Life with PDP-11's.

From: McFadden, Mike <mmcfadden_at_cmh.edu>
Date: Fri May 7 13:21:26 2004

In 1977 I started out with an 11/35 with 4 RK05 drives. System was on
one pack, programs on another pack, data was stored on 2 packs.
Software was hard coded to look for 2 Megs of data files at a time.
When we got the RP04 we made it look like 20 RK05's to the application
software.

In about 1980 our R&D lab had upgraded from a PDP11/35 to a PDP11/70
system with one RP04. We were in a computer room in the middle of a
warehouse, when we asked for more AC they said we could have an
additional air conditioner.

About a week later a sawsall blade came through the wall of the computer
room as they cut a hole for a new window air conditioner. The output
side was in the general warehouse space!

We were a little mad because nobody warned us about the dust flying into
the computer room. We shutdown until the AC was installed. It did cool
the room down a lot.

Only having one RP04 was a problem. Whenever a backup was scheduled I
took the system pack and the backup pack in the back of my Toyota to
another computer room a mile away so that I could do a standalone
backup.

Nothing like walking across the parking lot with the system disk in one
hand and the backup copy in the other. I was careful not to drop either
pack.

Later we thought about getting a VAX 11/730 but decide the 11/70 was
fast enough.

Mike
Received on Fri May 07 2004 - 13:21:26 BST