On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 8:37 AM Ethan Dicks via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 5:07 AM Peter Allan via cctalk > <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > I am looking for the following software products for a PDP-11, ideally to > > be run on RSX-11M. > > > > RJE/HASP > > 2780/3780 Protocol Emulator > > I used to do this with specialty hardware... > > http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/softwareResults/Software_Results_Comboard_Brochure_1983.pdf > > ... and there were "non-intelligent" mostly-software HASP and 3780 > emulators, but I say mostly-software because you still needed a serial > interface that could do Bisync (BSC) - like the DP(V)11 or DU(V)11. > ISTR these chewed up a bunch of CPU, even on a VAX, and that's why we > had a market for a $2,500 card and $20,000 license. > > While I do have all the code (and a fair amount of the hardware) from > Software Results, writing a COMBOARD emulator would be rather complex > - the core is a 68000 (easy enough to start from) with a COM5025 or > Z8530 for a USART (probably not a ready-to-drop-in chunk of code) plus > a DMA engine to the host bus implemented in two ways (different > COMBOARD models). That last bit would require deep understanding of > the original hardware. > > There were also intelligent sync serial engines for this from other > vendors, including DEC (KMC11, and probably a later one but the device > name escapes me).
I was curious about this DEC M8704 DMS11-DA that sold cheap a few days ago. It has eight SMC COM5025 "Multi-Protocol Universal Synchronous Receiver/Transmitter USYNR/T" chips: https://www.ebay.com/itm/373243388363 Apparently it can't do anything on its own. It needs to be connected to a UNIBUS through a companion KMC11 processor board, which might not be too common if someone wanted to put together a working configuration.