DEC hardware question re infoserver 150

From: Kevin Handy <kth_at_srv.net>
Date: Mon May 12 09:42:00 2003

Fred deBros wrote:

>I have a MODEL -SEACD-AX-A01 infoserver 150 box containing a cd and an
>hdd
>
>The back panel looks almost like a Vaxstation, except that it has two
>
Should only have one SCSI connector, the other connector you see is probably
the ansync io port.

The infoservers had special ROM's in them, which may cause problems trying
to use the system as a regular VAX. I think replacement ROMS aren't too
hard to get.

>scsi terminators, 3 mmj plugs called 1, 2 and 3 with the two-way arrows
>
MMJ was only used for serial ports, signals should be in the RS232 range.

>on them (my guess serial i/o) and a db25 instead of the db15. Above the
>db25 plug is a square containing a broad arrow upward, not the usual
>printer symbol found on dec eqpt. No mouse and no kbd plug there. But
>otherwise, the back of the box looks similar: it has the aui and bnc
>Ethernet connectors, the push-button switch between them and the s3
>switch between the check lights and the db25 pin plug.
>
>So the s3 switch looking exactly like the one on a Vaxstation 3100
>series should do the same: switch from serial display/console to
>terminal. And the dB25 plug is not a printer out, but functionally
>similar to the db15 of the vs3100: it carries mouse/kbd and b/w analog
>signals (single bnc) for a terminal display. No SPX or GPX board in
>there anyways. Am I right?
>
I doubt it. It is probably a standard RS232 serial port. DEC used odd
connectors for the keyboard/mouse/video connectors, so that people
couldn't plug things into the wrong port. The connectors varied with
the video cards.

They didn't use a 25 pin port for parallel printers on the VAX.
That was an IBM PC thing (use cheaper connectors to save $$'s
in manufacturing).

It sounds like this system based on a 3100-10. No built-in video support,
unless they added an optional video card. I doubt they would put a
video card in an infoserver.

>Long slide for a short question:
>Is there a DEC cable that fits this db25 plug and that has the mouse/kbd
>plugs - analogous to the vs3100 15-pin plug?
>Does anyone have the pinouts to this db25 plug?
>
Look at the RS-232 specs.

>All I need is kbd and analog out. That would allow me to fire up this
>otherwise nifty combo in netbsd for vax.
>Or try the new linux vs3100 kernel on a compact system that has the cd
>built-in.....
>
>Fred
>
>
>
Plug a terminal (9600 baud) into MMJ-1, and you should be able to talk
to it.
Received on Mon May 12 2003 - 09:42:00 BST