Just a follow-up:
Turns out that the problem was with the way the cards were installed in the
Q-Bus. The mixed Q22/CD-serpentine backplane doesn't allow you to insert a
Q-Bus card in the C/D slot of row 3. moving the three dual-height cards to
the left hand side of the backplane fixed the problem and allowed the system
to complete its tests and boot successfully.
Thanks once again
Thanks to all.
The system now boots (at least partially) into VMS 5.1:
7..6..5..4..3..
Tests completed.
Loading system software.
2..1..0..
VAX/VMS Version V5.1 Major version id = 1 Minor version id = 0
..
PLEASE ENTER DATE AND TIME (DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM)
PLEASE ENTER DATE AND TIME (DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM) 04-MAR-2005 03:04
$! Copyright (c) 1988 Digital Equipment Corporation. All rights reserved.
The VAX/VMS system is now executing the system startup procedure.
%%%%%%%%%%% OPCOM 4-MAR-2005 03:06:19.27 %%%%%%%%%%%
Logfile has been initialized by operator _OPA0:
Logfile is SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR]OPERATOR.LOG;762
%LICENSE-I-LOADED, DEC FORTRAN was successfully loaded with 50 units
Now all that remains is to get Quasijarus onto some TK50s so I can
run the One True UNIX.
Thanks again for your patient help!
John
> Nico de Jong wrote:
> > It could be interesting to know the age"spread" of thist list
> > contributors, and how long we've had the computer virus under
> > our skin.
Born in 1966, started with 4K chicklet-keyboard PETs at the downtown
public library in 1977 (none of my schools to that point could ever
afford a computer). Had a friend with a Quest Elf around the same
time frame, so jumped from 100% BASIC to mixed assembler/BASIC pretty
early on. Saved up half the money for a PET 2001N-32K (still have it)
in 1979. Got first computer job at 15, programming a prototype C-64
(s/n P00002008) for Bruce & James Software, "Wordvision 64" demo.
They went on to release Wordvision for the PC before going bankrupt.
Wrote kids games published by Reader's Digest Software until that
company folded when Reader's Digest terminated their kids software
line. Picked up a PDP-8/L at the Dayton Hamvention, in the meantime,
starting a long association with DEC computers. Turned that
association into a career with Software Results Corp, making
HASP/3780/SNA COMBOARD protocol engines based on the MC68000, first as
hardware technician, later as System Manager, finally as lead
programmer. Got my first taste of UNIX there, in 1984. After a few
minutes on a VAX-11/750 w/2MB of RAM and 2xRK07 (28MB) running 4.1BSD
(that I now have in my quonset hut), I *knew* that UNIX had a future.
I've spent the past 20 years doing UNIX and VMS administration and
programming to different degrees at different places. Started
dabbling in Linux with the 0.9 kernels, whenever they added native
(non-patched) SCSI support. Did first Slackare install in mid-1992
>from a huge stack of numbered floppies.
Just got back from a year at the South Pole running a neutrino
telescope (AMANDA) for the University of Wisconsin, that depends on
two dozen Linux machines, and a dozen VME crates to collect, archive,
and forward gigs of data per hour. It's been one of my favorite jobs
of all time, not just because of the location, but because I got to
use all of my admin and electronics skills I've been building for my
entire career.
John Willis <willisjo at zianet.com> wrote:
> Back panel:
>
> There is a toggle switch. Two settings. One with an empty circle with a
> dot above it, and one
> circle with a dot in the center. It is set on the empty circle with the
> dot above. (down position).
This is the halts disabled position. Set it to dot-in-the-circle (halts
enabled) and it should give you the >>> prompt.
In the halts disabled position is attempts autoboot. I assume that the
hang you are seeing is the result of autoboot not succeeding / looping.
Setting the dot in the circle will disable autoboot and give you the console;
you can then check your system out manually.
MS
I have been playing around with a collection of old Flip Chips that I
have and put together a VC8/I compatible scope controller for my PDP8/e.
You can find a page about it here http://www.chd.dyndns.org/pdp8/VC8/
The only reason this was possible was because I had two 10-bit D/A
converters (A618), the rest of the modules are pretty common.
Thanks to David Gesswein for some test programs.
-chuck
Here's the output from the system when connected to a terminal:
KA630-A.V1.3
Performing normal system tests.
7..6..5..4..3..
No dead-sergeant prompt >>>
It used to also have 2..1.. and then go to the >>>
John Willis <willisjo at zianet.com> wrote:
> system would actually begin its power-on tests (F...E...D...C... etc.),
> however, it hangs at 3. From what I could find in DEC documentation,
> this is a "spurious interrupt" problem,
3 is _NOT_ an error, it just means that the system reached the >>> prompt at
which you can give it commands like which device to boot from. Connect a
terminal to the console port to interact with the console.
MS
On Thu, 3 Mar 2005 21:37:57 -0800, Zane H. Healy <healyzh at aracnet.com> wrote:
> I'm one of the lucky ones, all of my main PDP-11's have SCSI
> adapters. However, only one of my two -8's (/m & /e) have a disk
Lucky bastard! :-)
Either you've had a windfall, or you're now less an arm and a leg...
> controller, though I've not found time to get either -8 fully running
> :^( One thing that really worries me is that the days of being able
> to get new SCSI disks that will work with a PDP-11 are coming to an
> end, if they aren't already over. One of the vendors that is very
> good with getting 3rd party disks to work with VMS has reported that
> the new U320 drives don't sync down to Narrow SCSI right.
Wow. That has happened already?... bummer
> What I'd really like to see is some sort of MFM HD emulator. That's
> something that would be of use to more than just us DEC users. For
> those of us that would use it with DEC HW, something that would
> emulate a RD51-RD54 would be great for those OS's that expect a
> specific HD type.
To fantasize further:
- device end either SCSI/U320/SCA or IDE/SATA
- bus end (Qbus or Unibus) emulates the largest type of a family, i.e:
RD/RD54, RL/RL02, RX/RX02, RK/RK07, same for RP, and the rest
I think the hardware part is the easiest. The stumbling block would be
the emulation layer in order for applications to run unchanged int the
various DEC OSs..
/wai-sun
John Willis <willisjo at zianet.com> wrote:
> system would actually begin its power-on tests (F...E...D...C... etc.),
> however, it hangs at 3. From what I could find in DEC documentation,
> this is a "spurious interrupt" problem,
3 is _NOT_ an error, it just means that the system reached the >>> prompt at
which you can give it commands like which device to boot from. Connect a
terminal to the console port to interact with the console.
MS
Hello all,
I purchased a MicroVAX II about a year ago. When I went to
the office where it was sitting, the original owner, a former
DEC field service engineer, and myself powered the machine up.
VMS came up successfully; no problems there. The system is in
a BA23 rackmount chassis, and contains a MOB Systems quniverter,
to connect it to a BA11K Unibus chassis via two large ribbon
cables. The system contains also the following boards:
M7658 - 16-bit parallel I/O with DMA and block mode functions
M3104 - DHV11-A 8-line asynchronous DMA MUX
M7651 - 18/22-bit DMA general purpose parallel interface
Also, a TQK50 TMSCP controller and an RQDX3 ST-506 MSCP controller.
The system has for drives an RD54 fixed disk and a TK50 tape drive.
Anyhow, once I got the system home and cabled everything back according
to the notes/pictures taken of the original installation, the system
would not come up, and the DC OK light on the front panel would not
light. I checked and re-checked the cable connections, re-seated all the
boards, still no-go.
Realizing I would not need the Unibus chassis, as it contained no cards
other than the one needed to connect it to the uVAX II's Qbus, I removed
the Qbus part of the quniverter. This solved the DC OK problem, and the
system would actually begin its power-on tests (F...E...D...C... etc.),
however, it hangs at 3. From what I could find in DEC documentation,
this is a "spurious interrupt" problem, and the docs gave no clue as to
how to go about tracking it down to any specific part of the system.
I have tried pulling all the cards except for CPU and memory, to no avail.
I tried installing the RD54 in a VAXstation 2000. It boots VMS successfully
when installed in that system, so I know the drive is good.
Unfortunately, I recently moved and could not keep the BA11K due to
space constraints, so I have since parted with that chassis.
I'm completely stumped at this point. Any suggestions?
Thanks much,
John Willis
