[Simh] Virtual PDP-10 KI10 console panel

[Timothe Litt]

On 23-Oct-14 11:08, Cory Smelosky wrote:
> Interesting...now if only SIMH simulated a KI10 to go with it!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
That would be a major project - with not much of a return in terms of
enabling more software to run.

The KI has a completely different I/O structure from the KS, and the
peripherals have almost nothing in common.  Different I/O instructions, too.

You'd have to implement the DMA channels, controllers, peripherals. 
There is no direct networking device; you'd have to implement the memory
window to an 11 and/or 8.  And make those emulators attach to it.  And
you get ANF-10; DECnet only via ANF-10's D(mostly)CP.  You probably end
up having to do concealed mode - and while some software relied on it,
the KI version had bugs that were never fixed.  IIRC, monitor support
ended with 6.03A; some of 7.00's SMP was developed on KIs, but it was
not finished and KI support was removed from the monitor (with TECO
macros) shortly thereafter.  The only fun reason to do it is
multiprocessing -- and the KL is where we got that right.  Plus the KL
has a direct ethernet adapter (NIA20) and the ability to support DECnet
(and TCP/IP).

In short, the lights with the wrong emulator underneath provide some
historically inaccurate nostalgia.  But a real KI emulation would take a
seriously committed development effort.  I don't think it's worthwhile.

Note that KLH10 has already dealt with these challenges, and would be a
better base for such an effort.


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