[Info-vax] Backup TK50 tapes

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2013-02-23 01:45:46 +0000, supervinx said:

> Hi !
> I'm facing this problem.
> I have a bunch of TK50 original tapes and I want to create tape images, 
> in order
> to save data and use them into simh.
> ...
> 1) May I create those images with the available hardware ?

Um, BACKUP /PHYSICAL does that.  BACKUP /PHYSICAL is the rough VMS 
equivalent of dd, and it can be used to create a physical saveset.  But 
that's a pile of work, with a pile of gear, and arguably unnecessary if 
there's a network here.

> 
> 2) How can I create if not a bit-by-bit copy a functionally equivalent one ?
>  Will COPY/LOG from the TK70 to a simh virtual tape (I have a cluster 
> handy) do this ?

You could quit messing around with ~1985 and move forward to ~1995.   
That is, toss the tape hardware into the "oh isn't that interesting, 
look at what we once bothered to use" pile, generate some disk images, 
and then transfer those via network.

Install the available LD kit from Jur's digiater.nl site, and then use 
LD to create and connect a disk image on OpenVMS VAX, INITIALIZE the LD 
disk image, then MOUNT that disk image, then load the disk image 
with.... stuff... ...whatever... then DISMOUNT, then LD disconnect the 
LD device, then transfer the disk image via network to the simh host 
box, specify the disk image as the target device (device type RAUSER) 
in the simh initialization, boot OpenVMS VAX, and MOUNT your disk 
image, and off you go...

If you want to speed the network transfer at the cost of some CPU 
cycles on each end, zip the disk image for the network transfer, and 
unzip in in the target environment.  Typical disk images compress 
*really* well, and that'll make less time spent yawning while the slow 
Ethernet on the box VAX transfers the file over to the target simh host.


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