On 10 Apr 2013, at 11:22 AM, <[email protected]> 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> 2> Assuming that the MASSBUS hardware devices actually supported the extended 
> configuration, you could certainly add the extra components into the 
> configuration. The question then becomes do any of the operating systems that 
> ran on the original hardware support the extended configuration? If the 
> operation systems don't support the extensions, then adding the extra 
> simulated components is a waste of time. Otherwise, you just have to ask 
> yourself "Is it worth the effort?" Note that any new components added to a 
> simulation should be disabled by default for compatibility with older scripts.


RXS-11M-Plus did a very nice job of supporting multiple MASSBUS controllers.  
Not only that, it supported mixed-MASSBUS configurations -- tapes and disks on 
the same controller.  And, multi-path MASSBUS configurations to dual-port disk 
drives.  Our PDP-11/70 had several MASSBUS disk drives all dual-ported to two 
MASSBUS controllers.  RSX-11M-Plus issued seeks separate from data transfers.  
Whichever controller was available could be used to issue any command to any 
drive it could reach.  As I recall, the PDP-11/74 could have even more than 4 
MASSBUS controllers, because each processor had its own MASSBUS/UNIBUS.  Some 
rather powerful disk configurations could be configured.  RSX-11M-Plus had all 
the code to make it work.  (The developers used a PDP-11/74 system.)

Larry Baker
US Geological Survey
650-329-5608
[email protected]

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