MightyFrame: Creating & Using A Dump Tape

In this post:

1) Using a dump tape

2) Creating (formatting) a blank dump tape for use

Running the CTIX install process (stand-alone 68020 kernel needed)

How does one "extract" a stand-alone kernel from an existing full kernel?  

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

Formatting a Maxtor XT-2190 for the MightyFrame (using a MightyFrame)

a classiccmp email group discussion about this drive:
http://marc.info/?t=142159007000004&r=1&w=2

Here's the description file that the iv (initialize volume) program used on the MightyFrame CTIX 5.11:

Swapping VHB Bootloaders - UNIX PC & MightyFrame

VHB as Volume Home Block vs. Volume Header Block

All AT&T UNIX PC paper documentation and on-screen usage documentation uses the term "Volume Home Block", but never "Volume Header Block".  So in all images and documentation below, please replace in your head as you read, any instances of "Volume Header Block" with "Volume Home Block"
 
The MightyFrame seems to like (or at least read) the VHB on a hard drive formatted by the UNIX PC.   On startup with a UNIX PC-formatted drive connected, the MightyFrame reads:

"executing loader from drive 0"

UMODEM - more than just an obsolete file transfer protocol...

OK, well not really...BUT...since this is the only relevant protocol to transfer files that I can find on the UNIX PC, I'm going to figure out how to get it to run on a modern linux machine.  The FTP protocol that we all know and love today, and still use, seems nowhere to be found on the UNIX PC.

ldrcpy: AT&T UNIX PC System Install clues to CTIX?

Topic References:

CTIX S-80 MightyFrame Hard Drive root filesystem

CTIX S-80 MightyFrame Hard Drive /usr filesystem

Terminal grab from failed CTIX install on MightyFrame

UNIX PC Hard Drive full filesystem

UNIX PC Install Disk #3 (Floppy Unix)

This is what happens when the AT&T UNIX PC fails to write a new operating system onto a MFM hard drive (Winchester ST506).

WDXT-GEN2 PLUS Winchester Disk Controller Board

INSTALLATION GUIDE

I am attempting to install this MFM controller card on an 
ASUS P5A ACPI BIOS Revision 1006 
which first announces as 
Voodoo3 2000 BIOS - Version 1.00.01-SD
(hardware vintage 1999-2000).  
This is successfully booting to an early version of Ubuntu from a Quantum Bigfoot ISA 12Gb Hard Drive.  I want the MFM Drives on the WDXT-GEN2 PLUS to be secondary drives.  This WDXT-GEN2 PLUS controller board is apparently factory defaulted to be the primary drive for any machine in which it is installed.  That appears to be the case here as well, because the machine will not boot with the controller card inserted, but will boot fine witout the card inserted.

Networking UNIX PC with linux on Xubuntu

The guys at this Meetup Group tonight really helped me out...
They got my modern Xubuntu machine to talk to my UNIX PC over its COM port.

MFM ST506/412 Hard Drive Diagnostic Tool

One Backup Tape Found!...well, not really...

When we first received this tape from the former owner & user of our MightyFrame, we were just all too sure that it was for the MightyFrame.  But, as it turns out, it is most likely for a completely different system, from 5 years earlier than the MightyFrame...A Point 4 Mark ? series machine.  We'll probably restore one of these systems, too.  We just love this obscure stuff...

Still, it brought up interesting discussions, which are worth documenting for our MightyFrame restoration projects.

A note from the original owner and user of our "MightyFrame One", as we call it:

MightyFrame Boot ROM Analysis

We are honored to have the collaboration efforts of Tom Trebisky supporting us on this project.  See his page dedicated to our MightyFrame boot ROM project.

Here's the full & long story:

writing a utility to handle the peculiarities of the Convergent mods to the SysV filesystem

Chuck(G) mentions this in this vintage-computer.com post.

If ChuckG can come up with a way for a PC to read 7300 disks....

And  Chuck(G) on AT&T Unix PC (7300/2B1) floppy reading 

     

CommVEx 2014 ideas

Thanks to EVERYONE who came by my UNIX technology this weekend, and lent your knowledge of this vintage technology.  These are my random notes, to be organized soon:

Writing MightyFrame Device Drivers - Manual

A million thanks to Al Kossow at bitsavers.org for providing us with a PDF of our first MightyFrame manual!

Writing MightyFrame Device Drivers - March 1986

Al also provided our first MightyFrame system overview brochure, as well as CTIX overview brochures...all a first for us to ever see!

Reconstructing an AT&T 7300

Several kind folks on comp.sys.3b1 and the MARCH Yahoo Group have suggested that, in order for us to gain a better understanding of the workings of the rare and elusive MightyFrame, that we should get familiar with the AT&T 7300 / 3b1.  

Many say that this machine, manufactured by Convergent Technologies for AT&T, is "functionally equivalent to the MiniFrame".  Even though the MiniFrame and the MightyFrame have significant differences, this certainly seems like a great next step for us.

So, thus begins our journey....

MightyFrame Boot Screens

Our next step in restoring one of our Convergent Technologies MightyFrame Machines is to get one of them to boot to a working operating system.  These systems were designed to run CTIX, a Convergent branded version of UNIX, so far as we have learned.

See our search for the CTIX install OS QIC tape.

Meanwhile, for those of you who may be familiar with the AT&T 7300 / 3b1, we welcome your input reviewing our screen shorts of our attempts to boot both of our MightyFrames.

Maxtor XT-2190 MFM Hard Drive Reading

In an effort to read data from one of these MightyFrames, we are setting up other machines to read these hard drives:

Pinousts for the Maxtor XT-2190

Maxtor XT-1000/2000 Product Specificication and OEM Manual

Details about this on Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists (MARCH)
Thread One and Thread Two

And on vintage-computer.com

WANTED: Mightyframe CTIX Install tapes

 ( on QIC-24 3M DC 600A cartridges or equivalent )

Photo Courtesy Michael Herzog - Many Thanks!

If you have anything that remotely resembles this, please contact us at MightyFrameCT@Gmail.com 

It would be fantastic to find CTIX and/or MightyFrame manuals also.  

Here's what Google turns up today:

http://www.worldcat.org/title/ctix-operating-system-manual/oclc/11036790

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

We have also posted this request at the vintage-computer.com forum

...and on Unix.com at bit.ly/1nAWF5J 

...and on Dev Shed Forums bit.ly/1hFy9eQ and bit.ly/1sAixAk

...and on Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists (MARCH)  

...and post on old-computers.com when registration complete (or not...)

...and on Reddit UNIX

Adding an Archive 5945L Tape Drive

View our re-created MightyFrame here

We just received an Archive 5945L Tape Drive and hooked it up to our MightyFrame.