I've assembled some notes from old manuals and other sources
on the formats used for on-disk file systems through the
Seventh Edition:
http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~norman/old-unix/old-fs.html
Additional notes, comments on style, and whatnot are welcome.
(It may be sensible to send anything in the last two categories
directly to me, rather than to the whole list.)
Hi,
I successfully made SIMH VAX-11/780 emulator run 32V, 3BSD and 4.0BSD.
Details are on my web site (thogh rather tarse):
http://zazie.tom-yam.or.jp/starunix/
Enjoy!
Naoki Hamada
nao(a)tom-yam.or.jp
Just to loop things around a bit:
Some of the larger VAXes used small PDP-11s (and their
bastard offspring) as console processors.
This started with the very first VAX, the 11/780, which
used an 11/23 as a console. The console ran a stripped-down
system, possibly based on RT-11 or RSX-11, I forget (and
am typing this on a train in the Outer Mongolia part of
Texas where it's hard to look up references).
I don't know the whole list of what was used as a console
for different VAXes, but I do remember that the Nautilus
series (8500-8550-8700-8800) used either a Pro/350 or a
Pro/380, running P/OS, which was slightly more satisfactory
than the rude English non-computer expansion of PoS might
imply, but only slightly. Especially for those of us who
wrote code to fit into UNIX on the VAX and talk to the
console processor.
I also vaguely remember that although Digital were
reluctant (at least early on) to make an RT-11 that would
run on the Pro-series systems, someone made a UNIX for
those systems.
I never knew a lot about this stuff and have forgotten much
of what I did know, but perhaps my words will trigger others'
memories.
Norman Wilson
Toronto ON
I don't suppose anyone has this kicking around, or any pre-release vax
images of netbsd?
I did manage to get 1.2 installed on SIMH for what it's worth....
Jason
How much does an old pdp-11 type system cost these
days (ie. a pdp-11/40 with disks and terminal capable
of running something like 1st, 6th or 7th ed)?
How much power do they take up to power on?
Whats maintenance like on those things?
I've always been curious.
Tim Newsham | www.thenewsh.com/~newsham | thenewsh.blogspot.com
I was wondering if anyone has ever been able to build and use BSD 1 on
Research Unix v7 (pdp-11)?
I've installed the Keith Bostic tape, and I've been fighting the floating
point and some other weird stuff....
I've configured my PDP-11 like this:
set cpu 11/70
set cpu 2M
set cpu idle
set rp0 rp06
att rp0 rp06-0.disk
att tm0 xx.tap
boot tm0
but I'm lost on the install guide, as it mentions for floating point...
Floating Point
UNIX only supports (and really expects to have) the
FP11-B/C floating point unit. For machines without this
hardware, there is a user subroutine available that will
catch illegal instruction traps and interpret floating point
operations. (See fptrap(3).) To install this subroutine in
the library, change to /usr/src/libfpsim and execute the
shell files
compall
mklib
The system as delivered does not have this code included in
any command, although the operating system adapts automati-
cally to the presence or absence of the FP11.
Next, a floating-point version of the C compiler in
/usr/src/cmd/c should be compiled using the commands:
cd /usr/src/cmd/c
make fc1
mv fc1 /lib/fc1
This allows programs with floating point constants to be
compiled. To compile floating point programs use the `-f'
flag to cc(1). This flag ensures that the floating point
interpreter is loaded with the program and that the floating
point version of `cc' is used.
The library doesn't actually build a libfpsim.a but rather it hooks into
libc? And the fc1 command won't build as there is no libfpsim....
Maybe I'm doing something obviously wrong?
Any hint would be appreciated.
Jason
Anyone have a scanned (or text) copy of the 4.3BSD License Agreement
from 1986 they can send me?
Much of the code shipped in 4.3BSD says ``The Berkeley software License
Agreement specifies the terms and conditions for redistribution.'' As
far as I can see, it is not included in the source, nor in the Univ. of
Wisconsin fork, and not in Tahoe release.
I do have the agreement between UC and AT&T and copies of some of their
letters during that period clarifying the licensing.
The Net1 release included the license agreement in the source files. But
does anyone have a separate license agreement for Net1 too? (The README
seems to imply there was a separate license agreement too.)
I am also looking for addendum for Tahoe and the addendum for Reno. And
was there any agreement to sign for those who chose to pay for statement
that Net2 was freely redistributal (I guess that wouldn't make sense)?
Warren:
I thought the BSTJ went into 1984, as I have some references to 1984 issues,
e,g, The Evolution of UNIX System Performance. Bell System Technical Journal,
63(8):1791b1814, October 1984.
=======
The journal's name changed at the end of 1983, from Bell System Technical
Journal to AT&T Bell Laboratories Technical Journal, to reflect
divestiture.
There was indeed a late-1984 all-UNIX-papers issue of the BLTJ, but
technically (and journally) it was the BLTJ then, not the BSTJ.
I don't know whether there are issues of copyright-ownership or
the like over the post-divestiture journal (does it belong to
Bell Labs, now owned by Alcatel, or to AT&T, now owned by
Southern Bell?) that interfere with releasing the latter-day
journal.
Norman Wilson
Toronto ON
(actually passing through Davis CA on a train, but
who cares?)
A friend sent this to me. Both of these mailing lists are likely
to find this of interest. I have a paper copy of the 1978 BSTJ,
either the '82 or '83 issues, whichever one was devoted to Unix. :-)
Arnold
> Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2010 17:42:14 -0700 (MST)
> From: "Nelson H. F. Beebe" <beebe(a)math.utah.edu>
> To: fslc(a)fslc.usu.edu
> Cc: beebe(a)math.utah.edu
> Subject: [fslc] historical papers on Unix now online
>
> The Bell System Technical Journal from 1922 to 1983 is now online at
>
> http://bstj.bell-labs.com/
>
> with free downloadable PDFs of all articles.
>
> I've downloaded all of the HTML files, and found that just three of
> them contain mention of Unix:
>
> BSTJ.1978.5706-2.html
> BSTJ.1982.6109.html
> BSTJ.1983.6206.html
>
> Some of those important early articles that document the development
> of Unix have also been reprinted in these books:
>
> @String{pub-PH = "Pren{\-}tice-Hall"}
> @String{pub-PH:adr = "Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458, USA"}
>
> @Book{ATT:AUS86-1,
> author = "AT{\&T}",
> key = "ATT",
> title = "{AT}{\&T UNIX} System Readings and Applications",
> volume = "I",
> publisher = pub-PH,
> address = pub-PH:adr,
> pages = "xiv + 397",
> year = "1986",
> ISBN = "0-13-938532-0",
> ISBN-13 = "978-0-13-938532-2",
> LCCN = "QA76.76.O63 U553 1986",
> bibdate = "Sat Oct 28 08:25:56 2000",
> }
>
> @Book{ATT:AUS86-2,
> author = "AT{\&T}",
> key = "ATT",
> title = "{AT}{\&T UNIX} System Readings and Applications",
> volume = "II",
> publisher = pub-PH,
> address = pub-PH:adr,
> pages = "xii + 324",
> year = "1986",
> ISBN = "0-13-939845-7",
> ISBN-13 = "978-0-13-939845-2",
> LCCN = "QA76.76.O63 U553 1986",
> bibdate = "Sat Oct 28 08:25:58 2000",
> }
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> - Nelson H. F. Beebe Tel: +1 801 581 5254 -
> - University of Utah FAX: +1 801 581 4148 -
> - Department of Mathematics, 110 LCB Internet e-mail: beebe(a)math.utah.edu -
> - 155 S 1400 E RM 233 beebe(a)acm.org beebe(a)computer.org -
> - Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA URL: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe/ -
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
I will be giving a lecture at NYCBSDCon on November 13 about my research
covering the history of Berkeley Unix and will highlight some of the
important events and key participants in BSD history.
http://www.nycbsdcon.org/2010/
I have done over 50 interviews with early participants, including during
the first Berkeley UNIX Software Tape, the Second Berkeley Software
Distribution, and vmunix period. (I still have many to do.)
