Somebidy has one unused rackable BA23
for sale/trade/donate ?
(Whispering)
Greetings
Sergio
-----Mensaje original-----
De: Matt London <classiccmp(a)knm.yi.org>
Para: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Fecha: viernes, 11 de enero de 2002 0:07
Asunto: Re: What to do with an empty BA23
>Hi,
>
>> > If all else fails, anyone think of
>> > an alternative use for a BA23? :&)
>> According to: http://world.std.com/~bdc/projects/vaxen/vaxgeektop10.html
>> Is it the blank rackmountable case, or do you have the plastic revetment
>> with foor stand? If yes put a pillow on it and you have a nice seat.
>> That was what I used my BA23 for at the LinuxTag 2000. I had a MV II in
>> it running 4.3BSD-Tahoe. Quite funny. Especially as it attracted other
>> geeks. (Including a bearded man with a RedHat... :-) )
>
>Nah - it's rackmount :&)
>
>I met / chatted to a bearded man with a RedHat after Linux Expo 2000 in a
>pub - it was Alan Cox :&)
>
>-- Matt
>
>---
>Web Page:
> http://knm.org.uk/
> http://pkl.net/~matt/
>
Today, I received my neat-o thing for the week, an ISA card for LocalTalk,
the software, and an Apple LocalTalk Locking Connector Kit for DB-9 (don't
beat on me for calling DB-9, that's what the package sez, 'k? :-).
Elation rapidly turned to consternation when I realised the connector box
doesn't take the PhoneNET wiring, of which I have scads, but rather the
annoying Apple four-conductor locking-style cables.
Anyone out there have some converter box that will allow me to plug my
existing PhoneNET wiring into this? I'd like to get the PC speaking LocalTalk
to the apartment LocalTalk segment, and if possible, I'd like to get the
Commodore on it also with this (being ignorant of the major differences, the
Commodore's SwiftLink has a regular RS-232 9-pin DE-9 on the end ... could the
Apple "DB-9" kit plug directly into that?).
--
----------------------------- personal page: http://www.armory.com/~spectre/ --
Cameron Kaiser, Point Loma Nazarene University * ckaiser(a)stockholm.ptloma.edu
-- FORTUNE: Don't abandon hope: your Tom Mix decoder ring arrives tomorrow. ---
Picked up this beast at thrift store this morning. It's a Convergent
Technologies Workstation made by Unisys. Powering it up produces the
following (my added comments in parentheses):
T
***************
L
(hard disk activity begins here, LED '1' lights up)
...................................
...................................
...................................
...................................
.....
(screen clears)
a240MstrpMP-9.1/00
(screen clears)
SysInit 9.15
There will be a momentary delay as the system now begins loading
$JOB Sysinit,,
Execution begun: Sat Mar 1, 1952 12:00M
$RUN [d0]<sys>InstallQMgr.run
Termination status code: 0
$RUN [d0]<sys>InstallSPL.run
Termination status code: 0
$Run [Sys]<Sys>SPrint.run
(4 beeps here)
Termination status code: 0
$END
Execution ended: Sat Mar 1, 1952 12:00M
(screen clears)
SysInit 9.15
LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES OF CO
System Signon
User Name
Password
Date/Time
-----
There's a reference to a company in Minnesota called Service Information
Systems, but their number has been disconnected. Probably dead or
bought out and absorbed years ago.
A Unisys Service Identification tag on the back of the CRT has:
Service Number
TP-191050
Style Number
OM-1001 ZZ
and a tag at the base of the unit has:
Convergent Technologies Workstation
Product Number 99-01640
Serial Number A-26671
This is mounted next to a tag stating 'No User Servicable Parts' (along
with dire warnings about voiding your warranty, burning your extended
family at the stake, and having your knees broken with baseball bats by
guys with crooked noses named 'Vinny', should you dare to open the case.)
I'd like to be able to clear the original owners' information off the
drive and start over, but I'm unfamiliar with the OS and haven't had any
luck getting past the login.
Unisys has remade itself as an e-Business Solutions Provider, and their
website has no useful information; a call to their tech support produced
responses of 'Uhhh...' and 'You have a what?' along with muffled laughter.
I think the 'a240MstrpMP-9.1/00' means that it's running CTOS 9.1, but I
haven't been able to dig up any useful info on the unit itself, or the OS.
Any ideas?
Mike
http://tarnover.org
The Apple II Repository
>We have a local computer shop that (last week) had as-is 3c589 NICs
>for $5, but no dongle. I bought a couple spares, and a Xircom PS-CEM-28
>(also no dongles). Hopefully the 10BaseT dongle I have for another
>Xircom card will work (the 100BaseT dongles _are_ different).
I saw some generic dongles down at the CompUSA a little while back. They
were $25. The blister pack said it worked with 3com and other PCMCIA
cards. I used it successfully with a XIRCOM 10bt/56k modem card (only
with the Ethernet half... modem used a different connection, but that
looked similar to the one that fit in my old ActionTec modem, I just
never got around to trying it).
The dongle also said it worked with 10/100 ethernet. There are no
markings on the dongle of value (it is here in front of me) so I can't
tell you the brand, but I do know for sure I bought it at CompUSA
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
Has anyone ever attempted to recreate all or part of the ENIAC? Maybe as
part of a CS project or museum?
Just curious.....
- Matt
At 11:45 AM 1/10/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Have a look at this comic strip... (Wednesday's strip)
>
>http://www.rockwoodcomic.com/
>
>--- David A Woyciesjes
>--- C & IS Support Specialist
>--- Yale University Press
>--- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu
>--- (203) 432-0953
>--- ICQ # - 905818
Matthew Sell
Programmer
On Time Support, Inc.
www.ontimesupport.com
(281) 296-6066
Join the Metrology Software discussion group METLIST!
http://www.ontimesupport.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi
"One World, One Web, One Program" - Microsoft Promotional Ad
"Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer" - Adolf Hitler
Many thanks for this tagline to a fellow RGVAC'er...
>I really think the cheaper the hardware is, statistically
>speaking, the more problematic it will be. Lower selling
>cost goes hand in hand with less competent and lower paid
>designers, programmers ( for device drivers ), smaller
>support staff, less design and testing time alloted, minimalized
>QC, etc.
Agreed 100%, but when you factor in that 99% of the problems with a
windows PC is caused by windows, then the lower quality hardware starts
to not matter. If I was building an "intel" PC for use with something
other than windows (or with something that quality makes a difference,
like a mission critical server), then I would advise quality parts. I
also take a totally different stance when it comes to buying a "business
grade" PC. My advice points are strictly geared towards the consumer
level, home PC, running the latest home user version of windows.
For the average joe consumer, that can't understand what right-click
means... then the cost invested in higher quality parts is a waste of
money in my book. The only parts that I avoid like the plague are
motherboards made by PC Chips. I have found them to be highly unreliable.
But even with those, almost always, the problems occur out of the box, so
the problems will appear within days of buying the machine, so since it
was bought local (one of my stipulations for the average joe consumer),
they can take it back and usually get it worked out.
Also, when it comes to MY windows PCs, I use certain brands that I have
had good luck with. I pay a bit more for certain things, to eliminate
some possible headaches. But I know enough to build my own (something I
recommend others do if they want a windows PC... right after I tell them
to buy a Macintosh). By learning how to build it themselves... then they
can track down better parts, and when things go wrong, won't be so
helpless to getting them fixed. It will also translate to more stable
systems as they have a better idea of what to do and what not to do. (my
home PC cost me next to nothing, has decent quality parts, with money
spent where it matters, and is rock solid running windows ME, which is
almost an amazing thing in its own right)
>I've often said, windows is a pretty good operating system,
>until you put some programs on it. Is it the fault of windows
>itself, or is it less than perfect programming on the part
>of the third party companies that write the additional programs,
>the device drivers, etc that we use, to write their software
>to be rock solid running over windows?
Ok, you are right, I think most of the windows problems are due to the
applications and not the actual OS. But again, to the average consumer,
there is no difference between it being an OS problem and an application
problem. It just isn't working.
>I have a feeling that if one
>were to set up a windows machine with the best quality hardware
>they could get, and use primarily only microsoft operating
>systems and applications, they won't have near as many problems
>with it.
I have computers built with high quality hardware and ones with the
cheapest crap I could find (including in many cases things I pulled from
someone's trash). For the machines that run only windows, and MS
applications... I have seen no noticable difference in stability. And
actually, I find MS applications to be one of the LARGER offenders of
crashing windows. It is not unusual for me to see MS Office being the
only app installed on one of my Windows boxes, and see it crash all by
itself. I have also had many problems with exchange crashing right after
a default install... and problems with other MS software screwing up
windows. I just chalk that up to painful irony (but at least you can't
say MS is withholding info so that other apps crash, forcing everyone to
use MS apps as the only stable apps... since theirs are just as, or more
so, unstable than many 3rd party apps).
>I find the motherboard is the heart of the system. I only
>consider a mainboard from a company that has a web site
>with docs, bios updates, etc online. Usually better quality
>productions. I used to see the booklets that came with a mobo
>that didn't even say what company produced them. We called
>them ROCs, as in made in Taiwan, Republic of China. But
>actually they started producing some very good quality stuff
>in Taiwan, but then when we got more friendly with China,
>some manufacturing moved there, to again lower the costs.
>I avoid computer components made in China like the plague.
I have found an amazing number of these cheap unlabeled mobos to be
tracked back to PC Chips. I think at my last count, they were selling
under something like 16 different names. And all of them were the same,
crappy ass motherboard.
I personally have found ASUS to be decent for the price, and so far have
had fairly good luck with them (now that I said it, they are all going to
blow up tomorrow... I just know it!).
Alas, crappy MBs are a risk in cheap PCs... but at least in my
experience, all the bad cheap ones I have dealt with, died very early
on... so again, it is something that can get ironed out with the dealer.
I think my point boils down to this: if you are going to buy a Windows
PC, you are in for a long run of headaches and problems. So do you want
them to be $2000 headaches, or $500 headaches?
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
I need to get my hands on disk images of the microcode, SSP, and RPG II
diskettes for an IBM S/34. I have the diskettes and a running PDP-11
with an RX02, but the S/34 uses a funny sector size and so the RX02 cannot
read them. SSP version 8 would be nice but any version will work. My
intentions are to write a software emulator to replace the System/34 that
was maliciously destroyed in December by SSI Inc. (Long story there, short
version: Hostile corporate takeover, hostile management forces old management
out, uses building maintenance to gain access to a private storage area used
by the old management and myself, and destroyed all equipment and data stored
there, which included a S/36 and S/34, both in perfect running condition,
my DEC Rainbow, miscellaneous PDP-10,PDP-11 and IBM manuals, and miscellaneous
office equipment. Then, after depositing the remains in the dumpster, they
called us out to observe their handiwork and ridicule us.)
If anyone can either generate disk images on their own, or somehow read
the disks I have (Or even better, tell me how to read them with my RX02)
I would be very grateful. I am well-armed with documentation for the emulation
project, I have system logic diagrams, descriptions of the micromachine,
circuit prints, and all sorts of IBM manuals that I am probably not supposed
to have. ^_^
Please mail dseagrav(a)lunar-tokyo.net with responses as I am not able to
check this email address very often. Also, I will say now that I am unemployed
and cannot pay for commerical data-conversion services.
-------
Dave, Charles and Folks --
Let me share what little I do know in case you haven't
seen this yet. IBM makes very little reference to
these systems. System/36 is mentioned on their
corporate history page. It's a direct ancestor of the
AS/400 series. The only specific information they have
comes from their sales manual.
* Search: http://www.ibmlink.ibm.com/ussman&parms=
Our models are described this way (cribbed from above)
:
5360 Multiple workstation system with
multiprogramming capability.
o 30 - 1432MB HDD
o 128K - 7Mb RAM
o 8 inch 1.2MB diskette
o 36 - 72 local workstations
5362 System unit
o 256K - 2MB RAM
o 30 - 660MB HDD
o 8 inch 1.2MB diskette
o 28 local workstations
o 64 remote workstations
5363 System/36 and Application Systems/Entry
System Unit Compact, low-cost, floor-standing
system that runs existing System/36
application programs without recompilation.
o 1.0 - 2.0Mb RAM
o 5.25 1.2Mb diskette
o 65 - 1256Mb HDD
o 28 local worstations
o 64 remote worstations
5364 S/36 PC is a combination of the 5364 System
Unit and a directly-attached IBM PC. The
5364 System Unit is a smaller, lower cost,
floor standing or desk-top system that will
run existing S/36 application programs
without recompilation. The personal computer
can run personal computer programs as well as
act as the first S/36 workstation.
o 256K - 1.0MB RAM
o 5.25 inch 1.2Mb diskette
o 40, 65, 80 or 130MB HDD
o 6-9 local workstations (later
upgraded to 16)
The 5360 family has a multiple processor
architecture. The main storage processor is an
enhanced S/34 instruction processor. A control
storage processor operates in parallel with
the main storage processor, and provides
microcoded control function for the
I/O processors and interfaces. The processors use
LSI (Large Scale Integration) for the logic
circuitry. Storage technology is MOSFET
(Metal Oxide semiconductor Field Effect
Transistor). Data and instructions are stored
as EBCDIC characters. Each EBCDIC character
is stored in an 8-bit byte. ECC (Error
Correction Code) is maintained in main storage.
Single-bit error correction and double-bit error
detection is performed on every two bytes.
Parity is added for all data transfers to
and from main storage.
Now you know all I know. Help! Anything else would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Colin Eby
Senior Consultant
CSC Consulting
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>...Okay, I've decided that I'm not going to fool
around with this PS/2 any more, as it really isn't the
type of thing I collect. Is anyone interested in it
for $20+shipping? - -- Eric Dittman ...<
Eric --
Abso-blinking-lutely. I've been watching out for one
of those. I have this perverse fantasy about using one
for a 5250 emulator. Email me off list and I'll make
whatever arrangement you need.
Thanks,
Colin Eby
Senior Consultant
CSC Consulting
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