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

[Robert Jarratt]

"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88 at comcast.net> wrote in message 
news:P9adnSydZrhJ91PUnZ2dnUVZ_jaWnZ2d at giganews.com...
> 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.

The error message is exactly as printed. I don't know what CI interface is, 
can someone tell me?

I would love to get hold of a DELQA, but eBay prices are, as you surmise, 
prohibitive for a hobbyist. I am looking instead at getting hold of an older 
version of VMS.

Regards

Rob