connection between Symbolics and Explorer

["Scott B. Layson" <gyro@KESTREL.ARPA>]

   Date: Thu, 27 Apr 89 18:10:19 N
   From: baechler%elma.epfl.ch@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

   I have a problem while trying to connect my symbolics to an explorer through
   Chaosnet: when i try to edit a file lying on the explorer, or to do anything
   equivalent, with the following command:

   edit file vasco:gabriel;login-init.lisp

   I get the following error:

   Error: "" is an invalid name component for vasco-de-gama (a LISPM host).

   ...

   Clerarly, the symbolics understood that the explorer is a lisp machine
   but was unable to handle correctly its pathnames. I tried to supply a
   pathname with the LFMS syntax, but I got the same error. The only
   difference was in the error message: the machine was recognized as an
   explorer host.

     What must I do in order to be able to access to the explorer ?

I was having a similar problem for a while.  I don't remember exactly
how it came about but it was basically that on the Symbolics, the
NETI:SAMPLE-PATHNAME of the object describing the Explorer (do
(SI:PARSE-HOST 'VASCO) to see this object) was getting initialized to
a Symbolics pathname, rather than an Explorer pathname.  Fixing it
required that the Explorer be defined as an FS:EXPLORER-HOST at boot
time.

Where did you get the software to support Explorer pathnames on the
Symbolics?  There is probably more than one extant version of this,
and the exact details of your problem will depend on just which one
you have.

-- Scott