[HECnet] SIMH TOPS-20 question --> recipe for handling Tops20 install tapes --> MTBOOT --> create new PS: structure

On Dec 29, 2021, at 8:58 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com> wrote: I downloaded both images, but am only looking at BB-H240B-BM at the moment. This appears to be a KL distribution as it has a rather sizeable directory for building an MCB imagine for a DN20. A DN20 requires a DTE, which the KS does not have. You'd need something to DMA Unibus to Unibus and I'm not sure whether that was ever a thing. Sounds like a great idea, if you ask me. However, I don't think any of it will be useful. Also, I can't quite tell; it may be Phase III. At least a document says as much. Have a look at VENTI2::H240B.LST, which is a listing of the DUMPER save sets and VENTI2::DECNET.DOC, which is the initial documentation for the release. How would you like to proceed? Skip this and look at the second tape, which appears to be a 2020 based distribution? On 12/28/21 7:34 PM, Paul Koning wrote: > > >> On Dec 28, 2021, at 5:11 PM, Thomas DeBellis <tommytimesharing at gmail.com <mailto:tommytimesharing at gmail.com>> wrote: >> >> dir mta0: would only work for either a Tops-20 or ANSI labeled tape with volume recognition on. You're not doing that by assigning the tape drive directly. >> >> But they're probably not labeled; I don't recall that DEC shipped this way. >> >> If you let me know what tapes you're looking at, I can have a look and give you some pointers or tips. > > BB-H240B-BM.tap.gz <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/TOPS-20/BB-H240B-BM.tap.gz> is one, BB-H241B-BM.tap.gz <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/TOPS-20/BB-H241B-BM.tap.gz> the other. I'm not sure which is right. The description file (labels_combined.txt <http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/DEC/pdp10/magtape/dec_distribs/labels_combined.txt>) has them listed as: > > BB-H240B-BM DECNET-20 V2 DIST TAPE 1980 _tops-20 > BB-H241B-BM DECNET-20 2020 V2 DISTRIBUTION 1980 _tops-20 > > paul >