reading rsts 7.1 disks from OpenVMS

From: Zane H. Healy <healyzh_at_aracnet.com>
Date: Mon Aug 11 16:20:01 2003

> >Openvms Exchange says that they are not DOS11 or RT11 or Files-11 format.
> >
> >So is there anyway way for OpenVMS to mount and read these disks, I've
> >scoured the search engines and haven't come up with anything yet...
>
> I hope to be proven wrong, but... I'm not aware of any software to read
> RSTS file systems of that vintage for the VAX.

If there are they'd be DECUS utilities most likely. I'm not aware of any
either.

> Two ideas come to mind:
>
> 1) copy the packs, block for block (VMS can mount these "foreign", also
> read-only, and then copy them), and move the image copy to a machine
> running SIMH. Use the available RSTS 7.0 to restore the backups to an
> appropriately simulated disk. This is probably a good idea regardless of
> 2).

Once you've got access to the disks under SIMH, you should be able to back
the data up to virtual tapes, which you should be able to find tools to
access (as long as you back the data up to the right tape format).

> case 1) is better). I have the V7 Mayfield book (but haven't scanned it
> for the 'net yet) and wrote a program on the Mac to read the V7 (RDS-0)
> structure. So it _can_ be done.

So, is this Mac program something that will build on a standard UNIX system?

                        Zane
Received on Mon Aug 11 2003 - 16:20:01 BST