Re: LYNX-DEV Throwing out VAXen

[T.E.Dickey]

> 
>    (This is primarily for Tom, but I'm posting it to lynx-dev in case
> someone else has something to say.)
>    
>    Dear Tom,
>    
>    You have just written that you are going to throw out some VAXen.
I don't remember saying 'throw out' (they're going back to the customer
who will probably do that ;-)

> Actually, I'm looking desperately for discarded/donated VAX hardware. I'm a
> student at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and I'm undertaking a
> project for improving our campus network. At CWRU, we have an organization
> called Information Network Services (INS) which is supposed to run our
> network (CWRUnet) and maintain UNIX servers where users' E-mail is stored,
> WWW pages are hosted, etc. However, INS runs its servers in a fascist and
> paranoid way. They don't give anyone shell access, they confine _their
> legitimate users_ to a captive FreeNet-like menu. In fact, in addition to
> running CWRUnet, INS runs Cleveland Free-Net, for which such captivity is
> justified, but those villains force the same system on CWRUnet users. They
> commit zillions of other crimes against humanity for which they all should
> have been guillotined a long time ago. As a result, the overwhelming
> majority of CWRU students, faculty, and staff hate INS and seek an
> alternative CWRUnet Service Provider (CSP). In the Spring 1997 semester I
> have volunteered to become the leader of the alternative CSP movement. I'm
> currently working on building a new UNIX system on CWRUnet to provide
> accounts to CWRU students, faculty, and staff, and when I build it, I will
> become its sysadmin. The current codename of that system is Harhan, named
> after one alien starsystem in Uriy Petuhov's science-fiction epic "Star
> Revenge" (yes, I'm doing a star revenge against INS).
>    The OS I have chosen for Harhan is Berkeley UNIX(R) (remember my
> comments on lynx-dev regarding Lynx under pure BSD?). The next step after
> choosing the OS was choosing the hardware platform. The original, oldest,
> and most stable platform for UNIX(R) is undoubtedly VAX, the support for
> which dates back to V7 (or maybe V6). All versions of Berkeley UNIX(R) from
> at least 3BSD to 4.3BSD run on VAXen. This choice of platform has also
> turned out to be fortunate for my situation, since people at CWRU donate
> VAXen with much less reluctance than other platforms supported by Berkeley
> UNIX(R) (4.4BSD supports or kind-of-supports HP300s, DEC MIPS boxes, 386+
> boxes, and SPARCs). I was offered some 386es, but those had everything non-
> standard and getting them to work would cost more than they were worth.
>    I have got a bunch of MicroVAXen, including a couple of QBUS systems, a
> few VAXstation 2000 boxes, and a few VAXstation 3100/M38 boxes. However,
> I'm still looking for more people who are willing to donate VAX hardware,
> since the ones I already have are usually missing something, and given
> their modest performance (and hence the modest number of users I can hope
> to squeeze on each box), more boxes will help me out.
>    Here are things that I need to make use of MicroVAXen I already have:
>    - ST-412 MFM hard disk drives (HDDs) with about 100MB or higher capacity
> to utilize my 2000s which unfortunately came to me diskless.
>    - SCSI HDDs with about 100MB or higher capacity and narrow single-ended
> interface to utilize my 3100s which unfortunately came to me diskless.
>    - Expansion adapters for MicroVAX 2000 and VAXstation 2000. A bit of
> explanation is in order. These systems have brick-like enclosures which are
> normally 14 cm high, but one can screw in a little 4 cm high pizza-box into
> the bottom of the enclosure, increasing its height to 18 cm and providing
> space for at most three big external connectors for things like SCSI and
> external ST-412. These pizza-boxes (or expansion adapters in official
> terminology) are what I'm looking for. I think DEC always shipped the
> MicroVAX flavor with one preinstalled, while the VAXstation flavor came
> both with and without one, and DEC Field Service could install them
> afterwards.
>    - MicroVAX console cables. I'm looking for BCC08 cables (a DB9 connector
> with a funny DEC pinout on one end and a female DB25 connector for a VT
> terminal on the other end), MMJ-to-MMJ cables, and MMJ-to-VT terminal
> adapters.
>    - MicroVAX 2000 and VAXstation 2000 technical manuals, and any manuals
> for MicroVAX 3100 and VAXstation 3100.
>    Here are things that will make my MicroVAXen more powerful:
>    - 12 MB memory modules for MicroVAX 2000 and VAXstation 2000.
>    - KA655 CPU modules for/from QBUS MicroVAXen (such as MicroVAX/VAXserver
> 3800/3900) and memory modules that go with them. Right now I only have
> KA630 and KA650.
>    Here are the types of VAXen I can use to increase my machine base:
>    - QBUS MicroVAXen (including MicroVAX, VAXstation, and VAXserver
> flavors). Examples are IIs, 3400s, 3500s, 3600s, 3800s, and 3900s.
>    - MicroVAX 2000 and VAXstation 2000.
>    - MicroVAX 3100 and VAXstation 3100. I can use up to M38/M48. I don't
> think I will be able to use 3100/M76 and higher.
>    I'm also looking for CDC/Imprimis/Seagate Wren VI full-height ESDI HDDs.
> They also known as 94196-766 or as ST4766E. They have a ESDI interface,
> full-height form factor, and 676 MB of formatted capacity. I can also uses
> similar HDDs from other manufacturers. I brought this up because these HDDs
> often appear in QBUS MicroVAXen, connected to a Dilog ESDI controller.
>    The lists above are things that I'm looking for. If you are throwing out
> anything of that sort, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE donate it to me. This will
> greatly help me and all other CWRUnet users seeking a refuge from INS.
>    If you have something that you can donate to me, tell me first by E-mail
> what it is, and I'll tell you the address to send it to. If that's a part
> inside a machine that you don't know how to take out, I can give you a
> detailed explanation of how to do it, or you could send the whole machine
> if it's small.
>    Thank you very much for any help.
>    
>    Sincerely,
>    Michael Sokolov
>    Phone: 440-646-1864
>    ARPA Internet SMTP mail: address@hidden
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-- 
Thomas E. Dickey
address@hidden
http://www.clark.net/pub/dickey
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