Subject: Re: Formatting software tape image, anyone?
To: None <PORTVAX@trailing-edge.com>
From: None <PORTVAX@trailing-edge.com>
List: port-vax
Date: 04/14/2000 11:15:59
>>Ok, I got the picture. I would however bet a case of Diet Dr. Pepper that 
>>the XXDP+ tape is a single, 512 byte block file that is bootable.
>>But the point is moot if there is no tape to copy.

If someone really wants to run XXDP+ on the PDP-11, I've had RL02 images
available at

 http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-11/xxdp/

for some time now.  For those working on an OS like Unix that has no knowledge
of record lengths, these are much more convenient than tape images, though
if anyone wants they can boot the RL02 and make a tape from the instructions
in the XXDP+ HELP information.

Quick guide to booting up XXDP and running the RQDX3 formatter:

>B DL0
BOOTING UP XXDP-XM EXTENDED MONITOR


XXDP-XM EXTENDED MONITOR - XXDP V2.5
REVISION: F0
BOOTED FROM DL0
124KW OF MEMORY

RESTART ADDRESS: 152000
TYPE "H" FOR HELP !

.R ZRQC??
ZRQCH0.BIN

DRSSM-G2
ZRQC-H-0
RQDX3 Disk Formatter Utility
UNIT IS Formattable Winchester (RDnn) or Floppy (RX33) Drives
RSTRT ADR 145702
DR>START

CHANGE HW (L)  ? Y

# UNITS (D)  ? 1

UNIT 0
Enter controller IP Address (O)  172150 ? 172150
What unit do you want to format [0-255] (D)  0 ?
Would you like to revector a single LBN only [Y/N] (L) N ?
Do you want to use the "AUTOFORMAT" Mode [Y/N] (L) Y ?

Answer "N" if the drive is blank or has a completely-non-RQDX3-compatible
format on it, or answer "Y" if it's already been formatted and you think
it has some of the formatting information still on it.

-- 
 Tim Shoppa                        Email: shoppa@trailing-edge.com
 Trailing Edge Technology          WWW:   http://www.trailing-edge.com/
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