Subject: Re: VAX 4000 60 ... anything strange to get NetBSD up on it?
To: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis@mcmanis.com>
From: NetBSD Bob <nbsdbob@weedcon1.cropsci.ncsu.edu>
List: port-vax
Date: 06/27/2001 16:11:53
> >Well, here I go again, another VAX....(:+}}...  this time a 4000 60
> >with 2 ram sticks (probably 32mb total) and a 1 gig HP drive and a
> >video board of some kind.
> 
> I'm betting you've got 16MB (two 4MB sticks and 8MB on the main board) 
> Memory for the /60 (and /90 btw) come in 4MB sticks and 16MB sticks. The 
> /60 has 8MB on the main board but the /90 doesn't. So you've got either 
> 16MB or 40MB of RAM. 4MB sticks are fairly easy to find, the 16MB ones less 
> so.

OK, I have not had time to look inside much, but 16mb would be usable.
It was a vms box from downtown judicial system archives.  The sticks
are quite big, about 2.5 inches high, and there are two of them, with
4 slots open.  Regardless of the size, it is a nice toy to run across
for 8 buckeroos de realme, as it is said in the vernacular.

> >IFF I pull the video board, is there anything strange (switches to flip,
> >etc) in getting NetBSD up on it?
> 
> Don't pull the video board. (is it single headed or dual headed?) Just put 
> switch S-3 in the up position, (front flip down door covers it), plug into 
> the MMJ next to the DB25 on the bottom and go.

OK.

> >I see an internal spot for what looks like a full height drive of some
> >sort, or possibly a cdrom?  What can/does/should go there?  I did not
> >see any mount bracket though, but the bus cable has a connector there.
> >I would suppose most anything could go there?
> 
> Three things are available as options, a floppy, a CD-ROM, and the TZ30. 
> Unfortunately you need the plastic front plate as well that has the 
> opening. I've got both a TZ30 and a floppy that I could put there but they 
> only have the BA42 (aka VS3100) dress plates.

I have a spare cdrom (RRD42), so I will probably try to put that in there.
That would give me the most flexibility.

Are there any drive size limitations on the boot drive in a 4000 60?
It has a 1 gig C2247 HP drive.  But, I have a nice 4 gig drive that
would be better suited to a faster VAX.

> >Is the 1.5.1 VAX bootcd iso ready yet?  IF so, I would like to burn
> >a copy instead of using 1.5, tonight.
> 
> :-)

(:+}}.... when IS it going to be ready?  I am salivating at the VAXbit.

> >(Yeah, I know, what do I need with another VAX... but, it was so cute
> >  and orphaned, just sitting in the surplus pile.....(:+\\..... I could
> >  not just let it sit there......(:+}}...)
> 
> That is some surplus pile.

It is a strange pile.  Most goes to the crusher, but some of the folks
there know enough of the unixybits to spot things like VAXentoyz or
high-end PeeCee servers.  The usual crowd slobbers all over the PeeCee
bits, and dunnowhatintheworldtodoo with anything VAXenspeaking or UNIX
groking..... (nice thing about those nutso PeeCee types... they leave the
good bits alone!).

> see this one 
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1242572888> for one 
> with a picture of the TZ30 bezel (no TZ30 in theirs though) See here 
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1244734520> for 
> someone who, in a fit of insanity no doubt, paid nearly $300 for one like 
> yours.

That is about what it looks like, except where teh 5.25 inch bay goes,
mine is blank.  My ram sticks are doublesided.

Let me confirm that thing is straight scsi and not DSSI?

Thanks

Bob