[Simh] What is the file VAX/vmb.exe for?

Thomas Pfau pfau at nbpfaus.net
Wed Aug 29 10:45:25 EDT 2007


Peter Lund wrote:
> On Wed, 2007-08-29 at 08:50 -0400, Thomas Pfau wrote:
> >> > What is the relation between that and ka655x.bin?
>>
>> VMB.EXE is a VAX program.  KA655X.BIN is microcode.
>
> No, it isn't.  It is VAX machine code that implements boot/console stuff
> like on the VLSI VAXen that did not have a service processor; the whole
> thing ran on the same CPU.
>
> So vmb.exe and ka655x.bin are different kinds of bootstrappers.
> Interresting... :)

My mistake, then.  I thought it was firmware.  Most of my low level
hardware experience was on the early VAX systems.  I don't know the later
systems as well.

> I wonder what the copyright/license restrictions are for vmb.exe.  Can
> Debian include it in their packages?

Probably not without some form of a statement from HP/Compaq that allows it.

-- 
tom_p
http://nbpfaus.net/




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