I've finished, and am debugging, a VAX-11/780 simulator, with the goal
of running VMS V1, early BSD releases, and other 'first VAX' code.
There are a couple of critical missing pieces. In particular, I need
1) 780 PROM bootstrap contents. This was the 4KB of PROM located in the
MS780 memory controllers. A binary dump would be sufficient, the
simulator can dissassemble VAX code.
2) LSI11 console PROM contents. The LSI11 console ran out of a boot
PROM. This is less critical but would help with understanding the fine
details of the console-CPU interaction. Again, a binary dump suffices.
3) VMS V1 floppy kit. While early tape distributions have been found,
the console floppies have not. The most critical ones are the tape
restore program and the system bootstrap (VMB). Getting a 780 online
required
- booting the console from its PROM
- loading the standalone tape restore program into the 780 from the
console
- running the standalone tape restore program to copy VMS from the
distribution tape to a hard disk
- loading VMB into the 780 from the console
- using VMB to boot VMS
Any help would be appreciated. The 780 simulator, in its current
incomplete state, is included in the SIMH source distribution,
http://simh.trailing-edge.com.
--
Bob Supnik bob.supnik_at_sicortex.com
VP Engineering Tel: 978.897.0214 x202
SiCortex Fax: 978.461.2444
One Clocktower Place Cell: 508.344.0398
Suite 100
Maynard, Ma 01754
Received on Tue Jan 04 2005 - 08:09:17 GMT