[TUHS] Bootstrapping UNIX - how was it done

Larry Stewart via TUHS tuhs at tuhs.org
Tue Mar 24 04:31:53 AEST 2026


RIM (Read In Mode) was used for both 8 and 11 iirc. 

> On Mar 23, 2026, at 12:41, ron minnich via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:
> 
> I believe on the -8 it was called the RIM loader?
> 
>> On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 10:37 AM Paul Winalski via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>> On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 12:20 PM John Levine via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> It appears that Peter Weinberger (温�  � �) via TUHS <pjw at google.com>
>> said:
>>>> As I remember, the 11/70 was booted just as John describes. One keyed
>>>> in a boot loader at the console.
>>> 
>>> I'm pretty sure our PDP-11 at Yale had a boot ROM, so you just set
>>> the starting address from the switches and started it.
>>> 
>>> Before that I toggled boot loaders into PDP-8's and I don't miss it.
>>> 
>>> The 11/70 most certainly had a boot ROM--the M9312.  Perhaps the version
>> of Unix in question wasn't compatible with the M9312 bootstrap loader, or
>> they just preferred their own bootstrap loader to the M9312?  Or maybe they
>> didn't have a M9312 installed.
>> 
>> -Paul W.
>> 



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