29 Jan
2004
29 Jan
'04
5:18 a.m.
Brad Parker <brad(a)heeltoe.com> wrote:
Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Ultrix
which will boot on an
11/730?
AFAIK DEC never dropped 730 support from Ultrix so I see no reason why would any
given version, e.g., V4.00 which I have on my FTP site, NOT boot on a 730.
And if so, can I grab media files off the net
somewhere?
I've got the full V4.00 distribution on my FTP site:
ifctfvax.Harhan.ORG:/pub/UNIX/thirdparty/Ultrix-32/ult400vaxdist-tk50/
This dist came into my hands in TK50 format, hence the directory name on the FTP
site, but I see no reason why you can't write it to magtape as well. (6250 BPI
would be easier, for 1600 BPI you may have to split it into multiple tapes and I
am not sure how to tweak the metadata for the Ultrix installer so it knows from
which tape to get what.) Or you can bootstrap from TK50 on a 730 with a TUK50
controller.
You would, however, need to create your own TU58 media for Ultrix bootstrap.
They can be constructed from file.01 and file.02 on the tape (which are on the
FTP site), but I'm not sure of the exact algorithm and you'll need to look in
the source code. I have complete sources for Ultrix V2.00 and V4.20 on the same
FTP site. Not for V4.00, but since this stuff hasn't changed between V2.00 and
V4.20 it logically follows that it should hold for V4.00 as well.
Now even if you recreate the same Ultrix distribution TU58s that you would get
from DEC when buying Ultrix, you are still not all set.
DEC's Ultrix
distribution TU58s are not directly readable or bootable by the
730 console, and
you need ANOTHER TU58, which is not part of any Ultrix distribution at all, with
a sufficiently recent version of VMB.EXE and supporting stuff that knows how to
boot non-VMS operating systems, probably the original version that came with the
hardware in 1982 won't do. In other words you would be in for a lot of
"fun".
(I know 4.3bsd would, and I'd like to fool around
with netbsd but it
seems like ultrix might be a good way to bootstrap)
4.3BSD (either original or Quasijarus) is the easiest of all to bootstrap of any
11/7xx, including 730. Everything that you need is on ifctfvax.Harhan.ORG in
the appropriate directory (/pub/UNIX/4.3BSD or /pub/UNIX/4.3BSD-Quasijarus0b):
tape images and TU58 cassette image, and the TU58 is in RT-11 format directly
readable by the 730 console, no VMB or other stuff is needed.
Now here is something I want to ask you: would you happen to have an original
DEC 730 console TU58 with the latest version of 730 microcode and console
program they released? If you do, would you please make a block image (dd) of
it?
MS
29 Jan
29 Jan
6:04 a.m.
Michael Sokolov wrote:
[removed incredibly help info about booting
ultrix - thanks! I owe you!]
4.3BSD (either original or Quasijarus) is the easiest
of all to bootstrap of a
ny
11/7xx, including 730. Everything that you need is on ifctfvax.Harhan.ORG in
the appropriate directory (/pub/UNIX/4.3BSD or /pub/UNIX/4.3BSD-Quasijarus0b):
tape images and TU58 cassette image, and the TU58 is in RT-11 format directly
readable by the 730 console, no VMB or other stuff is needed.
Excellent. I didn't realize that. I think I got confused looking at
NetBSD (which says it won't boot on a 730).
Now here is something I want to ask you: would you
happen to have an original
DEC 730 console TU58 with the latest version of 730 microcode and console
program they released? If you do, would you please make a block image (dd) of
it?
I don't know what I have. Next week an 11/730 shows up which I have
never seen "live". It looks like it has an RL02, an "R80" and some
sort
of 9-track. It's two racks wide. We'll see :-)
I understand there were microcode issues on the 730 which made booting
painful. I didn't realize there was a "fix" to the microcode.
Once I get done cleaning, etc... I will check. There's also a fellow
730 owner in town - I'll ask him once I have more of a clue.
I'd be happy to dd the console TU58 once it's up.
thanks!
-brad
10:43 a.m.
I don't know what I have. Next week an 11/730
shows up which I have
never seen "live". It looks like it has an RL02, an "R80" and some
sort
The 11/730 has an 'integrated disk controller' (it uses part of the CPU
logic IIRC), which conntects to an RL02 and the R80. The latter the same
drive as is used in the RM80, just that the RM80 has a rack of
electronics to link the not-quite-SMD interface to Massbus. The 11/703
talks driectly to the not-quite SMD interface.
IIRC, the stnadard configurations for the 'compact' 11/730 (one
half-height rack) were the CPU, R80 and RL02 or the CPU, R80 and TSU05
magtape. The latter just plugged into a Unibus slot in the CPU box.
of 9-track. It's two racks wide. We'll see
:-)
I understand there were microcode issues on the 730 which made booting
painful. I didn't realize there was a "fix" to the microcode.
From looking around the 11/730 boards (I am still
looking for the
printset..) there doesn't appear to be any micrcode ROMs in the
machine.
There's an area of RAM which I assume is a writeable control store. I
think all the microcode is loaded from the TU58.
-tony
11:13 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctalk-bounces@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: 29 January 2004 21:44
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Ultrix on an 11/730?
The 11/730 has an 'integrated disk controller' (it uses part of the CPU
logic IIRC), which conntects to an RL02 and the R80. The latter the same
drive as is used in the RM80, just that the RM80 has a rack of
electronics to link the not-quite-SMD interface to Massbus. The 11/703
talks driectly to the not-quite SMD interface.
IIRC, the stnadard configurations for the 'compact' 11/730 (one
half-height rack) were the CPU, R80 and RL02 or the CPU, R80 and TSU05
magtape. The latter just plugged into a Unibus slot in the CPU box.
The very first VAX I got my paws on in 1985 was an 11/730 running VMS 3.7.
It was a standard half-height rack containing (top down) a single RL02
(DQA1), CPU containing a TU58 tape for booting/upgrading and the R80 (DQA0).
Half a meg of memory too, which was the reason we ditched it in favour of
our first MV II (fruit) 'cos we'd rather fork the money out on a much faster
machine to run VMS 4.5 than pay for the extra memory for the 730.
Typing that's just made me remember the time I stripped and binned a TS11
tape drive :-/ And the VT52 that I skipped. And the VT180. And the Rainbows.
Curses!
cheers
--
Adrian/Witchy
www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - possibly the UK's biggest online computer museum
www.snakebiteandblack.co.uk - ex-monthly gothic shenanigans :o(
11:53 a.m.
From looking around the 11/730 boards (I am still
looking for the
printset..) there doesn't appear to be any micrcode ROMs in
the machine.
There's an area of RAM which I assume is a writeable control store. I
think all the microcode is loaded from the TU58.
The printset I scanned is here:
http://www.pdp11.nl/Documentation/11730z1.pdf
(or at least, it will be back, once the site comes
back on air).
I'm pretty certain that the 11/730 is entirely
soft. I remember reading an article in one of
the DEC Technical Journals where they described
how they used the VAX-11/730 as a test bed for
the MicroVAX II subset instruction emulation
code.
Antonio
--
---------------
Antonio Carlini arcarlini(a)iee.org
7514
days inactive
7514
days old
4 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
arcarlini＠iee.org -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
brad＠heeltoe.com -
msokolov＠ivan.Harhan.ORG -
witchy＠binarydinosaurs.co.uk