[Info-vax] VMS 5.0

[RobertsonEricW]

On Nov 8, 10:50 am, koeh... at eisner.nospam.encompasserve.org (Bob
Koehler) wrote:
> In article <e26cf339-adbf-48b1-aaf0-8bf7e6bce... at i10g2000vbk.googlegroups.com>, abrsvc <dansabrservi... at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>
>
> > The more likely contents are the standanlone backup kit.  IIRC, the
> > actual VMS software was distributed on magtape,TK50 and removeable
> > disk only.
>
>    Some VMS update kits were distributed on TU58.
>
>    One of the 3.x update kits was on several TU58, at the time the only
>    option for 11/750 owners.  (I think it was on 8" floppies for
>    11/780).  At the time only full installs shipped on 9-track.
>
>    It took so long to ingest from TU58 and DEC got so many complaints
>    that DEC decided, and loudly declared at the next DECUS symposium,
>    that in the future _all_ kits would be available on 9-track.
>
>    Then CD became the standard media for Alpha, and available for VAX,
>    so we immediately ordered a Qbus CD reader for our MV II.

I remember installing my very first VAX/VMS system (V5.0) using the
TU58 tapes. I don't remember the exact number of TU58 cassettes in the
installation kit. Somewhere slightly south of 2 dozen TU58 cassettes.
The system generation process took virtually all day to accomplish. No
wonder DEC got complaints about that. Even back then (circa 1986),
that was a big chunk of time just to do a bare bones operating system
installation.

Ah... the bad old days. Sometimes I miss them. But not in this case!

Eric