VAX 11/780 anyone with some working experience out there?

From: Kevin Handy <kth_at_srv.net>
Date: Fri Dec 27 18:18:09 2002

Johnny Billquist wrote:

>On Fri, 27 Dec 2002, Gunther Schadow wrote:
>
>
>
>>Johnny Billquist wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>It would flicker very briefly, but I suppose you should see some
>>>action. Anyhow, the A or B button should light up if things are working.
>>>I assume you have the cabling correct. You know. The total number of
>>>cables between the UDA-50 and the disk must be an odd number.
>>>
>>>
>>DANG! How could I make such stupid mistake! It's not like I had
>>overcome this problem before ... so, thanks for reminging me.
>>
>>
>
>No problemo. :-)
>
>
>
>>>>The UDA-50
>>>>shows the cycling pattern on the LEDs, not unlike the KDA-50 in
>>>>my VAX6000s.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>That's the normal idle pattern. Shows that the UDA-50 is working
>>>correctly.
>>>
>>>
>>The manual that I have mumbles something about the speed of the
>>cycle pattern to be significant an might signal an error.
>>
>>
>
>Hum. My manual don't mention anything about speed. Assume it's working
>fine for now.
>
>
>
>>Also,
>>the question still is whether the cycling pattern says that the
>>UNIBUS is connected properly ...
>>
>>
>
>I don't think it does. It's just showing that the UDA-50 itself is
>working. The outside world is not something it cares about. :-)
>
>
>
>>I guess it doesn't have to be
>>ever addressed by the CPU in order to be showing this pattern.
>>
>>
>
>Correct.
>
>
>
>>So, my address jumpers could still be wrong or the DW780 could still
>>be screwed up a bit, right?
>>
>>
>
>Yup.
>
>
>
>>My main concern is that I think I should expect the UDA-50 to
>>show a different blinking pattern when it is in fact addressed and
>>is trying to access disks on the SDI cables.
>>
>>
>
>It should.
>
>
>
>>The cables being
>>wrong of disconnected does not keep the KDA-50 from blinking
>>differently. Since my UDA-50 always keeps cycling, it still looks
>>as if I have a problem upstream.
>>
>>
>
>Sounds like a correct diagnose. Still, might not show anything if no disks
>are connected. I'm not sure about that situation.
>
>
>
>>I guess I will try network booting the machine next. I did that
>>with the uVAX II successfully, in the case of the 11/780 I will
>>just have to load the boot program through kermit over the console.
>>
>>
>
>That's one way. Another is if you happen to have a KDA50. Then you could
>just dump NetBSD on a disk, and then boot it on the 11/780. NetBSD can
>boot with VMB nowadays, and I'm certain you have VMB on your RX01.
>
>
I have a KDA50, but no cabling for it.
Would be willing to swap for anything intresting...

>
>
>>I guess the proper way would be to generate DEPOSIT commands for
>>the boot loader (that otherwise would have been sent through MOP)
>>and send them through Kermit, right? But darn, I don't have a
>>DEUNA or DELUA ethernet but some other thing that may not even be
>>supported ... actually, I may have a DEUNA hardware, but I don't
>>know whether that is working...
>>
>>
>
>If that other hardware don't behave like a DEUNA, you're in trouble,
>yes...
>
>
>
>
Received on Fri Dec 27 2002 - 18:18:09 GMT