PROJECTS: E3 Hardware: DEC
Navigating e3hardware
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::: DEC DECStation 5000/25 VAXStation 4000/60 VAXStation 3100 200/MC* 200/MC rack |
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::: HP HP 700 terminal |
::: IBM Network Station 1000* |
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::: NCD NCD 451 |
::: SGI O2 Indigo2 |
::: SUN UltraSparc 5 SparcStation 20->10* SparcStation 10->20 SparcStation 20 Voyager |
::: Other: Benchmarks For sale or trade |
DECStation 5000/25: Firbolg
I used to run a DECStation 5000/25 (named ``Firbolg'') with 40MB of RAM and a 25Mhz R3000 processor with NetBSD 1.6.1 installed. I've since had a hard drive failure, but I plan on getting it going again sometime soon as a DNS server. At one time it acted as a shell and IRC server for friends who like to use irssi and play angband until Lapis Lazuli came along as a faster replacement.
It has the fancy graphics adapter, a 17" monitor with the evil sync-on-green design and the DEC 4800-bps serial keyboard and mouse. Firbolg also has a secondary hard drive, an external Sun enclosure with a 1.3G Seagate ST41600N drive (which holds /usr). Overall, it runs remote X applications surprisingly quickly for such old hardware (1991 vintage).
I don't have a picture of Firbolg, but here's what a generic DECStation looks like:
DEC VAXStation 4000/60: Angerona
A DEC VAXStation 4000/60, with 16MiB RAM, running NetBSD 2.0-BETA. Named ``Angerona'' (because it was originally going to be my KDC), it has an RZ25 disk (406MiB! Whoot!) and a tape drive (which is actually quick handy). I could definitely use more memory for this puppy.
I took some pictures of the box:
This site also has lots of pictures of this model of VAXStation.
DEC VAXStation 3100 38M: Alazon
A DEC VAXStation 3100 38M, with 16MiB RAM, soon to be running OpenVMS 7.2 under Hobbyist License program. Named ``Alazon'' (Aristotle's Ethics, thanks for the idea Denton!) it has an RZ3 104MiB hard disk and an RZ5 floppy drive.
I took some pictures of the box:
This site also has lots of pictures of this model of VAXStation.
DEC 200/MC serial terminal server
A DEC 200/MC serial terminal server. It runs over ethernet, but uses the old Local Area Terminal (LAT) protocol instead of IP. This box has since found a new home with my friend BRad.
I don't have a picture of my 200/MC, but here's what a generic one looks like:
DEC 200/MC serial terminal server (rack mountable): Kraken
A DEC 200/MC serial terminal server with the optional rack mountable case. It runs over ethernet, but uses the old Local Area Terminal (LAT) protocol instead of IP. I'm also the maintainer of the latd port for FreeBSD (necessary to get this old beast running). There's a blackhat hackers guide to the 200/MC from 1988, which is closest to a user manual I've found so far.
After much Google'ing, I found the meaning of the four status lights:
- D1 - power ON/OFF
- D2 - diagnostic (ON=self-test passed; OFF=fatal error or testing; blinking=non-fatal error)
- D3 - software download status (ON=software loaded, OFF=load in progress; BLINKING=load failed)
- D4 - network activity (percentage of time on indicates traffic levels)
I put together a little document compiled from the online help system, avaialable in a couple of different file formats: PDF, PostScript and the LaTeX original.
Setting up a 200/MC under FreeBSD
Setting up a 200/MC under FreeBSD is fairly easy. First, take care of the cabling: power and network (need an AUI to something useful converter, most likely). Attach a text terminal to a serial port via a null-modem cable -- I normally used port 8. Put the MAC address and host name of the 200/MC in /etc/ethers on the boot host. Put the host name and the IP address in /etc/hosts. Fire up rarpd with flags similar to the following in /etc/rc.conf:
rarpd_enable="YES" rarpd_flags="-a -s -v"
Enable tftp in /etc/inetd.conf and put the PR0801ENG.SYS file in /tftpboot/mop. Install the /usr/ports/net/mopd/ and the /usr/ports/net/latd/ ports. Start the mopd daemon (to server out the PR0801ENG.SYS file).
At this point the 200/MC is ready to boot. Fire it up at watch the lights ... a blinking D3 is a bad sign. If it comes up ok, try hitting the enter key on the text terminal to see if you get a prompt. If so, success :-)
Next you can try remotely connecting to the system. Run moprc -b hostname to connect over the network via the DEC MOP protocol (and using the -b(sd) backspace style commands) to the box named ``hostname''. This should work the same as if you were at the text terminal, though you may need to enter a password first.
The primary command to learn the help command, which enters the interactive help system. It's also worth knowing that set priv is like Unix su (it enters ``priviledged'' mode) and that both set and define are used for configuring the box. set sets something temporarily while define sets in in non-volatile memory for the next boot.
