New subject: 3100 SCSI and 1.07GB (was RE: VAXstation 3100 history)

1 Dec 1999

--- "Truthan,Larry" &lt;truthanl(a)oclc.org&gt; wrote:
...
  Allison,or Anyone

 I recently got my MicroVAX I up and running it's MicroVMS 4.1 
Congrats!

...
  I listed devices and have an RD52 as DUA0.
 and an RX50 as DUA1 and DUA2 
Pretty standard.

...
  I did not see any directory commands to tell how much
disk space is
 used/available.  Are there any? 
SHOW DEVICE/FULL DUA0:

...
  Nor did I see any FORMAT command. (Which at this point
I want to AVOID,
 because I don't understand the Backup process or  target backup media
 capacity constraints.  It sounds like backup clones the OS on the same drive
 in "renewed" and/or "rebuilt"  files ) 
There is no low-level format commands (like a BIOS format) from within VMS.
That stuff is all done from rare Field Service diagnostics.  I don't know
how to do it from a MicroVAX-I.  With the right tape, it's just a bunch of
menu questions for a MicroVAX-II w/RQDX3.

...
  According to Allison's prior post, should I assume
this RD52 is a 30MB MFM
 non SCSI drive? 
Right.

...
  I also have a Plessy 6600/6700 system which has a
84MB-90MB drive which I
 think hangs on a DEC compatible SCSI controller. 
Cool.  It might be an Emulex SMD drive interface (they were common third-
party devices at one point).  If the cables to the drive itself are a 60-pin
and a 26-pin, it's SMD.  If the cables are 34-pin and 20-pin, it's most
likely ESDI.

...
  Is there a chance I could Load the Hobby openVMS on
either one, or both of
 these systems in a cluster? 
AFAIK, yes.  The issue becomes distribution.  The hobby OpenVMS distro is on
CD-ROM with the possibility of TK50 (OS only, no layered products) in the
future.

...
  It seems to me the more capable system would be the
Plessy with larger HD
 and Tape Unit already installed,  (However I have never booted it, and I
 have no Idea what OS currently resides on it.) 
Except that the Plessy system is a PDP-11 and not a VAX.  It will run RT-11,
RSX-11 and RSTS, among others, including 2BSD Unix ($100 hobby licenss from
PUPS)  I can help you with 2BSD.  I have original 9-track 2.9 tapes (if your
hardware is supported with the RP or XP drivers).  Since we are in the same
town, perhaps I can come over and give your stuff a look-see.  I do have full
docs for the 11/34 and attendant OSes of the era.

...
  I believe  someone gave an earlier response that the
MicroVAX I was too
 small to run openVMS alone.  
I don't know the minimum system requirements, but I would expect that you
need 200Mb to load OpenVMS.  VMS 6.1 barely fits on an RD54 - 154Mb, the
largest you can use on your MicroVAX-I if you happen to have an RQDX3 (you
probably have an RQDX1 or RQDX2 - quad-width cards).  One of the reasons I'm
looking forward to getting that MicroVAX 3100 is it will free me from the
tyranny of small, slow, fragile and increasingly rare MFM disks.  One downside
I caught from a FAQ is that SCSI MicroVAXen don't like disks over 1.07Gb -
too many blocks to keep track of with a 21-bit pointer.  Fortunately, I have
a couple of old DEC 3105's I can pull off of an Amiga.  Quite the disks in
their day, but discards now.

Cheers,

-ethan

=====
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uVAX-I and Plessy systems (was RE: VAXstation 3100 history)