First VAX-11/730 VMS Boot! (was: Re: VAX-11/730 %BOOT-F-Unexpected Machine Check)

[Paul Anderson]

Congrats!

On Fri, Jun 12, 2015 at 1:06 AM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote:

> Using a version 58 console tape image provided to me by one list member,
> and massaged into a usable state by another list member, I just booted
> OpenVMS 7.3 off the R80 drive on my VAX-11/730 for the first time since
> buying the machine. Woohoo!
>
> For some reason, I was unable to do that with the version 57 images that I
> downloaded off the net. Maybe there's something wrong with the VMB.EXE on
> those images? It always complained of not being able to find the boot file
> when I tried using it.
>
> I never got a login prompt, but perhaps that's because I booted with the
> write protect switch on? It appeared to be trying to create or join a
> VAXcluster for a while, then said something about loading MSCP disk server.
> I have plenty more experimentation ahead, including seeing what's on that
> RL02 pack labeled something like "VMS53SYS" (if I recall correctly).
>
> My attempts to boot up the v5.3 standalone backup tape images I downloaded
> still haven't succeeded. As suggested, I'll see if standalone backup might
> be on another partition next time I work on the machine. I'd like to try
> backing up both the R80 and the RL02 to tape if I can.
>
> Eventually, I'd like to run an older version of VMS than 7.3 on it.
> Preferably, something contemporary to when the 11/730 was still sold, or at
> least from before any sane 730 users upgraded to newer and faster VAXen. Of
> course, that assumes I can procure suitable installation media, or usable
> images with which to create it.
>
> --
> Mark J. Blair, NF6X <nf6x at nf6x.net>
> http://www.nf6x.net/
>
>