Subject: Re: Old Iron at home - PDP-11

From: [email-masked] (S. G. Green)
Date: 1 Mar 93 18:13:46 GMT

Well, I've got what claims to be a DEC "micro" PDP-11 lying around at home.

It's about the size of a large upright suitcase. It's got about 18 seperate RS232 sockets for terminals, a couple of line printer sockets, some buttons and flashing
lights and a mysterious slot which I assume is some sort of tape drive.
 
I managed to get it up and running with a dumb terminal, and it appears to be running
some bizzare operating system called RT-11. From what I could figure out, it's got a 500Mb hard disk. Wow. It makes an impressive amount of noise when you power it up, too.

Can anybody tell me anything about this machine ?
Is there anywhere I can get software (PD or otherwise) for it ?

Any ideas what I could use it for apart from as a piece of furniture ?

Thanks,

Si Green.

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From: [email-masked] (Chuck Whealton)
Date: 1 Mar 1993 23:19:29 -0500

>Any ideas what I could use it for apart from as a piece of furniture ?

<EOQ>

Wow... Sounds pretty neat!  I don't know much about the PDP's at all
even though I've got my own MicroPDP 11/23+ sitting in the closet that
I need an OS for.

I do know that you can get software for it by checking through the
DECUS catalog.  Unfortunately, all I have is the catalog and none of
the other DECUS information... However if you dial the order number
they might be able to give you the *CORRECT* number for joining (it's
currently free).  The number is (508)841-3500 and the address on the
catalog is...

Digital Equipment Computer Users Society
333 South Street, SHR1-4/D33
Shrewsbury, MA 01545-4195

I hope this helps and if somebody has the correct number/address to
get ahold of DECUS at to join, please post it for this person...

Chuck

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From: [email-masked] (Megan B Gentry)
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1993 16:02:13 GMT

>It's about the size of a large upright suitcase. It's got about 18 seperate
>RS232 sockets for terminals, a couple of line printer sockets, some
>buttons and flashing

That sure sounds like a strange beast, doesn't sound familiar

>some bizzare operating system called RT-11. From what I could figure out,
>it's got a 500Mb hard disk. Wow. It makes an impressive amount of noise
>when you power it up, too.

Excuse me, RT-11 is not Bizarre (I was a developer of it for fifteen
years).  500mb drive?! Wow.  Keep in mind that RT can only access
disk volumes up to 32mb at a single time.  If it is an MSCP device, you'll
have to use something called 'partitioning', which is built into the
MSCP device driver.

>Can anybody tell me anything about this machine ?

Boot the system and issue the command 'show configuration' and send
me the results, I'll be able to tell what you have...

>Is there anywhere I can get software (PD or otherwise) for it ?

DECUS (Digital Equipment Computer User's Society) is a good place for
all sorts of software for PDP-11's, although it's not like going to
CompUSA and getting a copy of Quicken ...

>Any ideas what I could use it for apart from as a piece of furniture ?

If you get to the point of wanting to use it as furniture, drop me
e-mail and I might take it off your hands.

					Megan Gentry
					former RT-11 developer

p.s.  The pdp-11 newsgroup you could also try is vmsnet.pdp-11

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From: [email-masked] (CP/M lives!)
Date: 3 Mar 93 11:09:31 MDT

> That sure sounds like a strange beast, doesn't sound familiar

Sounds like a Micro PDP-11 in the floorstand box with a TK25 or TK50 tape
drive. Not all that strange.
-- 

Roger Ivie                      "My God! That computer is full of Pentium!
[email-masked]                  It's a wonder that you haven't been turned
                                 into mutants!"