[Info-vax] Backup TK50 tapes

[David Froble]

Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2013-02-24 01:56:01 +0000, David Froble said:
> 
>> If your objective is to be able to use the old versions of the OS, you 
>> can, as someone else mentioned, copy the save set(s) from the tape.  
>> The save sets are just files.  COPY will copy the files on tape to 
>> wherever you wish.
>>
>> The save set with the ".A" is a minimal copy of VMS, and when restored 
>> onto a disk, using BACKUP, is then booted and the installation 
>> continues with the other save sets.
> 
> The VMS kit .B file (eg: VMS073.B) is the BACKUP /IMAGE of the bootable 
> installation.
> 
> The .A file contains the KITINSTAL, used for OpenVMS VAX upgrades.
> 
> FWIW.

Yep.  See, I told you it's been a long time.

>> If your intention is to be able to build distribution / bootable 
>> tapes, or perhaps logical disk container files (LD), then as 
>> mentioned, STABACKIT does just that.  But you'll first have to install 
>> the OS from the save sets and then be running that OS in order to use 
>> STABACKIT.
> 
> Yes; you need a working OpenVMS VAX installation to build an 
> installation kit.
> 
>> It's been a long time, and I may need to refresh some memories.
> 
> S'okay.  I'm apparently prone to lecturing, not nice anymore, and also 
> now irony-impaired, or so I hear.  Does this lead to "GOML"?
> 
>> I haven't gone into detail because I'm still not sure of just what 
>> your goals are.  If you're going to state your goals, then do just 
>> that. Don't attempt to describe what you think you should be doing, 
>> because that doesn't help, and gets people going off on tangents.
> 
> Is anybody in this newsgroup actually tangent-impaired?  (If so, are 
> they posting?)
> 
>> Note, I've never used LD container files.  All my VMS systems are 
>> still running on VAX and Alpha hardware.
> 
> LD is handy for stuff, even on real hardware.  Useful for testing 
> certain sorts of commands, burning disks, partitioning disks, etc.
> 
>