roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (11/25/85)
Due to increasingly frequent errors on our (single) RA-81, we are going to have the HDA replaced. This means doing a full dump of all the file systems, replacing the HDA, and then doing a cold install and a full restore. The only problem (besides the many hours for the dump/restore) is that we don't have a cassette to work from to do the re-installation (we borrowed one when we did it originally). The 4.2 System Manager's Manual shows a binary I can toggle in (actually type in; feh) to pull the bootstrap monitor off the distribution tape. Has anybody actually done this on an 11/750 with TU-80? Does it really work? I don't mind playing with the binary (sort of fun, actually), but I'm going to look real stupid if the machine just sits there and halts when I type "S 200". -- Roy Smith <allegra!phri!roy> System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
radzy@calma.UUCP (Tim Radzykewycz) (11/25/85)
In article <2029@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes: >...we are going to have the HDA replaced. This means doing a >full dump of all the file systems, replacing the HDA, and >then doing a cold install and a full restore. The only >problem is that we don't have a cassette to work from. >The 4.2 System Manager's Manual shows a binary I can toggle >in to pull the bootstrap monitor off the distribution tape. >Has anybody actually done this on an 11/750 with TU-80? Does >it really work? I haven't done that on the system in question, however, I have done similar manual bootstrapping. The systems involved were (antiquity:)LSI-11/23, UNIX V7, TM tape emulation, RP03 disk emulation VAX 11/780, BSD 4.1, TU77, RM03 VAX 11/750, BSD 4.2, TS11, Emulex/Eagle VAX 11/750, BSD 4.2, TM tape emulation (Emulex), Emulex/Eagle Note: the last two systems are really the same. The only difference is that the tape systems were changed. I haven't ever had any problems with those. I did have problems with the following system, though the problems were later on in the boot process. VAX 11/785, BSD 4.2, TS11 and TM emulation, (don't remember the disk type) The manual bootstrap routine does read the boot block from the tape, but from there, nothing works. I also tried the cassette tape (actually tried that first), and the stuff on that doesn't work. We concluded that there was a timing problem between the controller and the system, and never did get it to work. Unless you are working on *extrememly* unusual hardware, don't worry about the manual bootstrapping working. -- Tim (radzy) Radzykewycz, The Incredible Radical Cabbage calma!radzy@ucbvax.ARPA {ucbvax,sun,csd-gould}!calma!radzy