RSTS on a Pro, was Re: [HECnet] DECnet User Mode Router - Encapsulation Formats

[Dave McGuire]

On 06/22/2012 05:33 PM, Paul_Koning at Dell.com wrote:
It's a midnight project, done while at DEC but not official.   I did
it first on RSTS 9.6, and in fact built a set of 3 or so floppies
that can be used, along with a stock microRSTS kit, to install that
on a Pro.   I subsequently ported it to RSTS/E 10.1 but didn't
repackage it as I did the first time.

  Wow wow wow!!   This really makes my day!

Yes, new drivers for sure.   New interrupt handling, too.

  I figured!

BTW, if you can write the correct bootstrap, the stock RSTS 9.6
INIT.SYS will boot on a Pro, because the PRO supports bits made it
into the official sources as far as the init code goes.   If you do,
it will identify the machine type as a "GPK-350" or "GPK-380".   :-)

  Wow, I never knew this!

What's missing is CNA support (Ethernet).   The chip used on that card
sucks quite severely, and I've never had enough energy to write the
driver.

  Urr?   Doesn't the CNA use an Am7990 "Lance" chip?   As I recall that
isn't too bad to program.   I must be misremembering what chip it uses..?

But I have disk, and display, and serial ports including the
obscure 4-port card, DDCMP support in both sync and async mode...

  Wow, that is fantastic!   (I keep saying "wow"! ;))

  Umm...are you willing to share that stuff? =)   I run RSTS 10.1 on many
of my PDP-11s; I'd LOVE to run it on my Pro-350!

                  -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA