[Info-vax] Trying to boot a MicroVAX II with VMS 7.3

[Richard B. Gilbert]

johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk wrote:
> On Mar 28, 2:44 pm, "Robert Jarratt" <nos... at nosp.am> wrote:
>> I am trying various ways to boot my MicroVAX II. I am currently unable to do
>> this using MOP because 7.3 does not support DEQNA. So I am now trying
>> standalone backup using TK50. I created the kit on another machine running
>> 7.3 and put it into the MicroVAX II. After a while I got:
>>
>> %SYSBOOT-F-PFN allocation overwrites CI ucode.
>>
>> This seems to be related to SYSGEN parameters essentially requesting too
>> much memory. Is there a way to generate a standalone backup kit on another
>> machine such that I can avoid this issue?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Rob
> 
> [interim answer till the usual - more reliable - oldtimers turn up]
> 
> The ideal solution (since your VAX is actually networked) might be to
> find a DELQA from somewhere and junk the DEQNA, so that you are not
> later caught out by the DEQNA lockup "quality improvement
> opportunity" (it's not a problem, it's not an issue, it's a QIO). They
> might be expensive for a hobbyist machine though.
> 
> Why is a MicroVAX worrying about CI microcode anyway?Is there a CI
> interface in this MicroVAX (it's unlikely but not impossible in a Qbus
> system)? Or is the error message misleading?  Did that error message
> get printed as you seem to say, or did you look it up based on a
> numeric error status value? If numeric, are you confident you got the
> decimal/hex thing right (I can't remember the details or check right
> now but I can remember being caught out by the difference between $
> exit 910 and $exit %X910 etc).
> 
> I have a very vague recollection that the DEQNA check could at one
> time be overridden by boot flags but can't currently find any evidence
> of this (and would be very surprised if it lasted as late as VMS 7.3
> anyway).
> 
> If you are worried about SYSGEN parameters, have you tried booting
> conversationally and then the usual conversational boot options are
> available to you?
> 
> Whatever happened to VAXrsm (Remote System Manager) anyway... netboot
> a VAX and install VMS over the LAN without actually needing to be
> clustered (plus many other useful things which I have mostly
> forgotten). It might even not have a DEQNA check in it.
> 
> Good luck.


I don't think I've seen or heard of RSM in the last ten years or so!  It 
may have become a casualty of the acquisition by Compaq and then HP.  I 
used to use it at McGraw-Hill to handle the VAX Clusters at about 100 
field offices.