I'm pulling my hair out... trying to get an old PC with two COM
ports to work with VTServer.
Setup: WinXP, AMD K6/300 CPU. Serial mouse is plugged into the
DE-9 connector and it's COM1. There is a DB-25 connector on COM2.
I can use MS-DOS COPY/B to send binary files out the COM2 port, so
I know COM2 works.
Unfortunately, after examining the C source code of VTserver, it
appears that it is hard-coded to use COM1 only. The comments are
interesting ;)
>void open_port()
>{
>#ifdef _MSC_VER
> /* The following is sort of like APL. If I have to explain it to you, you don't deserve to know. */
> /* Actually, I copied most of it from the examples, and I don't understand it that well myself */
>
> DCB dcb;
> struct _COMMTIMEOUTS TO = {MAXDWORD,MAXDWORD,1,2,1000}; /* NOTE -- timeouts are hard wired for 9600 baud or higher */
>
> fprintf(stderr,"Opening port %s .... ", port); fflush(stderr);
>
> portfd = CreateFile("COM1:",GENERIC_READ|GENERIC_WRITE,0,0,OPEN_EXISTING,FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED,0);
> if(portfd == INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE)
> {
> fprintf(stderr, "can't open COM1:");
> exit(1);
> }
Not surprisingly, even when using an initialization line (in the
.vtrc setup file) of MODE COM2:19200,n,8,1 which does setup the
COM2 port properly, VTserver then outputs to the console:
"Opening port COM2:.... can't open COM1:"
Aaarrrgh!!!
I CANNOT get WinXP and this particular motherboard/BIOS to put the
damn mouse on COM2 so I can use COM1. IIRC I encountered this
problem years ago when last using VTserver, but that was on a
different and even older Win98 PC, and finally did manage to put
the mouse on the other port.
So the only other fix is to recompile VTserver to use port 2, and
I don't even think I have a C compiler let alone any experience
using it. Can someone *please* patch VTserver so I can use COM2
instead?
thanks for any help!
-Charles
Chuck mentions:
> I don't think anyone has mentioned that the SA4000 was remarkable in
> that it was a hard disk that used a stepper motor as a positioner.
> Up until that time, every hard drive I know of used either some sort
> of servo or mechanical adder (e.g. Univac FASTRAND (okay, it's a
> drum, but a movable head drum) or Bryant 4000). A hard drive using a
> stepper was extremely unusual before the SA4000.
Without a doubt the stepper motor+band positioner was a huge step forward in economizing microcomputer-oriented hard drives.
I figured that chronologically the taut-band floppy drives came first but now that I think about it, maybe the SA4000 came first and the floppy application came later?
Certainly stepper-motor use was first in the floppies. At least, AFAIK :-)
Tim.
On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:00:01 -0600, you wrote:
>From: cctech at vax-11.org
>
>It looks like you could open the binary up in Emacs, and perform a global
>search/replace of COM1 with COM2.
>
>Clint
Good idea, suggested by Ed also, so I just tried it. Although
VTserver now says it opened COM2:, and starts transmitting (the
usual slow scrolling line feeds appear, I don't have it hooked up
to the PDP-11)...
But. There is nothing actually coming out of the COM2: port!
For hardware test purposes, in the MSDOS window "COPY/B <somefile>
COM2:" *does* work correctly (I can see with a scope the serial
data coming out on the COM2 TxD pin).
More ideas please?
thanks
-Charles
Can someone help me out with the above? All the copies I've been able to
find on the net have an md5sum consistent with a known-bad image.
Thanks in advance.
Steve
--
Just wondering if anyone has tried to run TSX-Plus under SIMH?
Thanks to another list member, I was able to obtain a copy of the
version 6.50 distribution (on "simulated floppy"). It took me all
afternoon to re-learn how to use EDIT (which *really* makes you
appreciate modern full-screen editors!) and modify TSGEN.MAC. I set it
up to match the existing settings of my DLV11/16D card (whichappears
as two DLV11's). TSGEN assembles without errors.
There are some linker errors though, but the manual says at least some
of them are to be expected.
I copied the new TSX files and RT11SJ 4.0 over to the simulated RL02
and boot from it. RT-11 boots normally. But when attempting to execute
TSX.SAV, SIMH gives an error and halts...
I can't see anything wrong with the system generation but it's a lot
of work to create a pack with VTServer for the new hardware if it's
got a bug. I'm wondering if SIMH can't handle the time-sharing stuff
or lack of a simulated DHV11 card. Any thoughts?
thanks
Charles
I figured that someone here who's not on the Sunhelp list might appreciate
this.
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:21:26 -0500
From: Patrick Giagnocavo <patrick at zill.net>
Reply-To: The Rescue List <rescue at sunhelp.org>
To: The Rescue List <rescue at sunhelp.org>
Subject: [rescue] PDP flip chips and memory boards, many lbs. worth
Some of you here know that I recycle old PC motherboards, etc. though
whenever possible I try to divert anything valuable/historical out of
the melt-it-down pile.
I have many pounds, well over 100lbs., of DEC PDP "flip chip" modules.
I have to charge for them, but would like to sell all of them, all at
once, to 1 person if possible, at a per-lb price ($8 per lb). Given
that these flip chip modules are not very heavy this works out to well
under $2 each, I think.
Some are in original plastic shrink wrap, but most are not, and have
been exposed to moisture but are otherwise complete; some have had the
resistors or capacitors on them "weep" which means they would have to be
replaced by someone competent with a soldering iron.
A random listing of the few that I pulled out:
A123
A206
A207
G728
K012
K026
K028
K123
K124
K134
K161
K202
K210
K303
K683
M113
M1502
M155
M207
M230
M502
M652
M7264
M783
M7941
M920
M974
There are many more.
Are there any PDP collectors on this list - I know there used to be but
perhaps this stuff is just too old these days.
Cordially
Patrick Giagnocavo
patrick at zill.net
_______________________________________________
rescue list - http://www.sunhelp.org/mailman/listinfo/rescue
On 1/18/11 6:07 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
> If you have people willing to make that kind of commitment, then a
> few websites, plus distribution of CDs, DVDs, and whatever comes
> nextwould accomplish the same thing, and would survive the total loss
> of any one collection. Think Don Maslin (R.I.P.)
Yeah.
Using Usenet as an archiving mechanism is one of the worst ideas I've
heard in a very long time.
The real solution to this problem is a few people with grownup
networks (i.e., people with static IP addresses who aren't afraid to
actually run some computers, or someone with a machine in colo space) to
set up rsync run from a cron job.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL