microcode, compilers, and supercomputer architecture

From: CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com <(CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com)>
Date: Thu Apr 8 09:18:05 1999

>DEC's customer runnable MicroVax stuff was fairly lame though.

Generally, if you can boot the diagnostics on a Microvax, you
know that the Microvax is OK. Yep, pretty useless, considering
that if you can't boot VMS, you can't boot the diagnostics.

The PDP-11 based diagnostics were much more flexible. You could
load from paper tape if your disk or tape drive system was sick. You
didn't need interrupts or even DMA operational to load them, so you
could do some basic tests on a box that didn't even have full
backplane continuity!

Tim.
Received on Thu Apr 08 1999 - 09:18:05 BST