-----Original Message----- From: CLASSICCMP(a)trailing-edge.com <CLASSICCMP(a)trailing-edge.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Wednesday, December 29, 1999 7:51 PM Subject: RE: Has anyone found the best way to preserve paper tape software? Although I am very busy right now I am trying to coordinate the archival of all information/software I have for the PDP-8,PDP-11,LSI systems from DEC. The basic idea is: Expand PDP8.com to a few hundred gigabytes. Find the "module list file - 1959-1984" which I now know contains 55,000 items [I have the total report], index it, and put it online. Hire/buy a microfiche scanner and *attempt* to scan and index the 5000+ sheets of microfiche I have (prints, MDS, IP,tecos,reports, maintenance manuals, software, source code,wire lists, engineering drawings and bulletins, internal tech reports, etc..)... with the help from a few list members. Read in all the software into one standard image format and index on the site. The project will be financed by selling a small portion of the stuff I have received(am receiving)on eBay. If this is at all possible then I should have online everything for PDP-9,PDP-15,PDP-8(s),PDP-11s [so far]. I expect PDP-4 and PDP-10 next. Looks like the PDP-1 stuff will be sold to a private collector. Scanning in the actual prints would be impossible as I am already stacking them 6' high with many rows... and I only made a *small* dent in the documentation area. Tim, you have experience with archiving software.. I have 3 high speed paper tape readers, 10 RX02s, 8 dectape drives, and many other DEC TU/TE tape drives and Disk drives. What software do you use?? It's sounds like I might (and others) have to write some software(or use yours) to pool all the code coming in through the above devices to a large NT server. I'll be pulling out a bunch of 11/23 systems on my next trip with some 11/34,35s. An idea I have is to line 8 or more systems up, fill them with every possible media drive, and 3 of the list members and myself could feed software to the devices as fast as quickly as the data could be read in. All information sent somehow to a central server with terminals to title the data dumped. Looks like "Digital Direct" can handle the microfiche scanning. I hope many of the systems could be networked together through DECNET. (My DECNET background was really strong at one point in time but when I saw DEC dumping I ran to NT like everyone else...) I really don't want this to turn out into a year long project.. I have quite a few minis to restore. Suggestions? john