[Info-vax] Blast from the past adding a RA72 to a VAX 3900

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2011-01-20 20:10, starchild wrote:
> Hello
> I'm trying to add a third RA series drive to a 3900 in a BA213
> chassis. The system already has two drives
> 1 RA72 (DUA0 boot drive) and 1 RA73 (DUA2 holding Pathwork software).
> I'm trying to add a third drive a
> RA72. As I recall the third drive inside the cabinet doesn't need the
> remote console cable. Since there is already DUA0 and DUA2 I'm trying
> to override the default settings on the third drive. On the RA72  I
> tried changing the dip switch to something else besides DUA0. Each
> time I change the settings the RA72 reports itself as a RA71 and
> fails. If I leave the drive as is (DUA0) the drive works and will
> boot. The RA72 has VMS 6.2 on it which I don't need. The KDA50 has the
> standard 4 cables. Cable 0 goes to the 1st RA72 and the 2nd cable goes
> to the RA73.  Cables 3 and 4 are open I know I'm doing something
> wrong, but what is it???
> tks

I would guess that you have a problem setting the Unit number on the 
"new" drive. So you end up with two drives saying that they are unit #0, 
and so - fail. I don't know how you change the unit number of RA7x 
drives without a front panel. The RA70 had a specific set of dip 
switches for this, but these are not in the other RA7x drives. I'm 
surprised that you managed to get one RA73 to identify as unit #2. How 
did you do that? My experience is that they identify as unit #0, and 
that's it.

Hmm, maybe if you reprogram the unit # when the drive is attached to 
something with a front panel, it will remember this setting even when 
you move the drive. That could be it. Find a SA7x (or what it was 
called) box which holds 4 RA7x drives, and use that to test and 
reprogram the drive.

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol