Installing VMS V2.0 on SIMH
The aim of this tutorial is to show how to install VMS V2.0 on the SIMH VAX-11/750 simulator.
Preparations
SIMH vax750 simulator
You have the choice between the SIMH vax780 and the SIMH vax750 simulators in principle, because both the VAX-11/780 and VAX-11/750 are supported by VMS V2.0.
I choose the VAX-11/750 for this tutorial, because it's the "new" model (and I've got a real one ;-)).
VMS V2.0
Get VMS V2.0 disk images from here, unzip and put it in into the directory where the SIMH vax750 simulator resides.
vax750.ini for a typical medium 16-user VAX-11/750 system
Use the following vax750.ini file for a typical medium 16-user VAX-11/750 system.
You cannot set a memory size smaller than 1MB in the simh vax780 simulator directly, but there is a workaround in VMS:
A VAX-11/750 system like this - but without the tape drive - (DEC order no. SV-xxxxx) cost xxx,yyy US$ back in 1980.
; ================================================ ; vax750.ini ; ================================================ ; ; Medium size 16 user system made of: ; - 1M bytes of memory ; - 16 DZ11 terminal lines ; - 2 RM03 disk drives ; - line printer ; - TE16 magnetic tape unit SET QUIET SET CPU 1M SET THROTTLE 700K ;SET CPU IDLE=VMS SET CONSOLE LOG=VMS020-01.LOG SET DZ LINES=16 ATT DZ 6666 SET LPT ENA ATT LPT printer.txt SET RP ENA SET RP0 RM03 ; DRA0: ATT RP0 VMS020.RM3 SET RP1 RM03 ; DRA1: ATT RP1 DATA.RM3 SET RP2 DIS SET RP3 DIS SET RP4 DIS SET RP5 DIS SET RP6 DIS SET RP7 DIS SET RL DIS SET HK DIS SET RQ DIS SET RY DIS SET TQ DIS SET TS DIS SET TU ENA SET TU0 TE16 ; MTA0: SET TU1 DIS SET TU2 DIS SET TU3 DIS SET TU4 DIS SET TU5 DIS SET TU6 DIS SET TU7 DIS BOOT RP0/R5:1 ;BOOT RP0
Installation
First boot
Start the simh vax750 simulator:
Windows:
run vax750.exe
Linux:
./vax750
Be aware that Linux is case sensitive!
SIMH tells you it will write a log:
Logging to file "VMS020-01.LOG"
VMS boots to the SYSBOOT> prompt. Enter the following two commands and confirm each with <Enter>:
SYSBOOT> USE 16USER.PAR SYSBOOT> CONTINUE
This way you do:
- Choose the parameter file for a medium 16-user VAX-11/750 system
- Continue booting
VMS finishes booting:
VAX/VMS Version V2.0 5-APR-1980 21:11 Opcom, 3-JUN-1980 11:57:54.86, logfile initialized, operator=_OPA0: Login quotas - Interactive limit=64, Current interactive value=0 SYSTEM job terminated at 3-JUN-1980 11:57:58.69
Press <Enter> to get to the login prompt.
Log in with username SYSTEM and password MANAGER.
The password is NOT echoed.
Username: SYSTEM
Password:
Welcome to VAX/VMS Version V2.0
$
You're in!
Try DIR as a first VMS command to show the files in your login directory:
$ DIR Directory _DRA0:[SYSMGR] ACCOUNTNG.DAT;1 CHARTYPE.DAT;1 ERFSTART.COM;1 FORMSTYPE.DAT;1 LPA11STRT.COM;1 OPERATOR.LOG;1 RTTLOAD.COM;1 SYSHUTDWN.COM;1 SYSTARTUP.COM;1 Total of 9 files. $
A first look around
Let's have a first look at our installed VMS V2.0!
For the users completely new to VMS
Try the following commands.
You can abreviate all commands to the extend that they do not get ambiguous, e.g. SH instead of SHOW
VMS is not case-sensitive, but it is common practice to enter commands in UPPERCASE.
SHOW SYS shows you what's going on your system:
$ SH SYS
VAX/VMS Processes on 3-JUN-1980 11:59:11.71 Uptime 0 00:01:19
Pid Process Name UIC State Pri Dir. I/O CPU Page flts Ph.Mem
00010000 NULL 000,000 COM 0 0 00:01:13.77 0 0
00010001 SWAPPER 000,000 HIB 16 0 00:00:00.11 0 0
00010017 ERRFMT 001,006 HIB 9 2 00:00:00.05 30 27
00010018 OPCOM 001,004 LEF 7 2 00:00:00.05 32 36
00010019 JOB_CONTROL 001,004 HIB 9 2 00:00:00.12 34 80
0001001A DRA0ACP 001,003 HIB 8 88 00:00:00.86 66 111
0002001B SYSTEM 001,004 CUR 4 8 00:00:00.34 82 109
$
- Pid = Process ID
- Process Name (self-explaining)
- UIC = Process owner (User ID)
- State = Process state
- Pri = Process priority
- Dir. I/O = Process direct I/O count
- CPU = Process CPU time used
- Page flts = Process page faults
- Ph.Mem = Process physical memory
SHOW DEV shows the devices on your VAX:
$ SH DEV List of Devices on 3-JUN-1980 11:59:20.81 Device Device Device Err. Volume Free Trans Mount Name Status Characteristics Count Label Blocks Count Count DRA0: on line mnt 0 VAXVMSRL2 99033 23 1 DRA1: on line 0 OPA0: on line 0 MTA0: on line 0 LPA0: on line 0 TTA0: on line 0 TTA1: on line 0 TTA2: on line 0 TTA3: on line 0 TTA4: on line 0 TTA5: on line 0 TTA6: on line 0 TTA7: on line 0 TTB0: on line 0 TTB1: on line 0 TTB2: on line 0 TTB3: on line 0 TTB4: on line 0 TTB5: on line 0 TTB6: on line 0 TTB7: on line 0 $
- DRA0 is the first RM03 disk drive (the VMS system drive)
- DRA1 is the second RM03 disk drive (the data drive, still empty)
- OPA0 is the operator terminal (from which you boot the system)
- LPA0 is the system line printer
- TTA0 - TTB7 are the sixteen user terminals
- MTA0 is the TE16 magtape drive
HELP shows the available help topic and brief instructions for using HELP:
$ HELP
HELP
Help can be obtained on a particular topic by typing :
HELP topic subtopic subsubtopic ...
A topic can have the following format :
1) an alphanumeric string (e.g. a command name, option, etc...)
2) same preceded by a "/" (=interpreted as a qualifier)
3) the match-all symbol "*"
4) any of the above followed by "..." (on first topic only)
Examples:
HELP ASSIGN PARAMETERS
HELP SET TERMINAL /LOWERCASE
HELP SHOW...
Abbreviations result in all matches being displayed.
Additional information available:
ALLOCATE ANALYZE APPEND ASSIGN BASIC BLISS CANCEL CLOSE COBOL CONTINUE COPY CORAL
CREATE DEALLOCATE DEASSIGN DEBUG DECK DEFINE DELETE DEPOSIT DIFFERENCES DIRECTORY
DISMOUNT DUMP EDIT EOD EOJ ERRORS EXAMINE EXIT FORTRAN GOTO HELP IF
INITIALIZE INQUIRE JOB LEXICAL LIBRARY LINK LOGIN LOGOUT MACRO MAIL MCR
MESSAGE MOUNT ON OPEN PASCAL PASSWORD PATCH PRINT PROCEDURE PURGE READ RENAME
REPLY REQUEST RMS RUN SET SHOW SORT SPECIFY START STOP SUBMIT
SYMBOLS SYNCHRONIZE SYSTEM TECO TYPE UNLOCK VTEDIT WAIT WRITE
$
Be careful not to destroy the newly installed system; you are logged in as SYSTEM who can e.g. easily delete crucial system files.
The use of SHOW commands cannot do any harm.
For users who already know "newer" VMS versions (V4.x and later)
You will probably miss some of the commands you know from "newer" VMS versions ...
Some utilities have different names, others are not yet existing.
- BACKUP is DSC in VMS V2.0
- MONITOR is DISPLAY in VMS V2.0 (needs to be called MCR DISPLAY)
- SHOW MEMORY is not yet implemented in VMS V2.0
- ...
Orderly shutdown
VMS needs an orderly shutdown.
Don't just break out of the simulation using <Strg + e> and tell simh to exit.
You might loose data not yet written to disk and (if Murphy comes around) destroy the file structures on your disk.
Use the following command to perform an orderly shutdown:
@SYS$SYSTEM:SHUTDOWN
You will be asked for the shutdown delay in minutes (you can specify 0 minutes for an immediate shutdown), and you can give an optional reason for the shutdown to be displayed at the terminals of the users on your system (just press <Enter> to skip).
Furthermore you can specify if you want to spin the disks down (not really relevant with SIMH ...).
$ @SYS$SYSTEM:SHUTDOWN
System shutdown command procedure.
3-JUN-1980 11:59:51
How many minutes until shutdown?: 0
Reason?: REBOOT
Do you want to spin down the disks?: NO
Opcom, 12:00:05.13, Operator terminal status, _OPA0:
CENTRAL, PRINTER, TAPES, DISKS, DEVICES, CARDS, NETWORK,
OPER(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12)
Login quotas - Interactive limit=0, Current interactive value=1
Non-operator logins are disabled.
_OPA0:,SYSTEM 12:00:06.12
"BATCH AND DEVICE QUEUES HAVE BEEN STOPPED"
_OPA0:,SYSTEM 12:00:06.81
"SYSTEM SHUTDOWN IN 0 MINUTES. LOGINS ARE DISABLED, PLEASE LOGOFF.
_OPA0:,SYSTEM 12:00:07.05
"REBOOT
Invoke installation dependent shutdown procedure.
Stop all user processes.
Dismount all mounted volumes.
Opcom, 12:00:08.83, SYSTEM Accnt=SYSTEM
Opcom, _OPA0:, "OPERATOR REQUESTED SHUTDOWN"
Opcom, 3-JUN-1980 12:00:08.99, logfile closed, operator=_OPA0:
SYSTEM SHUTDOWN COMPLETE - USE CONSOLE TO HALT SYSTEM
Infinite loop, PC: 80007300 (BRB 80007300)
sim> exit
Goodbye
Log file closed
When you get the simh prompt (sim>) you can safely exit the simulator using the exit command.
Subsequent boots
Now that you have sucessfully installed VMS V2.0 you no longer need to boot into SYSBOOT>.
Make a comment out of the command BOOT RP0/R5:1 in the vax750.ini file by putting a semicolon in front of it.
Remove the semicolon from the ;BOOT RP0 line to make it a command.
From now on you'll boot directly into VMS V2.0!
Congratulations!
"Connecting" User Terminals
I recommend using a Telnet client such as PuTTY to connect to the 16 terminal lines.
I use the following PuTTY settings:
- Host Name: 127.0.0.1 (or your PCs IP address)
- Connection type: Telnet
- Port: 666
- Terminal/Keyboard/The Backspace key/: Control-?
- Terminal/Keyboard/The function keys and keypad: VT100+
Connected to the VAX 11/780 simulator DZ device, line 0
Username: SYSTEM
Password:
Welcome to VAX/VMS Version V2.0
$
