[Info-vax] InfoServer 150

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/27/19 7:42 PM, Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> On 2019-01-27 23:49:35 +0000, Bill Gunshannon said:
> 
>> I am getting real close to giving up on this.
>>
>> I just decided to take a look at the contents of the images provided 
>> in Freeware 8.0 Infoserver.
>>
>> 3 of them are MSDOS floppy images.
>> 4 of them have the statement "IS_KEY_DISK" in the beginning of the img.
>>
>> And that leaves two.
>>
>> VTX Software V2.1
>> InfoServer/VMS
>> ag-pjjhh-be.img
>>
>> InfoServer/VMS V3.5
>> ag-r7lfa-bs.img
> 
> There's a file inventory in the text file in that directory, and that 
> abstract has been previously posted.

It should be obvious that I have that as the above was cut out of it.

> 
>> Both of these have statements in the beginning of the image as well.
>>
>> VXT021          is not a system disk
>>
>> IS_V35          is not a system disk
>>
>> Is it just me or wold this mean none of them are bootable.
> 
> The only disk image that matters here is the IS_V35 image.

Well, I have been trying both of the above because some docs I
have found said VXT is the operating system, too.

> 
> I would not expect VMB to care about that string.  For details on that 
> comment field, see the comment field in BTBDEF.  (I wrote different 
> strings in the BTBDEF structures in SET BOOTBLOCK stuff for VAX and 
> Alpha.  Yeah, that tool is expected to work on VAX and Alpha, though 
> that usage was unsupported.)  And in this case, the VMB primary 
> bootstrap is already resident via the ROM, so the contents of the ODS 
> boot block aren't particularly relevant.  VMB can find the secondary 
> bootstrap without that particular help.
> 
>> And, if that is the case, how does one do an initial load of an 
>> Infoserver?
> 
> Loading the CD and booting.

Tried that.  Tried half a dozen different CD drives have tried four
versions of CD burned on different systems using different OSes. 
Nothing boots.

> 
>> There are other anomalies.  Like the readme says VTX Software V2.1 but 
>> the disklabel is VXT021.
> 
> That's how DEC quite commonly encoded version numbers in kits.

Using the same letters in a different order?  Strange.

> 
>> Is there no one here who ever created an Infoserver 150 from scratch? 
>> Did they always come from DEC with all the software loaded and could 
>> only be reloaded by a Service Tech from DEC?  Are there no Service 
>> Techs here to answer this question?
> 
> As for the next step here, please re-rip the CD contents and DIFF the CD 
> contents and the original file used to generate the CD.
> 
> See if what was written matches what was read back.
> 
> You have been provided with the sequence required, and given 
> recommendations for specific tools and commands.  More than a few 
> alternatives have not worked for various folks.  Please consider using 
> what was suggested.

I  have tried 6 different applications on two different OSes.  How
many more times is enough?  I have had a lot of advice.  Much of
conflicting.  I am going to try one more but have little reason to
think the results would be any different.  I guess we are all over-
looking one other possibility.  The Infoserver could be broken.  Not
really any way to test that that I know  of.

> 
> If you're completely stuck, I suspect one of us can generate the image 
> and mail it to you.

I would gladly accept that action, too.  But it requires someone else
to utilize their time and materials and I would not want to waste either
if it could be avoided.

bill