> wysoft@extremecode.org wrote:
> 
	>1. I found a pinout for the printer/serial port on the mailing
lists. I can
	>always make my own cable, but it would be nice to just save some
time and buy
	>one. Are these available in DEC serial <-> DB25 male? All I want is
to be able
	>to plug it into my SS5 and use minicom with it.

	The usual way to do MMJ<->DB25 is to have a DB25 connector
	at the far end which converts to MMJ. You see these things on the
	back of VTxxx terminals and the like. You can also almost
	certainly find wired up cables where someone has split out
	the MMJ cable and soldered directly to a DB25 connector.

	However, for teh VLC I don't think you need this. There
	are two plugs at the back with a printer icon next to them
	(which is what you use for the alternate console i.e.
	booting without a graphic head). One is MMJ, one is DB25.
	IIRC they are in fact the *same* connector exposed
	in two different ways. So you can use just a normal
	DB25<->DB25 lead.

	>2. Does anyone have a diagram for the status LEDs at the rear of
this machine?

	I don't have too much, but I do have a pocket
	service manual somewhere. But try to think
	positively (at least until the machine turns up in bits ...)

	>3. Any success netbooting/installing on this machine? I see that a
LANCE chip
	>is required to netboot, and this machine has one, so...

	It will MOP load over the network (at least it will if
	you are trying to boot OpenVMS). I have no idea
	about NetBSD.

	>4. Can it run OpenVMS 6.0? I have some VAX VMS CD media that I
kindly "saved"
	>from a Navy dumpster, so I'll fiddle with that too if I can.
Hopefully this
	>machine knows how to boot from an SCSI CD.

	It can run OpenVMS all the way up to at least V7.3. 
	It can boot from SCSI CD. (Usual disclaimer applies
	re: needing a 512-byte capable drive ... DEC ones
	work, others may or may not).

	>I actually have no idea whether or not this thing works, but it
appears to have
	>16 or 24MB of RAM and a 240MB SCSI drive, so it could probably
prove itself to
	>be useful :)

	In my experience, this class of VAX is quite hard to
	break accidentally. The RAM in the VLC is limited
	and the HD needs to be small enough to physically
	fit. If you can find one that is not too tall, almost
	any recent SCSI drive should do. I dropped a
	Fujitsu (or IBM ... I forget) 1GB drive into mine
	and it worked fine. I doubt you can find a drive
	that small these days, but the VLC (and all of the VS4000
	range) do *NOT* suffer from the limited boot drivers
	that the VS3100 series have and so will have no problems
	booting OpenVMS from any current SCSI drive.

	Antonio