>
>Subject: Re: Minix
> From: gordonjcp at gjcp.net
> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 15:51:55 +0000 (GMT)
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>> Allison wrote:
>>
>>>Minix on PDP11, Not that I know of. It would be interesting.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> Well I think Minix #1, would be easy to port, but why? You got real
>> unix.
>> It just proves how effective code on the 11 could be. Too bad you can't
>> buy
>> a pdp-11 cpu chip for $2.49 like a 8088. I take it is still rather pricy
>> to put together
>> a basic 11. Any body know how much?
>
>I just paid about ?30 for some PDP11/03 boards, CPU, MXV11 and some kind
>of serial card (can't remember the exact type). I had a BA23 lying around
>empty, and an RQDX3. Now I need some media...
>
>Alternatively, anyone got an RXV21, RL02 cable and terminator they can
>sell me?
>
>Gordon.
Terminator not required save for those with boot proms on them. However
a bootable 11/03 only needs memory, console and RX01/2 and the willingness
to use ODT to enter about 30 words of boot code by hand.
The RQDX will need the distribution board to breakout the floppy and HD
connection from the 50pin cable. If you find prints it's something
that can be wire wrapped (it's only connectors). The boot for MSCP
disks is also possible to hand enter.
Allison
Anyone near Norfolk, Va. that can check out a government auction at (7829
Seventh St., SDA 202, Norfolk, VA 23511) to see if 2ea. Data General items
really exist, before 5pm tomorrow the 18th.?
Thanks for your time,
George Wiegand
Vintage Data General Computer Enthusiast
>
>Subject: Re: Minix
> From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca>
> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:31:01 -0700
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>Allison wrote:
>
>>Minix on PDP11, Not that I know of. It would be interesting.
>>
>Well I think Minix #1, would be easy to port, but why? You got real unix.
>It just proves how effective code on the 11 could be. Too bad you can't buy
>a pdp-11 cpu chip for $2.49 like a 8088. I take it is still rather pricy
>to put together a basic 11. Any body know how much?
If you can find a defunct VT240 or 241 box the CPU in there is T-11 (40 pin
basic PDP11) which was used on the Falcon card. I'd bet a DC310 can be had
cheap if you can find a source.
For PDP11s there are three catagories. Unibus machines, large and more
complex. Qbus machines (11/03, 11/23 series) smaller more common and
easier to work with. Packaged system PDT11/150 (11/03 with 2 8" floppies)
or Pro3xx (11/23 or J11 chips with floppy and hard disks). The PDT11/150
if could is a compact system and removes hardware from the picture as its
a bounded system. The PROs are bounded but do have option boards. The
Qbus systems are most often seen un bounded PDP-11s and are easily
configured.
The last 3 PDP-11/23s I got were free as in "Here, take it".
However if you want a SCSI card or maybe any disk controller those can
be harder as those are most often first things stripped.
For example I found a microPDP11 with the disks removed as they were MFM
and fit PCs of the day. The RQDX controllers are often stripped for Qbus
VAXen (microvaxII). Larger disks are like RL02 or RX02 get seperated and
"lost" or rescued in preference to the whole system.
But a basic box, cpu, memory and serial cards are common and cheap to
free. A PC with the right code can simulate TU58 tape and provide a
working system that runs RT-11. With a bit of creativity and a Qbus
parallel IO card and the PCs infamous and useful printer port a faster
parallel disk simulation is doable. Most small PDP11s (11/03, 11/23, 11/23b)
have ODT (Octal Debugging Tool) in microcode or local rom so a terminal
can be your front pannel making it easy to load a small boot program.
If that weren't enough there are a pot load of PDP11 sims that you could
develop on till hardware lands on you.
Now Minux on PDP11. Minix is not unix, the look to the user the same
but internally there is almost no commonality. Unix on PDP11 requires
a disk and later versions require the bigger/later 11s that have I&D.
Minix once loaded is entirely memory resident and uses relatively
small space for itself. For PDP11 I'd expect a 8kW version that runs
useful stuff in 24kW (pdp11s without MMU (LSI-11 [11/2 and 11/03]) would
not be out of the question due to code efficientcy of the -11. If later
CPUs (11/23, 23b, 73 for Qbus) are used then 256kb or 4mb are possible
with MMU. An -11 with 256k is a very repectable machine running any OS.
Allison
I've got a system here that had gray foam rubber used as a sound deadener.
Well, after 24 years, it's toast--you touch it and it's gone. No surprise,
right?
What do you folks use to replace the stuff (assuming that I don't want to
put someone through this in 20 more years)? Adhesive-backed wool felt?
Cheers,
Chuck
>
>Subject: Berg connector repair
> From: David Betz <dbetz at xlisper.mv.com>
> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 10:21:07 -0500
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>I have a wire that is broken on the Berg connector that plugs into my
>DLV12 controller for my RL01 drive. How do I remove one of the pins
>from the Berg connector so that I can reattach the broken wire? Is it
>possible to repair these connectors or do I have to replace it?
I've done both. However it's easier to replace the whole connector depending
of the particular style.
Allison
>
>Subject: Re: Minix
> From: woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca>
> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:20:58 -0700
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>Chris M wrote:
>
>>IINM, the first edition was yeller, and had no media.
>>I don't have it in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it
>>was numero uno. The source code of course is printed
>>in the book. And I thought 3 editions were already
>>released?
>>
The second edition had V2 Minix on CDrom with it. It ran on
8088s and there was a small memory version.
>Well my copy did have media. Just too many moves with no storage.
>I checked the minux 3 faq and and it says 4 meg of ram needed,
>the web blurb says 8 and all want 16 meg.I guess you could
>compile it for a smaller system. Did not early 386's only
>have 2 or 4 meg ram?
Minix 3 is bigger. Most 386s were either small as in 1-4meg or
could go to 16-32m. My inboard 386 has 1mb of onboard
plus potential expansion to 4meg. But my SIIG 3000 has 5meg
of 30pin simms in it. A 386/33 mini AT board I have will
take 8 30 pin simms or 32meg max. I have 8meg in it.
Allison
>
>Subject: Re: Minix
> From: Scott Stevens <chenmel at earthlink.net>
> Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:16:12 -0500
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
>
>On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:38:07 +0000 (GMT)
>ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) wrote:
>
>> > That is exactly why I did not buy the 3 ed. Minux has been re-wrtten
>> > from a 8088 to a 386+
>> > in the 3rd ed. 8 meg of ram min is needed, 16 recomended. I was buying
>>
>> BLETCH!!!
>>
>> That means it wouldn't run on this PC (too little RAM), for all I am
>> running an old version of linux with no problems.
>>
>> The reason I bought Minix in the beginning was that it would run on my
>> PC/XT machine (the only PC I had at the time). And I learnt a fair bit
>> about OSes and enough C to be dangerous by playing about with it.
>>
>> 8MB and a 386 is not a small machine!
>>
>
>It is small for any 'modern' version of Linux. Most 'distros' now are being built with compile options that don't even allow it to run on a regular 386. There isn't the same problem for Net or OpenBSD. Probably one of the reasons I like the BSDs more than Linux: the fact that they support as 'equal' all those old architectures 'keeps them honest' and keeps the install system from by default installing a horrendous amount of bloat. I have the same basic compliment of binaries, built from the same source tree, on a little old Sparc IPX and on a Pentium III system.
>
>Early versions of Linux are reaching the age where they are 'technically' on topic here.
FYI: third edition is actually a very recent release maybe a few months old.
Since it's on line and all older version ar still available and the license is
far more relaxed than before.
Allison
>
>Subject: Re: Minix
> From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell)
> Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:38:07 +0000 (GMT)
> To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>> That is exactly why I did not buy the 3 ed. Minux has been re-wrtten
>> from a 8088 to a 386+
>> in the 3rd ed. 8 meg of ram min is needed, 16 recomended. I was buying
>
>BLETCH!!!
>
>That means it wouldn't run on this PC (too little RAM), for all I am
>running an old version of linux with no problems.
>
>The reason I bought Minix in the beginning was that it would run on my
>PC/XT machine (the only PC I had at the time). And I learnt a fair bit
>about OSes and enough C to be dangerous by playing about with it.
>
>8MB and a 386 is not a small machine!
>
>> the book for ideas for a small
>> computer I building. ( hardware real soon ... ) that I have to write
>> since I have a unque instruction
>> set and word length. This version of the computer will have 64kb of
>> memory of 12k to 16kb I want
>> to save for the OS.
>
>Feel like porting Unix V6 (as in the Lions Book)?
>
>-tony
Earlier versions are still available all the way back to 1.5 on line.
Allison
The biggest circuit board I've ever seen was on the order of 2 feet x 3
feet. Not sure of the actual dimmensions except this thing was LARGE. I
was thinking at the time that it would have needed to be drilled using
more than one head of the NC drilling machine (along with the associated
alignment)!
> contemporary with the 68k articles. I have on hand an
> approximately 4' x 2.5' sheet of double clad circuit
> material, and I could cut the size I needed from that.
> But it got me to thinking (uh oh). Wouldn't it be fun
> to build a REALLY big motherboard. You could put all
