Same testing as with any early 90's server. If the server boots and squeals to holy hell you prob have a bad drive, but the system is pretty robust and if you have multiple drives it might seal it off and boot anyway.
>From the >>> you can check things out at the ROM level. Run the SHOW DEV command if you don't know what to B/1 (boot with diaglog) to. This way you can reset the password if you don't know it. My system's boot drive is DIA0:, yours will likely be different. Keep trying them until it works. My VAX 4000 also has a DIA1: and a DIA5: among others. >>> B/1 DIA0: This will eventually drop you to the SYSBOOT prompt. SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0: SYSBOOT> SET WINDOW_SYSTEM 0 SYSBOOT> SET WRITESYSPARAMS 0 SYSBOOT> CONTINUE This will drop you to the $ prompt. $ SPAWN $ @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP $ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM: $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:AUTHORIZE This will drop you to the UAF prompt. UAF> MODIFY SYSTEM /PASSWORD=whateveryouwant UAF> EXIT This will bring you back to the $ prompt. Log out $ LOGOUT The VAX upon return then asked me to reset my password to something 8-32 chars, etc. >From there I got to a $ prompt with full access privs. On Wed, Oct 28, 2015 at 1:02 PM, devin davison <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello. I seem to be getting quite a big assortment of DEC equipment over > here as of late. Back in July I made a trip to Miami to pick up a PDP 11/34 > with related equipment a while back and posted about it here on the list. > I'm still working on getting the power supply on the pdp 11 fixed but am > making good progress and learning a lot in the process. Recently a deal > popped up on a microvax 3800 that was too good to pass up so I jumped at > the chance to get it and it is on it's way to being shipped here. > > I have never dealt with any Vax hardware before. The closest I've been to > one is running a simulation of a machine in the simh emulator. Is there any > special hardware I will need to get this up and running? I have a couple of > VT 100 terminals that go with the pdp 11 that should work nicely with the > Vax. Is there anything a beginner with such hardware should look out for? I > would like to try and disconnect the power supply and test it separately if > possible to save myself the headache I experienced with the PDP 11. > Any suggestions or other info much appreciated. > > --Devin > -- Bill
