With substantial hand-holding by the folks at HECnet, I managed to bring up a SimH VAX-11/780 running ancient VAX/VMS version 3.5 with DECnet Phase-IV networking running over Ethernet, learning a few things on the way.
The only two media really needed are (a) VAX/VMS 3.5 installation tape "BB-D782F-BE" and (b) DECnet license installation medium "BE-X083A-BE_-_DECNET-VAX_FULL_FUNCTION_V3.1" containing "NETRTG031.A". While exploring the latter, I learned about TU58 DECtape II, a "random-access, fixed-length-block, mass-storage tape system" from October of 1978 that "uses preformatted tape cartridges which store 262 kilobytes of data in 512-byte blocks" accessible "in a fashion similar to data stored on disks or DECtape". "A file-oriented structure is easily implemented in an operating system by setting aside several blocks on the tape to store a directory", which means its a tape that works like a very slow tiny 262 kb hard-disk!
VAX/VMS Version V3.5 17-NOV-1983 16:21
Just to make installation simpler, I copied the installation files from both media onto a RD54 159MB Winchester hard disk using another SimH VAX. The installation session captured below uses that hard disk instead of two separate tape and TU58 media. (The installation files are also available from the FAL area of the installed VAX/VMS 3.5 node XXXV {31.42} accessible over HECnet.) It is of course possible to perform the same installation from VAX/VMS 3.5 distribution tape attached to MSA0: and DECnet license TU58 attached to TDC0:.
$ dir xxxv::
Directory XXXV::SYS$SYSDEVICE:[DECNET]
EDTCAI.SAV;1 EDTCAI1.SAV;1 LIBRARY.;1 NETACP35.EXE;1
NETRTG031.A;2 NETRTG040.A;1 NETSERVER.LOG;14 NETSERVER.LOG;13
NETSERVER.LOG;12 OPTIONAL.;1 REQUIRED.;1 VMSOPT.SAV;1
Total of 12 files.
"DECnet-VAX V3.0, VMS V3.5" is somewhat unusual, even a little buggy. The DECnet configurator command file SYS$MANAGER:NETCONFIG.COM presents a choice of node address from the range of 1 through 1023 indicating a DECnet Phase-III implementation, but it happily accepts a Phase-IV <area>.<node> format address with no complaints:
What do you want your DECnet address to be? [1-1023]: 31.42
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