xxdp RL02?

[Don North]

Jay West wrote:
> You wrote....
>> I don't think there is such a thing. I have been searching for PDP-11 
>> diagnostics for several years. The available images: xxdp22 and 
>> xxdp25 seem to be the best thing out there.
> I have a disk of xxdp v1.0. If anyone wants an image of it, I'd be 
> happy to oblige.

I (and probably others to with 1970s vintage pdp11s) would like an 
online image, much like the 'xxdpv25_rl02.dsk' images already online.

There are lots of DEC diagnostics missing from the v2.2 and v2.5 XXDP 
disks, specifically for earlier/obscure machines (eg 11/60 :-() and 
peripherals.

>
>> The "Handbook" was also written in Europe. This makes me think it was 
>> something created in the field and not supported directly by DEC. 
>> That makes me think there was no unified diagnostic package, but that 
>> options had diagnostic tapes or disks and that they were distributed 
>> on an ad-hoc basis.

When I worked on the 11/60 diagnostics in 1977 or so the diagnostics HAD 
to be written to be distributable on paper tape AND be able to run in 
the minimum memory configuration, like 8KW or 16KW of core. That's why 
there were DQFPA, DQFPB, DQFPC, etc segments.

Diagnostics weren't distributed on an ad-hoc basis, when you bought the 
item, you got tape(s) and hardcopy listings. Only later when disks got 
big enough and the number*size of diagnostics got large enough did XXDP 
media like RL01/RL02 become the standard means (and paper tape readers 
were phased out) for binary. I don't know that DEC ever distributed soft 
copies of diagnostic listings on disk or tape (now finding that would be 
the holy grail at this point).

> I'm just shocked diags seem to receive such short shrift at DEC. I 
> guess it makes me feel quite fortunate that for HP 2100 & 21MX we have 
> a complete set of full source listings that exactly match diag 
> documentation that exactly match the code version on the media. I've 
> refered to that code many times. Hopefully someday a late full library 
> of DEC diags will be unearthed with matching source & docs.
>
> Jay
>