On Wed, 25 Dec 2002, Antonio Carlini wrote:

> I should read those 8600 manuals but, not having an actual
> 8600, I lack the incentive :-) On the 11/780 that I 
> used briefly many years ago, you could get to the console
> devices by doing CONNECT CONSOLE within SYSGEN and then
> the CSA0: and CSA1: devices were available (this is
> under VMS). The EXCHANGE utility could then get to
> the RT-11 formatted data. Similar deal for the 
> VAX 82x0/83x0 and its RX50. I'd expect that something
> similar would apply to the VAX 8600.

No. The 86x0 usually don't have more than one console drive, so VMS never
expects to find two drives, and if you connect console, you only get CSA0:
(admittedly I haven't really tried what would happen if I actually had two
drives).
What I was referring to was that at the console, you can set the flag
STXALT. To quote the documentation:

"       STXALT- This flag is set OFF during console program initialization,
                but its state is preserved through console reboots.

                The purpose of the STXALT flag is to indicate that disk IO
                at the request of the CPU (via the STX registers) is to be
                on the alternate console disk (unit #1).  This flag is
                intended for use by manufacturing and NOT FOR CUSTOMER USE.

                When STXALT is set ON all console disk transfers continue to
                access RL unit 0; all STX transfers access unit 1."


> >As for copying the RX01. Install VMS on a drive, and play with that. 
> >You have a command file for making copies of the console media there.
> 
> I seem to remember Gunther and VMS not being such good
> friends last time around on a VAX 6000 - maybe he should
> try a smaller system first :-)
> 
> I'm pretty sure that something like:
> $ SYSGEN
> SYSGEN> CONNECT CONSOLE
> SYSGEN> EXIT
> $ MOUNT/FOREIGN CSA1:
> $ HELP EXCHANGE
> 
> should help (OK - I forget how to drive exchange!).

It's even easier than that:

$ @SYS$UPDATE:CONSCOPY

It starts like this:

$ @sys$update:conscopy

    S Y S $ U P D A T E : C O N S C O P Y . C O M

        Save or restore a VMS console medium.


Which CPU kit do you want to build?

   78X  includes 11/780 and 11/785
   8600 includes 8650
   8200 includes 8250, 8300 and 8350

[8600, 8200, 78X, 750 or 730, default <unknown>]:


And this is in OVMS 7.3, so it's still around.

	Johnny

Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                  ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt@update.uu.se           ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol