[Simh] PDP-6 and KA10 software kits

[Richard Cornwell]

On Tue,  7 May 2019 00:22:09 -0400 (EDT)
Rich Alderson <simh at alderson.users.panix.com> wrote:

> > Date: Tue, 7 May 2019 00:06:29 -0400
> > From: Richard Cornwell <rich at sky-visions.com>
> > 
> > On Mon,  6 May 2019 23:52:00 -0400 (EDT)
> > Rich Alderson <simh at alderson.users.panix.com> wrote:  
> 
> >> WAITS never ran on a bare KA-10.  The PDP-6/KA-10, later the
> >> PDP-6/KA-10/KL-10, then the KA-10/KL-10, and finally the bare
> >> KL-10, were the SAIL WAITS systems. WAITS also ran on the Foonly
> >> F-1 at CCRMA and a KL-10 at LLNL.  
> 
> >   Define what you mean by bare KA-10. From what I can see early
> > WAITS ran on a KA10 with a custom IBM3330 disk interface. There
> > appears to be one version that ran on the KA10 that used the BBN
> > pager. Note Bruce's Javascript PDP10 appears to emulate a pretty
> > standard KA10.  
> 
> The KA-10 was always connected to the PDP-6 via shared memory as long
> as the PDP-6 was in use (until the KA-10 and KL-10 were moved from
> the D. C. Power Lab to Margaret Jacks Hall on the main quad).  In the
> sources, references to processor P2 mean the PDP-6, until it was
> demoted to P3 and the KA became P2, as the KL became the primary
> processor.
> 
> Yes, the KA-10 used the BBN pager.  We have it in Seattle.
> 
> The disk controller is irrelevant to which CPU(s) were in use.

  From my looking at the oldest WAITS sources, the disk controller is
  very important. Without a disk controller all you can do is talk to
  stand alone stuff.

> >> (Having spent 4 years getting WAITS onto a KL-10 at the museum,
> >> reading the source from top to bottom, I am quite confident of this
> >> statement.)  
> 
> >   If you can get me a copy of WAITS for KA10 I will give it a try.  
> 
> Any pre-1974 WAITS.DMP will be KA/PDP-6 only.  Pick up the blob file,
> convert the octal dump to binary, and you're good to go.

   This does not get me a WAITS system, only the monitor. I also don't
   believe all the utilities are available on saildart.
 
> >> TENEX requires the BBN pager on the KA-10.  
> 
> >    BBN pager support is in my simulator however it is not tested. I
> >    have been unable to get TENEX to link, and don't think I have
> > enough pieces to actually build the thing.  
> 
> >    Right now I have Tops 10 6.03 for both KA and KI (with VM), Tops
> >    5.03 for KA. I should have a pretty complete 4.5/4.72 soon. Along
> >    with a functional TSExec 1.4. Possibly also 3.19.  
> 
> >    Once I get the PDP6 mods done I plan on adding the WAITS PMP disk
> >    controller.  
> 
> That will be fun.

Rich

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Richard Cornwell
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