the problem is that PVM is compiled with the 'rsh' command set to 'ssh'.
To add to the complications, you need to be able to simply do:

ssh altair

and get a prompt.  This means you need Rhosts with RSA authentication set
in /etc/sshd_config (the default).  However, the ssh binary needs to be
set to suid for this to work.  

So to summarize, you need:

1) install ssh
2) make sure you have:
  % ls -l /usr/pkg/bin/ssh1
  ---S--x--x  1 root  wheel  196608 Dec 16 10:24 /usr/pkg/bin/ssh1
3) make a .shosts file with
  hostname username
lines for your machines.  Be _sure_ to make .shosts be only read/writeable
by you.

now make sure 'ssh altair' works and doesn't need you to type extra
passwords (ssh -v altair can help debug this).  Now it should be all set.

I don't know if pvm has a command line option which says to use rsh
instead of ssh or to prompt for a password instead of failing.

You now know more than I do about pvm!

-Dan

ps, pvm-3.4.2 is newer than 3.4beta7...

 On Mon, 17 Jan 2000, Mark Rewis wrote:

> Sorry if this is the wrong forum.
> 
> I am running 1.4.1  and PVM 3.4.beta7 with csh shell on two  5000/240
> (downloaded the pkg friday 1/14/00).
> I can get the master started fine with pvm ( or pvm hostfile ).
> When I try get a slave started by adding a host this is what I get:
> 
> % pvm
> pvm> add altair
> 0 successful
>                     HOST     DTID
>                   altair Can't start pvmd
> pvm>
> 
> This is the output  from the pvml.767 log file:
> 
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:57:58 deneb (172.16.1.13:65517) NETBSD 3.4.beta7
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:57:58 ready Mon Jan 17 13:57:58 2000
> [t80000000] 01/17 13:58:07 stderr@altair: phase1() execvp failed
> [t80000000] 01/17 13:58:07 stdout@altair: EOF
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:58:07 startack() host altair expected version, got
> "PvmCantStart"
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:59:15 dm_halt() from (deneb), halting...
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:59:15 work() pvmd halting
> [t80040000] 01/17 13:59:15 pvmbailout(0).
> 
> However when I do a remote start with rsh:
> % rsh altair pvm
> pvm> mstat altair
>                   altair  ok
> pvm>
> 
> PVM_ROOT and PVM_ARCH appear to be set correctly.
> 
> I'm brand new to pvm so I suspect this is a simple one, but I can't
> figure out why the 'add' is not working.
> 
> Thanx
> rewis
>