PDP-11/45 RSTS/E boot problem

[Noel Chiappa]

    > From: Fritz Mueller

    > I've thought about that; Unix V6 is actually next on my list of OS's to
    > try. I think I have seen a fairly detailed set of instructions on
    > building an image from this from the commonly available distribution
    > tape. 

Yeah, one comes with the V6 distribution:

  http://gunkies.org/wiki/Setting_up_UNIX_-_Sixth_Edition

(That's just a 'do this and then do that' list - if you want to know what
it's actually _doing_, this:

  http://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_UNIX_Sixth_Edition

gives the technical details.)

Alas, the instructions don't have a lot of detail on how to create the /45
version (it's quite simple - basically one just includes m45.s instead of
m40.s in the linker command line :-); I guess I'll do up a cheat sheet.


    > But if you have an RK05 image already ready to go, go ahead and send it
    > over and I'll give it a try!

Well, there are single-RK05 images up already:

  http://www.tuhs.org/Archive/PDP-11/Distributions/research/Ken_Wellsch_v6/

but they only include binary for /40's (which will run on a /45 of course;
they distributed only the lowest-common-denominator binary, to make their
life simple; people have to build their own binary - system and commands - if
they want to upgrade).

But if you'd like me to make up an RK05 image with a /45 system on it too
(one gets to specify what one wants to load at boot time); let me know, and I
can whip it up - but really, it's drop-dead simple to build a /45 version if
you have the /40 version running.

Note: the pack images on the distribution tape _do not_ include the bootstrap
in block 0; use the one I linked to above.

 
    > It wasn't clear to me last time I looked that I could build V6 to run
    > off a single pack without having a second RK05 drive and pack available
    > for swap?

No, the image above is for a single RK drive machine; it will run that way,
albeit things are a bit cramped.

What it does is put a file system in blocks 1-4000, and it uses blocks 4000
and up as the swap area (I forget which one block 4000 itself goes with :-).


    > Day gig starts back up today after winter break, so less bandwidth for
    > PDP-11 hacking now unfortunately!

:-(

Well, at least you have something to go back to; the spousal unit works for
NASA, and they're all getting an enforced extended break (much to her
annoyance).

	Noel