December 6, 2014

MightyFrame Volume Home Block (VHB) executing bootloader!

Executing Loader from either QIC Tape or HD, then specifying various CTIX files to run.

Many thanks to Tom Trebisky for his collaboration on this project.  See his resources at
http://cholla.mmto.org/computers/mightyframe/booting.html


There will be 4 versions of the loader described below (when this page is finished, still under construction today.)

1) Tape loader for hard drive slice 1
2) Tape loader for hard drive slice 2
3) Hard Drive loader for hard drive slice 1
4) Hard Drive loader for hard drive slice 2

I can use the dd command to write this file to either tape or hard drive, and the loader will execute on the MightyFrame.

1) Tape loader for hard drive slice 1
On modern linux for the tape (using a Tandberg TDC-3620 with SCSI card):
sudo dd if=vhb.miti.tape.slice1.dd of=/dev/nst0

2) coming soon

3) coming soon.

4) Hard Drive loader for hard drive slice 2
On the UNIX PC for the hard drive:
dd if=vhb.miti.s2.dd of=/dev/rfp000

Here is the reverse, acquired from:
dd if=/dev/rfp000 of=vhb.miti.s2.dd count=85

NOTE:  Booting from Slice 1 or Slice 2?

By default, the factory bootloader wants to see only Slice 1 of the hard drive...but the UNIX PC with which we formatted the hard drive uses slice 1 for swap, and slice 2 for filesystem.  So, we made the following modifications to the bootloader:
The bytes for the instruction there now are

2028 001e

Make them instead:

2028 0022

And it should try booting from slice 2.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clarification still needed here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


HD Slice 2 loader: directory & execution from HD:

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:D0810000 WP NOCART RESET
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART
CTIX was not running - no dump needed
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART
executing loader from drive 0

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: /

Files in the directory .
.              ..             etc            mnt            tmp
lib            unix           u              lost+found     mnta
mntb           CTIX5.11vme    .profile       UNIX3.51       Metc
usr            Notes          .phdir         .history       Mbin
test.del       data           CTIX5.11onb    Minstall       Musr
bin            dev


MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: /CTIX5.11onb

executing /CTIX5.11onb from drive 0

------------------------------------------------------------

Tape Slice 1 loader: directory & execution from HD:

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:810000 RESET
tape status:0
checking tape for dump area
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
CTIX was not running - no dump needed
tape status:0
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
executing loader from tape

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: /

Files in the directory .
.              ..             CTIX5.11onb    usr            bin
etc            install        CTIX5.11vme


MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: /CTIX5.11onb

executing /CTIX5.11onb from drive 0

------------------------------------------------------------

Tape Slice 1 loader: execution from tape:

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:810000 RESET
tape status:0
checking tape for dump area
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
CTIX was not running - no dump needed
tape status:0
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
executing loader from tape

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): t


booting from tape

----------------------------------------

So NOW, with the Hard Drive connected, and CTIX5.11onb written to slice 1 of the hard drive, we see this:

The lights change on my mark when I hit enter on the line: "Enter file name from which to load: /CTIX5.11onb"

executing loader from tape

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: /CTIX5.11onb


executing /CTIX5.11onb from drive 0

Then the cursor blinks here forever, while we see other blinking lights on the motherboard, as featured in the video below.




Is it possible that this blinking sequence is defined in "hardware.h"?

Is it also possible that this indicates that CTIX is running?  But if so, obviously not well enough to allow a user to interact on the terminal.









--------------------------------

Filemark issue, addressed elsewhere...

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:D0810000 WP NOCART RESET
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART
CTIX was not running - no dump needed
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART

executing loader from drive 0

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): t

tape status:810000 RESET
tape status:0
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
tape status:86A00000 BIE UNDE NO DATA
cannot read past the first filemark
Error: Load failed, try again.


OR:

Filemark issues:

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:810000 RESET
tape status:0
checking tape for dump area
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
CTIX was not running - no dump needed
tape status:0
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
executing loader from tape

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y
Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): t
tape status:86A00000 BIE UNDE NO DATA
cannot read past the first filemark
Error: Load failed, try again.

MightyFrame loader version 11

Do you want to boot anything other than the default?








--------------------------------

CTIX Reset & dump attempt:

MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:810000 RESET
tape status:0
checking tape for dump area
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
CTIX was reset - try to take disk dump
tape status:0
tape status:810000 RESET
Looking for dump disk
tape status:0
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
tape status:81000000 FMFOUND
executing loader from tape

MightyFrame loader version 11

Do you want to boot anything other than the default?

CTIX Panic & dump attempt:

MightyFrame loader version 11
Do you want to boot anything other than the default? y

Select device to load from (0-2=Onboard disks, T=Tape): 0

Enter file name from which to load: CTIX5.11onb

executing CTIX5.11onb from drive 0
MightyFrame PROM Version 1.3
available memory:0x100000 mapped as:1
tape status:D0810000 WP NOCART RESET
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART
CTIX panic - try to take disk dump
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART
Looking for dump disk
tape status:D0000000 WP NOCART



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