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Install VMS on an Vax server 3100

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Hjalmar

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Apr 28, 2022
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I'm trying to install VMS on a Vaxsever 3100. I have a couple of versions of VMS burned to CDs 6 something and 7.5. when I try to boot to the CD both versions give a DKBTDRIVER Halting at relative address 041A DKBTDRIVER base address 00001754.

Does someone know what the problem might be? The power supply has been recapped.

Firmware KA41-E V1.0
The boot up gives a question mark after the 1? In the line then four line

? E 0040 0000.0005
? C 0080 0000.4001
? 6 80A1 0000.4001
?? 1 00C0 0011.700E

If that helps
Thanks
Todd
 

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E is time-of-year clock
C is serial port
6 is SCSI-B
1 is ethernet (probably not terminated)

I don't know if the SCSI-B failure is an issue or not. The others shouldn't be a problem. Make sure the SCSI goes from the interface card to each drive and back to the interface card. There shouldn't be terminators on any of the drives (they are on the interface card). Also, the CDROM MUST be able to do 512 byte sectors. Most will only do 2048 byte sectors.

Using a different machine (PC?), try and dump the VMS disc and make sure the SCSI CDROM you are using can read the entire thing. Some CD drives have issues with recorded media.

CW
 
Should I have a terminator on the external scsi centronics connector?

And thanks I'll check the CD-rom tomorrow.
 
Hjalmar said:
Should I have a terminator on the external scsi centronics connector?

And thanks I'll check the CD-rom tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I don´t have a terminator on my vaxstation 3100 external port.
From googling the error it appears you CD Drive isn´t strapped for 512byte sectors.
Errors are all normal. Do you mean 7.6, i thought 7.3 was last vax version.
 
I will double check the version. I found it on archive.org if I remember correctly.

I ordered a Sun 411 external CD drive that I hope will solve the sector problem.

Thanks for your help

Todd
 
Okay, I assume a BlueScsi would work as well?

I have an original DEC 2X CD-Rom drive coming as well.

I should have some progress to report by next week.

Thanks
 
Hjalmar said:
Okay, I assume a BlueScsi would work as well?

I have an original DEC 2X CD-Rom drive coming as well.

I should have some progress to report by next week.

Thanks
Click to expand...
I have a MV3100 M95 running OpenVMS V7.3 with two ZuluSCSI 2040 cards as disks. Previously I had SCSI2SD V6 cards in it and had no problems. A friend has had issues with older OpenVMS versions (V6.0/6.1 I believe) and the newer ZuluSCSI 2040 cards due to bugs in the OpenVMS SCSI drivers. I have not tried a BlueSCSI card, but part of the ZuluSCSI code is based on BlueSCSI so it may work without issue.

If the DEC CD-ROM drive does not help (but it should) then putting the CD image on a BlueSCSI/SCSI2SD/ZuluSCSI device would work.

For OpenVMS SCSI CD-ROM drives you want one that can do 512-byte records as other have mentioned. The default back at that time as 2048-byte. DEC (and apparently Sun) used Toshiba drives for their OEM so looking for them helps. I generally look for the XM-5701B and XM-6201B. Be careful as Toshiba had a number of drives with similar model names (XM-6401B for example - won't work as it has no jumper for 512-byte, ask me how I know) and they won't work. They were plentiful not that long ago and I see they are getting pricey on Ebay and other sources now. Enough to make getting the ZuluSCSI card the cheaper option.
 
Okay, I have a 4000 VLC to get running as well if I ever figure out what is going on with it's power supply... I don't know yet if either SCSI hard drive is working properly

Thanks
 
Back in town. I now got a open VMS 7.2 to boot with a Toshiba xm-4101b drive. It gives me a line

%backup-I- ident, stand-alone backup backup t7.2; the date is 14-MAY-2024 16:34:07.38
$

When I try to type what I think is a VMS command it gives me unrecognized command.

Where do I go from here?
 
You need to transfer the VMS image to a disk. RTFM. You're on page 3-4 of this version for example (it's for V7.3, but I think the differences, if any, are minimal). Read "Creating System Disk" there.
 
nadaveiron said:
You need to transfer the VMS image to a disk. RTFM. You're on page 3-4 of this version for example (it's for V7.3, but I think the differences, if any, are minimal). Read "Creating System Disk" there.
Click to expand...

This is correct. You need to use BACKUP to restore the VMS072.B save set to your system disk target. OpenVMS is not Windows not macOS. To install successfully you really need to read or at least skim (if you have done it before and only need a refresher) the Upgrade and Installation Manual.

As mentioned, the manual linked is V7.3 but its close enough to 7.2 that the basic install hasn't changed. Some details might be different. Wherever you got the V7.2 O/S disk from you should look for the Documentation disk as well to see if you can get the PDF's I have the V7.1 and V7.3 but, unfortunately don't seem to have the V7.2 OSDOC CD.

Anyway, start at page 3-4, Section 3.2 and read and follow the instructions and you should do well.
 
Thanks for the help and the links, the last DEC machine I was around was a PDP-11 in high school in 1979.
A lot to learn. I have got it installed so I'm making some progress. This is the server version of the 3100 so I assume there will be some limitations.
 

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Hjalmar said:
This is the server version of the 3100 so I assume there will be some limitations.
Click to expand...
Other than missing the graphics of the VAXstation, there are no limitations on a MicroVAX. Even that can be worked around by having an X-Window server (PC or terminal like VT1200/1300) and running DECWindows or Motif to it.
 
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