[Simh] VAX 780 as a boot server

[Robert Jarratt]

Yes indeed, the ultimate aim is to get a version of VMS running on a
MicroVAX II which is currently fitted with a DEQNA. The MicroVAX II has an
RD53 in it but I am not sure it works. I have no other machine to put the
RD53 into and no other disks I can put into the MicroVAX II (as far as I
know).

 

I was told that the 3900 would not run versions earlier than 5.1, but I have
just tried it with 4.6, it boots OK and I should be able to get it to 4.7,
so perhaps that will do. I don't have media for 5.0 through to 5.3. I have
media for 5.4 and, after a few initial difficulties with the media, I am now
in the process of installing it, but it is also my understanding that 5.4
has limited support for DEQNA. We shall see.

 

Thanks

 

Rob

 

From: simh-bounces at trailing-edge.com [mailto:simh-bounces at trailing-edge.com]
On Behalf Of Stephen Hoffman
Sent: 08 April 2009 18:42
To: simh at trailing-edge.com
Subject: Re: [Simh] VAX 780 as a boot server

 

Robert Jarratt writes:

 

I want to try using the SIMH VAX 780 as a boot server. I can't use the 3900
simulation as that needs a version of VMS that is too new (I need a version
prior to 5.4, and only have up to 4.7).

 

I'm not working with Mr Jarratt here, but based on the postings and
discussions I've noticed scattered around so far, this is an attempt to
transfer MicroVMS V4.1M over onto a MicroVAX II KA630 box, and boot it.
MicroVMS V4.1M being the first release with support for the MicroVAX II box
and the KA630 processor.

 

Satellite or diskless or InfoServer boot probably won't help here as AFAIK
none of this stuff was particularly ironed out and available until rather
after V4.1M.  Clustering didn't get going until the later releases in V4
range and into the V5 range.

 

The usual load device for the MicroVAX II was floppy disk or TK50 or
RRD50-series CD-ROM.   Forty or fifty some RX50 floppies, IIRC, for the full
kit.

 

The usual hard disk was the RD52 via RQDX2, or (somewhat more rarely) RC25
via KLESI.

 

With a spare RD disk or swapped RD disk, the system could be gotten to boot
a (far) more recent version of OpenVMS VAX via InfoServer (present in V8.2-1
and later) or via some other swappable media (TK or TF or disk), and that
newer release could be used to restore V4.1M onto an RD52 or RC25.  Or move
the RQDX2 or KLESI forward to a newer Q-bus box, and load the RD52 or RC25
with V4.1M there.

 

As for the "too new" question, creating a MicroVAX 3500 KA650 should be a
straightforward tweak in simh from the current MicroVAX 3900 (KA655), and
the former boots on V4.7A and later.  But I don't know that this approach or
the use of InfoServer or such is going to be effective here.  But I'd
definitely try InfoServer here before I tried the other sequences here.  The
next approach would be a completely satellite diskless boot of some
V5-vintage OpenVMS VAX (that's new enough to work and be available, and old
enough to accept the DEQNA; that's V

5.4-3 or earlier

) or temporarily swap the DEQNA for a DELQA or such, and then mount the disk
remotely and BACKUP /IMAGE V4.1M down to the RD52 disk (and then swap back
the DEQNA).

 

 

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