IMHO the easiest way to get a vax is get a vaxstation 4000VLC. You can
connect a number of PC CDROMS to the SCSI port on it and have them work
(although there is weirdness with block sizes - get a good drive, I
know Plextor supports the required mode), it takes PC simms and if
memory serves is either a 4 or 8 VUP machine, where 1 VUP = the
performance of an original 11/780. For a single user (especially with
a terminal rather than soaking up cycles with DecWindows) these things
are quite powerful. I have one, but I'm not inclined to sell. :)
3100s are the next best choice, although their proprietary memory is
much more expensive.
I think I gave $120 for my VaxStation, but I forget. It was an ebay
auction. I bought my VT320 from Will, if memory serves, or traded him
for a Kaypro IV, I forget. Also, my boss at Intel (when I was
contracting there a couple years ago) had come from DecSupport, and had
a 320 color they'd sent home with her, along with a printer, which she
offered me for the sake of getting it out of her garage. I still have
to clean the mouse poop out of the thing and really test it out, but it
powered up and seemed to be in reasonable shape when last I tried it.
The point here is that this stuff can be gotten fairly inexpensively.
Check surplus stores, especially. The one here in Podunkville
(Colorado Springs, CO) has quite a selection of DEC hardware.
Also, if you're just into VMS and don't really care about what platform
it actually runs on, I imagine you can get an alpha fairly
inexpensively, which should give you all the power you could ever want.
On Saturday, January 18, 2003, at 04:40 PM, Adrian Vickers wrote:
> Having fond memories of using VAXen (specifically, an 8800) back in my
> 'stoodent' days, and in more recent times too (unknown type _at_ JP
> Morgan), and further having seen numerous references to OpenVMS &
> VAXen on this list, I got to thinking...
>
> I'd actually quite like a VAX.
>
> Unfortunately, this is probably impossible in the short term - unless
> I want to buy the MicroVAX 3100 currently on eBay _at_ a fiver. But
> that's not a *real* VAX, it's just not big enough... And besides, it
> hasn't got a CD-ROM, which I will need to load OpenVMS.
>
> Anyway, following yet another link posted on this list revealed the
> PDP-11 (and, coincidentally, VAX) simulator. Nice. So I downloads it,
> along with MinGW (anyone else think of "minging[1] Windows"
> immediately, or is it just me?), compile it, and eventually figure out
> roughly how to get to the basic VAX ">>>" prompt. And here, I'm rather
> stuck.
>
> So, does anyone have any nice'n'easy instructions on how to get the
> SIMH VAX simulator ready for OpenVMS? I've read both the simulator
> document & the VAX document, and I'm still well in the dark WRT how to
> get it up & running... Basically, I've no idea what devices to ATTACH,
> what or how to configure it, and so forth.
>
> Obviously, I'll have to sort out an OpenVMS kit before I can do
> anything remotely useful, and I'll probably need an extra HDD in the
> PC (<1gig free now), blah blah. (oh yes, and Hans has found several
> faults in my websites which I /really/ ought to fix first... - but,
> well, you know how it goes :)
>
> So, can anyone help?
>
> TIA!
>
>
> [1] "minging" {v}: "really ugly" (he/she's minging) or quite smelly
> and rotten (that bin's minging). UK expression (poss. Northern UK
> only).
> --
> Cheers, Ade.
> Be where it's at, B-Racing!
> http://b-racing.com
Received on Sat Jan 18 2003 - 18:19:01 GMT