Any DEC RSTS folks out there, need help

[Kevin Handy]

Jerry Wright wrote:

>
>
> Hi,
> I have been working on my 11/44 for a while and finally
> go it to boot and find the drives. (RA80's) I believe
> it had more than the (2) I have.  Drive ID buttons say
> 0 and 2. 
> The system booted RSTS 1 time and of coarse asked for the password.  I 
> shut down the system and went back to the "books" for a while. I then 
> tried to boot it up again
> the next day and receive the following.
>
To get passed the password: It will eventually ask the
question "Start timesharing". Answer "NO" and you
will drop into command mode as 1,2.

Reset passwords, and shutdown: "run $shutup".

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> CONSOLE
> 17777707 173064
>
>>>> ~
>>>
> CONSOLE
> 17777707 173012
>
>>>>
> User-defined address for Device DZ1: not found - device disabled.
> (this was there before)
>
> RSTS V8.0-07 EVERETT XXXXXXXX (DU0) INIT V8.0-07
>
> Option: START
>
> Disk is being rebuilt - wait ...
>
>
>
> DU0 Error       UDASA   P.OPCD  P.STS   P.BCNT  P.BUFF  P.BUF2  P.LBN
>                000000  000241  000010  000000  000000  000000  000000
>
> Unrecoverable disk error on DU0
>
You probably have a hardware error.
I'd run diagnostics on the RA80, and see what it says.

Last machine that I had that used RA8* drives (a 11/83) kept
failing the HDA's. After replacing the drives 3 times, I finally
replaced them with RD54's. Only problem since then was a
noisy drive (ground connector on the spindle making a lot of
noise, but no other problems). I don't think the RA* HDA's age
very well.

>
> PC=121232 PS=030341 OV=000022 M5=001600 M6=003242 SP=041266
> R0=000000 R1=077777 R2=042125 R3=172150 R4=041410 R5=140026
>
> SP-> 026220 000006 000002 150103 000001 041410
>
> Fatal RSTS/E system initialization error!
>
>
> Option: HELP
>
> The valid RSTS initialization options are:
>        DSKINT  Initialize disk to RSTS file structure
>        COPY    Copy minimal system to disk
>        PATCH   Patch a file
>        HARDWR  Set controller characteristics
>        INSTALL Install a monitor SIL
>        REFRESH Manipulate files in [0,1]
>        DEFAULT Set monitor defaults
>        SET     Set device characteristics
>        START   Start timesharing
>        <LF>    Start timesharing (fast)
>        BOOT    Bootstrap a device
>        SAVRES  SAVE or RESTORE a RSTS/E disk
>        IDENT   Display version of INIT and installed SIL
>        HELP    Type this HELP message
>        FILL    Set console fill for INIT
> Only the first two characters need be typed.
>
>
>
>
> Option:
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> I would guess it has disk/File problems of some sort. I
> know very little about RSTS and it looks like its
> a steep learning curve.  The second drive has some kind of internal 
> control problems and shuts off if it is accessed
> by the 11/44. it was left (Off). The system has been setting for 10 
> years before I got it.  I try to keep each system
> intack if possible.  The Dead TU80 is my next project. On
> the bright side it did come with a SCSI card.

If you have a SCSI card, I'd probably hook up some (smallish)
SCSI disks. I don't know what the maximum size RSTS can
handle is, but I suspect it is in the 1Gb range.

>
>
> Thanks, Jerry
>
>
> Jerry Wright
> JLC inc
> g-wright at att.net