Ultrix on an 11/730?

From: Michael Sokolov <msokolov_at_ivan.Harhan.ORG>
Date: Thu Jan 29 10:18:34 2004

Brad Parker <brad_at_heeltoe.com> wrote:

> Can anyone tell me if there is a version of Ultrix which will boot on an
> 11/730?

AFAIK DEC never dropped 730 support from Ultrix so I see no reason why would any
given version, e.g., V4.00 which I have on my FTP site, NOT boot on a 730.

> And if so, can I grab media files off the net somewhere?

I've got the full V4.00 distribution on my FTP site:

ifctfvax.Harhan.ORG:/pub/UNIX/thirdparty/Ultrix-32/ult400vaxdist-tk50/

This dist came into my hands in TK50 format, hence the directory name on the FTP
site, but I see no reason why you can't write it to magtape as well. (6250 BPI
would be easier, for 1600 BPI you may have to split it into multiple tapes and I
am not sure how to tweak the metadata for the Ultrix installer so it knows from
which tape to get what.) Or you can bootstrap from TK50 on a 730 with a TUK50
controller.

You would, however, need to create your own TU58 media for Ultrix bootstrap.
They can be constructed from file.01 and file.02 on the tape (which are on the
FTP site), but I'm not sure of the exact algorithm and you'll need to look in
the source code. I have complete sources for Ultrix V2.00 and V4.20 on the same
FTP site. Not for V4.00, but since this stuff hasn't changed between V2.00 and
V4.20 it logically follows that it should hold for V4.00 as well.

Now even if you recreate the same Ultrix distribution TU58s that you would get
from DEC when buying Ultrix, you are still not all set. DEC's Ultrix
distribution TU58s are not directly readable or bootable by the 730 console, and
you need ANOTHER TU58, which is not part of any Ultrix distribution at all, with
a sufficiently recent version of VMB.EXE and supporting stuff that knows how to
boot non-VMS operating systems, probably the original version that came with the
hardware in 1982 won't do. In other words you would be in for a lot of "fun".

> (I know 4.3bsd would, and I'd like to fool around with netbsd but it
> seems like ultrix might be a good way to bootstrap)

4.3BSD (either original or Quasijarus) is the easiest of all to bootstrap of any
11/7xx, including 730. Everything that you need is on ifctfvax.Harhan.ORG in
the appropriate directory (/pub/UNIX/4.3BSD or /pub/UNIX/4.3BSD-Quasijarus0b):
tape images and TU58 cassette image, and the TU58 is in RT-11 format directly
readable by the 730 console, no VMB or other stuff is needed.

Now here is something I want to ask you: would you happen to have an original
DEC 730 console TU58 with the latest version of 730 microcode and console
program they released? If you do, would you please make a block image (dd) of
it?

MS
Received on Thu Jan 29 2004 - 10:18:34 GMT