[Simh] RSTS V9.6 install

[Brett Bump]

On Tue, 11 Mar 2008, Fausto Saporito wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I'm following the Tony suggestion, and I'm able to continue the
> installation, but I have an error :
>
> Restoring required _SY:[1,2] components
> ?Error opening Backup set
> ?Magtape record length error
> Where can this volume be located? <MU0:>
>
> Maybe the tape file is not build correctly... or what?
> I tried with TM11 and TK50, with the same error.
>
> regards,
> fausto

This is an issue that I've had with the distribution sets since V9.0 came
out.  Prior to V9.0 all RSTS distribution tape sets were DOS format.  The
V9.x and V10.x distribution (boot) tapes are a mixed format tape.  The
record length error that you run into is BACKUP expecting to see an ANSI
label with 2048 bytes, but running into a 14 byte DOS header because the
tape has rewound to the start of the tape.

The first 10 to 12 files on a distribution tape are DOS formatted files:

 Name .Typ    Size    Prot    Date      MS0:[0,1]
MGBOOT.SYS       1   <155> 14-Aug-88
INIT  .SYS     622   <155> 14-Aug-88
ERR   .ERR      16   <155> 14-Aug-88
SYSINI.COM       5   <155> 14-Aug-88
BACKUP.TSK     113   <155> 14-Aug-88
SYSGEN.SIL     608   <155> 14-Aug-88
DCL   .RTS     115   <155> 14-Aug-88
PKG001.MSG       8   <155> 14-Aug-88
PKG002.MSG       7   <155> 14-Aug-88
RSX   .RTS       6   <155> 14-Aug-88
GETSYS.TSK      52   <155> 14-Aug-88

Total of 1553 blocks in 11 files in MS0:[0,1]


 Name .Typ    Size    Prot    Date      MS0:[1,2]
DOS   .EOT       0   <155> 14-Aug-88

Total of 0 blocks in 1 file in MS0:[1,2]

The DOS.EOT file is an empty DOS header with (as I recall) 3 EOT markers.
This marks the end of a normal tape and the COPY function of INIT.SYS is
going to stop (without rewinding) once it gets to this point.  If you are
NOT in this "exact" spot once the SYSGEN.SIL is running, the install is
going to cough when BACKUP tries to find the ANSI header for the rest of
the installation process.  This is why I've broken up the installation
sets on the distribution tapes I've put online (that I made a decade ago)
into 3 tapes (such as V95BOOT.TAP, V95ANSI.TAP, V9LIB.TAP).

The tpc formatted tapes that Al and Tim have put online DO work, you just
have to make sure you mount the tape correctly and that it doesn't end up
in the wrong spot:

bash-3.00$ ../pdp11

PDP-11 simulator V3.7-3
sim> set rq0 rd54
sim> att rq0 v96.dsk
RQ: creating new file
sim> set ts enabled
sim> att ts -f tpc rsts_v9_6_install.tap
sim> boot ts

Performing limited hardware scan.


RSTS V9.6 (MS0) INIT V9.6-11


Today's date? 11-MAR-98

Current time? 6:00AM


Installing RSTS on a new system disk? <Yes>

11-Mar-98 06:00 AM

Disk? DU0
Pack ID? RSTS
Pack cluster size <8>?
MFD cluster size <16>?
SATT.SYS base <19448>?
Pre-extend directories <NO>?
PUB, PRI, or SYS <SYS>?
[1,1] cluster size <16>?
[1,2] cluster size <16>?
[1,1] and [1,2] account base <19448>?
Date last modified <YES>?
New files first <NO>?
Read-only <NO>?
Patterns <3>? 0
Erase Disk <YES>?
Proceed (Y or N)? Y

Erasing disk

Copying required system files

Performing limited hardware scan.


RSTS V9.6 (DU0) INIT V9.6-11

11-Mar-98 06:00 AM


Start timesharing? <Yes>
  Starting SYSGEN.SIL . . .
  Rebooting . . .




RSTS V9.6 (DU0) INIT V9.6-11

11-Mar-98 06:00 AM

Creating SWAP.SYS file with minimum size of 128 blocks

  Memory allocation table:

     0K: 00000000 - 00507777 (  82K) : EXEC
    82K: 00510000 - 15527777 (1668K) : USER
  1750K: 15530000 - 17757777 ( 294K) : XBUF

Memory available to RSTS/E is 2044K words.

Creating CRASH.SYS file with minimum size of 136 blocks

13 devices disabled

[c
Do you want to perform an installation or an update? <installation>

Please mount the RSTS/E Installation media and enter the name
and unit number of the device.
Valid device types are: 'MM', 'MS', 'MT', 'MU', 'DM' or 'DL'

Installation device? <_MS0:>

Restoring required _SY0:[0,1] components


Deleting all global symbols



11-Mar-98 06:00 AM


    Beginning of the RSTS/E Software Installation Procedure

Type '?' for help
Type '^' to go back to the previous question
Type CTRL/Z to return to the beginning of the present section

  * Starting dialogue phase *


Are you ready to proceed? <yes>
---

When Tim and I get a chance to put some "toys" together, I'll probably
break the V9.6 distribution tape into 2 tapes and change the format over
to tap.  Since SIMH does a good job of emulating just about everything,
it might even be easier to just provide a bootable hobby disk with all of
the toys installed for those who would rather just run MicroRSTS ;-).

At the time Terry and I were playing with these distributions, Terry was
using V9.6 and running terminal servers with LAT.  I was using V9.5 in
production and making changes in all of the V9.x line, but I didn't get a
chance to organize the V9.6 distribution before other projects came along
that took me in another direction for the next decade.

Brett