[Info-vax] VMS 8.4-2L1 on AXPBox

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 1/1/21 7:10 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
> On 1/1/2021 3:29 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 1/1/21 3:11 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> On 1/1/2021 1:50 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>> On 1/1/21 1:38 PM, Robert A. Brooks wrote:
>>>>> On 1/1/2021 1:28 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I finally got AXPBox to build and figured this was a good time to
>>>>>> get my VMS System running.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> No joy in Mudville....
>>>>>
>>>>> [...]
>>>>>
>>>>>> Any suggestions?
>>>>>
>>>>> Alpha V8.4-2L1 was designed for upgrade only, not a fresh install.
>>>>>
>>>>> V8.4-2L2 (which is Alpha-only) can be used for a fresh install.
>>>>>
>>>>> Having said that, reports are that you can continue past those error
>>>>> messages
>>>>> and have a working system.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> OK.  I'll let it continue.  It is awfully slow, though.  I seem
>>>> to remember it being a faster install on a VAX.  :-)
>>>>
>>>> The ISO is the one I got when I joined the VSI Community Program.
>>>> Did I somehow get the wrong file?
>>>>
>>>> bill
>>>>
>>>
>>> It is a bit sad that the V8.4 2L1 distribution has this problem.
>>
>> Sadly, I'm on my fourth attempt and it is not looking
>> promising this time either.
>>
>>>
>>> So, what EXACTLY are you doing?
>>
>> Trying to install the version of VMS that I got from VSI for the
>> Community Program on AXPBox.
>>
>>>
>>> Where is your ISO distribution?
>>
>> Mounted as an emulated CDROM and it boots and starts the install
>> just fine.
>>
>>>
>>> What is your emulated system's configuration?
>>>
>>
>> With the exception of filenames for the disk images and a few
>> additional putty options to make the print easier to read it
>> is exactly the same as what is found at:
>>
>> https://github.com/lenticularis39/axpbox/wiki/OpenVMS-installation-guide
>>
>>
>> bill
> 
> I guess I wasn't specific enough.  Do you have emulated disks as files 
> on only one physical disk?  If so, you're beating that disk rather 
> badly, and that could be some of your "slowness".

I have done this for other kinds of systems.  Trust me this is slow.
Someone else already said AXPBox is really slow.  But then, speed
wasn't the problem.  I started in this business when a compile was
a good time to go out for lunch.

> 
> Do you have 8.4 distribution prior to 2L1?  Maybe install that, then 
> upgrade to 2L1.

I have what VSI provides.

> 
> When I installed 2L1 several years ago on my AlphaServer 800 I used 
> multiple physical disks.  Seemed to work fine for me.

Someone has already explained that the two missing files is normal
and VMS should run without them.  I don't know enough about VMS
internals but it seems to me the the first will mean no HELP
command and the second concerns me because I thought DCLTABLES
was important.  I guess we'll see.


> 
> However, I reverted to the disk with VMS V8.3, since I had some TCP/IP 
> problems (too lazy to work them out) and I have HP commercial license, 
> not this year to year bullshit.
> 

This is  my first serious venture away from VAX. We'll see how it goes.
It is installing now that I got rid of the IDE and went with SCSI.  That
I should have figured out myself.


bill