[Simh] Recovering VMS Savesets from .tap files

[Larry Baker]

Rob,

I think there is a way to do what you want without network support on  
your SIMH VAX.

I assume you can read your .tap file on a SIMH VAX/VMS system.   
Backup save sets on mag tape use ANSI labeled tape format, which is  
supported by standard VMS DCL MOUNT, COPY operations -- you don't  
have to use Backup to read back the tape on to disk.

MOUNT your .tap mag tape (/OVERRIDE=IDENT if you don't know the  
volume name).  Do NOT use MOUNT /FOREIGN.

COPY *.* from the mag tape to a disk directory.  (If there are  
multiple save set files on the tape, repeat the following steps for  
each one.)

Find out how many disk blocks the save set file uses from the DCL  
DIRECTORY/FULL command.  (You want the no. of blocks used, not the  
number allocated.)

Shutdown the SIMH VAX and connect a spare RQ device to a SIMH disk  
container file that is exactly the same number of blocks.  For  
example, SET -L RQ2 RAUSER=4000, ATTACH RQ2 SAVESET.BCK, for a 4000  
block save set file.

Reboot your SIMH VAX.

MOUNT/FOREIGN RQ2: and COPY the save set file to RQ2:.

Shut down the SIMH VAX.

Transfer the SIMH disk container file to your real VMS system in  
block mode, like an .EXE or PDF file.

On your real VMS system, use the SET FILE /ATTRIBUTES command to fix  
the file attributes of the file to match the file attributes from the  
DIRECTORY/FULL command.

With luck, you'll have your Backup save set on your real VMS system  
intact.  BACKUP/LIST saveset/SAVE will list the contents.

Larry Baker
US Geological Survey
650-329-5608
baker at usgs.gov




On Apr 4, 2009, at 9:00 AM, simh-request at trailing-edge.com wrote:

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 10:57:57 +0100
> From: "Robert Jarratt" <robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com>
> Subject: [Simh] Recovering VMS Savesets from .tap files
> To: <simh at trailing-edge.com>
> Message-ID: <001501c9b50b$d6052960$820f7c20$@jarratt at ntlworld.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I have a .tap file that contains VMS BACKUP savesets. I need to get  
> these
> savesets onto a real VAX. Is there a way to do this from the real VAX
> itself? I know I could use the simulated VAX to do this, but the  
> problem is
> then getting the file across to the real VAX. My last attempt to  
> use TCP/IP
> with SIMH was a disaster, the winpcap install trashed my machine  
> and I am
> wary of repeating the experience.
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
> Rob
>
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