[Simh] RSTS/E Progress and Questions

[Brett Bump]

On Tue, 18 Mar 2008, Zachary Kline wrote:

> Hi,
>     I'm glad to report I've made some progress in understanding the RSTS/E
> system.  I found that my pre-existing OCR program on Windows makes listening
> to DEC manuals nearly seemless: there are a few recognition and other
> errors, but overall I was very impressed.  I like having all the documention
> at my fingertips.  Now, for a few questions...
>     Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think RSTS/E includes a TCP/IP
> stack?  I know VMS has several to pick from, and the resemblence between the
> two systems--based on my limited experience--is uncanny, probably because
> they both use DCL as a core component.  Nevertheless, I doubt the
> resemblence is such as to permit VAX code to run on a PDP11.

No, there is no TCP/IP stack for RSTS although one does exist for RT11.
If you have BASIC programs on VMS, most of it will run on RSTS under BP2.
The difference is mostly in programs that make system calls.

Then there is always the RSTS/E emulator that John Santos wrote (ROSS/V)
in case you want to run RSTS CUSPS under VMS, although you need layered
products licenses to do that (personally I still prefer RSTS over VMS).

>     I just saw a post on here a few days ago about Kermit, before deciding
> to see what this whole RSTS thing was all about.  If there's no TCP stack,
> how does one transfer files?  I know Kermit has a lot of features, I haven't
> explored them all by any means.

That was the problem.  RSTS handles DECnet Phase IV quite nicely, but if
you don't have a DECnet LAN, you are pretty much stuck with X/Y/Zmodem
or Kermit via serial lines, LAT, or through a simh port socket to TCP.

>     Also, on a related note, I've seen several .tap and .tpc files on
> trailing edge FTP archives.  Fortran, Basic plus and what I think is BP2,
> etc.  They are in .tap format, but I can't seem to get RSTS to mount them.
> Running mtcvt23 on them just gets me zero-length files: not helpful.

Simh> att -f tpc ts0 sometape.tpc

>     Am I using the wrong tape device?  There are several to pick from, I was
> using what RSTS/E refers to as MM0, and what SIMH calls tu0.  I saw a post
> on here earlier about FORTRAN installing with another device, but so far
> haven't gotten that or anything else working.  I know there are ways, just
> not sure what those are.
> Any advice or information appreciated.
> Thanks much,
> Zack.
>
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The tape drive that you emulate isn't really going to make a difference
unless it is a tape that is expecting to boot 800bpi or 1600bpi from a
TU10/TU16 or TS11 device.  Except for the newer (V9 and up) RSTS distro
tapes, most everything is DOS-11 format.

Brett