[Simh] More on using the latest (stored in git) release of SIMH

[Mark Pizzolato - Info Comm]

Hi Gregg,

On Friday, April 27, 2012, at 5:00 AM, Gregg Levine wrote:
> Hello!
> I (earlier today) attempted to install NetBSD-5 for the VAX into a disk as
> described here:
> http://www.netbsd.org/ports/vax/emulator-howto.html
> 
> I created a install file using this as a template:
>     load -r /usr/pkg/share/simh/ka655x.bin
>         set cpu 64m
>         set rq0 ra92
>         at rq0 netbsd.dsk
>         set rq1 cdrom
>         at rq1 /path/to/vaxcd.iso
>         at xq0 name-of-network-interface-on-host
>         boot cpu
> 
> From that I made some changes:
>    load -r /usr/local/bin/ka655x.bin
>         set cpu 64m
>         set rq0 ra92
>         at rq0 /usr/local/vax-netbsd/netbsd.dsk
>         set rq1 cdrom
>         at rq1 /usr/local/vax-netbsd/vaxcd-5.0.iso
>         at xq0 eth0
>         boot cpu
> After the system ran through its usual series of checks, I then entered at the
> prompt:
> ">>>boot dua1:" (The three right arrows are my approximation of a VMB
> prompt.)

[...]

> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  34% |***********                        | 24703 KiB  177.71 KiB/s
> 04:24 ETApanic: Segv in kernel mode: pc 80058016 addr 403fee80
> 
> dumping to dev 23,1 offset 8
> dump succeeded
> 
> HALT instruction, PC: 800DC508 (PUSHAB 80103928)
> sim>
> Right there above this line. I had originally thought something was flakey with
> the install methods for the later ones, but there are reports of people getting
> it to install on working hardware, so I decided to move back in time and try
> the 5.0 version. Next will be with the 4 series. However Mark the release I
> chose is based on one grabbed on 3/12/2012 so has anything changed since
> then?

Well, there have been a few changes, but I don't believe that any of these changes is related to this issue.

I believe that this issue is really a broken install in the NetBSD 5.0 ISO image.  I can reproduce this precise failure both on the current code AND simh v3.8-1.
Meanwhile, I can successfully install NetBSD 5.1 from the ISO image on both the current and v3.8-1 simh versions.
Likewise, the NetBSD 5.0.1 ISO image installs without issue as well.

If you can demonstrate that the NetBSD 5.0 ISO image works on real hardware we can dig further....

- Mark