<Here's a completely hypothetical situation for you: Here I'll make it simpler. Your can get (US residents currently) For free a decus basic membership, then get a VMS hobbiest license. Now, for a modest $30 you can get a CDrom with VMS versions 5.4 though V6.1 on CDrom for hobbiest use. (Current is either 7.1 or 7.2). So if you happen to find an old vaxen with VMS and a valid key it's likely cool. If you need a key for said beast you know where to get it(www.decus.org). The CDrom would be read/bootable on a vax (VMSfile system) so a RRD40/RRD50 or scsi compatable CDrom for a VAX is needed. now if you didn't have said CDrom drive but had the disk someone with a vax can cut a tape from it or just give you the savesets for any version from 5.4 through 6.1 and you would use the DECUS provided hobbiest license key. <Would anyone care to venture a hypothetical answer? :) Was the above hypothetical enough. <Also -- no longer speaking hypothetically! -- let's say that I (myself) <wanted to get a distribution of NetBSD on TK50 tapes. Is there anyone <in the group who could send it to me, in exchange for fresh virgin blank <TK50 tapes? Unfortunately I have no way of writing the available TK50 <images to tape myself, or I would. Check with the crowd on the PORT-VAX list. (check the NetBSD web page for help). Allison