--- Patrick Finnegan <pat_at_purdueriots.com> wrote:
> I seem to remember someone saying that the DECservers are basically a
> Q-Bus PDP-11 system. Is this correct, or am I thinking of something
> else?
As Eric Dittman already pointed out, you are correct in the case of
the DECserver 500 and 550. There is a (labelled) KDJ11 board on a
Qbus. I have one (the CPU board, not the DECserver).
> Also, does anyone know what they're based off of and if it's possible to
> make them boot a 'conventional' os by changing their bootroms?
My board was so modified (by someone else). I have not had a chance to
play with it yet - it has a BA213-style DEC handle and I have no
compatible enclosures. My choices are to use a Qbus extender (for
testing, obviously) or to drill off the handle and replace it with
an older one or to get a newer enclosure. I think I will eventually
get a BA213 chassis (seeing as how one went for $20 at Dayton with the
KA655 board, memory, disk controller and two DELQAs still installed!)
but temporarily, I might remove the handle. One minor problem with
that is what to do with the diagnostic LED and console MMJ - in a BA-213,
it fits nicely on the bracket (unlike a console I/O panel for, say,
a MicroVAX I or II in a BA23) I was thinking of making an extender cable
for a BA23, but hadn't gotten around to punching holes in a metal plate
to mount it.
AFAIK, there will be no perceptible difference between a KDJ11 board
from a DECserver 5xx and a _real_ MicroPDP-11/53 cpu board - they both
have some locally mounted RAM, same boot ROMs, etc. Your operating
system will probably not see any difference - it's the same card once
you have the same firmware in it.
-ethan
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Received on Fri Jun 28 2002 - 14:01:56 BST