[Info-vax] VMS 5.0

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2011-11-09 00.34, Bob Eager wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:08:39 +0100, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>
>> On 2011-11-08 22.11, John Wallace wrote:
>>> On Nov 8, 7:42 pm, Johnny Billquist<b... at softjar.se>   wrote:
>>>> On 2011-11-08 15.50, 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 can't even imagine how many TU58 it would take for a full VMS
>>>> distribution. About 100 tapes maybe? Considering that the standalone
>>>> backup alone is 5 RX01 floppies, and the capacity of the TU58 is
>>>> similar, the number of disks/tapes even for some update kit quickly
>>>> becomes ridiculous as far as the number of media is concerned.
>>>>
>>>>           Johnny
>>>
>>>
>>> Speaking of ridiculous, nobody wants to mention MicroVMS on RX50s? Fair
>>> enough.
>>
>> I actually installed that. I seem to remember it was 23 RX50. Took some
>> serious time...
>
> We had a couple of 8200s, and ISTR that by that time it was about 40 RX50
> (but might have been 80!). I know it was available. Luckily they were
> clustered with an 8800...

But you didn't run MicroVMS on an 8200...?
I installed it on a MicroVAX II in 1986, at the English Embassy in 
Stockholm. That was one of the weirder things I've done. I worked at DEC 
at the time.

	Johnny