[Simh] Install VAX/VMS 4.4 on a simulated VAX-11/780

[Clem Cole]

A small suggestion...   while you can probably get the 780 to recognize and
support a TU58, booting from it may be difficult (I did not find it
mentioned in any SDP or other doc).   The 780 family has a dedicated PDP-11
with RX floppy drives that runs as the 'front end' for it and boots it.
 The PDP-11 run an small OS RSX-11/S (I think - but man those bit in my
brain are long lost) and can reach in the SMI to load the OS image into
memory from the disk and then points the system at it.  The 750 and 730
have boot roms for he VAX itself that know how to talk to the peripherals
such as the TU58 .

IIRC, the TU58 controller is sitting on the UBA and I really don't think
the code in the PDP-11 knows how to get to them.   The path to make that
all would be a tad convoluted and I suspect no one bothered to write for
the TU58  it back in the day because everything for the VAX was based on
either the RX floppies, 9-track tape or the disk itself.

That said, in theory, a 750 should be able to create a disk image that
contains an OS that could be booted on a 750 and a 780.

So...


What you might consider, is setting simh4.x up as a 750 and read those
tapes, set up the system and create RP06/07 or RM05/06 etc. disk images.
 Then reconfigure the simulator as a 780, and attach that disk image.  Then
use the standard 780 boot via the RX floppies and the PDP-11, you should be
all set.

Clem
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