[Simh] VAX 780 emulation - How to install Netbsd

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2014-12-28 20:47, Mark Pizzolato - Info Comm wrote:
> On Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 10:06 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>> On 2014-12-28 18:59, Mark Pizzolato - Info Comm wrote:
>>> On Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 9:48 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>>>> Also, if booting older machines using VMB, you need to know the magic
>>>> bits of R5, since it requires the same treatment as Ultrix. R5=0 will
>>>> not boot NetBSD (or Ultrix).
>>>
>>> With the latest simh version (and the VMB.EXE it contains) an R5=0 boot
>> will work fine for both NetBSD and Ultrix on all the older VAX models.
>>
>> Yes. (But I prefer posting information that works right both in simh and on
>> real hardware, when possible...)
>
> True.  However, if someone tried to boot real hardware using the simh supplied VMB.EXE it would work just as it does in the simulation and not need any bits set in R5, although setting bit 3 (R5=8) will also work.

Right. But that is a little bit of a chicken and egg thing. You need to 
boot something up in order to put another VMB.EXE onto the media. Unless 
you can access the media on some other machine, which, for most people, 
is not always easy.

But we're arguing a fine point now. Let's just agree that all options 
are good, and get on with the regular show.

I almost got inspired to try and debug the NetBSD issue. But I'm right 
in the middle of trying to write an FTP server for RSX at the moment, so 
I keep hoping someone else will look into it.

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol