[Simh] going back to the VAX console with CTRL P

[Richard Cornwell]

Hi All,

   What I would rather see then an automatic connection of the console
   to a telnet port, is the command processor running in a thread so
   that when you ^E your simulator does not stop. Perhaps this could be
   toggle able for testing purposes. SIMH already support redirecting
   the console to a telnet port so there is nothing really to add here.

Rich

> IMO, this is the issue with in-band systems.  No matter what you
> pick, it is going to conflict with something.  ^P was an issue on the
> vax console. Hey ^S/^Q being 'in-band' has always been an issue for
> lots of things (which is why us UNIX types used DH11's with RTS/CTS
> handshaking for our HS modems - particularly the Able versions that
> did the handshake with an AND gate for you and avoid DZ's which can
> do it].
> 
> I don't have an issue with Mark's basic default choice, given that 780
> grabbed ^P in the PDP-11 front-end SW.  He can support switching to
> ^P. It's not really the vax console, it's simh's console mind you;
> but that because we are not 100% simulating the vax console since
> most of its features are handled by simh itself [which is in
> practice, ok, but it is actually differ].
> 
> 
> So .... [mind you I'm not complaining - just noting how this could be
> even better] ....
> 
> What I would like to see at some point is to have simh move to a 'simh
> console' which is 100% separate from the simulated system console
> [*i.e*. moving simulator's console port a TELNET session with the
> command:
>                 sim> SET *SIMH**CONSOLE *TELNET=listenportnumber  
> ] *as the default*.   Then what is currently the console port becomes
> the host console and the simulation is of whatever the HW did on that
> console port.
> 
> Then when you start you, say make the default port 3030, the simh
> command forks off a new shell/terminal window/etc with the connection
> [since, I'm dreaming, I'd like to see that be sshd(1) style
> connection not telnet, but I digress]. FWIW: this is a little
> different from what Mark does now BTW - I believe he moves the
> simulated host's console to the telnet port.  By switching, you set
> setting up a means to set up an optional programatic way to control
> simh - which I will explain in a minute].
> 
> If start up like this were a tad more automatic, everything on that
> path is 'out of band' to the simulated system and only commands to
> control simh go down it (like Mark's current scheme with SET
> CONSOLE). The simulated hosts 'system console' is a different
> connection (the original tty connection). In this case, if the
> simulation is 780, the connection to the 780's real console has ^P is
> simulated the way the original VAX did it, which would take you a
> simulation of the original  >>vax<< console commands since it is not
> the simh console. It works 'just like the 780' did.
> 
> But if you move the simh console it means eventually you can more
> easily build a 'lights and switches' ('blinkenlights') without have
> to hack simh. You can use that simh 'console' by typing, or as real
> console *ala* PiDP-x, or create an X-windows simulation of the
> lights/switches.  The cool part is that simh - wouldn't care if a
> human is typing or the if the simh 'control commands' are coming from
> a program [I believe that Oscar has some of this in his stuff, but
> its not all there yet].
> 
> I also think if such a scheme were the 'default' and people though in
> those terms, we might be able to get more and more "front console"
> simulators of the old systems created.
> 
> Anyway - its a thought ...  as I said, not a complaint, but it seems
> like switching it around offers easier options for more of the
> different simulators.
> 
> My 2 cents...
> 
> Clem
> 



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==========================================================================
Richard Cornwell
rich at sky-visions.com
http://sky-visions.com
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-cornwell-991076107
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