HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jeh@cmkrnl.com
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: RD54 interface question
Date: 21 Jan 93 05:11:23 PST
Distribution: world
Organization: Kernel Mode Systems, San Diego, CA

In article <jh25s56.0gsc@sycom.mi.org>, jh25s56@sycom.mi.org (Jim Harvey) writes:
> q1-30
> In an article, rocker@csa.bu.edu (The Long Haired One) writes:
>>Can someone post for me what type of interface the RD54 is? and 
>>what the outside world equivalent is?
>>
>>I know, for example, a RD53 was a Micropolis 1325 with MFM interface.
>>The info would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> My Hard Drive Bible says the 1325 is just MFM (standard ST506), 71 megs, 8 
> heads, 1024 cylinders, 17 sec/track, 28 Milliseconds.

He wasn't asking about the 1325.  

The RD54 is a Maxtor XT-2190.  MFM recording, with ST506 interface.  (Hint:
MFM is an encoding method, not an interface spec!)  

The DEC versions are supposedly modified for lower start-up current and a
quieter access mechanism (though mine, which has a DEC RD54 label, is certainly
noisy enough :-).  Other than that, they're identical and interchangeable with
the Maxtor-labelled drives.  

(Thanks to Terry Kennedy and Don Stokes for this information.)

	--- Jamie Hanrahan, Kernel Mode Systems, San Diego CA
drivers, internals, networks, applications, and training for VMS and Windows NT
uucp 'g' protocol guru and release coordinator, VMSnet (DECUS uucp) W.G., and 
Chair, Programming and Internals Working Group, U.S. DECUS VMS Systems SIG 
Internet:  jeh@cmkrnl.com, or hanrahan@eisner.decus.org  Uucp: uunet!cmkrnl!jeh
From: KNIRSCH@linac.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de (MARTIN KNIRSCH)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: re:RB Windows and Mouse
Date: 23 Jan 1993 17:12:01 GMT
Organization: Technical University Darmstadt, FRG (Nuclear Physics Institute)
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: lin380.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de
Keywords: mouse
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.21

Tom,
includet in your window package should be files named MOUSE.COM
or MOUSE.SYS. At the system Prompt simply enter mouse (assumed
that mouse.com is in your path). Then the mouse should be detected 
on your COM-Port and a message will be displayed on the screen.
In case that works add mouse.com to your autoexec.bat. 
Else you can add the following line to yout config.sys
Device=E:\WIN\mouse.sys
In this case you do not need the mouse.com in your autoexec.bat!
If nothing happens try the mouse functions providet by the INT33H
to see if all is ok. Hope that helps.

                                              Martin
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: RD54 interface question
Keywords: rd54 Maxtor 2190
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 21:26:48 GMT

In article <1993Jan23.013347.6793@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> jonathan@CS.Stanford.EDU (Jonathan Stone) writes:
>The Maxtor XT-2190-D is to all intents and purposes the modified-for-DEC
>version, and is plug-compatible with the RD54.
>(hello, Don!)


Yes, but what *is* the modification?

cjl
From: bkort@k12-nis.bbn.com (Barry Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: PRO Software
Date: 28 Jan 93 14:42:52 GMT
Organization: /home/bkort/.organization
NNTP-Posting-Host: k12-nis.bbn.com
In-reply-to: CCPN@LURE.LATROBE.EDU.AU's message of 28 Jan 93 07:50:57 GMT

I recommend Venix 2.0.  BSD 2.9 is a possibility, but it comes on tape
and is expensive.  These would *replace* RT11, of course.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro,comp.sys.dec
From: kenton@navaho.cc.bellcore.com (gidewall,kenton c)
Subject: Terminal Emulation Software for workstation
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 93 18:13:53 GMT

I am looking for some terminal emulation software for a 
VAX workstation.  This is to use in-house and to recommend
to our clients, so I want to look at several if possible.
The software must be capable of Xmodem file transfers.

I have an evaluation copy of CALOUT from Clyde/Raxco that
seems OK, but I have nothing to compare it to.

What is (in your opinion) the best software out there for
this purpose?

  Kenton Gidewall
From: rilec@westminster.ac.uk (Robin Shephard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: 59 I/O ERROR
Date: 22 Jan 93 14:12:24 GMT
Organization: University of Westminster

I'am posting this message on behalf of my brother who doesn't have access to
internet. 

He has a dec 350 professional which he's using for engineering purposes and
when doing doing saves to the hard drive he's getting this '59 I/O Error'
The hard and floppy drives are ok as they came off other machines.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be?

Cheers
	Rob.
	---
From: tomk@pyton.csd.uu.se (Tom F Karlsson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: re:RB Windows and Mouse
Date: 25 Jan 93 12:49:40
Organization: Dept. of Computer Systems, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: pyton.csd.uu.se
In-reply-to: KNIRSCH@linac.ikp.physik.th-darmstadt.de's message of 23 Jan 1993 17:12:01 GMT


Thanks, I'll try that. I thought I had to do something explicitly in the
windows setup (On my PC-386 I have used the same technique as you reffered
to, so I should have thought of that my self :-).

/Tom
--
|  Tom Karlsson    email: tomk@meryl.csd.uu.se    phone: +46 18 260097  |
|  student of computer science @ Uppsala University, Sweden             |
|                                                                       |
| "At least it's something, said the mosquito and pissed in the sea..." |
From: jerry@marin.uucp (Jerry C. Hudgins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Rainbow info needed
Distribution: world
X-NewsSoftware: GRn 1.16f (10.17.92) by Mike Schwartz & Michael B. Smith
Date: 22 Jan 93 06:42:41 EST
Organization: Private UUCP Node

What was the difference between a 100A and a 100B?  Seems like it had to do
with memory, but I can't remember clearly.

Now that I've thrown away my old SOC's, I can't look this up myself.  :-|

Also:  can someone supply a list of the Rainbow option cards with their part
number?  There can't have been that many.

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry C. Hudgins                   Internet: jerry%marin.uucp@seq.uncwil.edu
125 Cherokee Trail                 UUCP    : uunet!marin!jerry
Wilmington, NC 28409-3407 (USA)    Voice   : (919) 392-2358

Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro,ne.forsale,ny.forsale
From: keh@philabs.philips.com (Kurt E. Haase)
Subject: Pro parts forsale
Organization: Philips Laboratories, Briarcliff, New York
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 14:19:16 GMT

Forsale Pro parts

LK201AA Keyboard $10

VR241-A Color Monitor With Graphic Cards  $75

BCC05 Cable (Printer?) $5

RX50-AA	Dual Floppy Drive (unknown working condition one drive door loose) $10

RD51 Ten meg Seagate ST412 hard drive $30

I need the cash make me an offer for the whole lot
Please be reasonable or don't bother sending the offer.

Thanks
-- 
Kurt E. Haase Jr.                        keh@philabs.philips.com
Philips Laboratories
345 Scarborough Road
Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. 10510
Xref: sparky comp.sys.dec.micro:726 comp.sys.dec:7071
From: barry@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu (Barry Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro,comp.sys.dec
Subject: Looking for VAXmates or RD31 Seagate ST225 Disk Drives
Date: 22 Jan 93 18:34:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: chezmoto.BARRY.93Jan22103415
Distribution: usa
Organization: MicroMuse
NNTP-Posting-Host: chezmoto.ai.mit.edu

Aquinas College in Newton, MA, has a laboratory of recently donated 
VAXmates which is being used to teach basic skills to immigrants and 
to other underserved members of the community.

The RD31 Seagate ST 225 Disk Drives are beginning to die on some of
these machines, and we are looking for replacements.  If you have
any old VAXmates, or RD31 or RD32 drives that are gathering dust,
please consider donating them to the cause.  We are able to resurrect
and rebuild working units from parts, so feel free to offer equipment
that you might otherwise junk.

We have no program funds to purchase equipment, but we can pick up
equipment in the Boston area.  Anything you donate is tax-deductable.

Barry Kort
Consulting Scientist
Educational Technology Research

barry@michael.ai.mit.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: PRO Software
From: CCPN@LURE.LATROBE.EDU.AU (NANKERVIS,Pau1 Allan)
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 07:50:57 GMT
Organization: La Trobe University
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

I have a PRO 380 running RT11 and would be interested in obtaining some flavour
of UNIX for it. Any suggestions?

Paul Nankervis     		P.Nankervis@latrobe.edu.au
La Trobe University
From: tomk@pyton.csd.uu.se (Tom F Karlsson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: Rainbow info needed
Date: 25 Jan 93 13:08:51
Organization: Dept. of Computer Systems, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: pyton.csd.uu.se
In-reply-to: jerry@marin.uucp's message of 22 Jan 93 06:42:41 EST

In article <jerry.0mih@marin.uucp> jerry@marin.uucp (Jerry C. Hudgins) writes:

>  What was the difference between a 100A and a 100B?  Seems like it had to do
>  with memory, but I can't remember clearly.

100A; 64Kb onboard memory and doesn't fully support HD.
100B/+; 128Kb onboard memory and supports HD.

>  Also:  can someone supply a list of the Rainbow option cards with their part
>  number?  There can't have been that many.

I'll post a listing of some part numbers as soon as I have found all my
Rainbow manuals...  (in a day or two).

/Tom

--
|  Tom Karlsson    email: tomk@meryl.csd.uu.se    phone: +46 18 260097  |
|  student of computer science @ Uppsala University, Sweden             |
|                                                                       |
| "At least it's something, said the mosquito and pissed in the sea..." |
From: geremin@decus.com.au
Newsgroups: decus.general,comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: PINOUTS wanted for VAXmate cables.
Date: 22 Jan 93 11:52:00 GMT
Organization: DECUS, South Pacific Chapter

Hello All,
		I need to make a cable to connect a normal 
LK250-AA keyboard to a DEC 320pc.

The LK250 has the large flat phone type connector (as used on the
VAXmate) and the DEC 320pc uses a mini DIN connector.

I know that special cables can be obtained but this is a rush job.

Can anyone tell me the pinouts for both connectors?

Many Thanks, John G.
-- 
v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v
  John Geremin,  PDP-11 Support Consultant,  MEGATRONICS, Aust.
IN%"geremin@decus.com.au"     voice:  02- 764 4855  (9am-9pm)
-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-
From: terry@spcvxb.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: Re: RD54 interface question
Date: 24 Jan 93 05:11:44 GMT
Organization: St. Peter's College, US

In article <1993Jan21.051124.1248@cmkrnl.com>, jeh@cmkrnl.com writes:
> The RD54 is a Maxtor XT-2190.  MFM recording, with ST506 interface.  (Hint:
> MFM is an encoding method, not an interface spec!)  

  Right. 1224 cylinders (allegedly +2 for maintenance use), 15 heads, 17
sectors/track in MFM mode. You can run these in RLL mode (25 or 26 sectors/
track) although Maxtor doesn't certify them for RLL operation.

> The DEC versions are supposedly modified for lower start-up current and a
> quieter access mechanism (though mine, which has a DEC RD54 label, is certainly
> noisy enough :-).  Other than that, they're identical and interchangeable with
> the Maxtor-labelled drives.  

  Well, the DEC "quiet mods" have more to do with the power-up sequence than
operation - non-DEC 2190's make a really *loud* BWEEP! as they test the servo
circuits. I believe the noise you're hearing is the spindle bearings failing
(which is the way most Maxtor's die). It gets louder and louder until one day
you wonder if your office is being strafed. Of course, Maxtor no longer offers
any extended warranty on their repairs (you send them a dead drive and way too
much money, and they send you somebody else's drive that they claim to have
fixed, with a 90-day warranty). How much is too much money? Well, getting an
8380S fixed is $450, where for twice that amount I can get a new Fujitsu 2624
which is 520Mb formatted instead of 320Mb, is 3.5", is synchronous SCSI-2 in-
stead of async CCS, and has a 5-year warranty instead of 90 days.

  MFM drives have pretty much gone by the wayside these days - I dumped all of
my old RD53/4 drives at $100/$250 each and was glad to get that. The "PC revo-
lution" has dropped the prices on newer drives to really low prices. A good
120Mb IDE can be found for about $200, and the controller for maybe $18 more.
Of course, that only helps if you have a PC. If you're putting drives on a DEC
system, you're stuck with the RD's (for older systems) or SCSI.

> (Thanks to Terry Kennedy and Don Stokes for this information.)

  I guess I should read this newsgroup more often, eh? 8-}

	Terry Kennedy		Operations Manager, Academic Computing
	terry@spcvxa.bitnet	St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
	terry@spcvxa.spc.edu	+1 201 915 9381
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: Rainbow 100 CP/M & MSDOS
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 04:23:42 GMT

In article <C15zHy.I5A@boulder.parcplace.com> imp@boulder.parcplace.com (Warner Losh) writes:
>In article <5282018@zl2tnm.gen.nz> don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (Don Stokes) writes:
>>Unreliability?  The damn things just don't work.  The RX50 has much the same
>>head as a double density drive.  It can't make head nor tail of the weak
>>signal recorded on HD media.
>
>RX-50 uses the same signal strength as the double density drives.  The
>IBM-PC uses a much higher signal to write to HD disks.  The RX-50
>doesn't have the signal strength to effectively magnetize the oxide
>particles in HD disks.  The HD disks have different magnetic
>characteristics than QD disks and should not be used in RX-50 dirves.
>
>From my personal experience, I've had little to no problem with 48tpi
>disks in the Rainbow.  The better quality ones always work, while the
>ultra cheap ones do seem to have a few bad sectors.  The 96tpi QD
>disks seem to have fewer problems still.

This is consistent with my experience.  Today, dd disks are usually pretty
good, so they can be used on RX50 without resorting to qd disks.  However,
there are really cheap dd disks that are barely acceptable for 360K PC
applications, and shouldn't be used with RX50.  In earlier times there was
more of a distinction between dd and qd disks.

In any case, the hd disks are unusable since they are inherently magnetically
"weaker" and use higher signal strength to record the data, which is not
suitable for the RX50-worthy media.  On PC's, a similar situation can be
contrived by formatting as 360K an hd disk and attempting to read it on a
48 TPI PC drive.  Some media will flakily work, but a lot of them won't.

cjl

Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
From: jonathan@CS.Stanford.EDU (Jonathan Stone)
Subject: Re: RD54 interface question
Keywords: rd54 Maxtor 2190
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University.
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1993 01:33:47 GMT

The Maxtor XT-2190-D is to all intents and purposes the modified-for-DEC
version, and is plug-compatible with the RD54.
(hello, Don!)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
From: rhs9145@ultb.isc.rit.edu (R.H. Starmer)
Subject: DEC PRO-350 For Sale
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 00:14:12 GMT

I have a DEC PRO 350 for sale.  It has a 10 meg HD with lots of software
(wordprocessor, terminal emulator, games), but no manuals.  It also has
a memory expansion and a DEC Net connector.  If you are interested, make
me an offer.  I am open to any reasonable offers.

Rob Starmer
rhs9145@ultb.isc.rit.edu
(716) 272-1307

Xref: sparky comp.sys.dec:7171 comp.unix.ultrix:9551 comp.os.vms:22177
From: sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu (Doug Mohney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix,comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: Patches online, was Re: Unix Review review of Alpha/OSF
Date: 28 Jan 1993 16:33:46 GMT
Organization: Computer Aided Design Lab, U. of Maryland College Park
Reply-To: sysmgr@king.eng.umd.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: queen.eng.umd.edu

In article <1k8qmhINN9jd@sol.tis.com>, mjr@tis.com (Marcus J Ranum) writes:

>	Bill, your heart is in the right place, but your horse is dead,
>and maybe it's cruelty to animals to flog it further. Gail Grant has
>already tried exactly what you're suggesting. Before Gail tried it, I
>tried it informally. Gail managed to get the input up to a VP level I
>believe before it got stonewalled/sidetracked/ignored/bitbucketted.
>
>	I think an accurate statement of the situation is "They just
>don't get it".

I dunno. Anyone got a friend on DEC's board of directors? :)

Starting a revolution from outside seems to have gotten the attention of
stone-heads at IBM and GM. 


                    I have talked to Ehud, and lived.
  -- >                  SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU                        < --
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)
Subject: Re: VMS on ALPHA PC's
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 12:14:05 GMT

In article <1993Jan26.123708.29541@doug.cae.wisc.edu>, brune@luther.che.wisc.edu (Douglas A. Brune) writes:
|> In article <1k3pqsINNo4r@mojo.eng.umd.edu> and <1k1javINNvb@sol.tis.com>, 
|> various authors write:
|> 
|> >>>I think DEC is missing market share waiting for NT. Get the boxes out running
|> >>>VMS and SoftPC now.
|> 
|> >>workstation, too. Waiting for NT is a strategic blunder.
|> 
|> >Count me in for three. It makes no sense (other than intentional marketing BS)
|> >to limit the low-end machine to NT and only NT.
|> 
|> I disagree. I expect that porting VMS or OSF/1 to the Alpha PC would
|> involve significantly more effort than porting NT, because the Alpha
|> PC is intended to support all kinds of industry standard equipment.
|> With NT, DEC can take advantage of already-written drivers.  With VMS
|> or OSF/1, they'd have to put in more effort.
|> 
|> Since DEC was already trying to bring up VMS ond OSF/1 on Alpha/
|> Turbochannel/Futurebus platforms, and since Microsoft had promised NT
|> for Q4 1992, I can understand why DEC didn't want to take on an
|> Alpha/EISA port of VMS and OSF/1. They may regret the decision,
|> however, if NT slips any more.

It's obviously difficult for DEC to find the resources for the work.
Perhaps we out here could help them along a bit?  I for one would be
quite happy to write a driver or two in exchange for a bit of Alpha
hardware for my home (though I would also, of course, need oodles of
documentation, and so forth).

This is not an idle offer - I _have_ written VMS drivers, though not
for some time, and not on Alpha.

Somehow, however, I can't see it being taken up     :-(
--
Robin (Keep Radio 3 != Classic FM) Fairbairns       rf@cl.cam.ac.uk
U of Cambridge Computer Lab, Pembroke St, Cambridge  CB2 3QG, UK
Xref: sparky comp.sys.dec:7049 comp.dsp:3059
From: gints@prophet.esd.sgi.com (Gints Klimanis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.dsp
Subject: Re: "Are DSP Chips Obsolete?" (was re: Alpha fft performance)
Date: 21 Jan 93 22:56:21 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: prophet.esd.sgi.com

In article <1jn4dn$lbf@agate.berkeley.edu>, jbuck@forney.berkeley.edu
(Joe Buck) writes:
|> I would have let this one drop, but since a DEC employee wants to
|> bring it up again ...
|> 
|> In article <1993Jan21.172924.1979@rdg.dec.com> jpt@salama.fno.dec.com
|> (Jari Tavi) writes:
|> >As a beginning, my personal opinion: I don't think that DSP's are
|> >obsolete.
|> 
|> Good for you.
|>
|
|> If you're after getting the job done with products that are
|> available
|> today, contact Motorola, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, or any
|> of
|> a half dozen other companies who understand the DSP market and don't
|> go around publishing poorly conceived papers like "Are DSP Chips
|> Obsolete?".

After reading the DEC paper, I believe the title was ill chosen.  
I also observed a sleezy and common trend:  Comparing a 1993 Alpha to a
1987 TI TMS320C30?  Shame.  40 MHz C30's were available in 1991. 

However, I argue that that paper was reasonably conceived.  There is a
need to educate the signal processing community that DSP algorithms can
be developed on a general purpose CPU using C and some of the code will
execute in real-time.
I've spoken to several customers asking about plug-in DSP cards just so
they could do a handful of 2nd order IIR's.  DSP from C code on the host
CPU?  Wow.  

When Silicon Graphics introduced the Indigo workstation, I heard
hundred's of astonished remarks about the beautiful color waterfall 3D
FFT audio demo: "I've never seen anything like that.  What??? You're not
using the 56001 to do the FFT?"  

Certainly, the price/performance ratio of DSP's and RISC workstations
differ by roughly an order of magnitude.  However, mature RISC
workstations are wonderful DSP development platforms.
From: barry@chezmoto.ai.mit.edu (Barry Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: File Transfer to/from VAX Ultrix with Sethost
Date: 22 Jan 93 10:52:29
Organization: MicroMuse
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: chezmoto.ai.mit.edu

Sethost has a text upload/download feature with CTRL-F1 and Shift-F1.
To send a text file, prepare Ultrix to receive a file by typing:

	cat > foo.text

Then transmit the file with Shift-F1 (you will be prompted for a DOS
pathname).   To transmit binary files this way, you must first
uuencode them.

To retrieve text file from Ultrix to the PC, start the Receive File
feature with CTRL-F1 and then just cat out the file on Ultrix.  When
the transmission is done, toggle the CTRL-F1 off.  You may need to
edit out a gratuitous shell prompt at the beginning or end of a file
transmitted this way.

Barry Kort
barry@michael.ai.mit.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.ultrix,comp.os.vms