[Info-vax] InfoServer 150

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/28/19 8:39 PM, Mark DeArman wrote:
> On Monday, January 28, 2019 at 2:34:19 PM UTC-8, hb wrote:
>> On 01/28/2019 11:10 PM, Mark DeArman wrote:
>>> On Mon, 28 Jan 2019 16:20:11 -0500, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>
>>>> (snip)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Another data point....
>>>>
>>>> I ran all the diagnostics on the Infoserver and if the results are to be
>>>> accepted it passed with flying colors.  So I guess I can eliinate
>>>> hardware as the problem.  Don;t know what to do next.
>>>>
>>>> bill
>>>
>>> I'm trying a closer approximation to your steps right now.
>>> I'm unpacking the infozip.zip on VMS7.3 VAX under simh,
>>> with Unzip 6.0.
>>>
>>> I also recall, there were some problems with
>>> the pre-5.5 versions unpacking newer (PC) Zip archive versions.
>>> Although I typically saw that fail out as a checksum issue during
>>> decompression on the VAX.
>>>
>>> I'll then use Bin mode FTP to move the img file back onto the PC and
>>> compare the binaries.  Otherwise, I'll assume its just an issue with the
>>> older CD Drive.  It is not like I haven't seen that before.
>>>
>>> I am kind of interested in the issue here, as I was thinking I might want
>>> to restore some VAX hardware in the future.
>>>
>>> Steps:
>>>
>>> 1) On rx2620 VMS8.4
>>> wget https://www.digiater.nl/openvms/freeware/v80/infoserver/infoserver.zip
>>>
>>> 2) Use ftp mode Image, move to Simh
>>>
>>> 3) Use Unzip 6.0 to decompress
>>>
>>> 4) set file /attrib=(rat:none, rfm:fix, lrl:512) AG-R7LFA-BS.IMG
>>>
>>> 5) ftp mode image back to PC
>>>
>>> Files are identical.  CRC32 F8E5A32A
>>>
>>> Mark
>>>
>>
>> FWIW:
>>
>> # wget
>> https://www.digiater.nl/openvms/freeware/v80/infoserver/infoserver.zip
>> ...
>> HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
>> Length: 47909376 (46M) [application/zip]
>> Saving to: ‘infoserver.zip’
>> ...
>> # unzip infoserver.zip ag-r7lfa-bs.img
>> Archive:  infoserver.zip
>>    inflating: ag-r7lfa-bs.img
>> #
>> # mount -o ro,loop ./ag-r7lfa-bs.img /mnt
>> (snip)
> 
> Yes, I believe the issue here is that the infoserver.zip was made with
> the VMS attribs striped so it would work on DOS. It extracts fine on Windows, which is normally a no-go.  Should have thought of this earlier.
> 
> Seem to recall there was something about 512 vs 2048 CD
> Drives booting on VAX too, but I don't recall how/if that was an issue
> with burning them.
> 
> Mark
> 

Well, now I am totally confused.  I went to the trouble of unpacking
all this stuff on VMS because of all I have heard about losing VMS
attributes and the damage it causes.  And now I have no idea what
I am supposed to be doing in order to make usable disks for the
machine.

Any chance someone can make real, functional ISO files that will
work with any available CD Writing software and put them somewhere
I can download them?

bill