[HECnet] Bringing up a MicroVAX 3100-80

[Dave McGuire]

On 3/30/20 11:34 PM, John H. Reinhardt wrote:
> The file downloaded from HPE for OpenVMS V7.3 is a Backup saveset and
> can't be written directly to a CD to create a bootable disk. My disk
> image I got from an actual OpenVMS VAX V7.3 CD.  Assuming you have a
> disk image you can use then you can follow this. It's very simple on the
> Mac

  Waitaminute...so the disk image that you generated by reading a
bootable 7.3 CD differs from the HPE-distributed 7.3 file?  Does the
latter not contain standalone backup at the beginning, etc?

> When writing the CD, you don't need to worry about the 512 vs 2048 byte
> block problem.  That's only for the CD drive hooked to the VAX.  An
> RRD42 has the appropriate block size.  The only thing I don't know is if
> an RRD42 is too early of a drive to handle a CD-R or not.

  I've used CD-Rs in RRD42s.  It helps to burn them at no faster than 8x.

  Yes, I know, the speed at which you burn it shouldn't make any
difference.  But I was beating my head against a wall trying to boot a
DECstation from a CD-R disk, three tries, and a friend told me to try
the burn again but restrict the speed to 8x.  I was skeptical, but I
tried it, and it worked, and I've had no issues since.

                  -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA