[Info-vax] VAXStation 3100

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/16/19 4:56 PM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <ga9dkmFjtv3U1 at mid.individual.net>, Bill Gunshannon
> <bill.gunshannon at gmail.com> writes:
> 
>>>> What is the smallest size disk one would recommend for
>>>> VAX/VMS 7.3 and all the layered products the Hobbyist
>>>> Program provides Keys for?
>>>
>>> 4 GB is luxury.  2 should be enough.  I ran 2-GB system disks on VAXen
>>> for about 15 years.  Maybe 1 GB if you are careful, but go with 2.
>>
>> 4GB and 2GB will not boot on a VS3100.  Not really sure about 1GB
>> I was hoping maybe 340M as I have a bunch of them.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that "all the layered products" would need at least 1
> GB, probably more than the maximum size of the disk the VS3100 can boot
> from.

Then can't I install them on a second disk or do they require
being on the system disk?  Trick might be to put the minimum
necessary on the system disk.  Or go with the netboot option.  :-)

> 
> Why not get a VAXstation 4000?  About the same size, lighter (since
> plastic not metal casing), more-standard SCSI, much faster, about the
> same power requirements and noise level, and can handle larger boot
> disks.

Because I have 4 VS3100's and I have no VS4000.  :-)

> 
>>> I really, really, really, really recommend HBVS.  The only real
>>> disadvantage on VAX is that MINICOPY doesn't work.  (Well, technically
>>> it works between disks which have direct connections only to VAX systems
>>> as long as the corresponding (DIS)MOUNT commands are issued from a
>>> non-VAX in the same cluster.)
>>
>> Let's bhe realistic here.  It's just going to be me.  I doubt I
>> will be setting up a cluster.  Haven't had one of those since I
>> got rid of the Big iron at the University.  Even in an environment
>> with potentially 50-60 simultaneous users I don't really think it
>> was necessary.
> 
> Even without a cluster, you should use HBVS for the disks.

Have to read about that as I have no idea what it is or what it
does.  My last cluster had a storage array serving all the disks
to all the machines of CI.

> 
>> I suspect you may not have much experience with he VS3100.  It's
>> more of a toy than a mainframe. Although there was a time I and
>> others considered it quite the system.  :-)
> 
> I started out with VMS on a VAXstation 3100.  Together with about 20 or
> 30 other people, some of whom were doing image processing.  A nice
> machine in its time.  I had one in a cluster with an ALPHA and another
> VAX for a while, but after ALPHA came out, one could get VAXen for cheap
> or free, so I went for the 4000.

Just as another note for anyone interested.  I got the second
3100 running.  It had 7.1 on the first disk but I suspect the
disk is bad.  It made some funny noises when first starting up
but settled down after a few minutes.  But when I went to login
the system crashed.  Second disk has Ultrix on it.  Haven't
tried the third disk yet.  It may be a data disk for one or the
opther of the OSes.  I think this was the machine that used to
be used for VMS and Ultrix Kermit binaries.

bill