[Info-vax] VAX 6000 on Young Sheldon

[Johnny Billquist]

On 2023-02-18 22:26, Tony Priborsky wrote:
> I think the topics in this region got the correct RA series identifiers.   The RA8X and RA9X all had the same front panel (with run/stop, unit number, and A/B ports) so they would be hard to tell but the labels would say.

It is true that you had the same buttons, but then again, those same 
buttons can also be found on all massbus drives, and even the RK06 and RK07.

The RA8x and RA9x are not in any way similar to each other in any other 
way. The RA8x are full 19" width units, while the RA9x are half width, 
and you sit two RA9x drives beside each other on one mounting level in a 
19" cabinet.
The RA8x have unit selection plugs when you cut off tabs on the backside 
of the plug to select the unit number, which you then also put a sticker 
on the front of the plug to tell what unit it was.
The RA9x drives have a 4 position LED display (15 segments) which can 
show both unit # as well as status information.

> There can be NO RM series disks on the VAX6000.   Those discs were Massbus devices and the massbus disappeard with the VAX9000.  [I can't recall if the VAX8XXX (Nautilus) family had a MBA (Massbus Adapter) but maybe...  By that time clusters were pretty well engrained in the culture so most shipped with CIs and HSCs ]

The last VAXen to normally see Massbus drives were the VAX86x0, which 
was also the last VAX with SBI. All machines after that have VAXBI or 
XMI. Not sure if a Massbus adapter even existed for those. Rumours have 
there was a Unibus adapter, but it appears to have been very rare.

   Johnny