-----Original Message-----
From: Mats O Jansson <maja@cntw.com>
To: Edgar_Domingo@Notes.airtouch.com <Edgar_Domingo@Notes.airtouch.com>
Cc: port-vax@NetBSD.ORG <port-vax@NetBSD.ORG>; Mats O Jansson
<maja@cntw.com>
Date: Wednesday, 17 June 1998 11:26
Subject: Re: Y2K


>On Tue, 16 Jun 1998 Edgar_Domingo@Notes.airtouch.com wrote:
>
>>      Is the MicroVax 3100-40 year 2000 compliant
>
>Since i'm stupid and started looking, the answer can be found in
>http://www.digital.com/year2000/main/position.html
>
>...
>
>VAX Systems:
>
>All VAX systems are Year 2000 Ready except those that have a dedicated
>PRO380 or PDP-11 front-end console system.
>
>The PRO380 console system is found on the VAX 8500 and 8700 series, and
>the VAX 8800, 8810 and 8820-N models. A single chip PDP-11 processor is
>used as the console front-end on the VAX 8600 series.
>
>The PRO380 operating system uses only 2-digit years, and will show the
>Year 2000 as "00". There are no plans to modify the PRO380 code to be Year
>2000 Ready.


That'd be right.

>Note: this only affects the console front-end processor, and the dates of
>files stored on its disk. For example, after the turn of the century,
>searching for files on the PRO380 or PDP-11 console systems using "before"
>and "since" syntax may yield unexpected results.

Could be interesting. :^)

>The attached VAX system is Year 2000 Ready provided that the system-level
date and time is set and
>reset using OpenVMS commands.


Thanks for that, I am in the process of resurrecting an 8530 system at the
moment, and I noticed when I was tinkering with the console last week that
it only accepts 2 year dates.  The P/OS2 install process in fact, seems only
to accept dates in the 88-99 range.  The RD52 is dead, so I am looking for a
replacement at the moment.  I tried a generic MFM drive, but it barfed part
way through the init/format process.  I am impeded by not having any docs to
speak of on the Pro380 or the 8530 hardware, or the P/OS2 operating system
the 380 uses. Particularly, a list of the error codes the PRO380 generates
during POST would be of enormous help,  and the codes P/OS2 uses to describe
failures would also be of interest.


SID | X | Id      | Speed  |  Bus     | Model Name                      |
Nickname
  06 | -  | 8NN | 4/6        | BI,CI     | VAX 8530, 8550                 |
Skipjack

At the moment it's VMS 6.0, and no compiler.  (Unless you count COBOL.) and
the (now) freeware BLISS compiler.

(This is yet another Vax I want NetBSD on!) I heard a rumour there was
already a U*ix flavour that would work on it but I have not been able to
confirm this. (No, I DON'T mean Ultrix. - (shudder))


Geoff Roberts
Computer Systems Manager
Saint Marks College
Port Pirie  South Australia.
My ICQ# is 1970476
Ph.  61-411-623-978 (Mobile)
        61-8-8633-0619 (Home)
        61-8-8633-0104 (Fax)