Re: VAX 11/730 SABACKUP questions

Chris Scheers wrote:

I'm aware of these. If there is an incantation to get a 730 to boot from a 9-track, I would like to know what it is. "BOOT MTA0" will NOT work.

The only documented way to boot SABACKUP on a 730 that I can find requires booting it from a disk. Generally this means a TU58 set or a copy installed on the system disk. Since the system disk had to be replaced, that copy is gone and now they can't find the TU58 copy.

I need a way to boot SABACKUP so I can restore a disk image. Then I can have SABACKUP on the system disk again.

It's a chicken and egg problem.


Chris,

Thanks for the email.

Other devices can be booted, but the tu58 must load the cpu microcode first. Then depending on what command files you set up on the tu58, you can boot from any supported device. I'm pretty sure that mu class devices (9 track, tk50 etc) are supported, as well as stuff like RL01/2.

Memory is hazy, but I think the the boot sequence goes as follows: The monitor first loads the cpu microcode, then runs some diags using the loaded instruction set on itself and then tests memory. Then, vmb.exe is loaded from tu58 into memory before calling vmb to boot the specified device. Once vmb.exe is loaded, you probably find that any vms supported device can be booted, even if not *officially* supported on the machine.

There is enough functionality on the 730 console monitor to be able to copy files from one tu58 to another, so you could replace the r80 boot stuff with rl, du or mu boot. It's painfully slow, but does work. Don't remember the runes, but it's all explained in the 730 docs and istr, there's quite a bit of info in older vms install manuals. If you don't have the docs, bitsavers.org has some 730 related stuff which might be worth a look. Will check what I have left here as well in the meantime. The other thing I have is a tu58 tape set up to boot a du class device, (RAxx etc) but it would mean installing a uda50 + Ra drives, or equvalent from Emulex or Dilog etc. Finally, there was a unibus controller for tk50, so you could put one of these in temporarily and boot from tk50. I alsmost certainly still have tk50 5.4 stabackup tapes and vms 5.4 install media.

One *key* thing to check on old 730's is the state of the tu58 rubber wheels. They can dissolve over time into a black glue like mess that destroys tapes. Worth checking that they ok before inserting valuable media...

Chris


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: VAX 11/730 SABACKUP questions
    ... The system disk died and has been replaced. ... I know how to boot SABACKUP from a TU58 or RL02, but I don't have a machine that I can use to generate media for them. ... the microcode from the TU58 tape. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX 11/730 SABACKUP questions
    ... I know how to boot SABACKUP from a TU58 or RL02, but I don't have a machine that I can use to generate media for them. ... implies that you have the three or four standalone bootable TU58s required. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX 11/730 SABACKUP questions
    ... The system disk died and has been replaced. ... I know how to boot SABACKUP from a TU58 or RL02, but I don't have a machine that I can use to generate media for them. ... the microcode from the TU58 tape. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX 11/730 SABACKUP questions
    ... The system disk died and has been replaced. ... Is there a way to boot a 730 from the TU80? ... someone set up to generate SABACKUP media on TU58 or RL02? ... the microcode from the TU58 tape. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Boot Error on Shadowed Sys Disk.
    ... and the system disk is in the SAN. ... Boot the new M32 from the same root as was used by the old M16. ... window) reduced all of my shadowsets to a single member (one of the ...
    (comp.os.vms)