reading rsts 7.1 disks from OpenVMS

From: Kevin Handy <kth_at_srv.net>
Date: Tue Aug 12 11:50:20 2003

John Allain wrote:

>>I have several disk paks that are clearly marked RSTS 7.1 Image Data
>>
>>
>Backups.
>
>Just a thought (experts?), but given the label they may be
>more Backup format than RSTS format (at least at the first
>level). What I don't know is if VMS restore understands RSTS
>backups.
>
><plug> BTW if someone has RSTS for an 11/23 I
> could look myself at the problem for you. </plug>
>
>
>
Did 7.1 use the old or the new backup? You may also be looking
at a SAVRES image.

If it is the older version, which sounds likely from your description,
the only way you will ever read it is by using a RSTS/E system.
The old backup wrote to the disks in a raw format (no directory
structure) laying out everything in its own special format.
SIMH would be useful for reading this if you can create images
of the packs.

You might be able to read them on VMS by getting
the source code to BACKUP (written in BASIC+, and should be
available on the RSTS/E distributation) and getting it
to run there, but getting it to work is probably much harder
to do than just using simh to run RSTS/E and restoring the images.

If it is a SAVRES backup, then a real RSTS/E system (or a
simh one) is about the only way to read them. I think you
also need to restore them on the same media they were
backed up from, as SAVRES was an image copy of the
original disk.

The newer backup is (mostly) compatible with VMS backup,
and VMS file structires.
Received on Tue Aug 12 2003 - 11:50:20 BST