[HECnet] SIMH TOPS-20 question --> recipe for handling Tops20 install tapes

Sat Dec 25 02:29:01 PST 2021

I think Paul cannot get these files loaded on his Tops20 V4.1 system from hecnet, being barred by lacking decnet and/or Kermit functionality.

In the end (!) the tape recipe works as follows:

Get a FRESH  copy of tape BB-D867E-BM_TOPS20_V41_2020_INSTL.TAP-1 (after unzip) from Pdp10 archive into a host directory.

In simh when the monitor Tops20 V4.1 has been fired up or before:

ATT –F TU0 SIMH G:\TEMP\BB-D867E-BM_TOPS20_V41_2020_INSTL.TAP-1        or your favorite location

Then in Tops20:

ENA CAP

R OPR

SET TAPE MTA0: UNAV  This may already have been set

^Z

EXIT

Then in command prompt:

REWIND MTA0:                 to be safe

SKIP MTA0: 7 FILES          files is necessary else you get some special problems! This bypasses the initial files on the tape

R DUMPR

TAPE MTA0:

PRINT TTY:                          gives you the contents of the savesets

EXIT

With modified former commands (RESTORE) in DUMPR you can also retrieve the files necessary.

$rew mta0:

$skip mta0: 7 fILES 

$r dumper

DUMPER>tape mta0:

DUMPER>print tty:

^L

DUMPER tape # 1, "SYSTEM files for TOPS-20 V4.1", Thursday,  7-Apr-83 1221

     file                                                   last write          size (pages)        checksum

DDB for PS:<NEW-SYSTEM>

     PS:<NEW-SYSTEM>2020-ARPA-MONMED.EXE.1                  5-Apr-83 1928       321

     PS:<NEW-SYSTEM>2020-ARPA-MONSML.EXE.1                  5-Apr-83 1924       321

     PS:<NEW-SYSTEM>2020-MONMED.EXE.1                       5-Apr-83 1837       326

ETC.

Reindert

From: owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE [mailto:owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE] On Behalf Of Thomas DeBellis
Sent: Saturday, 25 December, 2021 04:11
To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
Subject: Re: [HECnet] SIMH TOPS-20 question

OK, that's done: you can look at the following on VENTI2: via anonymous FAL

T41SUB: => TOMMYT:<OINKY.T2041.NEW-SUBSYS>    SYSTEM files for TOPS-20 V4.1,  7-Apr-83 1221
T41SYS: => TOMMYT:<OINKY.T2041.NEW-SYSTEM>    SUBSYS files for TOPS-20 V4.1,  7-Apr-83 1223
T41UET: => TOMMYT:<OINKY.T2041.UETP-LIB>      UETP files for TOPS-20 V4.1,  7-Apr-83 1226 

So NFT does what you think it would, viz:

NFT>dirECTORY (OF REMOTE FILES) venti2::T41SUB:*.*.* 
Access information for node VENTI2::/ACCOUNT:
User: 
Password: 
[Fork NFT opening DCN:VENTI2-FAL for reading, writing]

  VENTI2::TOMMYT:<OINKY.T2041.NEW-SUBSYS>
ACTGEN.EXE.1;P424242            11 5632(36)   20-Dec-1982 11:52:47
ACTGEN.HLP.1;P424242             1 612(7)     11-Aug-1977 15:44:36
ACTSYM.UNV.1;P424242            20 10104(36)  15-Apr-1982 04:23:27

    .
    .
    .

This is, of course, built into DCL for VMS and RSX.  There are hooks for it in Tops-20, but they don't appear to have done it.

I also put a 'directory' of the tape in the top level anonymous directory so you can grab it, viz:

NFT>dir venti2::TOPS-20-4-1-INSTALLATION.TXT
[Fork NFT opening DCN:VENTI2-FAL for reading, writing]

  VENTI2::TOMMYT:<OINKY>
TOPS-20-4-1-INSTALLATION.TXT.1   8 18538(7)   24-Dec-2021 21:49:35

The non-ARPA monitors appear to have DECnet (I.E., NODE% points to NSPSRV, not STG), so maybe you can find something useful.  However, I did not see some expected DECnet utilities (like FAL and NFT), so I would assume there is a secondary installation tape for that.

This is some really old code; it appears to predate Multinet, or maybe the KS didn't have enough memory to handle both ARPA and DECnet.  I'd have to find source someplace.

The UETP files are of interest to me for testing purposes.

On 12/24/21 8:29 PM, Paul Koning wrote:

Ok, thanks. 

As you may notice, I'm really rather ignorant about TOPS-20.  I've never used it before, and only just barely touched it in recent weeks.

            paul

On Dec 24, 2021, at 6:21 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com <mailto:tommytimesharing at gmail.com> > wrote:

Let me know how you make out with that.  If worse comes to worst, let me know and I will grab the tape, restore the files and give you an ANONYMOUS FAL pointer to grab them.

On 12/24/21 5:48 PM, Thomas DeBellis wrote:

That would only work for a Tops-20 labeled or ANSI labeled tape.

You want to run DUMPER, then

    tape mt0:
    rewind
    print tty:

The tapes are not in TPC format, they are in TPS format (if the extention is .TAP, .TPS or TPE)

On 12/24/21 4:46 PM, Paul Koning wrote:

On Dec 24, 2021, at 3:17 PM, Peter Lothberg  <mailto:roll at stupi.com> <roll at stupi.com> wrote:

Take MRC's "Panda distribution" if you just want
it up and runnning.  I'ts somwhere on trailing edge..

-P

What I'm trying to do is fill out the missing bits of the TOPS-20 4.1 DECnet Phase II system I have.  I think tape image BB-D867E-BM.tap is the relevant kit.  

When I attached it in TPC format I get some messages that look scary but perhaps they are just confusing.  I don't know how to ask TOPS-20 what it sees on the tape, though.  "dir mt0:" complains that someone else owns the tape.

       paul

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