Subject: RQDX3 won't read RX50
To: None <port-vax@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Boris Gjenero <bgjenero@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>
List: port-vax
Date: 01/08/1998 23:38:53
First of all I know that this is off topic.  I'm apologize but this is
one of the few places where one can find other users of old VAX
hardware.  If I get objections I promise I won't do this again.

I have a problem:  I can't get the RX50 to work with the RQDX3 on the
MicroVAX II I have here.  It can't boot off the drive, it can't read the
drive... heck, it seems it can't even bring the drive online.  However,
the RQDX3 works fine with RD53s, and the RX50 works fine with an RQDX1
in a PDP-11/73.

Attempts to boot give me this:
---
  2..
?4D DEVOFFLINE, DUA0
?06 HLT INST
    PC = 00000EE6
Failure.
---

Fortunately, I managed to netboot NetBSD.  It detected the RX50 but
attempts to read it give me this:
---
ra0: attempt to bring on line failed:  media format error (fct unread -
edc) (code 5, subcode 0)
---

With VMS, SHOW DEV/FULL says it is an online RX50 while MOUNT/FOR
indicates "%MOUNT-F-FORMAT, invalid media format" and later
"%MOUNT-F-MEDOFL, medium is offline"

I know that the disks are okay.  It seems to me that the RQDX3 jumpers
are okay too.  I've tried the RX50 jumper on the signal distribution
board in various positions, but that doesn't help.  I see lots of
solder-in jumpers (white with black stripe) on the signal distribution
board, but I don't know anything about them.

Am I missing something or is this just a hardware failure?

-- 
|  Boris Gjenero <bgjenero@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca>              |
|  Home page:  http://www.undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca/~bgjenero/     |
|  "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to   |
|  depend greatly on our own point of view." - Obi-Wan Kenobi, ROTJ  |