[Info-vax] OpenVMS Hobbyist licence - howto

[Bob Koehler]

In article <hh79cd$vid$00$1 at news.t-online.com>, Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de> writes:
> People say it's 1GB due to firmware limitations
> (so once popular disks like the ST51080N
> and the IBM DPES31080 will work).
> But, strangely enough, I could install Ultrix
> on VS3100 /M38 and /M30 models on 4 and 2GB disks,
> respectively.
> So maybe those limitations hurt VMS, but not Ultrix?

   Those limitations hurt if the files needed for booting are not
   physically within the limitations.  Other files can be outside
   the limitations, and a fresh install typically does put the
   necessary files within limitations, simply because the OS
   doesn't take that much space.

   But if you do a backup and restore, or an update to the OS, you may
   not be able to guarantee you'll still have all the required files
   located within the limitations. 

   You might be able to guarantee this for UNIX by carefully setting
   up partitions.  You might be able to fix a VMS disk that won't boot
   by connecting it to a different VMS system and carefully using
   IO$_MOVE.