Booting a PDP-11/04 without drives?

Wai-Sun> Hello list, Is it possible to boot a 11/04 (16kW core) Wai-Sun> without any drives? Wai-Sun> This may just be fantasizing.. 1. Connect a PC to the PDP Wai-Sun> via the console 2. Have a program (a'la vtserver) serve out Wai-Sun> a disk image 3. Toggle in a bootstrap loader to load from Wai-Sun> that virtual disk 4. Jump to start of image Wai-Sun> Possible? Yes, depending on the operating system. In particular, RSX-11/S is exactly that -- a diskless OS. It's designed to be loaded over the network. If you have a comm device that can support MOP, you may be able to find a bootROM that can do this directly (and MOP servers are available on the net). Similarly, there are some PDP-11 based embedded systems that are diskless; some terminal servers, for example. (There was LAT-11 -- did that become a product?) Most other PDP-11 operating systems require local block storage, though. Usually a disk -- RT-11 will also work with local DECtape as the only storage, if you're patient. Oh yes, if you go WAY back, there are the paper tape based systems, not really enough to call it an OS -- something called IOX for example. I know nothing more than the name and I haven't seen any docs. There are paper tape images for it on bitsavers.org/DEC/pdp11. paul