[Simh] Re: Welcome to the "Simh" mailing list

[A.Bucher at alcatel.de]

Hi !

since I am new to this list, to give you some background, and for a small
introduction: I discovered the great simh emulator some year ago,
but never managed to get it really up and running with VMS (sorry, forgot
to mention: VAXen are my favorites ... :-), right after the PDP11 ...
but I've also seen a real LGP-30 :-), mainly because I was not sure if I
could net-boot the emulator as a satellite node into my existing VAX. and
converting 9-track VMS tapes was not the thing I had time for ...
Okay back to the story: last week I remembered the place where I've stored
the VMS CDROMS, and after removing some dust and creating an ISO image, I
managed to install VMS 7.2 without any (bigger) problems on an W2K and WXP
host system. Since I want to have an replacement for some physical VAXes, I
wolud require a similar functionality.

Now to my question: I wanted to implement an automatic reboot (restart) of
the emulator if it halts in the sim> mode. everything works, but I can't
get the VAX cpu to auto-boot.

In the description of Phil Wherry, he mentiones to do a DEP BDR 0  and
that's what I do in the vax.ini just before the BOOT CPU.
In the cpu console, I   >>>SET BOOT DUA0, which works fine, but the net
time the system still stops in the >>> prompt without booting.
After manually entering >>> B<cr>, it boots.

Any ideas ? How  can I flip the autoboot switch ?

Andreas

PS: Big thanks to all the writers and contributors of simh - one of the
best pieces of software I've seen recently (besides VMS <g>)
I am still wondering, how one can emulate such a complex thing like a whole
VAX system with all devices with only about 400-800kB of executable code
...

PPS: For the ones interested: My first contact with a VAX was a 11/730 in
about 1985 during a 1-week training session for VMS. Later I had the chance
to work on some 11/750s before beeing "forced" to concentrate on IBM /370
for some years (greetinx to the hercules emulator, which is the counterpart
of SIMH !). This made me feel to need a VAX at home - which I finally
managed around 1992, when lots of those machines where decommissioned. I
was lucky to get a 11/750, together with a RM80, TE16 (250kg !), Unibus
Expander, CI, Star Coupler, RA81 Cabinet, etc. I got all those equipment
set up and running in my garage ! <the story may be continued upon request
:-)>