[Info-vax] DEC distribution media ID numbers

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2016-09-14 14:46:39 +0000, Lee Gleason said:

>   Lately, I've started saving disk images of the assorted software 
> floppies I've accumulated over the years. I notice all the DEC software 
> distribution floppies have an ID string on them - usually something 
> like BL-FK808-MC. Anyone ever run across a listing these IDs and their 
> descriptions? If I could find a list that called out what each one was, 
> it would save me a lot of typing, since I could just enter the ID 
> number as I do each one, rather than having to type in a description as 
> well.

AFAIK, those part numbers were never propagated outside of the software 
manufacturing folks, and outside of whatever databases the 
manufacturing folks were using.

Having built various bills of materials over the years, those media 
part numbers were something that arose from the manufacturing folks, 
and that the development teams then ignored.

The bills of materials were the descriptions of the orderable parts, 
and were what got documented and disseminated.   For the software and 
documentation and related, these were the QA-. QB- and QL-  parts.

Overview:  
http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/vax/lmf/The_LMF_User_Primer_Apr90.pdf 


The old DEC price books were the canonical sources of what was 
available for part numbers and related and did list some lower-level 
parts, so — if any part numbers from that era are listed anywhere — 
look in the old price books.


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