Strategy for inst. UNIX on my PDP11?

Steven M. Schultz sms at moe.2bsd.com
Fri Apr 17 01:47:14 AEST 1998


Greetings -

> From: Jorgen Pehrson <jp at spektr.ludvika.se>
> 
> What's the best way of installing UNIX on my PDP11/83?
> What I have:
> PDP11/83, RD52, a QIC tape streamer doing some sort of TS11 emulation.

	That tape device sounds like it is a TK25.  It uses the DC600A
	(60mb) cartridges.  

> A MicroVAX II with a TK50 streamer and NetBSD installed. DEQNA ethernet.
> And I have a spare DEQNA laying about.

	The DEQNA is supported by 2.11BSD so it would be a good idea to add
	that board to the 11/83.

> What I was thinking of doing is writing the distribution to TK50 on the
> MVII, move the TK50 streamer to the PDP and go from there. 

	Ok - that will work fine.  Another possiibility would be to move the
	TK25 (QIC) drive to the uVax-II and write the tapes to DC600A tapes. 
	Then move the TK25 back to the 11/25 and boot

> Is the RD52 big enough to contain a complete system?

	Alas no.  The RD52 is only ~30mb (the RD53 is about 70mb and the RD54
	is ~159mb).  A complete 2.11 system needs about 100mb (~8mb for a 
	root filesystem, 4mb for a swap partition and ~80mb for sources plus
	binaries).  A ZIP cartridge will (just) hold a complete 2.11 system
	(with about 8mb left over).  To hold a complete 2.11 system you'll 
	need either two RD53 drives or a single RD54.

	A minimal system (root filesystem plus selected binaries from /usr) 
	could be installed on a RD52 but it would definitely not be a complete
	system capable of recompiling itself.

> What UNIX versions will work on my PDP? I was thinking of installing
> 2.11BSD.

	2.11 is an excellent match for the 11/83.  Earlier versions (2.9 for
	example) will have a difficult time because MSCP support did not 
	arrive until 2.10BSD.  TMSCP support was not present until 2.10.1BSD

	Steven Schultz
	sms at moe.2bsd.com


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