Short test programs for pdp 11/34

Noel Chiappa jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu
Fri Sep 23 10:52:08 CDT 2016


    > From: Devin Davison

    >> If the machine HALTs on power-up, some micro coded diagnostic failed

There are no microcoded diagnostics in the 11/34. The boot ROMs do contain
minimal CPU and memory diagnostics.

    > using pdp11gui to load the dec diagnostics sounds like the way to go.

The CPU and UNIBUS have to be basically working for the boot ROMs (and the
console emulator they provide via the console serial line) to work; ditto for
PDP11GUI. Note that the console emulator will work without working memory,
provided the correct boot option (console emulator without diagnostics) is
configured on the card that holds the boot ROMs. You won't, of course, be
able to load anything without working memory.

And the Programmer's Console doesn't require working memory either, and a lot
less of the CPU working - the CPU only has to respond to HALT requests from
the console. (I had one /04 - very similar to the /34, uses the same front
console - which didn't run because there was a bit stuck on in all the
registers - but the console still worked.) It does require the UNIBUS not to
be wedged, though.

	Noel


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