installing 2.11 BSD

From: Zane H. Healy <healyzh_at_aracnet.com>
Date: Fri Mar 19 12:57:46 2004

> I just obtained a 50 pin SCSI drive for my 11/83, so now I'm ready to go!
>
> I had asked once before about installing BSD from a SCSI tape on my
> controller and was told that it should work. I've got one problem, though
> -- I'm not sure how to write the tape. I've got the distribution media --
> I just don't know how to write it so that BSD will read it. I thought
> about just formatting a second disk and putting the distribution on that,
> but I haven't got a real system (yet!) to create it from...
>
> Any suggestions?

Here is a THEORY, that I haven't had time to test. Put the disk on a system
that runs SIMH or E11, 'dd' it to a disk file. Use that disk file as the HD
image that you install the OS on using either SIMH or E11. Then 'dd' the
disk file back to the HD, install the HD in your PDP-11/83, and boot.

Please note this is a THEORY that a couple of us have discussed for other
PDP-11 OS's that no one to my knowledge has had the time to try, but there
is a good chance it will work (though Unix might be a bit more picky).

                        Zane
Received on Fri Mar 19 2004 - 12:57:46 GMT