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DEC Vaxstation 3100/30

M

maxfli

Experienced Member
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Oct 21, 2012
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179
I am looking at a vaxstation 3100/30, catch is that I’d does not come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor. Would it be cheaper to just get a DEC terminal or buy a keyboard (lk201 or lk401) a mouse and a video adapter ( having a hard time finding an adapter with a two row 15 pin connector, found one on eBay but it’s only for a monochrome monitor, BC23K)?

Thanks in advance!!!
 
You should be able to use it with a serial terminal (or terminal emulator on a PC, modern or old) and a MMJ to DE9 or DB25 adapter. That's how I run mine.
 
It really depends on your intended usage. If you want to experience DECWindows or X11R3, you have to get a keyboard/mouse/monitor. I've got a old tube monitor with BNC connectors that I have used, but if memory serves it's kinda fiddly to get working. I don't believe you can network X to a modern desktop anymore, the protocols have moved on. It's may be possible to use VNC or the like, but I've never tried it. Obviously, VNC won't help to get the OS installed.

On the other hand, as glitch pointed out, a terminal or serial adapter from a PC can get you up and running pretty quickly. MMJ adapters aren't easy to find, but they are still available. Once you're up and running, telnet is a quick and easy portal into the machine.

CW
 
Assuming you are going to run VMS, personally I would get it running connected to a PC acting as a terminal first, or any terminal that will do VTxx emulation.
You will need an MMJ to RS232 adaptor but these are not too hard to make/buy. What I did was to make a cable with an MMJ on one end to go the VAX and a normal 6P6C or RJ12 plug on the other end. Thin I used something like one of these RJ12/DB9 to go to the PC.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124113348012

but assuming you are in the USA (pop a state in your profile and we can then see) You can get these:-

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DB9-Male-to-MMJ-6-wire-RS232-Modular-Adapter-Gray/184442026471

and MMJ cables

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEC-BCE16E-10-Officeconnect-MMJ-cable-10-ft/274654383945

so you should be good to go for less that $20 -to go to the RS232 on an older PC. If you don't have an older PC you may need a USB to RS232 or ExpressCard to RS232.

You should even be able to start DEC Windows and connect using "xming" on a PC. Then you can decide how to proceed. I think to run it with a GUI finding a mouse will be the hardest thing.

you may also find this usefull

http://hoffmanlabs.org/vmsfaq/vmsfaq_026.html
 
Bitly said:
It really depends on your intended usage. If you want to experience DECWindows or X11R3, you have to get a keyboard/mouse/monitor. I've got a old tube monitor with BNC connectors that I have used, but if memory serves it's kinda fiddly to get working. I don't believe you can network X to a modern desktop anymore, the protocols have moved on. It's may be possible to use VNC or the like, but I've never tried it. Obviously, VNC won't help to get the OS installed.

On the other hand, as glitch pointed out, a terminal or serial adapter from a PC can get you up and running pretty quickly. MMJ adapters aren't easy to find, but they are still available. Once you're up and running, telnet is a quick and easy portal into the machine.

CW
Click to expand...

The option of PC serial with an adapter is the best solution, try one of these: http://www.pacificcable.com/Picture_Page.asp?DataName=H8575-B

The monitors are exceedingly rare and if you want an equivalent you're probably stuck making your own cable, and determining whether the monitor/LCD you want to use accepts sync-on-green. Some do, some don't, mostly it's hard to find info about it on anything made in the last 15 or so years. From my experience, it is possible to run XDMCP from a Vaxstation 3100/30 (3100/38, in my case) over a network to a linux machine or a windows 7 machine with Xming. It's not fast and you'll want to find a machine with as much RAM as possible to tolerate the stress that DECWindows will put on the system anyway, but it can be made to work with VMS.

Sadly my 3100/38 no longer boots and the LED codes are inconclusive so it's in a closet right now and I've long since lost my VMS DCL scripts that got XDMCP started. XDMCP remote DECWindows is really more of a personal challenge than a usable interface to be honest, you'll find the system far more usable if you get it running on your network and just telnet in with a bunch of Putty windows instead of trying to run a lot of Xterm or DECTerm windows.
 
So I could use HyperTerminal, Putty or Tera Term with the serial option (to connect through the serial port) to connect to the system with the cables mentioned above?

There is a web site www.varx.com that sells old DEC systems/components/parts, they have terminals that range from $200 - $500.

And yes I'm in the USA.
 
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Yikes, $45USD for a MMJ->DE9! I don't think I've ever paid more than Pacific's price ($6USD) and most of mine are originals bought in the last 5 years. Buy the one from Pacific, they make good stuff.
 
glitch said:
Yikes, $45USD for a MMJ->DE9! I don't think I've ever paid more than Pacific's price ($6USD) and most of mine are originals bought in the last 5 years. Buy the one from Pacific, they make good stuff.
Click to expand...

Yes, my Pacific adapter works fine after several years. I'm pretty sure they sell the MMJ cables to order too, I've been using mine with a DEC 3000/400 since the 3100 went wrong. Getting the connector to work with a USB-RS232 cable requires an RS232 cable in between in my case but I may have just bought the wrong version years ago. Total cost would probably be $25-35 depending on the MMJ cable length and where you get the RS232 cable and USB cable
 
On my last order from Pacific Cables, they came back and said the actual price for their adapters is $11 USD. Not sure if they updated their prices online, and it's still less than $45, but FYI.
 
So I have purchased a DEC VAXStation 3100/40 w/ 2x 1GB HDD and a DEC terminal, will have OpenVMS 7.2 or 7.3 loaded. However it dose not have a CD-ROM or a Tape drive, but those can be added as an external SCSI device, these will be added at a later date. Will also add a printer of some sort at a later date as well.

Anybody know of a free (license free) programs that I can run on such a system?
 
daver2 said:
How about here https://wiki.vmssoftware.com/Freeware_CD?

But you will still have to get them to the VAX somehow.

Of course, some of the software is supplied as source code - so you will need a (potentially licensed) compiler running on the VAX.

Dave
Click to expand...

Much is Object Code. Hopefully it came with some licences?

If the VAX has TCPIP set up, which I would think it does at 7.x then you can use FTP, well so long as you have ZIP on the VAX

You can also set up a SIMH image running OpenVMS and use DECNET to copy the files. You will need a licence, but I believe HP said the last OpenVMS hobbyist licences could be shared.
 
g4ugm said:
Much is Object Code. Hopefully it came with some licences?
You can also set up a SIMH image running OpenVMS and use DECNET to copy the files. You will need a licence, but I believe HP said the last OpenVMS hobbyist licences could be shared.
Click to expand...

Yes. The last set of licenses HP sent out to everyone were identical and all expire on 01-JAN-2021 so HP was okay with people sharing them. They stopped sending out any around May 2020 so there is no source anymore.
 
bifo86 said:
I'm pretty sure they sell the MMJ cables to order too
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised, I think my last order of MMJ ends came from them (Vnetek is out, I ordered the last pack years ago!). I've got the stuff to make MMJ cables if they don't do that anymore, and a 1000-foot reel of Spectra-Strip flat cable branded DEC OfficeConnect :)
 
g4ugm said:
Much is Object Code. Hopefully it came with some licences?

If the VAX has TCPIP set up, which I would think it does at 7.x then you can use FTP, well so long as you have ZIP on the VAX

You can also set up a SIMH image running OpenVMS and use DECNET to copy the files. You will need a licence, but I believe HP said the last OpenVMS hobbyist licences could be shared.
Click to expand...

VAX as FTP server would be easier and you could load ZIP that way on the off chance it isn't installed. The one caveat about what you'll find on the freeware CDs is that because it's freeware and because VAX installations were usually very customized to the admin's preferences and because the software probably never got updated, you'll need to edit a lot of DCL scripts and much of it may not work at all.

That said I remember that nethack 3.4.3 compiled on a basic system.
 
I noticed in the user guide that the system has two ports for the network, one is BNC the other is a 15pin connector, is that AUI?
 
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