Subject: PDP8 commands?

From: [email-masked] (Andy Jack)
Date: 29 Apr 1994 14:23:44 GMT

I have been asked to look at a problem in our Chemistry department where they
have not one but two PDP8's attached to ancient spectroscopy equipment. Sadly
the chemist who used this kit had a heart attack and died last month. Another
member of the department is trying to unravel how data was collected and
processed. 

One of the PDP8's has an RK05 disk and a Kennedy half-inch mag tape, and we
surmise that data from the spectroscopy stuff was written to disk and then
copied to tape which was then brought over here to the computing centre.

Our problem at the moment is that we cannot see *how* the copy to tape is done,
nor can we find a manual or any notes that would help. There is an old console
log taped to the side of the machine. It shows a program called MTPIP being
used and that is presumably a Mag Tape version of PIP which in turn must be a
fore-runner of the PDP-11 RT11/RSX PIP. 

The syntax is something like
	MK0:<DR0:FRED
which presumably copies a file called FRED from the disk to tape. There are
various switches /E, /Z etc. which baffle me.

Anybody got an old manual or a very long memory? Answers by mail please.

	Regards,
	Andy Jack
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