Dear Santa, I would like a VAX....

Having fond memories of using VAXen (specifically, an 8800) back in my 'stoodent' days, and in more recent times too (unknown type @ JP Morgan), and further having seen numerous references to OpenVMS & VAXen on this list, I got to thinking... I'd actually quite like a VAX. Unfortunately, this is probably impossible in the short term - unless I want to buy the MicroVAX 3100 currently on eBay @ a fiver. But that's not a *real* VAX, it's just not big enough... And besides, it hasn't got a CD-ROM, which I will need to load OpenVMS. Anyway, following yet another link posted on this list revealed the PDP-11 (and, coincidentally, VAX) simulator. Nice. So I downloads it, along with MinGW (anyone else think of "minging[1] Windows" immediately, or is it just me?), compile it, and eventually figure out roughly how to get to the basic VAX ">>>" prompt. And here, I'm rather stuck. So, does anyone have any nice'n'easy instructions on how to get the SIMH VAX simulator ready for OpenVMS? I've read both the simulator document & the VAX document, and I'm still well in the dark WRT how to get it up & running... Basically, I've no idea what devices to ATTACH, what or how to configure it, and so forth. Obviously, I'll have to sort out an OpenVMS kit before I can do anything remotely useful, and I'll probably need an extra HDD in the PC (<1gig free now), blah blah. (oh yes, and Hans has found several faults in my websites which I /really/ ought to fix first... - but, well, you know how it goes :) So, can anyone help? TIA! [1] "minging" {v}: "really ugly" (he/she's minging) or quite smelly and rotten (that bin's minging). UK expression (poss. Northern UK only). -- Cheers, Ade. Be where it's at, B-Racing! http://b-racing.com