- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] OT: housing?
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >NJ members, > >I need a new place to live by early November. Anyone have a spare room? > >(Please withhold non-constructive responses, I don't need advice or "I >wish I could help but", I need a place to live.) It's fun to stay at the YMCA... Sorry, not constructive but I couldn't resist.

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OT: housing?
by Evan Koblentz 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

NJ members, I need a new place to live by early November. Anyone have a spare room? (Please withhold non-constructive responses, I don't need advice or "I wish I could help but", I need a place to live.) ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation instagram.com/vcfederation

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re-marked ICs
by Herb Johnson 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

http://www.retrotechnology.com/restore/chip_re-labeling.html There was some discussion in this list, about pulled vintage IC's being relabeled with different datecodes, brands, sometimes the wrong function. An ancient TTL chip was actually a touch-tone decoder chip - ONE IC! The depth of this problem, down to handfulls of chips selling for little, surprised me. So I gathered some details from the sources and participants, added discussion from another vintage list, and created a Web page to report on the issue and practices. My thanks for their permission and reportage. I'd welcome an email from any who stumble over this problem, when buying some part to fix a S-100 card or other vintage microcomputer. Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey in the USA http://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net

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Univac update
by Evan Koblentz 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

Duane Craps (from several states away) and Bill Dromgoole spent the weekend at our museum to work on the Univac. Here's a lightly edited version of their report: --------------- The 1219B is mostly operational It still has a few intermittent problems and a few we know about like a fan not operating below the memory chassis. We don’t have full communication with the 1540 tape drive but can transfer functional commands. We found a few bad cards in the tape drive but a lot more work is needed. We are able to load UPAK and diagnostic programs. We loaded and executed the memory test program but did not get a full 10 passes to get a good printout. After about 5 to 8 passes we get a program fault. We think due to overheating. We also were able to load and run “Hunt the Wumpus” game program. Here are some photos and videos. The second photo shows the broken computer with the main timing chain not working and some random lights lit. The eighth photo shows the parts at fault we found the first day. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sauxna7fBda2OroU2 This link should work for anyone who thinks 640K is enough." ----------------- Related: Drom and Duane also served as museum docents. They reported a modest amount of visitors Saturday and tons of visitors Sunday. Said Drom: "It was so hectic I couldn’t give people as much attention as they wanted."

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FS: Processor Tech 2KRO 1702/5203 EPROM S-100 Board Repaired/Tested/Working
by systems_glitch 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272880791277 Processor Tech's early 2K ROM board, can be used with 1702/5203 type ROMs, including the slower 1702 variants (up to 4 wait states can be added). This board arrived with two shorted tantalum capacitors, which have been replaced. I changed addressing and wait state jumpers from soldered wire to machine pin sockets to save on board wear and tear. Tested with a 1702A pattern ROM (not included) in my IMSAI 8080 -- works fine! Thanks, Jonathan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vax scsi questions
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

william degnan via vcf-midatlantic writes: >> > > Minimum boot will not execute your system's SYSTARTUP_VMS (or *_V5 >because > you're living in the past). > > >ironic statement. In my case I just wanted to keep the license as-is >being all historical and all that I am. I have a VMS 7.2 or .3 on CD if >I really wanted to upgrade. > > >> That is, typically, where one would add MOUNT > commands to mount >other device volumes available to the system. When you > DO startup the >system minimally, there are many other aspects of *normal* > VMS startup >that are also bypassed. You can also modify the system startup > in >SYSGEN when you boot conversationally (>>> BOOT/[R5:]1) and define the > >startup to the OPA0: (SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0:). WHen your system >boots, > it will leave you at the DCL prompt ($). No need to even know >the SYSTEM > password or login to the SYSTEM account. However, when you >do this, there > is no error handling! A error, even a typo >precipitating an unknown > command > syntax error, will kick you out >with no resolve other than to reboot. The > trick here is to issue a "$ >SPAWN" command first. This way, you'll have a > subprocess that, if it >terminates, will dump you back into the STARTUP pro- > cess. NOTE: If >you change the startup, you will want to change it back. > >Conversationally boot. SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM and >> SYSBOOT> CONTINUE. > > I ran this > >SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1 = " " SYSBOOT> CONTINUE > >problem is now the computer always tries to boot into the network. I >need to re-establish a boot into DKB500. I thought this would work: > >SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1 = "DKB500" > >but I am starting to think with V5 you need to do it this way: > >SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1 = "DKB500:" (with the colon) > >On my systems, I MOUNT volumes in a procedure (I call >SYSTARTUP_MOUNT.COM) > that I run as a detached process. If it hangs up >on a MOUNT I can still, > eventually after STARTUP.COM and its scion >complete, login. > > That makes sense. I still have a ways to go to >make a safe system exposed to the outside WWW as well. One thing about >VMS, it let's you make catastrophic mistakes without protest. Very >flexible OS though. You know, there was a VMS I&DS manual in the consignment at one of the (last) VCF at InfoAge that probably would have got to the skip if I hadn't saved it from becoming landfill. You would be well suited to have a copy and read it. By the time you see SYSBOOT, you've already DECIDED what is the boot device. The boot device can he specified at the dead sargeant (>>> B DKB500) or you can specify to the console that it be the default device to be assumed when you issue the BOOT command. >>> SET BOOT DKB500 If nothing has been established, the console will attempt to boot off of the network (if a network card is present) and then off of the various devices. It's looking for VMB.EXE which is the primary bootstrap loader. Again, by the time VMB.EXE is executing (which maps much of VMS and SYSBOOT), it's far too late to try to change the boot volume. You know, if there was a real interest, I'd consider doing a VMS seminar at VCF but I've so many more things in my personal life's firepit at the moment to commit to yet another log on the fire.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vax scsi questions
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

william degnan via vcf-midatlantic writes: >>> > >>> >Guessing there us a way from the >>> prompt to change a drive's volune, >>> >but I did not find a way to do it. >>> >>> From the dead sergeant, you can select a boot device. Volume information >>> -- >>> label, structure, ownership, etc., etc. -- are manifestated in the >>> operating >>> system (VMS). If you had an issue with the device on SCSI id 2, you could >>> have physically removed that drive. The device would then not appear in >>> the >>> device configuration and the MOUNT command would fail: >>> >>> %MOUNT-F-NOSUCHDEV, no such device available >>> >>> Assuming there is no ON ERROR in the startup procedures, your system >>> should >>> then boot through the system startup to the point where you can login. At >>> that point, you can reconnect the device and issue: >>> >>> $ MCR SYSGEN AUTOCONFIGURE ALL >>> >>> Then, a: >>> >>> $ SHOW DEVICE D >>> >>> should show you your disk devices including the device at DKx200:. >>> >> >> >> >> >one last thing...I only had one bootable drive, and I could only get to the >$ prompt from the drive that was configured to mount and load some stuff >from the ID=2 drive. What you suggest above would work, but would still >have to have done what I did to get into minimal boot, etc. At least in >VMS 5 minimal boot does not mount nor include any other drive than the boot >drive in a $ show dev d. Minimum boot will not execute your system's SYSTARTUP_VMS (or *_V5 because you're living in the past). That is, typically, where one would add MOUNT commands to mount other device volumes available to the system. When you DO startup the system minimally, there are many other aspects of *normal* VMS startup that are also bypassed. You can also modify the system startup in SYSGEN when you boot conversationally (>>> BOOT/[R5:]1) and define the startup to the OPA0: (SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0:). WHen your system boots, it will leave you at the DCL prompt ($). No need to even know the SYSTEM password or login to the SYSTEM account. However, when you do this, there is no error handling! A error, even a typo precipitating an unknown command syntax error, will kick you out with no resolve other than to reboot. The trick here is to issue a "$ SPAWN" command first. This way, you'll have a subprocess that, if it terminates, will dump you back into the STARTUP pro- cess. NOTE: If you change the startup, you will want to change it back. Conversationally boot. SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM and SYSBOOT> CONTINUE. On my systems, I MOUNT volumes in a procedure (I call SYSTARTUP_MOUNT.COM) that I run as a detached process. If it hangs up on a MOUNT I can still, eventually after STARTUP.COM and its scion complete, login.

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AOL keyword "RIP"
by Jeffrey Jonas 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

AIM, AOL's instant messaging service, is to shut down December 15 after 20 years of operation. I'm just re-tweeting this from hash-tag (something catchy but useless)

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FS: Very Early Bob Mullen S-100 Card Extender
by systems_glitch 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272880651747 This one just has initials, no actual Mullen name, but the PO Box address is the same. Unlike later Mullen cards, this one is just an extender -- no fuses, no logic probe, no prototype area. It uses a high quality 3VH50 mil-spec S-100 connector, which really grabs the inserted S-100 board. Previous owner applied labels with the S-100 pinout to the front and back. This extender is short enough to leave in with the chassis cover installed, so you don't have to pull it out every time you want to put the cover back on. My preferred style -- saves wear on motherboard S-100 connectors. Thanks, Jonathan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] vax scsi questions
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 09 Oct '17

09 Oct '17

william degnan via vcf-midatlantic writes: >This all came up because I wanted to replace a drive, but the only >replacement I had avail was also ID 2 but a diff volume name. >Systartup_v5.com was hanging on the mount of the drive. So, knowing no >other way, I had to access the OS via minimal boot to bypass systartup >and then comment out the mount of drive 2. In MIN state I could not >mount the new drive to initialize it so re!enabled a full boot. I >could not get to drive ID=2 in an ONLINE state. I mounted drive ID=2 to >initialize and change its volume name to.match the old volume name. >Next I returned systartup to mount drive id=2 (dkb200), and finally >rebooted into a normal system. > >The trial and error associated with all that was a useful learning >experience. > >Guessing there us a way from the >>> prompt to change a drive's volune, >but I did not find a way to do it. >From the dead sergeant, you can select a boot device. Volume information -- label, structure, ownership, etc., etc. -- are manifestated in the operating system (VMS). If you had an issue with the device on SCSI id 2, you could have physically removed that drive. The device would then not appear in the device configuration and the MOUNT command would fail: %MOUNT-F-NOSUCHDEV, no such device available Assuming there is no ON ERROR in the startup procedures, your system should then boot through the system startup to the point where you can login. At that point, you can reconnect the device and issue: $ MCR SYSGEN AUTOCONFIGURE ALL Then, a: $ SHOW DEVICE D should show you your disk devices including the device at DKx200:.

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