Need help running old VMS versions on SimH

[Windowsbegood]

Yesterday I was trying to get VAX OpenVMS/VMS versions running on SimH, however all releases before 4.7 come in tapes rather than CDs. I managed to install VMS 4.7 from tape using the following config:

; backup utility disk
set rq1 rd52
att -e rq1 backup.dsk
; system disk
set rq0 ra72
att rq0 vms47.dsk
; distribution tape
att -e tq0 vms47.tap
; boot backup
b rq1

I used the following command to backup the system from the tape to the disk:
BACKUP/LIST MU0:REQUIRED/BACK DU0:/INIT

However this command only worked with VMS 4.7, so I wanted to ask if anyone here could help me get older versions running?

[qazmko1029]

Did you try AlphaVM or Charon-AXP? I've never got any OpenVMS running but i guess you could try multiple emulators and see it.

[Windowsbegood]

Charon-AXP and AlphaVM are Alpha emulators, not VAX emulators, and I want to run VAX versions of VMS.

[Darkstar]

here is the install guide for 4.5, I guess this also works for 4.6.

Try: BACKUP/VERIFY/INITIALIZE MUA0:MICROVMS/SAVE_SET DUA0:

[Windowsbegood]

here is the install guide for 4.5, I guess this also works for 4.6.

Try: BACKUP/VERIFY/INITIALIZE MUA0:MICROVMS/SAVE_SET DUA0:

Poking around some other PDFs on Bitsavers I was able to get VMS 4.6, 4.5, 4.4, 4.2, 4.0, 3.5, 3.2 and 3.0 to install on SimH, however I haven't been able to find the proper backup command for VMS 1.5 and 1.0. More specifically I get the following error when trying to run backup:

$ backup/verify mt0:required/save du0:
%BACKUP-F-LABELERR, error in tape label processing on MT0:[000000]REQUIRED.;
-BACKUP-F-NOTANSI, tape is not valid ANSI format

I'm using the following config for VMS 1.5:

; backup disk
set rq1 rd52
att rq1 backup.dsk
; system disk
set -L rq0 RAUSER=209920
att rq0 vms15.vdisk
; distribution tape
set tu0 tu45
att -e tu0 BB-D782B-BE_VMS1.5_JUN79.tap
; boot backup
b rq1

And the following for VMS 1.0:

; backup disk
set rq1 rd52
att rq1 backup.dsk
; system disk
set -L rq0 RAUSER=209920
att rq0 vms10.vdisk
; distribution tape
set tu0 tu45
att -e tu0 BB-D782A-BE_Reconstructed.tap
; boot backup
b rq1
; boot system disk
; b rq0

[Darkstar]

Maybe your tapes are bad. Where did you get them from?

[Windowsbegood]

I can't remember exactly, they have been sitting for a while in my SimH folder, but I think I may have gotten them from somewhere in the Tenox archive.

[anonymaus5]

VMS 1.x and 2.x do not use BACKUP, but instead rely on the DSC command which was present on older VMS versions. In order to install VMS 1.0, I needed to install a VMS 3.0 system, and then use the DSC command to copy the contents of the VMS 1.0 tape to a new disk.

[Windowsbegood]

How do I use the DSC command, and what disk type should the 1.x/2.x system be backed up to?

[VAXorcist]

I've just recently written four tutorials:
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V1.0_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V2.0_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V4.6_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing,_Co ... n_VMS_V2.0

Maybe you want to try one or more of those?

By the way: The installation media is included (linked) in the tutorials and you can ask for help any time!

Have fun!

[louisw3]

I've just recently written four tutorials:
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V1.0_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V2.0_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing_VMS_V4.6_on_SIMH
- https://gunkies.org/wiki/Installing,_Co ... n_VMS_V2.0

Maybe you want to try one or more of those?

By the way: The installation media is included (linked) in the tutorials and you can ask for help any time!

Have fun!

This is really good stuff! super cool!

You should shove a copy on archive . org? Or maybe Ill jsut do it.