[HECnet] SIMH TOPS-20 question --> recipe for handling Tops20 install tapes --> MTBOOT --> create new PS: structure

[Paul Koning]

At this point I'm all set.  Reindert pointed me to a DECnet 2.1 for 2020 tape, and I copied the files on it to disk with dumper.  After that, the installation procedure in the manual did the job.  The missing part, and bafflingly so, is the dumper instructions to get the files off tape.

I also found that the "DECnet 2.1 SWS tape" has a whole bunch of neat stuff on it.

	paul

> On Dec 29, 2021, at 8:58 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I downloaded both images, but am only looking at BB-H240B-BM at the moment.
> 
> This appears to be a KL distribution as it has a rather sizeable directory for building an MCB imagine for a DN20.  A DN20 requires a DTE, which the KS does not have.  You'd need something to DMA Unibus to Unibus and I'm not sure whether that was ever a thing.  Sounds like a great idea, if you ask me.
> 
> However, I don't think any of it will be useful.  Also, I can't quite tell; it may be Phase III.  At least a document says as much.  Have a look at VENTI2::H240B.LST, which is a listing of the DUMPER save sets and VENTI2::DECNET.DOC, which is the initial documentation for the release.
> 
> How would you like to proceed?  Skip this and look at the second tape, which appears to be a 2020 based distribution?
> 
> On 12/28/21 7:34 PM, Paul Koning wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Dec 28, 2021, at 5:11 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com <mailto:tommytimesharing at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> dir mta0: would only work for either a Tops-20 or ANSI labeled tape with volume recognition on.  You're not doing that by assigning the tape drive directly.
>>> 
>>> But they're probably not labeled; I don't recall that DEC shipped this way.
>>> 
>>> If you let me know what tapes you're looking at, I can have a look and give you some pointers or tips.
>> 
>> BB-H240B-BM.tap.gz <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/TOPS-20/BB-H240B-BM.tap.gz> is one, BB-H241B-BM.tap.gz <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/TOPS-20/BB-H241B-BM.tap.gz> the other.  I'm not sure which is right.  The description file (labels_combined.txt <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/labels_combined.txt>) has them listed as:
>> 
>> BB-H240B-BM         DECNET-20 V2 DIST TAPE                1980     _tops-20
>> BB-H241B-BM         DECNET-20 2020 V2 DISTRIBUTION        1980     _tops-20
>> 
>> 	paul
>> 

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