.
 
