[HECnet] Reading RT11 files under Windows or Linux

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2021-04-22 14:23, Dave McGuire wrote:
> On 4/22/21 6:16 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>> The 86x0 do load all microcode from the FE at startup time. It takes a
>> little while to boot an 86x0 because of this. The power system is also
>> software controlled, and at power up, only a single power supply is on.
>> Everything else is turned on by the FE at a later stage. Fun to watch
>> the system start up. Slowly, LED after LED lights up, as different parts
>> gets initialized.
> 
>    This is the way IBM mainframes (post-S/390, and a few earlier than
> that) work too.  You've probably seen the ones with the laptops built
> into the front of the CPU cabinet; they run OS/2 up to the z890, and
> after that they run Linux.  They inject the microcode into the hardware
> as a part of the POR (Power-On Reset) process.  Booting (er, IPLing)
> them takes quite a while, depending on the configuration.
> 
>    That's how IBM turns them into zero-resale-value bricks when at
> decommissioning time.
> 
>> I just love that machine. :-)
> 
>    I wish there were more of them around. :-(

Well, Update have two of them. One can start with the turn of a key. The 
other one can maybe get to running condition, but would require some work.

The biggest problem right now is that the cooling is broken, so we even 
had to turn off the 11/70, and it seems next year we might not have any 
location anymore... :-(

   Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol