RT-11 / RX-01 issues ... "almost" boots ... - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

19 Apr 2011

The MS11-JP has only five DIP switches which set the starting address ... nothing about
parity in the manual I pulled from bitsavers.  I believe the parity control card is just
an option, but not required (this machine was used for years with three memory cards but
never a parity card: it had three RK-05's and ran RT-11).

There is an M9302 terminator in slot 9AB (end of the run).  Originally the 9302 was in an
RK-05 controller backplane on the system (removed that, so slot 9 is now the end).

Professor Mark Csele, P.Eng.
Niagara College, Canada
300 Woodlawn Rd., L-23
Welland, ON, L3C 7L3

(905) 735-2211 x.7629
E-Mail: mcsele at niagarac.on.ca
URL: http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/people/mcsele
Author of "Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers", Wiley, 2004
...
 >> Paul Anderson <useddec at gmail.com>
04/19/11 3:02 PM >>> Hi Mark,

I don't remember what the difference would be, but I seem to recall
the MS11-JP might have a parity enable/disable switch on it. The
parity control card is seperate, and you did not mention it. Also, do
you have a M9302 terminator?

Good Luck, Paul

On Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 7:44 PM, Mark Csele <mcsele at niagaracollege.ca> wrote:
...
  Well, a few more bizarre things to report:

 I tried to disable interrupt sources as suggested.  The only one, apparently, was the
DL11-W SLU/LTC card which was set for both functions.  The card was reconfigured to be
"SLU Only".  No change in behaviour.  The DL11-W console is set for address
177560, vector 60.

 Next, there are three memory cards: one M7847-DJ (16K*18 MOS, MS11-JP), one
"Motorola memory systems" card with 48K words, and one "MOSTEK memory
systems" card with 96K words.  Both the two later cards use 4116 DRAM chips.

 Tried to use the M7847-DJ card alone (after all, RT-11SJ should run on 16KW of memory). 
Reconfigured the card address to start at 0 and verified that it occupies addresses 000000
to 077777 via the front panel.  When the machine it turned on, the display reads
"054207" (this was not expected).  Tried booting using the bootstrap on the
M9301-YB card: the heads don't engage at all and the program halts rapidly displaying
"173764" ... BIZARRE since that is a non-existent address.

 Next, tried the Motorola memory card which was already configured to start at 0.  When
the CPU is powered-on, displays "000002" on the display.  Tried to boot the
disk, heads engage, a few steps of the disk heads, and halts again at "005134".

 Finally, tried the MOSTEK memory card.  Reconfigured to start at 0, and verified that
addresses 000000 through 377777 are occupied by RAM.  Powers up with a display of 000002
and halts at 005134 when a boot is attempted.

 The system is now stripped during testing, consisting of the following:
 Slot 1/2 = CPU, Slot 3=M7859 Panel interface and M9301-YB bootstrap/terminator, Slot
4=memory, slot 5&6&7 empty (with a grant continuity card in D), slot 8=M7856
SLU/LTC, slot 9=M9302 at the unibus end and M7846 RX-01 interface.

 Originally, had three memory cards in slots 4&5&6.

 Now I'm just puzzled.

 Question: Should the unit power-up with "000002"?

 As I was typing this, had a thought about slots: I recall reading something about not
putting memory into slot 9.  So, I moved the RX-01 controller to slot 6 (and moved the
grant card in slot 9D).  Now, when powered-up with the Motorola or Mostek memory cards,
displays "000000" but otherwise no changes in booting behaviour.  When the
MS11-JP RAM was installed instead, displays "177777" once, "163776"
the next time (when powered up), and still absolutely nothing when boot is attempted (i.e.
no heads engaging at all).

 Is there something about RT-11 5.04 that I am not aware-of?  An it was suggested that
there is a difference between the Unibus and Q-Bus boot ... any thoughts on that one?

 I can't see memory being the issue anyway: sure, 16KW might be an issue (and that
card might even be 'flaky'), but the other two cards are large enough.

 I suppose I could try an older copy of RT-11 however 5.04 is the only one I currently
have which also has DX.SYS and DU.SYS drivers (allowing me to make a bootable copy on my
LSI-11 system which has an MSCP drive ... I believe previous versions of RT-11 lacked MSCP
"DU" device support?).

 Cheers! Mark

 >
> Thanks for the suggestions so far.  I tried a few things with the =
> following to report:
>
> I verified the copy of RT-11 on RX-01 floppy.  It boots fine on the LSI-11 =
> system it was built on, tried "BOOT RT11SJ" as well as with the
"/FOREIGN" =
> option and it ran fine on that system (which has an M7946 controller).  =
> The drive is configured for RX-01 mode only (since these are the only =
> controllers I have in both Q-Bus and Unibus flavour).
>
> Now, put that same drive on the 11/34 CPU with an M7846 card.  Checked the =
> CPU carefully: NPG jumpers are all intact on the backplane (CA1-CA2) and =
> all unused slot D's have a grant continuity card.  Just to ensure it works =
> I reconfigured the console for 9600 baud (originally 300) and ran a simple =
> "echo" program loaded at 001000 which runs fine (so it can store programs
=
> in memory and the execute them).  The system has loads of memory - three =
> cards with 16K, 48KW, and 96kW on them - so I did a quick check at =
> locations 100000 and 700000 and memory is certainly there. 
 Some random thoughts 
 What devices do you have in the 11/34 system? An
RX11, obviously. A
DL11-something (but what?) for the console port. Anything else? 
 Obviously the console and the RX11 must be at the
right I/O addresses for
the system to get as far as it has. What about the interrupt vector
settings? Are those correct. Could it be falling over when it enables
interrupts on some device, the interurpt comes along and the vector is
not what's expected so it goes to thw wrong routine. 
 You have an M9301 at the CPU end of the bus. What,
if any, terminator do
you have at the other end? Unibus (unlike Q-bus, normally) is terminated
at both ends. 
 Could it be a bad memory location? RT11SJ
doesn't need much RAM to boot,
so perhaps you could try yor memory boards one at a time, each one set to
start at location 0, and see if that helps. 
 -tony 

 Professor Mark Csele, P.Eng.
 Niagara College, Canada
 300 Woodlawn Rd., L-23
 Welland, ON, L3C 7L3

 (905) 735-2211 x.7629
 E-Mail: mcsele at niagarac.on.ca
 URL: http://technology.niagarac.on.ca/people/mcsele
 Author of "Fundamentals of Light Sources and Lasers", Wiley, 2004