[Info-vax] Infoserver 150

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <k5u54a$1kk$1 at dont-email.me>,
	Stephen Hoffman <seaohveh at hoffmanlabs.invalid> writes:
> On 2012-10-20 00:44:29 +0000, Bill Gunshannon said:
> 
>> 
>>> Look in the Freeware V8.0 InfoServer directory.
> 
> And FWIW, I'd (also) expect a MOP-expecting box of any ilk - PDP-11 or 
> otherwise - could boot from either the InfoServer box or from 
> host-based InfoServer.
> 
> MOP had select few changes over the years as the MOP clients tended to 
> be embedded in firmware; DECserver boxes, MicroServer boxes, 
> LANbridges, VAX and Alpha satellites, etc.  Put another way, a 
> bootstrap would be worth a try, if you're wasting time on this stuff to 
> start with.

Wasting time is a matter of opinion.  At this stage of the game everything
I do is academic (unless someone wants to start paying me again to do some
kind of computer work).  Many today would say anyone still working with VMS
is wasting there time.  I guess the individual has to be the judge.

> 
>> Is the DECServer image there as well?
> 
> No.

OK, I'll look around.  I know I have seen them somewhere but I haven't
used them since my 11/44's left the University.

> 
> I could usually only "liberate" the discontinued DEC-owned products for 
> inclusion on the Freeware.  The DECserver stuff was sold off.  Quick 
> history through time <http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/289> to the 
> present owner of the DECserver products.
> 
> Here <http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/232> are the file names of the 
> ~dozen DECserver variants that I know about.
> 
> And FWIW, you could have answered the base question yourself - last 
> night - with a look in the Freeware directories.  Or a web search.

Except that I had no reason to assume anything relatd to the Infoserver
would be in the Freeware collection.  I have older copies of the CD and
it definitely wasn't there.  As for web searches, I find them of less
and less value every day.  Frequently they point at other web search
engines which have apparently found a way to intercept stuff to make
it look like they have data when all they really have is your query.
Kinda like PDP-11 resellers who respond to any google search saying
they have whatever module you were searching for when they actually
have nothing.

Asking experts is much more likely to garner useful information, as this
did!!  People who do not wish to answer are free to ignore the request,
but I definitely appreciate that people here answered my questions.

> 
>> I have a couple and while not
>> of much practical use, they might be fun to play with.
> 
> I know folks that use them for console access.
> 
>> Speaking of which, is there any hardware documentation available on DECServers?
> 
> AFAIK, no.
> 
>> Might be fun to try to make them into IP based Terminal Servers.  
>> BusyBox should run just fine on the M68K in them.
> 
> You're not the first to consider hosting some different software.  But 
> AFAIK, there was never any technical programming documentation 
> released.   The boxes were strictly embedded and never 
> customer-programmanble, so you'll be reverse-engineering all of this, 
> if you proceed.   The DECserver boxes were all considered box-swap FRUs 
> AFAIK; no component repairs in the field, and with no customer access; 
> the box or the DEChub or the power brick got swapped.
 
Well, I had an idea what was in one (like I knew it was M68K based) but
I never looked.  I just did.  Only two chips socketd, CPU and LANCE. None
of the RAM or ROM is.  :-(  Also, looks like about 64K of RAM (not a bad
problem) but only 32K of ROM.  Not going to get a (bloated!) copy of Linux
in there in order to make the box more capable.

OH well, they (I have three) can sit on the shelf a little longer for me
to play with or, maybe, somebody will show up looking for one or two for
some serious operation.  Anything to keep them out of the landfill.

bill

-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>