[Info-vax] OpenVMS Hobbyist licence - howto

[AdeV]

Jan-Erik Söderholm may or may not have intoned:
> AdeV wrote:
> 
> > Hi froup,
> > 
> > Once upon a many a blue moon ago, I used a VAX 8800 (at North Staffs 
> > Polytechnic, as it was then). And, despite the many intervening years, I 
> > still have fond memories of that machine. More recently, I (very 
> > briefly) had to support a Sybase database running on a VAX (can't 
> > remember what model), which rekindled my interest. On the back of that, 
> > I acquired a MicroVAX 3100, which languished in a box for many years.
> > 
> 
> If it is one of the MV3100/80 or /90 modells, it a nice box.

Only a /30, unfortunately; but that's no problem. Any VAX is better than 
no VAX... although my own 8800 would be nice.... :D

> > As far as I can tell, a Hobbyist licence will now cost me $50 (or £45, 
> > being based in Rip-Off-Britain) per year; is that the case, or is it 
> > actually still available free & I'm misreading something somewhere?
> 
> As I understand, it's the cost of membership in one of the things
> that replaced DECUS. And if I'm not totaly wrong, there use to be
> some variant of membership that is free (?).
> 
> > 
> > Also, what's the swiftest way to obtain the necessary PAK codes 
> > (obviously, I'd like some apps to run on the machine, and ideally some 
> > programming languages over & above DCL)? 
> 
> http://www.openvmshobbyist.com/news.php
> 
> > 
> > Now, my plan is to start off using simh; but eventually, I'd like to 
> > migrate to the real VAX (i.e. the uVAX 3100). I have a variety of dumb 
> > terminals. including a couple of genuine DEC terminals; will I be able 
> > to install using one of those, or will I need a special console?
> 
> The best/easiest way is to hook up a PC running some VT-emulator to
> the console port. Simple file transfers (such as the text mails with
> the PAKs) can be transfered thgrough a simple cut-n-paste into
> the terminal emulation window (with a "$ CREATE <some-file>" command
> first).

My 3100/30 is missing its back panel... I can see 3x DEC type ports, 1x 
25-pin sub-D, and one mystery port; is there a specific "console" one, 
or just any of the 3 DEC types?

> 
> 
> 
> 
> > Also; 
> > there's a CDROM in the base unit, but no hard drive. Will any SCSI unit 
> > do, or does it need to be a special DEC item?
> 
> I guess the VMS FAQ has some info about that.
> 
> http://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/

Thanks, am reading that one now.


Thanks to everyone else for their responses too - I've not got a much 
better Clue, and hopefully my next question(s) will not be quite so 
Noobish...

-- 
Cheers!
Ade.