I'm sure you'll get better answers from this from the incredibly knowledgable
DEC folks on the list, but since I'm here and they may not be until later, I'll
give a stab at it.
> Today I hauled in something that I have no experience whatsoever with,
> but that I'm sure most people in classiccmp own: a microvax II.
> I don't know if it works, or how to hook a terminal to it to
> test it. Here's what I've been able to gather:
>
> Cards:
>
> Slot description
> 1 CPU? it has two interesting-looking chips:
> 1: LSILIA 0485, 21-23413-01, DC379, TAC 8546
> 2: LSILIA 0486, 21-23389-01, DC379, CAC 8544
> This is connected to a DB9M in the back panel (console goes here?
> what is the pinout? what is the funny-labeled rotary switch next to
> it?)
Dunno what the chips are, probably part of the vax chipset. That db9 is your
console socket. It's a straight rs232 terminal port. The rotary switch (if
memory serves) determines where in the boot cycle it goes to. In one position
it stops at the >>> (bios, more or less) prompt. In another it autoboots the
OS. I'm trying to remember if halt is on that switch or seperate, and I think
it's separate.
>
> 2 nemonix memory board, holds 56 TC511000AP-10 chips
>
> 3 dec memory board, holds 144 41256-212141302 chips
>
The dec memory board appears to be a 4 meg memory board. Since the machine can
address only 16 megs of ram, and since if memory serves it has a meg on the
mainboard, I'm going to hazard a guess here and guess the nemonix is an 8 meg
memory board, giving you 13 megs total. Not a bad amount at all. The uVax2s
that were part of a cluster I once ran ran VMS 5.5 in only 16 megs, and my
vaxstation 3100 does 7.2 (I think) on 8 megs. Ultrix runs nicely in 13 megs,
too, although compiling gcc took all day on the ultrix box with 13 megs that I
tried it on.
> 4 dec board, some labels are: LPWR M94V-1 25787, and "M7516" in the
> extraction handle; connected to a DB15F in the back panel
Not a clue here, although dec uses db15 for video on Vaxstation 3100s, so I
suspect it's a graphics card.
>
> 5 dec board, (disk controller?), reads M7555 in the extraction handle,
> connected to what seems to be an older RLL hard drive
>
>
> Hard drive: RD53-A rev A
>
Yup. RD53 is an RLL 40 meg, I think. Not very reliable in my experience.
Somewhere on the system is probably a tk50 tape drive, too. Slow and not
very high density per cartrige, but they work.
> label in the back panel:
>
> Model: 630QB-A2
>
> product variation: changed from 630QB-A2 to DH630Q4E2 by WFD.
>
>
> So what exactly is this beast and how can I test if it works?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Carlos.
Any AUI ports in the back of the machine? Might be handy to know what, if any,
ethernet it's got. It'll become important if you want to run VMS on it.
--
Jim Strickland
jim_at_DIESPAMMERSCUMcalico.litterbox.com
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Received on Wed Sep 15 1999 - 16:39:59 BST