[Info-vax] swap and page files

[Paul Sture]

In article <kc51bt$343$1 at dont-email.me>,
 David Froble <davef at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:

> Bob Koehler wrote:
> > In article <kc4hpq$ao7$5 at online.de>, helbig at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de 
> > (Phillip Helbig---undress to reply) writes:
> >> With ALPHAs no problem.  With VAXes, at least some wanted to have the 
> >> console always switched on, at least during boot.  (ALPHAs will even 
> >> boot with the console switched off or not even present.)
> > 
> >    Reminds me of the time our LA36 console died on one of our 11/780.
> >    We had no spare LA36, and none of our VT100 had the current loop
> >    interface that the consoles used.
> > 
> >    We had two competely different setups with two completely different
> >    sets of disk platters (RP06), so we had to be able to reboot.
> >    Different applications, different data, different SYSGEN parameters,
> >    differet UAF contents, sometimes different VMS versions, ...
> > 
> >    I showed the operations folks how to tell that SHUTDOWN.COM had
> >    probably finished, and how to use the front panel toggle switches
> >    to force a reboot.
> > 
> >    Ran just fine that way until the next day, when the parts came in.
> > 
> >    Consoles?  We don't need no stinkin' consoles!
> > 
> 
> Some do, some don't.
> 
> VAXstation 4000 systems will halt, sooner or later, if the line to the 
> console terminal is unplugged ..
> 
> Usually sooner ..

My very first experience of a VAXcluster was a pair of VAX 4000-300 
systems.

One day the power went, the UPS then generator kicked in and I was still 
happily working away.

The mains came back and the systems promptly gave no response.

The problem was that the VT220 lookalike consoles weren't connected to 
the UPS and when they powered on they each sent a break...

As a sidenote, these were pretty crappy VT220 emulations, so had been 
consigned to the computer room because nobody wanted them on their own 
desks.

-- 
Paul Sture