Dear Tim,
You write:
> I'd be glad to run off TK50's from images
> for you, though I think your earlier idea, about installing from
> the miniroot image that's commonly put on 4.2- and 4.3BSD derived
> distributions, is a *far* better idea as it avoids using a TK50
> tape drive at all.
I will need to boot from a tape at some point in any case. I have to
boot from SOMETHING. Since none of the disks in this machine is bootable, I
have to boot either from a tape or over the network. Since the only two
computers in my apartment are the VAX in question and my DOS machine,
netbooting is not an option. Well, I could attach another disk to the PC,
download FreeBSD, and install it, but this is _WAY_ too much pain. Also
there is no guarantee of success with this approach, since there are all
kinds of traps waiting to catch me. The spare disk I'm talking about may
turn out to be toast, FreeBSD may not like something about this PC, the
DELQA in the VAX may turn out broken, etc., etc., etc. OTOH, the labor
investment in just trying it out is enormous (this PC has a VERY special
configuration, and adding another disk may turn out to be a royal pita,
plus downloading FreeBSD or some other PeeCee UNIX clone over my 14400 BPS
modem is going to be a nightmare). On the other hand, I know that the TK50
boot path is working, since I have been able to boot from some VMSish tape
(see my previous messages), thus all I need is a good Ultrix tape.
Another friendly PUPS member has promised to send me copies of his
Ultrix tapes, so hopefully I'll get something going.
> It's not that tape copies are bad ideas - it's just that TK50's
> are so slow. If you were coming from 9-track or DLT or something
> fast, that wouldn't be so bad.
Are 9-track tapes faster than TK50s? In addition to the TK50 I also have
the CDC Keystone and the QT13 which seems to work after all, but I
_STRONGLY_ doubt that it's going to be any easier. This big beast is very
dirty, it has been exposed to a little rain, and it has been dropped on
concrete pavement a couple times, so before I even try plugging it in, I
would have to perform a very careful cleaning and inspection procedure, and
I currently don't have anywhere near the resources and knowledge needed for
that operation.
> If you can get just about any OS running on your
> Q-bus machine, under any CPU - i.e. NetBSD, RT-11, 2.11BSD, RSX,
> whatever you might have - then you can just write the miniroot
> straight to a "scratch" disk.
Again, regardless of what approach I take, I'll need to boot from some
device first. See above.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
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>From Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET> Tue Dec 8 02:49:46 1998
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 7 Dec 1998 16:49:46 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: 9-track tape interfaces
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Dear Tim,
Your explanation of 9-track tape interfaces is extremely helpful!
Thanks! This area has always been a huge gap in my hardware knowledge.
What I still don't understand is how do all these interfaces handle the
issue of recording density (800 BPI vs. 1600 BPI vs. 6250 BPI). You are
saying that the Pertec unformatted interface is very low-level. Do you mean
that it gives the controller the raw stream from the heads without trying
to separate data and clock bits? It is my understanding (please correct me
if I'm wrong) that the difference between 1600 and 6250 BPI is the data
encoding (PE vs. GCR) and that the actual magnetic density (flux
transitions per inch) is the same. If so, does this mean that a Pertec
unformatted transport can be made 1600 or 6250 BPI at the formatter's
discretion without the transport knowing or caring about the density? I
mean, is it like the ST-506/412 MFM vs. ST-506/412 RLL thing?
And how does the Pertec formatted interface address this issue? In this
case the controller has to tell the transport what density it wants with
the transport being able to accept or deny the request depending on its
capabilities, right?
You write:
> Yep, Pertec formatted. The QT13 is nice because it'll emulate
> either MU: or MS:-type devices.
This brings me to the following question. Assuming that the Pertec
formatted interface does carry explicit density control information, which
software interface would be a better choice in terms of density control,
TS-11 or TMSCP? It is my understanding that the original UNIBUS TS-11 is a
formatter for Pertec unformatted transports that supports 1600 BPI only,
right? If so, the TS-11 interface doesn't give the OS any control over the
density, does it? If so, what density does the QT13 choose in this mode?
And what about TMSCP? How much control does it give to the OS in terms of
density selection?
> Yep, a TS05 is a rebadged Cipher F880 (with some slightly-different
> firmware).
And where does it stand density-wise? According to DEC, TS05 is a 1600
BPI only transport, and as far as I can remember, the Cipher at CWRU had
"1600 BPI" printed on the back somewhere. However, it had a switch on the
front panel labeled "HI DEN" or something like that. What the hell is this?
According to DEC docs, on TS05 this switch is labeled "ENTER" and the docs
call it "reserved".
> It probably had 4 50-pin edge connectors [...]
Yes.
> [...] so that multiple drives could
> be chained on the same Pertec-formatted-bus. (There are terminators at
> each end of the bus, much like SCSI.) There's provisions for at least
> 4 formatters per bus, with each formatter potentially running multiple
> drives.
Huh! I have never thought about it this way.
> (again, with slightly different firmware - for instance a DEC TU80
> controller
> will only work with TU80 drives or their CDC equivalent, the Keystone.)
CDC Keystone is exactly what I have here. The interface coming out of
the (incredibly huge) cabinet is Pertec formatted. Does it have a Pertec
unformatted interface lurking inside or not? Which densities does it
support?
> TU80's and TS(V)05's are simple
> Pertec formatted interfaces. Other times they convert to some other
> interface (Massbus, LESI, etc.) before the cables come out to the "real
> world".
Hmm, the only DEC tape transport with LESI I know of is TU81+. Are there
any others? And what about that plus? Has there ever been a TU81 without
the plus? My manuals are at my main VAX farm from which I'm currently away,
but I remember the picture of the TU81+ in there looked similar to the
Keystone I have here. Since you say above that TU80 is Keystone in
disguise, does it mean that TU80, TU81, and TU81+ are all the same beast
with different interface converters tacked on?
And what is LESI anyway? I have heard somewhere that the KLESI
controller can drive more than just a TU81+, so is LESI actually more than
just a tape interface?
Oh, what about that leading edge strobe vs. trailing edge strobe? Your
vmsnet.pdp11 posting with the QT13 switch settings says that Kennedy 9300
uses trailing edge strobe while all others use leading edge strobe. Mine,
however, is set for trailing edge strobe, and it was connected to the
Keystone. Does this mean that the Keystone and Kennedy 9300 are the same
beast, or is it simply that the 9300 is not the only transport using
trailing edge strobe?
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 7 Dec 1998 16:51:09 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: Sigma unidentified flying board
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Dear Tim,
You write:
> Any chance it's a simple parallel I/O?
>
> Could also be the bus interface for a Sigma and/or DSD MFM drive
> controller (if so, it probably emulates RL02's). The assembly number
> sounds vaguely DSD-like.
From looking at the board I see that the BDMGI and BDMGO fingers are
simply shorted and not connected to any circuitry. This means that the
board is non-DMA, right? If so, it can't emulate RL-11 or any other DEC
disk controller because they are all DMA, right? The BIAKI and BIAKO
fingers ARE connected to some circuitry, though, so at least this board
interrupts, right?
And what's DSD? What MFM controller are you referring to? The "SIGMA
INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC." label and the assembly number are etched, not
silk-screened, stamped, or stickered, so it suggests that Sigma is the
original designer.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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>From Rick Copeland <rickgc(a)calweb.com> Tue Dec 8 04:41:59 1998
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Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 10:41:59 -0800
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (Unix Heritage Society)
From: Rick Copeland <rickgc(a)calweb.com>
Subject: Rugged 1182
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Dear PUPS list,
I recently picked up a rack mounted computer that is called a "Rugged
11/82". One individual I know has suggested that it is a pdp 11/82 is a
ruggedized box. Has anyone on this list seen one of these. Is there any
software in the PUPS archive that might run on one of these?
Sincerely,
Rick Copeland
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Tue Dec 8 04:53:01 1998
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Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 13:53:01 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
Message-Id: <981207135301.2f0000e2(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: Rugged 1182
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>I recently picked up a rack mounted computer that is called a "Rugged
>11/82". One individual I know has suggested that it is a pdp 11/82 is a
>ruggedized box. Has anyone on this list seen one of these.
I have seen ruggedized 11/83's, as well as "Industrial 11/83"'s, but
it's not clear yet exactly what you have. The obvious solution
is to look inside and see what Q-bus and/or Unibus boards are present.
> Is there any
>software in the PUPS archive that might run on one of these?
Some ruggedized PDP-11 systems didn't have a real Q-bus or Unibus backplane
at all, making it very difficult (if not impossible) to use them
with a standard disk controller. That's why it's vital that you figure
out what exactly is in your machine.
Assuming that the guts are indeed a Q-bus or Unibus KDJ-based CPU,
you'll be able to run 2.11BSD once you get a compatible disk, load,
and console system up and going on it.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Tue Dec 8 05:42:28 1998
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Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 14:42:28 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Message-Id: <981207144228.2f0000e2(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: 9-track tape interfaces
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> Are 9-track tapes faster than TK50s?
In every reasonable case that I know of, yes.
>In addition to the TK50 I also have
>the CDC Keystone and the QT13 which seems to work after all, but I
>_STRONGLY_ doubt that it's going to be any easier. This big beast is very
>dirty, it has been exposed to a little rain, and it has been dropped on
>concrete pavement a couple times, so before I even try plugging it in, I
>would have to perform a very careful cleaning and inspection procedure, and
>I currently don't have anywhere near the resources and knowledge needed for
>that operation.
You're lucky - there's an incredible scarcity of moving parts on
a TU80/CDC Keystone: two reel motors and a blower are all you've
got. There's also two metallic "hub" sensors used to sense tape
motion/tension. Clean these and the heads, load a scratch tape with
write ring, power it up, close the door, make sure the logic is on,
and hit "TEST" followed by "EXECUTE". It'll go into a self-test mode,
including some maximum-Maytag gymnastics, which will run for 15
minutes or so on a 2400-foot tape.
[Unknown Sigma board]
> From looking at the board I see that the BDMGI and BDMGO fingers are
>simply shorted and not connected to any circuitry. This means that the
>board is non-DMA, right? If so, it can't emulate RL-11 or any other DEC
>disk controller because they are all DMA, right? The BIAKI and BIAKO
>fingers ARE connected to some circuitry, though, so at least this board
>interrupts, right?
Hmm - you said it has a 40-pin connector. Given that it doesn't
do DMA, I'm guessing that it's either a DLV11-type clone (a single
serial line) or a parallel interface (either a DRV11-C type or a
line-printer driver, possibly either Data Products or Centronics
interface.)
> And what's DSD?
Data Systems Design - they made some disk controller subsystems.
> The "SIGMA
>INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC." label and the assembly number are etched, not
>silk-screened, stamped, or stickered, so it suggests that Sigma is the
>original designer.
Any obvious buffers (or banks of buffers) near the external connector? What
are the date codes on the chips?
> What I still don't understand is how do all these interfaces handle the
>issue of recording density (800 BPI vs. 1600 BPI vs. 6250 BPI). You are
>saying that the Pertec unformatted interface is very low-level. Do you mean
>that it gives the controller the raw stream from the heads without trying
>to separate data and clock bits?
At least at 800 and 1600 BPI, the Pertec Unformatted interface does
do the data recovery. There's a line from the formatter that puts
the drive into either PE (1600 BPI) or NRZI (800 BPI) mode, and some
optional lines that set the thresholds of the analog comparators used
for data recovery.
I'm not too sure about Pertec Unformatted drives at 6250 BPI.
> It is my understanding (please correct me
>if I'm wrong) that the difference between 1600 and 6250 BPI is the data
>encoding (PE vs. GCR) and that the actual magnetic density (flux
>transitions per inch) is the same.
6250 BPI is definitely higher flux density on the tape (in addition to
the different encoding.)
> And how does the Pertec formatted interface address this issue? In this
>case the controller has to tell the transport what density it wants with
>the transport being able to accept or deny the request depending on its
>capabilities, right?
There are a couple "spare" lines on the Pertec formatted interface
so that the host can tell the formatter such "optional" information.
The interpretation of these spare lines was never perfectly standardized:
sometimes they're used to select 800 vs 1600 or 1600 vs 6250 BPI
operation, other times they're used to put the drive into streaming
vs non-streaming mode, other times it's used to change the speed on
a streaming drive. The IDEN line was the most commonly used line
on the Pertec formatted interface to choose these options, but some
CDC drives implemented a scheme where density/speed negotiation were
done in a much more complex way.
> This brings me to the following question. Assuming that the Pertec
>formatted interface does carry explicit density control information, which
>software interface would be a better choice in terms of density control,
>TS-11 or TMSCP?
It depends on what your OS's driver is capable of. In most cases
TMSCP gives you more control.
> It is my understanding that the original UNIBUS TS-11 is a
>formatter for Pertec unformatted transports that supports 1600 BPI only,
>right?
Right.
> If so, the TS-11 interface doesn't give the OS any control over the
>density, does it?
The "official DEC" TS-11 interface didn't. The DEC TSV05 interface
(which was upward-compatible with the TS11's)
gave the software control over the "high speed" vs "low speed" bit.
And as I pointed out, some drives could be set to interpret this
bit as a density select. I don't think the ability to set/clear
this bit ever made it into 2.11BSD (looking at the ts driver
code there I don't see it, at least) and I have no idea if it ever
made it to the 4.xBSD's.
> If so, what density does the QT13 choose in this mode?
The QT13 will support either IDEN-style density select or CDC-style
density select, and I believe in MS: mode this choice is made through
the TSV05 speed-select bit.
>And what about TMSCP? How much control does it give to the OS in terms of
>density selection?
TMSCP is much more flexible, and supports at least two different schemes
for selecting and reporting density. Here's what I've figured out about
possible reported-back density values in the TMSCP packets (as
excerpted from my DUSTAT.MAC):
DENTBL: TBLENT 1 ,<NRZI 800 BPI>
TBLENT 2 ,<PE 1600 BPI>
TBLENT 4 ,<GCR 6250 BPI>
TBLENT 10 ,<Cartridge (TK50)>
TBLENT 401 ,<NRZI 800 BPI>
TBLENT 402 ,<PE 1600 BPI>
TBLENT 404 ,<GCR 6250 BPI>
TBLENT 420 ,<TU82 special high density>;according to RSTS/E
TBLENT 1001 ,<Cartridge (TK50)>
TBLENT 1002 ,<Cartridge (TK70)>
; 20xx entries are supposed to be RV80, whatever that is,
; according to RSTS/E sources.
I'm pretty sure that 2.11BSD properly handles TU81 density select
in its TMSCP driver. (Steve, can you confirm this? I know you've
made some effort to get write caching to work with TU81's over the
years!)
In any event, remote density selection/reporting is largely a
frill, as any drive/controller combination that I ever used let you
explicitly select it with a physical button or a switch and displayed
the current selection in some useful way on the drive.
>> Yep, a TS05 is a rebadged Cipher F880 (with some slightly-different
>> firmware).
> And where does it stand density-wise? According to DEC, TS05 is a 1600
>BPI only transport, and as far as I can remember, the Cipher at CWRU had
>"1600 BPI" printed on the back somewhere. However, it had a switch on the
>front panel labeled "HI DEN" or something like that. What the hell is this?
Some Cipher's (I think F890's) supported a special 3200 BPI mode. It
was never in real wide use, but it was supported on some other
manufacturer's drives (some Kennedy 96xx's, for example.)
I know that some F880's had a button that said "HI DEN" but was for
all normal purposes non-functional (I think it did become useful
for selecting diagnostics.)
> CDC Keystone is exactly what I have here. The interface coming out of
>the (incredibly huge) cabinet is Pertec formatted. Does it have a Pertec
>unformatted interface lurking inside or not? Which densities does it
>support?
1600 BPI only, it's an "embedded-formatter" drive, so there is no
internal Pertec unformatted interface.
> Hmm, the only DEC tape transport with LESI I know of is TU81+. Are there
>any others?
Yep, the RC25 also used the LESI bus. (LESI="Low End Storage Interconnect".)
> And what about that plus? Has there ever been a TU81 without
>the plus?
Hmm - the non-plus may have been the version without write-caching.
Not real sure.
>Keystone I have here. Since you say above that TU80 is Keystone in
>disguise, does it mean that TU80, TU81, and TU81+ are all the same beast
>with different interface converters tacked on?
They all look similar, and have similar mechanics, but the 81's electronics
can do 6250 BPI, something an 80's can't.
> And what is LESI anyway? I have heard somewhere that the KLESI
>controller can drive more than just a TU81+, so is LESI actually more than
>just a tape interface?
It was CDC's attempt at a SCSI-like universal interface.
> Oh, what about that leading edge strobe vs. trailing edge strobe? Your
>vmsnet.pdp11 posting with the QT13 switch settings says that Kennedy 9300
>uses trailing edge strobe while all others use leading edge strobe. Mine,
>however, is set for trailing edge strobe, and it was connected to the
>Keystone. Does this mean that the Keystone and Kennedy 9300 are the same
>beast, or is it simply that the 9300 is not the only transport using
>trailing edge strobe?
Hmm - some combinations of drives may not be sensitive to this. (It's
also possibly a misprint in my QT13 manual, as I remember having to
futz with this switch's setting in some cases to get everything to work.)
No, the Keystone and the Kennedy 9300 are not the same beast. The
Keystone is a cute little streaming tape drive, while the 9300 is
a humongous vacuum-column 125IPS machine. (I'm sure someone will
now chime in about the days when Univac UniServo drives ruled the
earth...)
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
In article by Michael Sokolov:
> As I was thinking about how else can I get correctly written Ultrix
> tapes, the following idea sneaked into my mind. The PUPS archive already
> contains PDP-11 Ultrix. How about VAX Ultrix? With Warren's permission, I
> would be more than happy to upload my VAX Ultrix tape images (I have them
> sitting as files on my DOS disk). Once that is done, would someone
> volunteer to download them, write them to two TK50 cartridges, and send
> them to me? TIA for any help.
We have to be careful with 3rd party UNIXes. We would have to get approval
from DEC (or whoever they are) to allow us to add their product into the
archive. I did this with V7M and the later Ultrix-11s before DEC got bought
out.
Warren
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CC: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
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Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
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> I have just tried configuring the board as you have suggested and it
>works! Thanks! You have saved the Project!
"It has to be simple or I can't do it :-)". In this case (like just
about all), it's a matter of getting rid of unknowns.
> When I tried starting WOMBAT, it also worked. However, there are tons of
>configuration parameters you can set there.
Oh yeah - the Webster controllers are wonderfully configurable. It's
incredibly useful, as one physical disk can be partitioned up many ways
into "virtual" MSCP units - especially useful for OS's which don't deal
well with large units (or when it's desirable to have many different
versions of many different OS's on the same disk.)
>Do you have a full manual for this controller? Would you mind sending me a
>xerox copy?
Sure, for the cost of copying and postage. Or I'd trade you for some
surplus of yours.
> What about VAXen? Can you still call 1-800-DIGITAL with a _BIG_ credit
>card in hand and order a VAX?
Yep - high end 3100 and 4000 units are still available.
(It looks like someone has already pointed you towards the Emulex QD21
and QT13 docs available around the net.)
> And while we are at it, I have a question about 9-track tape transports
>and controllers in general. I often hear about something called Pertec.
>What is it? Is it some kind of standard interface that nearly all tape
>transports use?
Nearly all non-SCSI, non-proprietary interface tape drives will have
either (or both) Pertec formatted and Pertec unformatted interfaces.
Pertec unformatted drives have three cables; one carries read data,
another carries write data, and the third carries control signals. It's
a rather low-level interface - the controller tells the drive to go
forward, then reads or writes data, with the controller responsible
for all the timing. The controller gets to do the nitty-gritty work
of repositioning and spacing forward and backward over tape marks.
Pertec formatted drives have two 50-pin cables. It's a higher-level
interface, where the "formatter" does a lot of the nitty-gritty work, and
the controller in the backplane just has to spew out data bytes (or
take them in).
Many times you'll see a Pertec unformatted drive with a formatter bolted
onto it with two 50-pin cables coming out. (In most cases, a formatter
could control multiple physical drives.) Other times you'll find
"embedded formatter" drives, where there is no 3-cable unformatted
interface lurking inside.
> It is what this QT13 controller is for? (It has 2 50-lead
>connectors.)
Yep, Pertec formatted. The QT13 is nice because it'll emulate
either MU: or MS:-type devices.
> I remember at CWRU there was a very neat-looking tape
>transport called Cipher. It looked EXACTLY like DEC TS05, suggesting that
>it's what the TS05 really is.
Yep, a TS05 is a rebadged Cipher F880 (with some slightly-different
firmware).
> That one also had a two-50-lead-cables
>interface as far as I could tell (it was disconnected). It also appeared to
>be dual-ported.
It probably had 4 50-pin edge connectors, so that multiple drives could
be chained on the same Pertec-formatted-bus. (There are terminators at
each end of the bus, much like SCSI.) There's provisions for at least
4 formatters per bus, with each formatter potentially running multiple
drives.
> Does this mean that DEC also used this Pertec interface?
Yep. Actually, the DEC TS05/TSV05/TU80 controllers are rebadged Dilog boards
(again, with slightly different firmware - for instance a DEC TU80 controller
will only work with TU80 drives or their CDC equivalent, the Keystone.)
>Then why are there different DEC controllers for different DEC 9-track tape
>transports (TSV05 for TS05, KLESI for TU81+, etc.)? If they were all Pertec
>one controller would fit all, wouldn't it? Or is that some DEC 9-track tape
>hardware uses Pertec and other DEC hardware doesn't?
At the guts of most DEC tape drives, you will often find either a Pertec
formatted or unformatted interface. TU80's and TS(V)05's are simple
Pertec formatted interfaces. Other times they convert to some other
interface (Massbus, LESI, etc.) before the cables come out to the "real
world".
> Moving on to the next and last unidentified flying board. This one is a
>total mystery. The board is labeled "SIGMA INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC." and
>"ASSY NO 400135 REV A". There are NO microprocessors, ROMs, or any other
>LSI chips on the board, only SSI/MSI chips, resistors, and capacitors. It's
>a dual-height board. It has 3 8-switch packs. There is one 40-lead shrouded
>header connector on the board, and a straight 40-lead ribbon cable connects
>it to a bulkhead which has a female 37-lead D-sub connector on the outside.
>Any ideas on what in the world is this?
Any chance it's a simple parallel I/O?
Could also be the bus interface for a Sigma and/or DSD MFM drive controller
(if so, it probably emulates RL02's). The assembly number sounds vaguely
DSD-like.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Sun Dec 6 00:42:42 1998
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From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
Message-Id: <981205094242.2de002c3(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: Some nice progress with hardware and Ultrix in the PUPS archive
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> As I was thinking about how else can I get correctly written Ultrix
>tapes, the following idea sneaked into my mind. The PUPS archive already
>contains PDP-11 Ultrix. How about VAX Ultrix?
As Warren pointed out, there might be a problem with putting such
tapes on the PUPS archive. I'd be glad to run off TK50's from images
for you, though I think your earlier idea, about installing from
the miniroot image that's commonly put on 4.2- and 4.3BSD derived
distributions, is a *far* better idea as it avoids using a TK50
tape drive at all.
It's not that tape copies are bad ideas - it's just that TK50's
are so slow. If you were coming from 9-track or DLT or something
fast, that wouldn't be so bad.
If you can get just about any OS running on your
Q-bus machine, under any CPU - i.e. NetBSD, RT-11, 2.11BSD, RSX,
whatever you might have - then you can just write the miniroot
straight to a "scratch" disk. You can also write the root
dump and tar savesets straight to another scratch disk, in "raw"
format, if you desire.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Dear Tim,
I have just tried configuring the board as you have suggested and it
works! Thanks! You have saved the Project!
When I tried starting WOMBAT, it also worked. However, there are tons of
configuration parameters you can set there. All 4 disks connected to this
controller are already configured and formatted, so for now I'd just leave
it alone and install Ultrix on these disks as they are. For the future,
however, I would really appreciate being able to configure all that stuff.
Do you have a full manual for this controller? Would you mind sending me a
xerox copy?
> What else are commercial developers left to do now that
> DEC (after over a decade of trying to) has finally abandoned their
> PDP-11 product line?
What about VAXen? Can you still call 1-800-DIGITAL with a _BIG_ credit
card in hand and order a VAX?
> You might be a bit hasty in casting these off, as you aren't having
> the best of luck with the rest of the peripherals, either!
Well, now that the WQESD works and while I'm waiting for the TQK50 (one
very friendly PUPS member is providing me with a working one), I can turn
my attention to these two. Let's start with the 2-drive ESDI one. The
Emulex logo and copyright appear in a lot of places, so there is no problem
with identification. The board is labeled "ASSY QD2110402 REV G", and just
like every other Emulex board I have ever seen, it has a 40-pin chip with
an Emulex SUB-ASSY sticker. In this case it's "QD2110202-00G". Do you know
anything about this board? It has two switch packs, one of 4 and one of 8.
What are the switch settings?
Now let's turn to the 9-track tape controller. Again there is no problem
with identification (straight Emulex). The board is labeled "ASSY
QT1310401-00 REV E" and the 40-pin chip is labeled "QT1310201-02 REV K".
Again it has one 4-switch pack and one 8-switch pack. There is something
seriously wrong with this board, since when it's present in the backplane
the CPU refuses to power up. It stalls at that infamous 9 very early in the
power-up sequence, before any console tests or displays, suggesting that
something is HORRIBLY wrong with Q-bus (maybe a short or something?).
And while we are at it, I have a question about 9-track tape transports
and controllers in general. I often hear about something called Pertec.
What is it? Is it some kind of standard interface that nearly all tape
transports use? It is what this QT13 controller is for? (It has 2 50-lead
connectors.) I remember at CWRU there was a very neat-looking tape
transport called Cipher. It looked EXACTLY like DEC TS05, suggesting that
it's what the TS05 really is. That one also had a two-50-lead-cables
interface as far as I could tell (it was disconnected). It also appeared to
be dual-ported. Does this mean that DEC also used this Pertec interface?
Then why are there different DEC controllers for different DEC 9-track tape
transports (TSV05 for TS05, KLESI for TU81+, etc.)? If they were all Pertec
one controller would fit all, wouldn't it? Or is that some DEC 9-track tape
hardware uses Pertec and other DEC hardware doesn't?
Moving on to the next and last unidentified flying board. This one is a
total mystery. The board is labeled "SIGMA INFORMATION SYSTEMS, INC." and
"ASSY NO 400135 REV A". There are NO microprocessors, ROMs, or any other
LSI chips on the board, only SSI/MSI chips, resistors, and capacitors. It's
a dual-height board. It has 3 8-switch packs. There is one 40-lead shrouded
header connector on the board, and a straight 40-lead ribbon cable connects
it to a bulkhead which has a female 37-lead D-sub connector on the outside.
Any ideas on what in the world is this?
> I'm willing to bet that you have severe Q-bus continuity problems,
> especially now that you've told us that you have an expansion Q-bus
> cabinet and that you've been randomly moving Q-bus cards around.
I am perfectly aware of the fact that Q-bus requires grant continuity
and, no, I was NOT moving cards around "randomly". I have them in the order
DEC recommends in all of its manuals. There is no problem with the
expansion backplane either, the WQESD is quite happy sitting there right
now.
> Is the "BA23" indeed a real DEC BA23, and not the Sigma "clone"?
A real DEC one, of course. While I have never been a DEC engineer or
anything like that, I have certainly seen and used enough BA23s to tell one
from a third-party box.
The expansion backplane is Sigma, though.
> The sigma 5.25" 9-slot backplanes have very different backplane
> wirings (and, indeed, putting a DEC dual-wide Microvax CPU into
> it will very likely cause damage.)
Yes, I know. The yellow sticker on the expansion backplane says:
"CAUTION! Do not install MicroVAX or KDJ11-B series CPUs into this
backplane."
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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>From "David C. Jenner" <djenner(a)halcyon.com> Fri Dec 4 07:35:51 1998
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Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 13:35:51 -0800
From: "David C. Jenner" <djenner(a)halcyon.com>
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To: PDP-11 Unix Preservation Society <pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au>
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
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> > The sigma 5.25" 9-slot backplanes have very different backplane
> > wirings (and, indeed, putting a DEC dual-wide Microvax CPU into
> > it will very likely cause damage.)
>
> Yes, I know. The yellow sticker on the expansion backplane says:
> "CAUTION! Do not install MicroVAX or KDJ11-B series CPUs into this
> backplane."
I have a box with one of these. I noticed the bussing appeared to
be non-standard, but exactly what is the problem here?
I also have a couple of Netcom HV1148 backplanes that
appear to be non-standard. Any experience with these?
What can you do with these backplane? What sort of Q-Bus system
can you use them in?
Thanks,
Dave
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>From Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET> Fri Dec 4 11:44:38 1998
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 4 Dec 1998 01:44:38 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: Emulex QT13 and related questions
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Dear Tim and other Q-bus gurus,
Emanuel Stiebler has pointed me to a message posted to vmsnet.pdp11 by
Tim a while ago, and there I have found the info on Emulex QT13. Thanks!
Since none of my two non-working TQK50s is currently installed, I have
tried configuring the QT13 as the primary TMSCP controller and plugging it
in. Guess what, this time it powered up without that ugly 9! Nice! I
probably won't do much with it, though, since although I do have a 9-track
tape transport here in my apartment, I want to leave it alone for now. It's
enormous, by far the biggest piece of equipment here, and I don't feel like
playing with it now. Some time later maybe.
This exercise does raise a few questions, though. Suppose some time
later I decided to use this beast. Suppose I wanted to make this QT13 a
secondary TMSCP controller. This and other very similar exercises require
knowing the rules for floating CSR and vector assignments. What can I find
the complete rules for this? My ancient UNIBUS DZ11 manual only lists the
earliest floating devices, no MSCP or DHUs or anything like that. I once
had some MicroVAX manual that included a table for "common configurations",
but I don't have it any more, plus I'm really looking for the complete
rules and not just "common configurations". Any ideas? Of course if I had a
KA655 or a KA660 I would just type "CONFIGURE" at the ">>>" prompt, but I
only have a plain 650 which doesn't have this luxury.
Also looking at the configuration of this QT13 board, I noticed that it
was originally configured for trailing edge strobe. Tim's notes indicate
that this is for Kennedy 9300 only and that the rest should use leading
edge strobe. The tape transport I have here is labeled as CDC KEYSTONE. Is
this another name for Kennedy 9300 or a different beast? Does anyone know
anything about this transport?
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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>From Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET> Fri Dec 4 12:13:33 1998
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 4 Dec 1998 02:13:33 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
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David C. Jenner <djenner(a)halcyon.com> wrote:
> I have a box with one of these. I noticed the bussing appeared to
> be non-standard, but exactly what is the problem here?
I don't think it's non-standard. It's probably just a different
standard. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a Q-bus backplane.
There are Q/Q, Q/CD, and other types of Q-bus'ish backplanes. Generally,
you call something a "Q-bus backplane" if it has Q-bus in rows A and B.
Rows C and D may be used for lots of different things. In theory you can
have these rows used for something REALLY weird. Allison J. Parent tells me
that once upon a time you could get a special version of BA11 where rows C
and D were customer-wired, i.e., you could have absolutely anything you
want in there.
In practice, however, there are only two types of row C&D wiring. On
some backplanes you have Q-bus in both A&B and C&D, with the grant
continuity going in a serpentine. Some BA11 versions are like this. Such
backplanes are called Q/Q. On other backplanes Q-bus goes straight down the
A&B rows without ever touching rows C and D. In these backplanes rows C&D
are connected in a daisy chain, i.e., the fingers on the solder side of the
board in slot 1 connect to the fingers on the component side of the board
in slot 2, the fingers on the solder side of the board in slot 2 connect to
the fingers on the component side of the board in slot 3, and so on. This
way immediately adjacent boards can use rows C&D as a totally private
interconnect that has zero effect on or relationship with anything else in
the system, just like an over-the-top cable. The best example of this is
RLV11, although the most common example is MicroVAX II and III memory. Such
backplanes are usually called Q/CD, and the examples are some versions of
BA11 and all BA2xx and BA4xx backplanes.
Finally, there are mixed backplanes that have several Q/CD slots
followed by many Q/Q slots. These are specifically designed for MicroVAXen
and other CPUs using rows C&D as a private memory interconnect. These
backplanes are BA23 (3 Q/CD slots and 5 Q/Q slots) and BA123 (4 Q/CD slots
and 8 Q/Q slots).
Getting back to the Sigma backplanes, the inability to put a MicroVAX
CPU in there suggests that they are Q/Q.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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>From Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au> Fri Dec 4 15:21:40 1998
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Message-Id: <199812040521.QAA03261(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Subject: Re: New Apout PDP-11 simulator
To: grog(a)lemis.com (Greg Lehey)
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 16:21:40 +1100 (EST)
Cc: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (Unix Heritage Society)
In-Reply-To: <19981204154443.E38307(a)freebie.lemis.com> from Greg Lehey at "Dec 4, 98 03:44:43 pm"
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[greg] Looks good. When are you going to add support for 2.11BSD? :-)
[warren] I've just started. Emulating all 150+ syscalls is going to take a
while. I'll try to modify the V7 syscall support for 2.11BSD; that should
get most simple programs working. After that, one syscall at a time....
[greg] Hmm. I suppose the networking will cause you the most headaches
(maybe... maybe, of course, you can pass them through to FreeBSD
almost unchanged). Most of the things I use the PDP 11 for are
networking (letting people dial in, etc), but I'll certainly try
things out as soon as you think it would be worthwhile.
I'm thinking sometime early next year for an initial release with
just the `V7' syscalls in the 2.11BSD emulation. As you said, many of
the syscalls will be a pass-thru, with just args and return values to
be mapped.
I'll let the list know as I go...
Warren
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>From Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET> Fri Dec 4 20:31:01 1998
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 4 Dec 1998 10:31:01 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: Some nice progress with hardware and Ultrix in the PUPS archive
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Emanuel Stiebler has graciously provided me with a reference to a freely
downloadable copy of the Emulex QD21 manual. Using that manual, I have got
mine configured correctly and ran firmware diagnostics on it. It looks like
the Emulex card is OK, but for some reason it isn't seeing the drive
attached to it. Probably a defective drive reporting not ready or maybe
just a connection problem (the drive is mounted in some very weird way so
that I can't even check the connection, let alone see the jumpers or
anything). Oh well, I'll figure it out later. Right now i have the WQESD
controller configured as the primary one, and it has 4 working 320 MB disks
attached to it, so it should be enough for me to build and release 4.3BSD-
Quasijarus1.
But there is something even more interesting. I got the TK50 to work!
Yay! It turned out that one of the TQK50 boards was working after all, it
was simply being screwed up by the rest of the system standing on its ears.
After I got the VAX to boot from some VMSish tape I have (it boots, asks
for date and time, prints something about some "standalone backup" and
gives me a "$" prompt, but I'm absolutely NULL in VMS, so this doesn't do
me much good), I realized that I couldn't boot from my Ultrix tapes because
there is something wrong with the way I wrote them. I wrote them on a TZ30
(half-height native-SCSI TK50 clone) connected to a 386 with an Adaptec
1520A running FreeBSD booted from a floppy (the 386's big ESDI hard disk is
filled with DOS stuff only). In fact, when I tried reading that tape back
on this very same FreeBSD thing it didn't read! Something is clearly wrong.
As I was thinking about how else can I get correctly written Ultrix
tapes, the following idea sneaked into my mind. The PUPS archive already
contains PDP-11 Ultrix. How about VAX Ultrix? With Warren's permission, I
would be more than happy to upload my VAX Ultrix tape images (I have them
sitting as files on my DOS disk). Once that is done, would someone
volunteer to download them, write them to two TK50 cartridges, and send
them to me? TIA for any help.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
All,
I've just spent the week tidying up my Apout program. This runs
PDP-11 user-mode programs (specifically 7th Edition binaries), and
translates V7 syscalls to native syscalls.
I've tidied the program up and optimised it a bit too. Over the summer
break (it's summer down here) I want to add floating-point and start
work on emulating 2.11BSD user-mode binaries.
The program runs on FreeBSD 2.2.x and 3.0 systems: porting to other 32-bit
little-endian Unix systems should be relatively easy. Porting to big-endian
systems might be harder :-) I'll have a look at that too.
Anyway, an alpha of the new 2.2 version is at:
ftp://minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au/pub/PDP-11/Sims/Apout
Cheers,
Warren
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>From Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET> Thu Dec 3 14:48:30 1998
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From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET>
Date: 3 Dec 1998 04:48:30 GMT
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
Sender: owner-pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
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Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> wrote:
> This sounds a lot like the Webster WQESD, which was repackaged
> and sold by many different folks (Sigma, DSD, Qualogy, American
> Digital, etc.)
Quite possible, since this funny Xerox system has a lot of Sigma
components. The outer box in which the BA23 is mounted is made by Sigma,
the funny way the ESDI drives are mechanically mounted is clearly a Sigma
invention, the card connecting the BA23 backplane to the expansion
backplane in the outer Sigma box is made by Sigma, and so is another
totally unmarked card of unknown purpose (its presence or absence appears
to have absolutely no effect on anything). The system is not 100% Sigma,
though. There also another 2-drive ESDI controller (that's the one that was
at 172150 from the beginning) and a 9-track tape controller, both made by
Emulex (QD21 and QT13, respectively) and both appear toast (I want to get
rid of both).
> If it is a repackaged WQESD, SW9 on the 10-switch pack was originally
> on, with SW10 and SW5-8 off, to put the CSR at 160334.
> To set it to be 172150, you put SW10 on, and SW5-9 off.
Before I got your E-mail, SW5 and SW8 were ON and the rest were OFF
(don't remember if it was the original position). I also tried SW10 ON and
the rest OFF. In both cases the effect is exactly the same. At power-up the
CPU screams, but then gives the ">>>" prompt. Trying to read different
locations with the E/P/W command (the Q-bus I/O page is mapped at
0x20000000 in the VAX address space), I see that the card responds somehow
to 160334 and to 160400, but not to 172150. (I know that it's this card and
not something else, since when I pull it out the CPU is happy and no one
responds to these addresses.)
> Then again, it might not be a repackaged WQESD, but instead a Dilog
> or Emulex.
I'm 99% sure that it's neither Dilog nor Emulex. I have seen quite a few
Dilog and Emulex cards, and I think I should be able to detect them easily.
> Is there a 10-pin header on the card edge? Can you describe the
> positions and types of "big chips" on the board?
This is a quad-height board. All components are thru-hole and all chips
are in DIP packages. There are no 4-sided chips or surface-mounted
components. Hold it with the component side up, the fingers to the right
and the handles to the left. On the left (handle) side there is a row of
shrouded header connectors. From top to bottom, they are: 10-pin (connected
to something, but purpose unknown), 34-pin (ESDI control and status), 20-
pin (drive 0 data), 20-pin (drive 1 data), 20-pin (drive 2 data). Directly
behind the bottom 20-pin header there is another 20-pin header for drive 3
data. The biggest chip is a 48-pin DIP labeled DP8466AN (National
Semiconductor as far as I can tell), and it's right behind the drive 3 data
connector. There are two AM2901CPCs behind the 34-pin connector. There is
one 28-pin EPROM right about in the center, shifted downward a little. The
ROM size is obscured by the sticker saying "ESDI V2.41 9901-8918 REV.A".
There is a stack of narrow 24-pin DIP chips going from the top of the board
to right above the EPROM. All have stickers, suggesting that they are
programmable. The stickers have different 6-character codes on them, all
starting with "1583". Directly to the right from the last one there is one
more such chip labeled "SYS IND 1583W3".
Actually, I was wrong about there being 2 switch packs. There are 3 of
them, one of 10 and two of 4. The 10-switch one is right above the chip
labeled "SYS IND 1583W3". In the top right corner (right next to row A
fingers) there is a 4-switch pack. All switches are ON. Directly behind it
there is a 16-pin DIP chip labeled "1583I1" (the only chip with a sticker
not mentioned before). At the top of the board directly to the left from
the 10-chip stack there is a 10 MHz oscillator, the only clock on the
board. Directly to the left from it there is the last 4-switch pack. All
switches are ON. Finally, there are 3 LEDs between the top handle and the
10-pin header. The top one is red and the other two are green.
> Some
> other switches also set the interrupt priority, and this being
> off can also confuse some tests and OS's.
What's the correct priority for disk MSCP? Should it be different
between primary and secondary?
> As to your power-on self-test woes, you're going to have to tell
> us what's in the system and what slot it lives in, as well as what
> sort of backplane it's all in.
The outer box is Sigma. It provides funny mounting for 4 ESDI drives, an
expansion Q-bus backplane, and a big bay for a BA23. The BA23 contains the
CPU, the memory, and all peripherals except the controller in question.
First comes the KA650 CPU. Then two MS650 memory modules. Then DELQA,
DZQ11, TQK50, and the Sigma Q-bus extender card. The latter takes the Q-bus
into the expansion backplane, where the controller in question is the only
device. It's in the expansion backplane instead of the BA23 because that's
where the actual drives are. I have tried pulling the Sigma Q-bus extender
card out and putting the ESDI controller right in the BA23 backplane, but
this didn't change anything, so there is nothing wrong with the Q-bus
expansion.
You know what, I just looked a little closer and noticed that in this
configuration (both 4-switch packs all ON, SW1-9 on the 10-switch pack OFF,
and SW10 ON) the controller responds not only to 160334 and 160400, but to
just about any address in the Q-bus I/O page (except 172150)! No wonder the
CPU screams about it! What the hell is going on? How can it possibly do
this? Is someone trying to port Plug-n-Pray to Q-bus? Is it something like
KFQSA with a separate address for each drive and everything soft-
configured?
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: msokolov(a)harrier.Uznet.NET
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Fri Dec 4 00:25:04 1998
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Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 9:25:04 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
CC: SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com
Message-Id: <981203092504.2de002c1(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
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>> This sounds a lot like the Webster WQESD, which was repackaged
>> and sold by many different folks (Sigma, DSD, Qualogy, American
>> Digital, etc.)
> Quite possible, since this funny Xerox system has a lot of Sigma
>components.
I regularly work with "PDP-11 systems" now that don't have a single
DEC component in them. CPU by Mentec ( http://www.mentec.com/ ),
disk controller by Andromeda ( http://www.andromedasystems.com/ ),
async and parallel I/O by the Logical Company ( http://www.logical-co.com ),
etc. What else are commercial developers left to do now that
DEC (after over a decade of trying to) has finally abandoned their
PDP-11 product line? At least the other companies named are still
doing active support and (at least in Mentec's case) development!
> The outer box in which the BA23 is mounted is made by Sigma,
>...
>though. There also another 2-drive ESDI controller (that's the one that was
>at 172150 from the beginning) and a 9-track tape controller, both made by
>Emulex (QD21 and QT13, respectively) and both appear toast (I want to get
>rid of both).
You might be a bit hasty in casting these off, as you aren't having
the best of luck with the rest of the peripherals, either!
>> If it is a repackaged WQESD, SW9 on the 10-switch pack was originally
>> on, with SW10 and SW5-8 off, to put the CSR at 160334.
>> To set it to be 172150, you put SW10 on, and SW5-9 off.
> Before I got your E-mail, SW5 and SW8 were ON and the rest were OFF
>(don't remember if it was the original position). I also tried SW10 ON and
>the rest OFF. In both cases the effect is exactly the same. At power-up the
>CPU screams, but then gives the ">>>" prompt. Trying to read different
>locations with the E/P/W command (the Q-bus I/O page is mapped at
>0x20000000 in the VAX address space), I see that the card responds somehow
>to 160334 and to 160400, but not to 172150. (I know that it's this card and
>not something else, since when I pull it out the CPU is happy and no one
>responds to these addresses.)
>> Is there a 10-pin header on the card edge? Can you describe the
>> positions and types of "big chips" on the board?
> This is a quad-height board. All components are thru-hole and all chips
>are in DIP packages. There are no 4-sided chips or surface-mounted
>components. Hold it with the component side up, the fingers to the right
>and the handles to the left. On the left (handle) side there is a row of
>shrouded header connectors. From top to bottom, they are: 10-pin (connected
>to something, but purpose unknown), 34-pin (ESDI control and status), 20-
>pin (drive 0 data), 20-pin (drive 1 data), 20-pin (drive 2 data). Directly
>behind the bottom 20-pin header there is another 20-pin header for drive 3
>data. The biggest chip is a 48-pin DIP labeled DP8466AN (National
>Semiconductor as far as I can tell), and it's right behind the drive 3 data
>connector. There are two AM2901CPCs behind the 34-pin connector. There is
>one 28-pin EPROM right about in the center, shifted downward a little. The
>ROM size is obscured by the sticker saying "ESDI V2.41 9901-8918 REV.A".
That clinches it - it's a Webster WQESD, running Wombat V2.41.
9901-8918 is evidently the SI part number for the complete system.
It's a bit confusing to go from the SI part number because they all
begin with "9900" or "9901"!
> What's the correct priority for disk MSCP? Should it be different
>between primary and secondary?
A summary of the WQESD switch settings, and the various ways in which
you can invoke Wombat, lives at:
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-11/hardware
as the file "WQESD.txt".
>> As to your power-on self-test woes, you're going to have to tell
>> us what's in the system and what slot it lives in, as well as what
>> sort of backplane it's all in.
> The outer box is Sigma. It provides funny mounting for 4 ESDI drives, an
>expansion Q-bus backplane, and a big bay for a BA23. The BA23 contains the
>CPU, the memory, and all peripherals except the controller in question.
>First comes the KA650 CPU. Then two MS650 memory modules. Then DELQA,
>DZQ11, TQK50, and the Sigma Q-bus extender card. The latter takes the Q-bus
>into the expansion backplane, where the controller in question is the only
>device. It's in the expansion backplane instead of the BA23 because that's
>where the actual drives are. I have tried pulling the Sigma Q-bus extender
>card out and putting the ESDI controller right in the BA23 backplane, but
>this didn't change anything, so there is nothing wrong with the Q-bus
>expansion.
I'm willing to bet that you have severe Q-bus continuity problems,
especially now that you've told us that you have an expansion Q-bus
cabinet and that you've been randomly moving Q-bus cards around.
You have to tell us exactly which slot each card is in, and preferably
the original configuration as well (the Sigma backplanes have different
wirings than the common DEC ones.)
Is the "BA23" indeed a real DEC BA23, and not the Sigma "clone"?
The sigma 5.25" 9-slot backplanes have very different backplane
wirings (and, indeed, putting a DEC dual-wide Microvax CPU into
it will very likely cause damage.)
As a start, work just with the BA23. Put the CPU in slot 1, with
the two memory boards in slots 2 and 3. Put the WQESD in slot 4.
Have nothing else plugged in at all - especially not the boards
that jumper the two backplanes together.
Set the DIPswitches on the WQESD as follows:
10-switch pack: Switches 1-2 off, 3 on, 4-9 off, 10 on.
4-switch pack near the edge connector: 1-3 on, 4 off.
4-switch pack near the handles: 1-4 on.
Then try to start up wombat with the following sequence of console commands:
Microvax II:
Halt the processor
U
I
D/P/W 20001F40 20
D/L 20088008 80000002
D/W 20001468 AC
S 400
If this doesn't start Wombat, tell us *exactly* what the error message
produced is.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wonder, is anyone here familiar with System Industries (SI) Q-bus MSCP
controllers for ESDI disks? The VAX I'm working has one. It's quad-height
board with connectors for 4 ESDI drives. I couldn't find a model number or
anything like that, but there is a sticker on one of the chips that says
"SYS IND" on it (that's how I deduced that it's SI). The problem I'm having
is that I have no idea how to configure it. It has two DIP switch packs,
one with 4 switches and one with 10. Originally it was configured to be the
secondary disk MSCP controller at 160334. I want it to be the primary one
at 172150. I tried every reasonable switch combination I could think of,
but no luck.
What's even worse is that I can't leave it as secondary either. For some
reason its configuration makes the CPU (KA650) unhappy. When I pull it out,
the CPU passes all power-up tests beautifully. When I put it in, I still
get to the ">>>" prompt eventually, but first I get a load of error
messages from the self-tests. Then when I try to boot from DUB0, it tells
me "DEVASSIGN", suggesting that it doesn't recognize the second disk MSCP
controller at all. All docs I have suggest that 160334 is the correct
address for secondary disk MSCP. It's in the floating address range,
though, so I suspected that it's the side effect of adding or removing
other cards. I tried making the configuration as close to the original as I
could. No luck still. The only card I had to pull out is the secondary
TMSCP (Emulex QT13 9-track tape controller), because it appears totally
toast (the CPU refuses to power up with that infamous 9 when this card is
present). But then secondary TMSCP should be AFTER secondary disk MSCP in
the floating address space, right? I tried some more investigation and by
pure accident I discovered that the SI controller also responds somehow to
160400. What the hell is that address for? Could this be what makes the CPU
unhappy?
Does anyone have any clues? Is anyone here familiar with SI MSCP disk
controllers? TIA for any help.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Cellular phone: 216-217-2579
ARPA Internet SMTP mail: mxs46(a)k2.scl.cwru.edu
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Tue Dec 1 13:24:21 1998
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Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998 22:24:21 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Message-Id: <981130222421.2de00129(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: System Industries MSCP disk controller problem
Sender: owner-pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Precedence: bulk
> I wonder, is anyone here familiar with System Industries (SI) Q-bus MSCP
>controllers for ESDI disks? The VAX I'm working has one. It's quad-height
>board with connectors for 4 ESDI drives. I couldn't find a model number or
>anything like that, but there is a sticker on one of the chips that says
>"SYS IND" on it (that's how I deduced that it's SI). The problem I'm having
>is that I have no idea how to configure it. It has two DIP switch packs,
>one with 4 switches and one with 10. Originally it was configured to be the
>secondary disk MSCP controller at 160334. I want it to be the primary one
>at 172150. I tried every reasonable switch combination I could think of,
>but no luck.
This sounds a lot like the Webster WQESD, which was repackaged
and sold by many different folks (Sigma, DSD, Qualogy, American
Digital, etc.)
If it is a repackaged WQESD, SW9 on the 10-switch pack was originally
on, with SW10 and SW5-8 off, to put the CSR at 160334.
To set it to be 172150, you put SW10 on, and SW5-9 off.
Then again, it might not be a repackaged WQESD, but instead a Dilog
or Emulex.
Is there a 10-pin header on the card edge? Can you describe the positions
and types of "big chips" on the board?
>pure accident I discovered that the SI controller also responds somehow to
>160400. What the hell is that address for? Could this be what makes the CPU
>unhappy?
It might be because you've enabled the on-board PDP-11 bootstrap,
a very big no-no when used in a Microax system. (This
bootstrap effectively tries to jam code by DMA into main memory,
and can wreak all sorts of havoc on a Microvax.) Some
other switches also set the interrupt priority, and this being
off can also confuse some tests and OS's.
As to your power-on self-test woes, you're going to have to tell
us what's in the system and what slot it lives in, as well as what
sort of backplane it's all in.
Incidentally, I happen to use a Webster WQESD in my 4.3BSD-Reno
machine, and am very happy with it there.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
I got my hands on a Aviv DZ-11 clone. 16-line MUX. So, I go about
shoving it in the 83. It boots 2.9BSD off a RL02. Shove device in,
set CSR and interrupt vector, and fire up BSD.
I screwed with the dtab line - With it using dzdma in place of dzou, I can't
make the MUX go. The kernel attaches it, but I can't seem to be able to talk
to it. So, I switched to dzou. Now, upon boot, I get the message:
dz 0 csr 160100 vector 320 no address found for dzou
SERIOUS CONFIGURATION ERROR^G^G^G
I've tried other vectors and other bus slots, and get no improvements
with either method (dzdma or dzou). Any ideas?
(Oh, and if you've got another SDZV11, the DIP switches are BACKWARDS of their
labels! 1=0 and 0=1. Cute, eh?)
I also have a DHV11, but no idea how to tell BSD it's there.
All I ever get from it is
dh ? csr 160020 vector 370 didn't interrupt
I think I need to set the DM address, but have no idea what to set it to.
-------
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>From "Steven M. Schultz" <sms(a)moe.2bsd.com> Sat Nov 28 10:56:52 1998
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Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 16:56:52 -0800 (PST)
From: "Steven M. Schultz" <sms(a)moe.2bsd.com>
Message-Id: <199811280056.QAA23331(a)moe.2bsd.com>
To: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au
Subject: Re: 2.9BSD/DZ-11 clone screw
Sender: owner-pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.edu.au
Precedence: bulk
> From: "Daniel A. Seagraves" <DSEAGRAV(a)toad.xkl.com>
>
> I got my hands on a Aviv DZ-11 clone. 16-line MUX. So, I go about...
> shoving it in the 83. It boots 2.9BSD off a RL02. Shove device in,
> I screwed with the dtab line - With it using dzdma in place of dzou, I can't
> make the MUX go. The kernel attaches it, but I can't seem to be able to talk
> to it. So, I switched to dzou. Now, upon boot, I get the message:
How are you trying to talk to it? If the line is marked as "modem
controlled" you will see/hear nothing until there is 'CD' (carrier
detect) present.
Typically the /dev nodes are "modem controlled" unless you add 0200
(128 dec) to the minor device number.
For 2.9 the major device number of the DZ is 21 so /dev/tty00 would
be "mknod /dev/tty00 c 21 0" and expect modemcontrol while
"mknod /dev/tty00 c 21 128" would be a "hardwired" line w/o modem
control.
> dz 0 csr 160100 vector 320 no address found for dzou
> SERIOUS CONFIGURATION ERROR^G^G^G
That's not surprising since there is no such symbol in the DZ driver ;)
'dzdma' is a replacement for the transmit interrupt routine - the
xmit interrupt goes to 'dzdma' (IF 'DZ_DMA' is enabled in the kernel
config file). 'dzdma' calls 'dzxint' at the end of dzdma's processing.
Thus if you change 'dzdma' to anything it should be to 1) a symbol
which exists <grin> and 2) 'dzxint'.
I think something bad happens if DZ_DMA is enabled but dzxint is
called directly - it probably won't work since there are two different
'dzxint' routines (one for use with dzdma and one without and the
args are different). So if the symbol 'dzdma' is present in the
kernel you probably want to least the "xmit field" in /etc/dtab
as 'dzdma'. If 'dzdma' is not present in the kernel then use 'dzxint'.
> I've tried other vectors and other bus slots, and get no improvements
> with either method (dzdma or dzou). Any ideas?
Try remaking the device nodes to indicate no modem control. Or perhaps
create a cable that asserts the necessary signals.
> I also have a DHV11, but no idea how to tell BSD it's there.
> All I ever get from it is
> dh ? csr 160020 vector 370 didn't interrupt
Quite so. The original 2.9BSD didn't support the DHV or DHU devices.
Later on there were drivers created but the original distributions
lack (according to the CSRG archive CDs) 'dhv' and 'dhu' support. The
closest 2.9 came was the venerable DH/DM.
2.11BSD does have DHV support but the silo handling of those devices
is *terrible*. If you have any choice in the matter at all get a
DHQ-11 and set it for 'DHU' mode. The DHQ can run in DHV or
DHU modes with the latter being far preferable (its behaviour is that
of the older DH-11 with regard to silo alarm level selectability).
> I think I need to set the DM address, but have no idea what to set it to.
Not for a DHV. An older DH/DM you would have needed to but that is
one of the differences (and why the DHV isn't compatible with the DH
driver) is how modem signals are handled. On a 2.11BSD system there
is a single line:
dhv ? 160440 310 5 dhvrint dhvxint # dhv terminal mux
for the DHV-11. Where the CSR/Vector were set to whatever didn't
conflict with something else.
Good Luck.
Steven Schultz
sms(a)moe.2bsd.com
In article by Kelwin Wylie:
> I am curious to see who else has a source code license.
> I imagine there might be privacy concerns, but if there isn't,
> I would like to see the list.
> Kelwin
I can't see any harm, and it's good to know who you can share stuff with.
Here are the names I have. There are obviously more people/organisations
with licenses.
Warren
James A. Capp Greg Lehey
Ali Bahrami Oleg Levanidov
Pat Barron Yi Li
Harald Barth Andrew Lynch
Craig Bevans Douglas M. Wells
Joseph Bickel James MacKeivitch
Stefan Bieschewski Keizo Maeda
Robin Birch Masahiro Matsumoto
Hartmut Brandt Doug McIntyre
Matthias Bruestle Kristen McIntyre
W. C. Bulte Kirk McKusick
Jozc Capkyn Giegrich Michael
Brian Chase Shuji Mochida
Atindra Chaturvedi Andreas Muller
Peter Chubb Dieter Muller
Efton Collins Joseph Myers
Peter Collinson Gregory Neil Shapiro
Rick Copeland Lyndon Nerenberg
Matthew Crosby Peter Nikolaev Zhivkov
Donald Cruikshank Ray Nouell
Mrian Crzig Lennox Kevin Ogden
J. D. Knaebel Joergen Pehrson
Carlo Dapor Carl Phillips
Eric Delgado Paul Pierce
Erick Delios James R. Willing
Barry Dobyns Charles Retter
John Dodson Bruce Robertson
Anthony Duell Chang Sang-Thong
Alexander Duerrschnabel Michael Schmitz
Kevin Dunlap Steven Schultz
Hendrik Dykstra Daniel Seagraves
Charles E Owen Michael Shalayeff
Eric Fischer Gregg Sigfried
Gregor Fismer Barry Silverman
Robert G. Van Herick Michael Sokolov
David Galloway Chris Steinke
Glenn Geers Jason Stevens
Edmund Goppelt Mark Thompson
Brent Graveland Warren Toomey
Arno Griffioen Jennine Townsend
John Harvard Pete Turnbull
Martin Heller Christopher Vance
Michael Homsey Paul Vixie
Michael J. Haertel Jason Wells
Jay Jaeger Ken Wellsch
Martin James Crehan Jim Williams
David Jenner John Wilson
Neil Johnson Norman Wilson
Soren Jorvang Kelwin Wylie
Moto Kawasaki Thomas Yanuklis
Eugene Kim Thomas Zenker
Kern Koh Leendert van Doorn
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Message-Id: <199811262228.JAA13602(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
To: SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com (Tim Shoppa)
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 09:28:31 +1100 (EST)
Cc: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (Unix Heritage Society)
In-Reply-To: <981126115034.2a2004dc(a)trailing-edge.com> from Tim Shoppa at "Nov 26, 98 11:50:34 am"
Reply-To: wkt(a)cs.adfa.oz.au
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In article by Tim Shoppa:
> The following exchange recently took place on comp.sys.dec.micro/
> vmsnet.pdp-11/alt.sys.pdp11. In it, I made the guess that PRO Venix
> is based on 2.9BSD - does anyone know more details about its heritage?
I understand that Venix is a cut-down SysIII in binary-only format. We have
SysIII in the archive in source form, if that's of any help. I doubt it will
have the device handler for the PRO 380 Time-Of-Year clock.
Warren
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>From Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au> Fri Nov 27 08:57:56 1998
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From: Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Message-Id: <199811262257.JAA13789(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
To: grog(a)lemis.com (Greg Lehey)
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 09:57:56 +1100 (EST)
Cc: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (Unix Heritage Society)
In-Reply-To: <19981127092329.U67961(a)freebie.lemis.com> from Greg Lehey at "Nov 27, 98 09:23:29 am"
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In article by Greg Lehey:
> On Friday, 27 November 1998 at 9:28:31 +1100, Warren Toomey wrote:
> > I understand that Venix is a cut-down SysIII in binary-only format. We have
> > SysIII in the archive in source form, if that's of any help.
>
> Interesting. How did we get that? Or is it a 16 bit version?
> Greg
It's a PDP-11 version donated by Kirk. We also have SysV for the PDP-11,
donated by John Holden, but I can't put it in the archive because the SCO
license specifically doesn't cover SysV.
Cheers,
Warren
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>From Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au> Fri Nov 27 09:03:50 1998
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From: Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Message-Id: <199811262303.KAA13818(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au>
Subject: Re: List of licensees
To: grog(a)lemis.com (Greg Lehey)
Date: Fri, 27 Nov 1998 10:03:50 +1100 (EST)
Cc: pups(a)minnie.cs.adfa.oz.au (Unix Heritage Society)
In-Reply-To: <19981127092818.V67961(a)freebie.lemis.com> from Greg Lehey at "Nov 27, 98 09:28:18 am"
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In article by Greg Lehey:
> There seem to be some obvious omissions, such as Dennis and Tim
> Shoppa. I also have the feeling that a number of others should be
> there, but I can't put a name to them.
I can only give the details of the people for whom I actually have
license numbers (both SCO, AT&T and Western Electric). If you _are_
covered by a UNIX source license, and would like access to the archive,
then please fax your license to me at +61 6268 8581. I only require the
pages with the signatures, the license numbers, and the list of UNIX
versions covered.
Thanks,
Warren
All,
I've just received another 5 SCO Ancient UNIX license details in the
mail, bringing the total purchased from SCO to 101. I think that's pretty
impressive. Just thought you'd like to know.
Cheers all,
Warren
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Fri Nov 27 02:50:34 1998
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Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 11:50:34 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
Message-Id: <981126115034.2a2004dc(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Pro/Venix and Y2K
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The following exchange recently took place on comp.sys.dec.micro/
vmsnet.pdp-11/alt.sys.pdp11. In it, I made the guess that PRO Venix
is based on 2.9BSD - does anyone know more details about its heritage?
Donato B. Masaoy III wrote:
>
> Came into a Pro 380 and loaded Venix as a means of tyring out Unix.
> Noticed that at 2000 it sets itself back to 1970. Is there fix for this?
> Should I bother?
The PRO 380 Time-Of-Year clock has two modes:
1. BCD mode, where the year is stored in two decimal digits.
2. Binary mode, where the year is stored as at least 7 bits (more
likely 8 bits - it's been a couple of months since the changes
were implemented the fix in RT-11's PI.SYS, PIX.SYS, and
SETUP.SAV to make it Y2K compliant.)
When in BCD mode, 31-Dec-99 rolls over into 1-Jan-00, and the
clock keeps accurately ticking. Venix evidently chokes on this
and doesn't interpret "00" as "2000".
As Unix is incapable of representing times internally outside
the range 1970-2038, the obvious fix is to interpret BCD years
in the range 70-99 as being in the 1900's, and the BCD years
in the range 00-38 as in the 2000's. This is, for example,
how BSD2.11 interprets the two-digit 11/93 or 11/94 clock year.
Of course, finding the sources to Pro 380 Venix to implement
the changes may be difficult. The PUPS archive has a version of 2.9BSD
patches for the Pro, and if you're lucky Venix may be close
enough that you can use the Pro-specific clock sources to patch
your kernel binary. In the 2.9BSD Pro patches, the clock
code is in "/sys-dev/prostuff.c", and begins:
/* These two fuctions handle the pro 300's clock
* This code is defunct at the end of the century.
* Will Unix still be here then??
*/
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
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>From "David C. Jenner" <djenner(a)halcyon.com> Fri Nov 27 04:48:45 1998
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Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
References: <981126115034.2a2004dc(a)trailing-edge.com>
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There probably isn't much BSD lineage in Version 1 of Venix,
but there is some in Version 2. Probably mostly in the form
of the usual add-ons like VI.
There's some confusion about this (at least in my mind), so any
authoritative info would be interesting.
First of all there's:
"Venix/Pro" from Venturecom, which is definitely of AT&T lineage,
probably V7/SysIII for V1 of Venix/Pro, and perhaps a bit of
BSD stuff mixed in for V2 of Venix/Pro. This is what you find at
Internet archives.
Then there's:
"Pro/Venix" from DEC, which is a repackaging of Venix/Pro. Again,
there are Versions 1 and 2 of this. I have V1 and docs for V2,
but no disks for V2.
I'd really like to find a copy of the distribution of DEC
Pro/Venix V2, if it's legal (and having the Ancient Unix license
would seem to make it OK for at least the AT&T side).
For Pro/Venix, V2, the manual entry for
"clock(7) - time-of-day clock" is:
/dev/clock refers to a time-of-day, battery-backed-up clock. This
device node is provided primarily for the benefit of the date com-
mand, which will read from it given the -l flag (usually done on
system start-up), and write to it if a new date is set.
...
struct clkbuf {
int clk_sec; /* second (0-59) */
int clk_min; /* minute (0-59) */
int clk_hour; /* hour (0-23) */
int clk_mday; /* day of month (1-31) */
int clk_mon; /* month (0-11) */
int clk_year; /* year (00-99) */
int clk_wday; /* day of the week (Sunday = 0) */
int clk_yday; /* day of the year (0-365) */
int clk_dst; /* non-zero if daylight savings applies */
};
So, it looks bad at least from the internal representation of the
year. Since I don't have this version, I can't comment on exactly
what happens.
Dave
Tim Shoppa wrote:
>
> The following exchange recently took place on comp.sys.dec.micro/
> vmsnet.pdp-11/alt.sys.pdp11. In it, I made the guess that PRO Venix
> is based on 2.9BSD - does anyone know more details about its heritage?
>
> Donato B. Masaoy III wrote:
> >
> > Came into a Pro 380 and loaded Venix as a means of tyring out Unix.
> > Noticed that at 2000 it sets itself back to 1970. Is there fix for this?
> > Should I bother?
>
> The PRO 380 Time-Of-Year clock has two modes:
>
> 1. BCD mode, where the year is stored in two decimal digits.
> 2. Binary mode, where the year is stored as at least 7 bits (more
> likely 8 bits - it's been a couple of months since the changes
> were implemented the fix in RT-11's PI.SYS, PIX.SYS, and
> SETUP.SAV to make it Y2K compliant.)
>
> When in BCD mode, 31-Dec-99 rolls over into 1-Jan-00, and the
> clock keeps accurately ticking. Venix evidently chokes on this
> and doesn't interpret "00" as "2000".
>
> As Unix is incapable of representing times internally outside
> the range 1970-2038, the obvious fix is to interpret BCD years
> in the range 70-99 as being in the 1900's, and the BCD years
> in the range 00-38 as in the 2000's. This is, for example,
> how BSD2.11 interprets the two-digit 11/93 or 11/94 clock year.
>
> Of course, finding the sources to Pro 380 Venix to implement
> the changes may be difficult. The PUPS archive has a version of 2.9BSD
> patches for the Pro, and if you're lucky Venix may be close
> enough that you can use the Pro-specific clock sources to patch
> your kernel binary. In the 2.9BSD Pro patches, the clock
> code is in "/sys-dev/prostuff.c", and begins:
>
> /* These two fuctions handle the pro 300's clock
> * This code is defunct at the end of the century.
> * Will Unix still be here then??
> */
>
> --
> Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
> Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
> 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
> Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
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>From Ken Wellsch <kcwellsc(a)math.uwaterloo.ca> Fri Nov 27 05:04:36 1998
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From: Ken Wellsch <kcwellsc(a)math.uwaterloo.ca>
Message-Id: <199811261904.OAA22036(a)math.uwaterloo.ca>
Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
To: SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com (Tim Shoppa)
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 14:04:36 -0500 (EST)
Cc: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
In-Reply-To: <981126115034.2a2004dc(a)trailing-edge.com> from "Tim Shoppa" at Nov 26, 98 11:50:34 am
Organization: University of Waterloo, Math Faculty Computing Facility (Alumni)
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Hi Tim,
| The following exchange recently took place on comp.sys.dec.micro/
| vmsnet.pdp-11/alt.sys.pdp11. In it, I made the guess that PRO Venix
| is based on 2.9BSD - does anyone know more details about its heritage?
There are several folks with vastly better knowledge on this than I, but
should they not speak up, I'll mumble on what little I know.
Venix is an outgrowth of V6 UNIX I believe - from my fadding memory of
the little I played with it, the file system is definitely V6 based (with
the notion of "huge" files, i.e. the index pointers would switch from
direct to indirect, while I believe V7 took a much better approach).
The 2BSD branch I believe took a much later fork, V7 or later? It also
played a more central role than Venix I expect, contributing a goodly
amount of later PDP-11/UNIX based things that others borrowed (e.g. Ultrix
3 from DEC took csh and vi among other goodies).
| As Unix is incapable of representing times internally outside
| the range 1970-2038, the obvious fix is to interpret BCD years
| in the range 70-99 as being in the 1900's, and the BCD years
| in the range 00-38 as in the 2000's. This is, for example,
| how BSD2.11 interprets the two-digit 11/93 or 11/94 clock year.
Gee, I didn't think there was one "UNIX" in the world 8-) How big are
your integers? Do you use signed or unsigned values for the epoch since
Jan 1 1970? It seems hard to believe anything in the UNIX world of today
has this limitation.
I'll agree there is likely just the one "RT-11" though 8-)
-- Ken
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>From Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com> Fri Nov 27 05:15:17 1998
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Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 14:15:17 -0500
From: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
To: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
Message-Id: <981126141517.2a2003cb(a)trailing-edge.com>
Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
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>There's some confusion about this (at least in my mind), so any
>authoritative info would be interesting.
I agree - and would love more definitive information (Or, even
better, the sources to Pro/Venix.) I've
learned an amazing amount about segments of the Unix lineage
just from the comments in the past week, but the gaps in
my knowledge still loom large!
It's entirely possible that Pro/Venix uses the Pro
clock in BCD mode - it looked to me that the 2.9BSD version
does it in binary mode.
>struct clkbuf {
> int clk_sec; /* second (0-59) */
> int clk_min; /* minute (0-59) */
> int clk_hour; /* hour (0-23) */
> int clk_mday; /* day of month (1-31) */
> int clk_mon; /* month (0-11) */
> int clk_year; /* year (00-99) */
> int clk_wday; /* day of the week (Sunday = 0) */
> int clk_yday; /* day of the year (0-365) */
> int clk_dst; /* non-zero if daylight savings applies */
>};
>
>So, it looks bad at least from the internal representation of the
>year.
It depends on what you want to call "bad". It's quite possible
to build a Y2K compliant system out of non-Y2K compliant
components!
2.11BSD's date(1) was patched for Y2K in such a way that "00" in
the two-digit year would be interpreted as the year 2000. (See
patch #327 for the details.)
Would similar fixes for more historic Unices be useful to the general
folk here?
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
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>From "David C. Jenner" <djenner(a)halcyon.com> Fri Nov 27 05:49:47 1998
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Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 11:49:47 -0800
From: "David C. Jenner" <djenner(a)halcyon.com>
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To: Tim Shoppa <SHOPPA(a)trailing-edge.com>
CC: PUPS(a)MINNIE.CS.ADFA.OZ.AU
Subject: Re: Pro/Venix and Y2K
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It's "bad" in the sense that the evidence available (empirical,
and sparse code) suggests that the software (and probably the
hardware) is working with only two-digit years.
You could, of course, try to remedy the Y2K problem by properly
handling the clock. But the evidence suggests that the
problem may be spread over lots of code. As you say, it would
be nice to have the Pro/Venix code (as opposed to the Venix/Pro
code).
DEC's Pro/Venix is more flexible than Venturecom's Venix/Pro.
You can write and link custom device drivers with the kernel
in Pro/Venix. There is some hope you could actually "fix"
/dev/clock, but this probably isn't enough to solve the whole
Y2K problem.
Again, any knowledge about the whereabouts of even the binary
distribution disks of DEC's V2 Pro/Venix would be great.
Dave
Tim Shoppa wrote:
>
> >There's some confusion about this (at least in my mind), so any
> >authoritative info would be interesting.
>
> I agree - and would love more definitive information (Or, even
> better, the sources to Pro/Venix.) I've
> learned an amazing amount about segments of the Unix lineage
> just from the comments in the past week, but the gaps in
> my knowledge still loom large!
>
> It's entirely possible that Pro/Venix uses the Pro
> clock in BCD mode - it looked to me that the 2.9BSD version
> does it in binary mode.
>
> >struct clkbuf {
> > int clk_sec; /* second (0-59) */
> > int clk_min; /* minute (0-59) */
> > int clk_hour; /* hour (0-23) */
> > int clk_mday; /* day of month (1-31) */
> > int clk_mon; /* month (0-11) */
> > int clk_year; /* year (00-99) */
> > int clk_wday; /* day of the week (Sunday = 0) */
> > int clk_yday; /* day of the year (0-365) */
> > int clk_dst; /* non-zero if daylight savings applies */
> >};
> >
> >So, it looks bad at least from the internal representation of the
> >year.
>
> It depends on what you want to call "bad". It's quite possible
> to build a Y2K compliant system out of non-Y2K compliant
> components!
>
> 2.11BSD's date(1) was patched for Y2K in such a way that "00" in
> the two-digit year would be interpreted as the year 2000. (See
> patch #327 for the details.)
>
> Would similar fixes for more historic Unices be useful to the general
> folk here?
>
> --
> Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
> Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
> 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
> Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Wortner, Frank (RSCH) <Frank_Wortner(a)ml.com> writes to me:
> P.S. You might want to forward this to the PUPS list, since I'm no longer
> an active member (emal address changes, etc.)
Doing so.
Forwarded message:
>From Frank_Wortner(a)ml.com Wed Nov 25 11:31 EST 1998
Return-Path: <Frank_Wortner(a)ml.com>
>From "Wortner, Frank Thu Nov 26 02:27:07 1998
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From: "Wortner, Frank (RSCH)" <Frank_Wortner(a)ml.com>
To: "'mxs46(a)k2.scl.cwru.edu'" <mxs46(a)k2.scl.cwru.edu>
Subject: Re: What *was* the Tahoe?
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 11:27:07 -0500
This one I know the answer to. "Tahoe" was the internal name for a computer
called the "Compter Consoles Inc. 632." (At least that's what I recall."
The machine itself was a light grey cube about the size of a VAX 750 CPU.
The cube housed the CPU, the disk drives (Fujitsu "Super Eagles" I think)
and an auto-loading tape drive. If I recall correctly, the manufacturer
was located in Rochester, New York, USA.
I used to sys admin one of these beasts -- a *long* time ago. They were
pretty durable: mine not only survived an air condioner failure during
which the temperature rose to more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it actually
kept on working without a break for several hours!
It was a good box, an attempt at a "VAX-killer," but it never really
managed to grab a substantial base from DEC's boxes.
Frank
P.S. You might want to forward this to the PUPS list, since I'm no longer
an active member (emal address changes, etc.)
Warren Toomey <wkt(a)henry.cs.adfa.oz.au> writes:
> Therefore, once SCO reads through the legal documents (which they now
> own), I'd be pretty sure that they will still treat Net/2 as
> contaminated, and people will need a 32V license in some form in order to
> legally acquire a copy of the Net/2 tape.
Then until/unless Warren tells me otherwise, I'll keep Net/2 together
with the real 4BSD distributions in Distributions/4bsd/net2, readable by
the members of the pupsarc group only.
Sincerely,
Michael Sokolov
Phone: 440-449-0299 (Home) 216-217-2579 (Cellular)
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