[Simh] Problems with OS/8

[Vince Mulhollon]

On Wed, Dec 20, 2006 at 07:07:26PM +0000, Richard Hunt wrote:
> Hi,
> 	I am trying to work out OS/8 using the OS8_Handbook_Apr1974.pdf,
> but I am having some trouble. I cannot work out how to access a storage
> device other than the system device. I am using the software kit from
> the simh webstite and starting pdp8 with the following commands:
> 
> att rx0 Disks/os8_rx.dsk
> att rx1 Disks/os8f4_rx.dsk
> att dt0 Disks/working
> boot rx0
> 
> OS/8 starts and I get the . prompt and help, dir etc work correctly, but
> I think there is not space left on the disk so I tried adding the DEC
> tape. Here are the errors I have had:
> 
> .DIR DTA0:
> DTA0 DOES NOT EXIST
>

Probably you don't have the driver loaded for DTA devices, which 
is nonintuitively called "TC"

To verify, from the OS8 prompt, run "R BUILD" and you should get a 
dollar sign prompt.  At the dollar sign prompt type PRINT and hit enter.
If you had a TC driver you'd see something like this cut and paste 
from my machine:

.R BUILD

$PRINT

RX01: *RXA0 *RXA1
KL8E: *TTY
LPSV: *LPT
RK8E: *SYS
PT8E: *PTP  *PTR
TC  : *DTA0  DTA2  DTA3  DTA4  DTA5  DTA6  DTA7
TM8E: *MTA0  MTA2  MTA3  MTA4  MTA5  MTA6  MTA7
RF  : *RF    NULL
RK05: *RKA0 *RKB0 *RKA1 *RKB1  RKA2  RKB2  RKA3  RKB3

DSK=RF:RF
$

Note the line TC which is the device driver and of the eight supported
devices I'm only loading DTA0.

Now rebuilding to include other drivers is a good hours entertainment.

Here is my cruddy cheatsheet using a different set of system disks where
I transfer a system from two floppys to a RK drive.  I provide no guarantee
but this might help you understand the numerous steps in the build of an OS8.

The distribution floppy disk images (originally) came from:
http://www.pdp8.net/images/images/misc_floppy.shtml
os8_v3d_bin_1.rx01
os8_v3d_bin_2.rx01

Boot off the "distribution RX disks" in rxa0: and rxa1:
.set sys no init
.zero rka0:
.zero rkb0:
.copy rka0:<rxa0:
.copy rka0:<rxa1:*.sv
.copy rka0:<rxa1:*.rl
.copy rka1:<rxa1:*.bn
.copy rka1:<rxa1:*.sy
.copy rkb1:<rxa1:*.pa
.r build
$unload rk05
$unload rx8e
$load rxa1:rk8esy.bn
$insert rk8e:sys
$load rxa1:pt8e.bn
$insert pt8e:ptp
$insert pt8e:ptr
$load rxa1:tc08ns.bn
$insert tc:dta0
$insert tc:dta1
$load rxa1:tm8e.bn
$insert tm8e:mta0
$insert tm8e:mta1
$load rxa1:rf08ns.bn
$insert rf:rf
$load rxa1:rk8ens.bn
$insert rk05:rka0
$insert rk05:rkb0
$insert rk05:rka1
$insert rk05:rkb1
$sys rk8e
$dsk rf:rf
$boot
.save sys build
.save rka0 build

I thought I set up DTA1: in addition to DTA0:, will have to figure out 
where that got lost...

Sometimes, depending on your drivers, you get to assemble them first, like
for a SBC6120, which is a bit beyond this discussion.

Anyways good luck and happy holidays