15 Dec
2012
15 Dec
'12
8:59 a.m.
Holm Tiffe wrote:
Holm Tiffe wrote:
Ok, I managed to get the ethernet part working in the meantime,
the connector is really a one to one replacement for an AUI Connector,
pin 16 left free. I found some game port connector with a strip in my
dumpster, connected it and it works.
I can boot netbsd's loader (mopboot) with the command "b eza0" from my
freebsd machine, but it doesn't work at all.
I don't currently know what version this is exactly, but I booted a
cardstack with a KA630 a year (or two?) before from it. I used netbsd
to install quasijarus on the disk (needed partitioning, and installing the
filesystems).
I wanted to have a somewhat classic BSD running on it but it seems there
isn't any development in the direction anymore. I've mailed with M. Sokolov
a little but nothing has changed since 2004 on his website.
http://ifctfvax.harhan.org/Quasijarus/releases/
NetBSD as such has dropped the VAX so far as I know and even the last
Releases aren't working anymore on a uVAXII vor example. I think I had to
use some 5.x Release to get it booted from a DEQNA/DELQA at all.
I'm pretty sure the loader works as such un the rtVAX, the networki
interface should be supported so far as I've read, but I think the SLU's
are not and so there is nothing to see...
Alexandre Souza - Listas wrote:
Tried PRB1
Things got interesting!!!!!!!
Enviado pelo meu telemovel
..please answer at bottom.. no one can maintain a thread where people
answering at top, at bottom or in the middle at the same time...
...things are getting more complicated now.
Altough the rtVAX300 should have an integrated SCSI Controller, the 50 Pin
can't be SCSI..
I've connected some disks, but the rtVAX isn't booting anymore, regardless
of what disk is connected. There is a 74F373 that has some wirings to that
connector and an EPM5032 is connected too. There is no row of GND Pins on
that connector.
The Ethernet Connector has 16 Pins and is a Berg type connector too.
It seems as that is a somewhat translated AUI Connector, the one of the
DELQA has 20 Pins, so it isn't the same at all. Maybe it should 1:1
connected to a DB15 receptacle with one Pin left free..
I think the next thing that I have todo is to reverse engeneer that Ethernet
Interface so that I can try to boot that thing diskless with mopd.
The Firmware shows that booting from the following devices should be
possible:
BOOT [/[R5:]<bflg>] { EZA0 | PRA0 | PRBx | CSBx }
EZA0 must be the Ethernet Interface, what could the other Abbrevations
mean?
I think that there is a mechanism to use the devices of the Host the card
lives in so that it can use the Disk from the Host trough some bridging
software. I have to look what I could find in the disk dump if I get it.
As I wrote before the system was a 486PC with an Adaptec 1542CF and a
Comtrol 4 Port Serial Card. Don't know more ...
Regards,
Holm
-- >> BO PRB1
83 BOOT SYS
-PRB1
2..1..0..
%VAXELN system initializing
VAXELN V4.3 300
SDDRIVER Revision 1.2
Seems that is a entry to some ROM based Firmware for VAXELN...
Regards,
Holm
-- >> b eza0
83 BOOT SYS
-EZA0
2..1..0..
..Thats all Folks. It stalls there.
Roger Ivie wrote in the ports vax mailinglist:
It should be possible to bring the rtVAX300 up with
very little work. It
contains the following parts:
- CVAX: Support for this processor exists.
- SGEC: Support for this ethernet controller exists.
- EPROM containing console code. It is capable of booting over the
ethernet; I used to boot VAXeln that way when we were manufacturing
- Console serial interface. This is a Signetics 2650. I don't know if
this is supported. Everything I know details about uses a DZ with
one of the ports acting as the console. Someone more knowledgeable
will have to talk about that.
...so I think the Console SLU is the problem, one needs a decent
documentation for the rtVAX300 that includes the programming manual for the
SLUs and the NetBSD source to make the Console driver work.
That shouldn't be to much work.
As long as I'm not finding a person that's a little bit involved in
VAX Assembler and is using NetBSD on VAXen, my trip ends here.
Maybe Dave is interested since he has at least such a rtVAX Card.
I've wrote some Turbopascal on CP/M and later MSDOS, but I forgot almost
all about Pascal in the meantime... so VAXELN might not be of much use to
me.
I'm having Problems with VMS too, installed it successfully on my VS4000/90
but it seems to not really "my thing"... don't switched it on for a year
now..
Nevertheless I'll going to read some of the linked in documentation now,
lets see if I can get some infos about the SLUs in that black box.
Regards,
Holm
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