After I saw this message, I set up simh and put up simh with unix v6 using the provided pdp11 binary. I didn't notice a significant difference between running v6 on the pi from running it on a modern machine with real disk and ram. Everything seemed to work as expected.
I set up a vms configuration to test it out, and, disk acces from the sd wasn't so happy. Just transferring my disk images to the pi took forever at ~1.0MB/sec. This was with a class 10 card, so although its fast, alot of people say they are also buggy. I haven't had issues with reliability. If you do ANYTHING else on the pi during xfer, it slows even further. If you do any package management during transfers, the transfer will stall entirely. With the current operating systems, I think multi-function purposes of the pi are not very viable. The biggest limitation I believe is the SD card. This may get better with a disk hanging off of USB. I do not think there is a way to BOOT from usb and exclude sd entirely at this point. I may try to put swap on a USB disk, since I believe the SD is the primary hangup.
1) I used the debian OS provided by the pi foundation, as it was the most complete and reliable
2) simh is already in the armel package archives, and can be installed to the pi with "apt-get install simh"
If you dedicate your pi to simh, it probably won't cause you unhappiness.
Kevin
> From: sampsa at mac.com
> Subject: [HECnet] Raspberry Pi + SIMH VAX?
> Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 13:34:00 +0300
> To: hecnet at Update.UU.SE
>
> I'm toying with moving GORVAX onto a Raspberry Pi and SIMH? Anyone played with this yet? What's the performance like?
>
> Sampsa
>
>
Ah very cool... should make the bridging easy...
The zipit is/was, I believe, 300MHz or so out of the box... but only 32MB of RAM if i recall. It was a bit slow perhaps, but certainly felt more like lower-end "real" hardware as compared to simh on a newer machine (which can obviously turn blazingly-fast "VAX" i/o in the right configuration).
I'd seen talk (perhaps by Sampsa in this group), of an fpga turned PDP, that sounded very interesting as well... I don't suppose anyone has seen this come about?
On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 10:01 AM, <Paul_Koning at dell.com> wrote:
On May 2, 2012, at 8:16 AM, Joe Ferraro wrote:
> I did the same with a zipit z2 (got them for $12USD), which is arm (I believe the pi is as well?!).. honestly, the performance felt much more realistic than the untuned linux/simh on a modern machine... and for around 100mW, it is / was hard to beat. The one issue I had was getting the bridge to work over wifi - I didn't have time (at the time) to tinker...
Yes, the pi is an ARM processor, with 256 MB of RAM. It doesn't have wifi, but it does (in the "B" model) have 10/100 Ethernet.
paul
On May 2, 2012, at 8:16 AM, Joe Ferraro wrote:
I did the same with a zipit z2 (got them for $12USD), which is arm (I believe the pi is as well?!).. honestly, the performance felt much more realistic than the untuned linux/simh on a modern machine... and for around 100mW, it is / was hard to beat. The one issue I had was getting the bridge to work over wifi - I didn't have time (at the time) to tinker...
Yes, the pi is an ARM processor, with 256 MB of RAM. It doesn't have wifi, but it does (in the "B" model) have 10/100 Ethernet.
paul
I did the same with a zipit z2 (got them for $12USD), which is arm (I believe the pi is as well?!).. honestly, the performance felt much more realistic than the untuned linux/simh on a modern machine... and for around 100mW, it is / was hard to beat. The one issue I had was getting the bridge to work over wifi - I didn't have time (at the time) to tinker...
All in all, the arm was well worth it and fun.
On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 6:34 AM, Sampsa Laine <sampsa at mac.com> wrote:
I'm toying with moving GORVAX onto a Raspberry Pi and SIMH? Anyone played with this yet? What's the performance like?
Sampsa
I'll tell you (all) when I ever get one of the blessed things. Looking like at least a month or two before either of my pre-orders arrive :\
I intend to build a mini VAX cluster using 3 or 4 Pis plus my existing low-power Atom x86 as the storage server.
--
Mark Benson
http://markbenson.org/bloghttp://twitter.com/MDBenson
On 2 May 2012, at 11:34, Sampsa Laine <sampsa at mac.com> wrote:
I'm toying with moving GORVAX onto a Raspberry Pi and SIMH? Anyone played with this yet? What's the performance like?
Sampsa
Hi Dave,
My IGS has even older software - 10.0(6) but it seems happy to accept
decnet configuration commands. It also allows me to configure a tunnel
interface so hopefully it will do the job. It seems to be running ok after
I reseated the SIMMs but I want to leave it on test for a while to make sure.
This is great news! They're good machines.
I'd be happy to do some tunnel testing with you if that would be helpful.
The IGS has behaved itself for several hours now. Peter Lothberg and I have
successfully set up a tunnel between us.
My ip address is decnet.beyondthepale.ie [213.94.231.131] - let me know what
your's is and I'll set up a tunnel to you.
I can't find any reference to the processor speed anywhere.
It;s not show anywhere except in data sheets .. -:)
I eventually found it written on the 68020 :-)
Assuming they're running it full-bore..
I could check with the oscilloscope but I'm happy to accept Alastair's word
that it runs at 16MHz :-)
Regards,
Peter Coghlan.
On 05/01/2012 08:49 AM, Peter Coghlan wrote:
My IGS has even older software - 10.0(6) but it seems happy to accept
decnet configuration commands. It also allows me to configure a tunnel
interface so hopefully it will do the job. It seems to be running ok after
I reseated the SIMMs but I want to leave it on test for a while to make sure.
This is great news! They're good machines.
I'd be happy to do some tunnel testing with you if that would be helpful.
I can't find any reference to the processor speed anywhere.
It;s not show anywhere except in data sheets .. -:)
I eventually found it written on the 68020 :-)
Assuming they're running it full-bore..
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) 3000 Software (IGS-BPRX), Version 10.0(6), RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Copyright (c) 1986-1994 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Tue 25-Oct-94 19:01 by dougs
cisco IGS (68020) processor (revision A) with 4092K/512K bytes of memory.
So this is a "Pancake", square box that opens so the bottom comes out
with a plastic latch.
Yes - it looks like a slightly flattened VAX 2000 with three LEDs on the front.
A 25xx is a 1U rack mount thing.
With a noisy fan too? I had some of these at work but I forget the more recent
stuff more quickly than I forget the older stuff :-)
ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 11.0(10c)XB1, PLATFORM SPECIFIC RELEASE
SOFTWARE (fc1)
BOOTFLASH: 3000 Bootstrap Software (IGS-BOOT-R), Version 11.0(10c)XB1,
PLATFORM SPECIFIC RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
System image file is "flash:c2500-ds-l.112-26.P7.bin", booted via
flash
cisco AS2511-RJ (68030) processor (revision K) with 14336K/2048K bytes
of memory.
This very old SW runs DECnet in GRE tunnels... -:) (But it will not
fit in the 3000 with 4M memory. My mamemory fails me if it ws possible
to put 4M modules in the IGS/3000, I think the answer is no.)
My IGS has even older software - 10.0(6) but it seems happy to accept
decnet configuration commands. It also allows me to configure a tunnel
interface so hopefully it will do the job. It seems to be running ok after
I reseated the SIMMs but I want to leave it on test for a while to make sure.
I can't find any reference to the processor speed anywhere.
It;s not show anywhere except in data sheets .. -:)
I eventually found it written on the 68020 :-)
Regards,
Peter Coghlan.
On 1.5.2012 7:26, Dave McGuire wrote:
On 04/29/2012 04:14 AM, Kari Uusim ki wrote:
DECnet must have been around at least from 1993, because the
DECbrouter90's, which were practically Cisco routers in a DEChub90
module, were introduced in 1993. And they used IOS.
Did you mean DECnet support in IOS, or DECnet itself? DECnet itself
dates to the mid-1970s.
I meant the DECnet support in IOS.
I don't have older documentation than from the DECbrouter90 initial manuals which were dealing with IOS 9.14. Therefore I don't know how long time ago DECnet became supported in IOS.
What I haven't found out is when the IP tunnels were introduced in the
IOS. It seems to be in IOS 11.2. So it is included in all recent
versions, but the Cisco 2500's have limited flash and RAM capabilites.
Therefore the recent IOS's cannot be used with older hardware. I suppose
the IOS 11.2 should be sufficient for tunneling DECnet over IP.
I'll bet much older releases than that would support this.
The 9.14 documentation doesn't mention other kind of tunneling than Serial tunnneling which was used for IBM protocols.
Maybe other protocols can be tunneled as well. Don't know and haven't tested.
The IOS Reference guide for IOS V11.2 does describe IP tunneling so it is included in that version for sure.
I have to check which versions I have on my 2500's. Most probably they
have an IP-only version of the IOS. I bought the 2500's cheap from a
local broker a few years ago.
I've got lots of IOS images if needed. Let me know if I can help.
-Dave
Thanks, I'll check the versions I have. If they aren't multiprotocol versions, I contact you about the images.
Regards,
Kari
