MicroRSX (was: Re: Archiving RX50s with PUTR) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

18 May 2009

"js at cimmeri.com" <js at cimmeri.com> wrote:

...
  Going a bit OT from archiving RX50's...  I wonder
how MicroRSX differed 
 from full RSX11-M, which itself was quite compact? 
Don't be fooled by the "Micro" in MicroRSX. It is a referral to that the 
OS was custom adapted for the MicroPDP-11. MicroRSX is actually rather 
big. It's a customized version of RSX-11M-PLUS for a specific set of 
hardware. As such, it is delivered pre-compiled, and you cannot run 
SYSGEN. Instead, it has a configuration program that runs on boot, which 
can adapt it to the specific needs you have. But the possibility of 
adaptations are limited. You don't get any sources, and if I remember 
right, you don't even get MACRO-11 or TKB with it. Those were options 
you'd have to pay extra for.

It's more of a turnkey system for a specific task. You bought a 
MicroPDP-11, MicroRSX, some application that you wanted to use, and just 
used it.

...
  It's truly amazing what was once done (in this
case, by David Cutler) 
 with so little memory.  Back in 1999, Lars Poulsen wrote:

 "RSX-11D soon grew too large to fit on a 32KB (16KW) machine.
 David Cutler decided that it was possible to implement the same
 services with much less code, starting from scratch, and went on
 to do just that. In 18 months, he basically wrote and debugged
 the RSX-11M kernel. The system was released in source form, and
 with conditional assembly could be configured at compile time
 for any hardware from 8KW 11/05 to a full-house 11/45.
 Over the years I worked on RSX-11M based system integration,
 I eventually got to take a look at most of the modules of 11M,
 and Dave Cutler's name was in the header of each one! " 
Yeah, RSX-11M is really nice, small and beautiful. And yes, Cutlers name 
is all over the sources.
RSX-11M-PLUS, which is a superset of -11M also share the same code base.

	Johnny

...

 Then, to hear Mr. Cutler talking as he does here, was quite a surprise:

 http://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0,,7832_8366_7823_8718%5E7839,00.html

 jS

 Tobias Russell wrote:
> > I've put up the microRSX-11 distribution floppies for anyone who is
> > interested. They can be found here:
> >
> > http://www.pdp11.co.uk/2009/05/17/microrsx-11-rx50-distribution/
> >
> > I've started to play with getting this up and running on simh. It seems
> > to boot the install floppy ok, although it hung after I selected install
> > from the menus. If anyone has better success, please let me know as I
> > would like to get this up and running.
> >
> > All the best,
> > Toby 

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol