Which Operating System for my DCC-116 E / Entrex 480 / Nixdorf 620 / Data General Nova 1200 clone ?

[Jay Jaeger]

On 10/4/2017 3:33 PM, Dominique Carlier via cctech wrote:
> Hi all
> 
> I start here another topic concerning my research about a new Operating
> System for my freshly restored DCC-116 E.
> 
> http://www.zeltrax.com/classiccmp_forum/second_boot/04.jpg
> http://www.zeltrax.com/classiccmp_forum/second_boot/02.jpg
> 
> I originally intended to install RDOS on my machine but it seems very
> difficult to find the files needed to make a system installation tape.
> 

FIRST:  If you have drawings for the DCC, please let me know.  I have
two of them (long in storage in the house, but they ran when I pulled
them from their Unitote/Regitel rack a couple of *decades* ago.

There is an RDOS - disk images, available at:

http://simh.trailing-edge.com/software.html

(Top entry in the list)  It is about a 2.5MB disk image.

I suggest that you might download SimH and that image, configure SimH as
a straight Nova (rather than a /3 or /4) and see if it runs that image
OK.  If so, there you go!

Beyond that, I *might* be able to help, but it will depend on what the
status of copyright is on what I have, and whether your system can even
run what I do have.  I am looking into the copyright part of it - that
may take a week or two.  (This is something I needed to to anyway).

In the meantime:

Do you have a way to *write* a tape image?  I have an AWS format image
of an RDOS starter system.   Note, however, that the label on the RDOS
starter image I have suggests it may  only be appropriate for a NOVA 3
or NOVA 4, so it might not run on your system.    So, I'd have to take
some time to boot it and try and set up a system for a straight Nova.
As this would take several hours, I'm not keen on doing that unless you
know that one from SimH will not work for you.

I also have some OS and compiler DG floppy images, if you have a
DG-compatible floppy setup.  Several different operating systems there.
Same issue: one would have to see how many are compatible with a
straight Nova.  I have images of the floppies.

Diagnostics for DG systems are notoriously difficult to find.  I have a
few, in listing format.

JRJ