home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
ftp.update.uu.se
/
ftp.update.uu.se.2014.03.zip
/
ftp.update.uu.se
/
pub
/
rainbow
/
msdos
/
decus
/
RB141
/
varug06a.arj
/
V6N2ASC.ASC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-03-27
|
53KB
|
1,060 lines
Vancouver Area Rainbow Users Group
N e w s l e t t e r
March and April, 1992; Volume 6, Number 2
Editor: David P. Maroun, 9395 Windsor Street, Chilliwack, BC, Canada V2P 6C5;
telephone (604) 792-4071
Publisher: DECUS Canada, 505 University Avenue, 15th Floor, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada M5G 1X4; telephone (416) 597-3437
Librarian: Ken Alger, 4535 Dogwood Street, Port Alberni, BC, Canada V9Y 3Z8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This newsletter is provided free of charge to members of the Vancouver personal
computer local users group (Vancouver PC LUG or VANPCLUG), also called the
Vancouver Area Rainbow Users Group (VARUG). The group is part of the Digital
Equipment Computer Users Society (DECUS) of Canada. Membership in the local users
group is free for anyone using a personal computer made by Digital Equipment
Corporation or used with Digital products. Members need not live near Vancouver.
Robert M. Slade retains the copyright to his articles. The rest of this newsletter
may be freely copied or distributed unaltered and with credit given to sources.
While information provided is believed accurate, the editor and publisher are not
responsible for contributions of other writers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table Of Contents
Editorial: A SIG For DECUS Canada .................... David P. Maroun .....
In The News .................................................................
Comparison Review: IRIS Antivirus For MS-DOS ......... Robert M. Slade .....
Comparison Review: Norton Antivirus For MS-DOS ....... Robert M. Slade .....
Repairing A Rainbow ................................... Eric A. Rasmussen ...
Repairing A VR201 Monitor ............................. Luke Mayercin .......
DEC Professional Computer
Frequently Asked Questions
And Miscellaneous Trivia ......................... Chaim Dworkin .......
Questions And Answers .......................................................
Buy, Sell, Or Swap ..........................................................
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadlines: For our May and June issue: April 30, 1992
For our July and August issue: June 30, 1992
Almost any legible format is acceptable for submissions, but the ideal is ASCII
form on magnetic materials. Diskettes or tapes should be accompanied by covering
letters describing the files and indicating disk or tape format. We prefer Rainbow
CP/M or Rainbow MS-DOS but can handle most other CP/M and MS-DOS formats as well as
Tandy Color Computer tapes and diskettes, and DECmate WPS diskettes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial: A SIG For DECUS Canada
By David P. Maroun
DECUS Canada has had local user groups (LUGs) but no special interest groups
(SIGs). Some people suggested that our Vancouver personal computer LUG should
become a SIG, but we have so far resisted the change.
Nevertheless, a SIG is forming (perhaps I should say 'has formed') and seems to be
gaining significant support. Robert Slade has started a security SIG, dedicated to
dealing with security issues involving computers. Computer viruses are among the
topics considered by the group. Security problems of personal computers are
featured but so are problems of other types of machine. The personal computers
discussed are of various kinds--MS-DOS machines, Macintoshes, Amigas, and Ataris
all have been getting some attention.
In my opinion, this generalized approach to hardware is the most appropriate one
for a SIG. I hope it continues and serves as a model for any other SIGs.
Anyone interested in joining the security SIG should contact the DECUS office. The
address and telephone number appear at the beginning of this newsletter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In The News
Imperial Oil Cancels A Deal With DEC
------------------------------------
Imperial Oil had considered an arrangement with EDS Canada Limited and Digital
Equipment Of Canada Limited to have Digital provide desktop and communications
services. However, Imperial has decided to continue providing these services
internally. At last report, Digital was negotiating an arrangement with Esso
Resources of Calgary, a part of Imperial Oil which is not involved with EDS.
A Survey Indicates Canadians Lead In PC And Terminal Use
--------------------------------------------------------
According to a survey conducted by Louis Harris & Associates of New York, 88 per
cent of Canadian office workers use computers compared to 85 per cent in the United
States of America, 80 per cent in the European Economic Community, and 64 per cent
in Japan. One observer suggested that Japan's low rating is due to the
difficulties of doing word processing in Japanese compared to English.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison Review: IRIS Antivirus For MS-DOS
By Robert Michael Slade
Company and product:
Fink Enterprises
11 Glen Cameron Road, Unit 11
Thornhill, Ontario
L3T 4N3
416-764-5648
Telecopier: 416-764-5649
IRIS Antivirus
Summary:
Vaccine program with scanner.
Cost $199 Canadian, site licenses available
Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
"Friendliness"
Installation 3
Ease of use 3
Help systems 1
Compatibility 3
Company
Stability 3
Support 2
Documentation 2
Hardware required 3
Performance 3
Availability 2
Local Support ?
General Description:
The forerunner of Antivirus-Plus (reviewed earlier; see VARUG newsletter, volume 5,
number 5), Antivirus makes no claims of artificial intelligence. The program
structure is very similar.
For simple virus detection, Antivirus is recommended over Antivirus-Plus.
Comparison of features and specifications
User Friendliness
-----------------
Installation
------------
The disk is shipped write protected. The accompanying documentation is very
terse (less than one loose-leaf sheet), but sufficient to install and run the
programs. (The distributor has stated that he is increasing the
documentation, but is interested in keeping it short so as not to be too
intimidating.) Further documentation is available on disk.
Installation can be performed only from the A: drive. Installation is,
however, very simple, although the options that are available are not
explained.
Ease of use
-----------
Options for use of the CURE program (scanner/disinfection portion) are
available from the command line, but also from an on-screen menu if invoked
with no parameters.
Alerts to the presence of a virus are not clear as to which program or disk is
infected.
The problem in Antivirus-Plus of not being able to run certain programs which
amend or delete program files is not present in Antivirus.
Any access to a boot sector infected disk will trigger an alert. The infected
disk is not identified, but attention to which disk is being accessed will
make this clear. How a boot sector is identified as being infected is not
clear, but the behaviour of the program is indicative of "scanning" type
operation. Therefore it is unlikely that "new" boot sector viri will be
detected. However, there is some "change checking" with regard to the boot
sector. How this is accomplished is not stated, and it did give one false
alarm (showing a changed boot sector on a write protected disk.)
Help systems
------------
None provided.
Compatibility
-------------
The program will detect and stop most common viri. The problem in Antivirus-Plus
of not being able to run certain programs which amend or delete program files is
not present in Antivirus.
Company Stability
-----------------
IRIS has been a small but consistent presence in the antiviral field.
Company Support
---------------
Little available.
Documentation
-------------
Documentation is brief but clear, although the information given deals almost
exclusively with installation. Reasons for choosing various options are not given.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
No special hardware required, but will install only from drive A: (shipped on 5.25"
media).
Performance
-----------
The program will detect most common viri. The IMMUNE program will detect and
"eliminate" a virus within a program, but will usually be able to allow the
original program to run unhindered.
Boot sector infections are "detected" on each access to the disk. When the system
is booted from a viral infected disk, the viral program will become resident in
memory. At the invocation of the IMMUNE program, the alert for an infected disk
will appear. (Interestingly, the IMMUNE program will state that "!!No virus
detected!!" on completion.) Memory scanners will still detect the virus resident
in memory, but disks will no longer be infected. Disk editors are still able to
write to the boot sector. (Note that this has been checked only with common boot
viri. Others may not yield the same behaviour.)
Local Support
-------------
None available.
Support Requirements
--------------------
The program is simple enough that support should not be needed for most instances.
General Notes
The Antivirus program appears, in most respects, to be better behaved than its
Antivirus-Plus successor.
copyright Robert M. Slade 1991, PCANTIVR.RVW 910308
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparison Review: Norton Antivirus For MS-DOS
By Robert Michael Slade
Company and product:
Symantec/Peter Norton
10201 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
USA
408-253-9600
800-343-4714
800-441-7234
408-252-3570
416-923-1033
Norton AntiVirus
Summary:
Manual and memory-resident virus scanning, as well as change detection.
Cost $130 US
Rating (1-4, 1 = poor, 4 = very good)
"Friendliness"
Installation 3
Ease of use 2
Help systems 2
Compatibility 3
Company
Stability 3
Support 3
Documentation 2
Hardware required 4
Performance 3
Availability 4
Local Support 1
General Description:
The NAV.EXE program has the ability to scan memory, boot sectors, and files for the
presence of known viral programs, and to "inoculate" programs against change. It
can also recover some damage to programs and boot sectors. The NAV_.SYS program
provides TSR (memory-resident) checking of files, although it does not detect viral
programs in memory, or deal effectively with boot sector viri.
Comparison of features and specifications
User Friendliness
-----------------
Installation
------------
The program is shipped on "read only" disks, therefore cannot be infected at
the user's site without active intervention.
It is absolutely essential to read the on disk READ.ME file, as the
documentation is incorrect in many places including installation. The printed
documentation fails to mention the NAV.DEF virus definition file and the
program will not function without it.
Installation can be done from any drive to any drive, including floppy drives.
If old versions of Norton Antivirus are found they can be overwritten or
backed up at the user's discretion. The installation program is clear and
simple to use, and gives clear instructions and explanations of the various
options. (With some exceptions. For example, the program assumes that old
copies of NAV are to be found in C:\NAV, and states that there is no old
version if nothing is found there. If this is not the path for the files, and
the proper path is specified, the request to choose between backing up and
overwriting old versions comes shortly after the announcement that there are
no old versions.) A "completion bar" shows the progress of most lengthy
operations (throughout the program.)
The installation is quite intelligent and useful in dealing with the necessary
changes to system files. An editing screen is presented for the insertion of
the command line in CONFIG.SYS. The default placement is explained clearly
enough to give novices confidence, but will allow more advanced users the
ability to select optimum positioning. Backup files are created for the
original AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS.
The installation program is not very intelligent in dealing with configuration
options. Upon invocation of the installation program, it asks about the type
of monitor used. Upon completion, however, the configuration of the NAV
program defaults to "CGA" monitor type, which does not allow some options or
"command keys" to be seen on monochrome screens. Also upon completion, if
"Quit" is chosen instead of "Reboot", the "target" drive and directory becomes
the default.
Ease of use
-----------
The program is "menu driven", but use without a mouse is not necessarily
intuitive, nor do all menus work consistently. (For example, all options on
the main menu are accessed by initial letter except "Exit" which is accessible
only by pressing the "X" or "ESC" keys.) Ten pages of the manual are devoted
to the use of the interface. The menus are, however, generally clear and
readable. (Unless, as mentioned above, the monitor type is not consistent
with "highlights" generated in CGA mode.)
The "Advanced scan" and "Auto-inoculate" features of the system are simply
variations on checksumming and change detection, but are set up and explained
in a manner which appears to be unnecessarily confusing. The options
available in the "Options/Configuration" menu allow for a considerable degree
of customization, but reasons for choosing certain options are not clear in
the initial installation section of the manual. The monitor "box" in the menu
is not accessible in any way, nor is it explained in either the manual or the
help text. Some options do not appear to work: I did not chose to "Disable
scan Cancel button" (b being the letter used to access this option), but the
- -
"cancel scan" option was disabled on my program anyway.
If a virus is detected in memory at the beginning of a scan, the program will
refuse to scan further. This is an advantage in that it prevents infection by
viri which infect each file as it is open, but there is no "discretion" on
this feature, and it activates even when boot sector viri are found. The
program does not terminate, but will not perform (in terms of scanning). No
help is given at this point; the user is referred to a section of the manual.
Help systems
------------
The program contains an extensive help file. Personally, I did not find the
on-screen help to be very useful, generally having to go to the reference
section of the manual if I could not figure out the operation from the menus.
Compatibility
-------------
Norton Antivirus is stated to be compatible with Windows. However, careful
examination of the disk READ.ME file indicates that this compatibility is true only
in that the TSR scanner can continue to alert users through the "siren" if the
"alert boxes" are turned off while Windows is in operation. NAV is not compatible
with Desqview, and has difficulty with a number of other TSRs and related
utilities. Careful reading of the READ.ME file is suggested on systems with
extensive use of TSR programs.
The program shipped as of December 7, 1990, identifies a significant proportion of
the viral programs identified by the Brunnstein, Hoffman, McAfee, and Skulason
lists. The company has also provided a means of regular updates of "signature"
information.
The "change detection" information is not added to the file to be checked, so it
does not interfere with "internal" self checks. However, the information is not
stored in a single outside file, but in a "hidden, system" file created for each
program to be checked. As the READ.ME file indicates, this may take up
considerable space on a hard disk, and may be difficult to recover even after
programs are removed.
Company Stability
-----------------
Symantec and Peter Norton have both been solid companies in their respective
environments.
Company Support
---------------
The company provides both a technical support line and a "Virus Newsline" for
update information on new viral signatures. There is provision for access to
information through "voice mail", FAX, and commercial information services.
Suggestions from the company indicate that this is seen as valuable primarily to
corporate customers, who can take advantage of economies of scale in distributing
the information internally and recovering the cost of obtaining the information.
It should be noted that although the program was promised to the reviewer in
November, that it required eleven return phone calls to five different offices to
finally have it delivered over three months later.
Documentation
-------------
The documentation is extensive, but the layout would not be simple for a novice to
follow. While the information is all there, even after a thorough reading it is
hard to remember where a specific item is. The "Quick Start" section does provide
an acceptable installation, if default values are all valid in the user's system.
The "clean start" provisions of both the "Quick Start" and installation sections
should prevent installation on an infected system if followed rigorously. However,
----------------------
even here the directions may be confusing to a novice. The "About Viruses" section
is of little use.
As mentioned before, many corrections and omissions from the manual are pointed out
in the READ.ME file on disk, and the documentation should not be considered
complete without it.
Hardware Requirements
---------------------
No special hardware is required.
Performance
-----------
As mentioned, the NAV program identifies a larger number of viral signatures than
does any commercial product reviewed to date, with provisions for constant updating
of the signature files. The scanning is also very fast, approaching the speed of
TBSCAN and VPCSCAN.
The TSR scanner, NAV_.SYS, is invoked from CONFIG.SYS (cf F-DRIVER.SYS in the FPROT
package). It cannot prevent infection of the system from a "boot sector" infected
diskette, it does not detect the presence of such a virus in memory, and it neither
prevents infection of diskettes, nor alerts the user to the use of an infected
diskette or the operation of infecting.
Repair of viral programs appeared to be affective.
Local Support
-------------
Although local sales offices of Symantec/Peter Norton are widely available, support
is provided only through the central technical support and "Virus Newsline"
numbers.
Support Requirements
--------------------
In its current form, the product is suitable for novice users, but installation and
actions when a virus is found may require more expert support.
General Notes
The provision of access to update information gives this product a significant
advantage. There are, however, some weaknesses to be dealt with, and a general
improvement is needed in the documentation and ease of use before it is suitable
for all users.
copyright Robert M. Slade 1991 PCNRTNAV.RVW 910315
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repairing A Rainbow
By Eric A. Rasmussen
(Editor's note: The following network message was passed to the newsletter by
Robert Slade.
I suggest another possible solution to the problems discussed in this article:
Replacing or repairing the cable connecting the power supply to the motherboard.
In one case I know of, a non-functioning Rainbow 100A regained full operation after
a new power supply cable was installed.)
Subject: Re: Rainbows and KERMIT VT220 version 2.29
Date: 2 Jan 92 09:38:03 GMT
Organization: Neat-O [TM]--located at the Monastery of Cybermonks
In article <1JAN92153119@hacks.arizona.edu> hamlet@hacks.arizona.edu writes:
>Big problem here. The version of KERMIT that performs VT220 emulation
>(2.29) does something nasty to the interrupts on the 100B. Every time I
>try to run WP or Mystic Pascal, I get an interrupt error and have to
>reboot. I replaced the system module with another from our stockpile
>of gutted Rainbows, but the problem persists, even though I no longer have
>2.29 on my system and haven't used it since I changed the motherboard.
I had an interrupt problem with my Rainbow 100A a while back when it would just
hang every so often. At first I attributed it to possible bugs in some piece of
software I was running. However, after I added a memory board, the machine ran
every diagnostic test I had and passed with flying colors. Five minutes later it
completely died so that I couldn't even get a display of any sort. Thinking,
"Well, it's dead, so I guess I can't hurt it", I took out the motherboard and, just
for the hell of it, tried removing and putting back the BIOS chips in case the
connections had somehow gotten loose or dirty. Amazingly enough, this fixed it,
and the interrupt problems went away too.
Later on, I installed a graphics board and experienced the same problem. From
looking at the sockets, my guess is that the language ROM (the one in the funny
looking socket) is the problem, due to its mutant socket configuration that makes
contact with the chip via the upper-side of the pins rather than the bottom.
Anyway, my recommendation is to simply try reseating your BIOS chips. Besides,
I've run KERMIT version 2.29 a few times and never had any problems come of it. Of
course, I've never tried WP or Mystic Pascal either . . ..
Notes on removing the ROMs, from the Rainbow 100 Pocket Service Guide:
ROMs 0 & 1:
If your system has a QIKEJECT (TM) chip socket, as shown in fig. 5-6, it will break
if you pry the chip up out of the socket. Use a screwdriver to push the chip
sideways instead.
(The figure included shows a slot in the end of the socket (on the same end as the
notch in the chip) into which a small, flat-head screw driver tip may be inserted,
and you apparently bend the screw driver toward the chip to press on some lever
mechanism under the chip which facilitates its removal. Personally, I just had
regular chip sockets for my ROMs 0 & 1, so you may not have to worry about this.
The guide indicates that a number of different socket styles were used, so your
milage may vary.)
ROM 2 (the language ROM):
To remove the old ROM, pull it up as shown in fig 5-6. You may have to pull hard.
(This chip is actually covered in a small, black, plastic (antistatic) cover so
that you cannot see the top of it. On either end of the ROM there is a small tab
which you are supposed to hold it by when pulling up. This socket is keyed so that
the chip will fit in only one way, and the pins of the chip are bent around the
underside of the removable part so that the sides of the pins are what actually
make the electrical connection. Trust me, it's weird, but at least you don't have
to worry about bending the pins.)
+---------< Eric A. Rasmussen - Mr. Neat-O (TM) >---------+ +< Email Address >+
| A real engineer never reads the instructions first. | | ear@wpi.wpi.edu |
| (They figure out how it works by playing with it.) | | ear%wpi@wpi.edu |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repairing A VR201 Monitor
By Luke Mayercin
(Editor's note: The following discussion was passed on to us from Usenet by Robert
Slade.
'GMT' stands for 'Greenwich Mean Time', indicating time in a zone taken as
standard. 'CRT' stands for 'cathode ray tube', the name of the picture tube in a
monitor or television set.)
From: gbf@sparky.eecs.umich.edu (Glen A. B. Feak)
Subject: Need Rainbow Monitor Schematics
Date: 7 Jan 92 15:06:40 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor
I have a Rainbow 100B and the monitor, a VR201, just blew. I have someone to fix
it, and he needs to replace a resistor, and then find out why it fried. The
trouble is, the resistance is no longer readable, so we need a schematic. I called
DEC, and the schematic is available, but for $184, too much for my budget. If
anyone out there knows where I might find a schematic at a price I can afford,
please E-mail or phone. I will greatly appreciate it.
Otherwise, where can I buy another VR201?
Thanks in advance.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Glen A. B. Feak gbf@eecs.umich.edu
The University of Michigan,
Dept. of Electrical Engineering TEL: 313-663-2946
and Computer Science FAX: 313-747-1781
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2122
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
From: lrm28@cas.org
Subject: Re: Need Rainbow Monitor Schematics
Date: 7 Jan 92 16:12:31 GMT
Organization: Chemical Abstracts Service
Finally I get to use some of that hard-earned knowledge. The VR201 has a problem
with the width circuit. A thermoplastic glue holds a width choke in place while
the board is wave-soldered. 95% of the time the choke does not get a good
connection due to the glue seeping into the vias on the board. When time passes,
the screen will shrink to the center 1-2 inches and fail within an hour. A
100-ohm, 1-watt resistor in series with the choke burns out. How to fix it?????
1. Gain access to the PC board (discharge the CRT, remove PC hold-downs and
connectors).
2. Locate the burnt resistor and width choke. (At the upper right of the board if
the big end is up.)
3. Flip the board and remove the burnt resistor, the resistor/resistor-choke, and
the width choke.
4. Carefully remove all traces of hot-melt glue from the board and the pins on the
choke. I usually pour some solder into the choke's holes and remove it that way.
5. With the cleaned choke reinserted, resolder using plenty of heat.
6. Reinstall the wirewound resistor-choke or 2-watt carbon resistor. Resolder.
7. Obtain a 1-watt carbon or 0.5-watt wirewound 100-ohm resistor. Install.
Solder.
8. Reinstall the board into the chassis and reconnect. Leave the cover off and
reconnect the monitor to the chassis. Adjust the focus, brightness, and width to
suit.
9. Satisfied? Remove the connectors and replace the cover.
How does he know so much? We have 600 or so PC350s in use. Bet you wondered where
they all went, didn't cha?
--
Chemical Abstracts Service is not responsible for these comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
================================
DEC Professional Computer
Frequently Asked Questions
And Miscellaneous Trivia
================================
Compiled and edited by: |-------------------|
Chaim Dworkin chaim@linc.cis.upenn.edu | 10 February, 1992 |
| ------------------|
(Editor's note: This article was taken from a network message passed on to the
newsletter by Robert Slade. Only part of the message appears here. We plan to
print more in future newsletters.
The DEC RD52 hard disk was the Quantum Q540 and had a formatted capacity of some
33.6 million characters, not 20 million, if formatted with 16 sectors per track.
Using 17 sectors per track would give a capacity of about 35.6 million characters.
The RD53 was the Micropolis 1325 with a formatted capacity of about 67.1 million
characters at 16 sectors per track, or 71.3 million at 17 sectors per track.
'FAQ' stands for 'frequently asked questions'. A megabyte is one million bytes,
that is, one million storage places for characters. A CPU is a central processing
unit. 'PC' stands for 'personal computer'. A bus is a path for electrical
signals. 'DCL' stands for 'Digital Command Language'. I/D space is space for
instructions and data. 'BTW' stands for 'by the way'. 'IC' stands for 'integrated
circuit'. ':-' represents a smile.)
This "FAQ and other miscellaneous trivia" is compiled from discussions which took
place on comp.sys.dec.micro over the past 4 years. Whenever possible names and
addresses of contributing individuals are placed after each answer. Additions,
corrections, and constructive comments are welcomed.
**************************
Q1. I have just acquired a DEC "Professional 350". I really don't know what it
is. What operating system will it run? What sort of CPU does it have?
The PRO 300 was the engineering workstation of its time. There were 3 models: The
325, 350, and 380. The 325 and 350 shared the LSI-11/23 CPU. The difference
between them was that the 325 was floppy based, while the 350 had a hard disk and a
bigger power supply. It can handle the RD51, RD52, and RD53 drives (10, 20, and 71
megabytes, respectively). The 380 was based on the LSI-11/73 CPU. Available
options include color monitors and ethernet. Runs 16 bits at 3 Mhz.
Basically, the PRO 300 is a personal PDP-11, with computer and terminal in a neat
PC package. It has an expansion bus, the CT-bus. Unfortunately, it never really
caught on, DEC marketing being what it is, despite being a contemporary of the
IBM-PC and being priced about the same as the original IBMs. A friend of mine ran
some benchmarks on his 350, and determined it's about 1/3 to 1/2 as fast as a
MicroVAX-II for non-virtual-memory numerical applications.
For a while after they stopped trying to sell the PROs to the masses, DEC continued
to use them as the central console systems for the big VAX clusters in the 8000
series. They also sold them to various OEMs as process controllers and graphical
front-ends for large control systems. It was a cheap way to get an 11/23 or 11/73,
if your expansion needs were limited and you needed only one (or perhaps two)
terminals.
Operating systems: The worst thing DEC did to the PROs was putting a brain-dead,
menu-driven version of RSX-11M+ called P/OS (Professional Operating System) on
them. Now, RSX-11M+ is a nice operating system, as are the other PDP-11 operating
systems. But who wants to be limited to a miserable, slow menu system on a nice,
little computer like the PRO 350? The only saving grace of P/OS is the
PRO/Toolkit, a development environment which includes a partial DCL command shell.
But you still boot up at the menu level, and it's only a limited shell.
Fortunately, RT-11 quickly became available, as did a couple of versions of PDP-11
UNIX. The one I remember was VENIX, which was put out by VentureCom. It would be
nice if someone at Berkeley put their UNIX on the PRO . . ..
As for P/OS (and a version of RT-11 which actually runs under P/OS), it's still
-----
available from DECUS, basically just for media charges. They also have printed
documentation. Like DEC operating systems in general, P/OS has excellent and
voluminous documentation. I have eight 3-inch, 3-ring binders on my bookcase, plus
various smaller documents. Everything you ever wanted to know about the
Professional 300 series . . ..
DECUS also has a C compiler that runs under the PRO/Toolkit, as well as a BASIC.
They don't have the PRO FORTRAN, possibly because it's the same as the regular RSX
FORTRAN (speculation).
Personal opinion: If DEC hadn't crippled the PROs with P/OS, but had sold them as
software development workstations for the PDP-11, offering versions of all the
PDP-11 operating systems (RSX-11M, RSX-11M+, Ultrix, RT-11, RSTS/E, IAS), they
could have sold lots of them. It's a great way to move your system hackers off the
main production machine without having to buy an expensive machine just for the
developers. Unfortunately, Our Favorite Computer Company has always been stronger
at engineering than marketing. Sigh.
Steve Mitchell steve@cps.altadena.ca.us
----
The PRO is more akin to a mini, and will do some nifty multitasking if you choose
to use it . . . with HARDWARE protection of each task against the others, hardware
floating point, and so on, and so on. There's a trick to booting off a floppy to
regain control. Also [zzsys]firstappl.ptr should probably be deleted, and the PRO
native toolkit is a MUST. Given the native toolkit, the PRO is a quite respectable
computer. The major weakness of a PRO is that I/D space separation is not
supported by P/OS, which limits you to 8 page registers, making address space
manipulation more of a chore.
Glenn Everhart Everhart%Arisia.decnet@crd.ge.com
**************************
Q2. What's the difference between a PRO 350 and a PRO 380?
The PRO 380 is in fact a faster PRO 350--about 5 times as fast I think. The 350
uses the PDP 11/23 chip (F-11) and the 380 uses the PDP 11/73 chip (J-11).
It also has extra memory bitmap pages, faster graphics, and comes as standard with
512 000 bytes on the mother board. The RAM expansion cards can go in any slot. As
I remember it, the 380 does not have a video card as all the video is on the mother
board.
If you do MACRO-11 assembler coding, you'll certainly discover that the F-11
doesn't really check for odd address errors, while the J-11 does (traps thru vector
4). Also, the J-11 includes the ability to separate instruction and data address
spaces, and includes a third addressing mode (supervisor). As I recall, P/OS takes
advantage of some but not all of the additional features (not entirely sure exactly
which ones appeared in which P/OS version).
Graeme Thomson GRAEME@praxa.com.au
----
Another 380 feature is that you can divide memory for applications into I-space and
D-space (I = instructions, D = data), allowing your programs to use twice as much
memory as in the 350 (as long as half is instruction and half is data, of course).
Other potential OS platforms (anything but P/OS!) were PRO Venix (a UNIX of some
ilk), RT-11 (and the non-DEC, RT-11-like TSX), and some flavor of MUMPS. Also it
can be a DECnet end node.
Dean File
Chapel Hill, NC
**************************
Q3. What languages are available for the PRO?
DEC has various PDP-11 languages that apply to the PRO . . . stuff like BASIC
(distinct from the DECUS Basic dialect), FORTRAN 77, COBOL, Datatrieve, and various
others. DEC compilers are fairly cheap on the PRO . . . probably even more so now
that the PRO is, er, "stabilized". The two DECUS Pascal compilers, NBS and
Swedish, differ in that NBS generates faster, more compact code, while Swedish is
more standard-conformant. (Turbo is not very standard conformant, BTW.) Two good
Pascal compilers, a BASIC interpreter, a C compiler, FORTH, FOCAL, and so on are
available. Also the DEC F77 compiler and mucho other stuff.
Glenn Everhart Everhart%Arisia.decnet@crd.ge.com
**************************
Q4. Where can I get software for the Professional computer?
DECUS can be phoned at 508 480 3418. Join; it's free. It's the Digital Equipment
Computer Users Society. There are at least 95 megabytes of diskettes of stuff
packaged for PRO between the library and the DECUS PC SIG. Much of it REQUIRES the
native toolkit (which supplies little niceties like a decent command interpreter
and an assembler and linker . . . and the system symbol table file!) The DECUS
library catalog, which you'll get free when you join, lists a bunch of PRO
offerings on RX50. I believe the 350 has a semi-weird disk interface though. My
personal use for a 325 would be to run RT11 on it at most, since RT11 runs
reasonably well off floppies. P/OS (which is to say, slightly modified
RSX11M-PLUS) does not. There's lots of software for RT11 also.
The basic engine isn't really all that slow; there IS however a LOT of cruft in
P/OS. (Not for nothing did that OS get the nickname Piece Of S**t because of the
menu orientation and misfeatures that distinguish it from RSX11M+.) With some of
the free tools you can bypass much of that though. There's also a quite decent
memory disk for P/OS on the RSX SIG tapes. When you get your DECUS catalog, check
out the PDP-11 areas as well as the PRO areas. Most of the stuff applies to a PRO.
There's a working group in the RSX SIG whose mission is to make software from SIG
tapes available on floppies or other media (the "Other Media" working group . . .
it actually DOES function). I'm continually surprised how many people with DEC
processors don't know about DECUS. No wonder you use your PRO as a terminal! Sigh
. . ..
Glenn Everhart Everhart%Arisia.decnet@crd.ge.com
**************************
Q5. How much memory is on the motherboard? How much can I bring it up to?
The amount of memory is really dependent upon where it is going to be installed:
In the motherboard or in one of the expansion cages, that is, along with the disk
--
controllers, Tms, and so on locations. Expansion cage: The memory boards are
configured for a maximum of 256 k--you can install as many as you want this way
-----------------
(say to about 3 units of 256 k).
Motherboard: Here the modules vary. They are one of two module-sizes; that is,
128 k boards or 512 k boards. A system normally comes with two of 128 k, thus,
making a total of 256 k on the motherboard and the other 256 k board in the
expansion cage, making a total of 512 k--a basic PRO 350 system. You can replace
one of 128 k with one 512 k new board. This 512 k is actually made for the PRO
380, but you can put it in your 350. Remove one 128 k and substitute a 512 k
safely.
tung tung@eniac.seas.upenn.edu
**************************
Q6. How can I add memory to my PRO?
Here is a how-to guide for memory upgrade of the PRO 350 at home. At $2.00 per
chip, $64 will get you one megabyte of memory on your PRO and free up one expansion
slot if you remove the memory board. Each board goes from 128 k to 512 k and you
could do one or both in the PRO.
Professional 350 Daughter Board Memory Upgrade
----------------------------------------------
The Professional 350 (PRO 350) requires 512 000 bytes of memory in order to start
P/OS. In the least costly configuration, this requirement is supplied by two 128 k
daughter boards located on the motherboard underneath the hard disks. These boards
are elevated above the motherboard on spacers and are easily recognized. An
expansion slot usually holds another memory board with an additional 256 000 bytes.
Together these boards form the 512 000 bytes of memory needed in the minimal system
configuration.
Because of advances in memory chips and DEC's useful foresight, it is possible to
install 1024 k bytes using only the two daughter boards. This may free up a slot
or just give you additional memory. This file describes one method used to upgrade
the memory boards.
The upgrade requires thirty-two 256 k by 1 dynamic refresh memory chips with at
most 150 ns access time. The original chips are not in sockets so they have to be
desoldered. To make desoldering simple, we used the following technique.
1) Remove the memory boards from the PRO.
2) Pre-heat a burner on an electric range to about medium heat.
3) Get your pliers or an IC extractor ready.
4) Each board has two rows of 8 chips each. The chips will be removed one
column at a time (two in each column). Hold the board so that a column of
chips is over the hottest part of the burner. When the solder is hot
enough simply pull the column of two chips out.
5) Remove the board from over the burner and allow it time to cool. If you
try to do too many columns at one time you will scorch the board. Minor
scorching may be expected depending on the amount of patience you have
concerning getting the burner temperature correct and how many rows you
attempt to do at one time. If you are careful enough, you should be able
to do it without scorching the board at all! Any time you touch the board
to the burner you can expect scorch marks.
Note: Sometimes the pins on the old memory chips are bent outwards on the bottom
of the memory board. This makes them harder to remove. Straighten them if you
can.
Note: Don't worry about the capacitors, they may fall out when the solder is
molten. They can be replaced when the new chips are inserted.
6) After you have done all columns and removed all the old memory chips you
still have to remove old solder. Our homebrew method of doing this is to
use a vacuum cleaner as a solder sucker device. Turn the vacuum cleaner on
and hold the nozzle between your knees. Using a soldering iron, heat the
solder on the pin hole a few inches away from the vacuum cleaner nozzle.
When the solder is molten, bring the board down on the nozzle so that the
nozzle is centered under the hole. This sucks the solder out but it has a
tendency to splatter it on the underside of the board too.
7) Use the soldering iron to collect the splattered solder into the pin holes
on the other side of the board and then re-heat the pin hole and do step 6
again. After about three times the pin holes are clear from old solder.
It could take longer for the first board until the technique is developed.
Note: Solder will accumulate on the inside of the vacuum cleaner nozzle. It isn't
very much solder but someone's wife could get mad about it. We don't know what
will happen if the nozzle is made from plastic instead of metal as it was here.
Perhaps some aluminum foil wrapped around the nozzle would solve both problems.
8) After steps 6 and 7, you should have a board with all the pin holes free of
solder so that you can insert the new memory chips. Certain holes which
are part of large traces take more effort to unsolder because there is more
solder in them. All holes need to be open in order to insert the new
memory chips. Do the capacitor holes as well if necessary.
9) Place the new memory chips in the old holes and solder them in. Make sure
they face the same way as the originals. You need only solder the chips
from the bottom of the board, the plate-through holes will do the rest.
10) There are two jumpers that need to be soldered to enable the extra memory.
They are labeled J1 and J2 on the board. Cut a piece of wire, strip the
ends, and solder the ends across the jumpers.
11) Reinstall the board into the PRO.
12) The P/OS toolkit 'show memory' command should show 512 k WORDS (1024 k
bytes) of memory with only the two mother boards installed.
We have upgraded four boards this way so far and not one has failed so far. All
the memory chips we used were tested in another computer (one with sockets) before
they were installed. You may want to solder sockets into your memory board instead
of the chips themselves. If you have bad memory when you start up your PRO it
would be much easier to replace a socketed memory chip than a soldered one.
Although we have singed a few boards perfecting this method, the damage was only
cosmetic. Removing the memory chips over the burner is the most difficult part of
the operation.
Todd Miller tmiller@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu
**************************
Q7. Along with the PRO 380 I received three RAM boards. I know that the slots in
the PRO computers are dedicated, RAM goes in a specified slot, video in another,
and so on. Can all three RAM boards be put in and be recognized?
Actually, if I remember correctly some of the boards were slot dependent, others
weren't. Additional memory is useful up to a point (J-11 maximum physical memory
address is 22 bits) depending on what's already in the system. The base memory is
daughter boards on the CPU motherboard. Expansion memory can be added as modules
in the CTI bus. The memory modules should self-configure and play (if it all works
:-).
- Bruce McCulley
**************************
Q8. Can I put a hard drive and controller card in my PRO 325 to convert it to a
PRO 350?
Possibly. The standard method of conversion is to purchase the upgrade kit which
consists of new motherboard, stronger power supply, and hard drive with hard drive
controller card. It costs a lot of money. I tried to take a short cut and simply
put the hard drive controller card into the PRO 325. DEC glued plastic over the
connector edges of the slot that the HD controller card fits into in order to
discourage people from just inserting a drive. You have to spend some time
carefully cleaning the connector edges of glue and plastic pieces (DEC used a
strong glue). I called DEC and asked them if it was possible and the person I
spoke with said he has heard of only two people who succeeded. I did not, but my
HD was bad to begin with.
Chaim Dworkin chaim@linc.cis.upenn.edu
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions And Answers
Do you have a computer-related problem? Send it to us. We can publish it, and if
we do not know a solution, perhaps someone else in our users group can provide one.
QUESTION: What hardware and software can be used with a DECmate I? In particular:
Is there any software besides WPS-8 which runs on this machine? Where can one get
a DF02AC or compatible modem for this DECmate? Can other modems be used? Will
software for a DECmate II work with a DECmate I?
ANSWER: If your computer has an RS232C serial port, you should be able to use most
(if not all) external modems.
We are still looking for answers to the other questions. Can any reader help?
QUESTION: How can I select a foreign keyboard on a DEC Rainbow 100B?
ANSWER: On a Rainbow 100B, keyboard selection is stored in non-volatile memory.
To change keyboard configurations, press the <Set-Up> (or <F3>) key and press the
<Next Screen> key. Use the left- or right-arrow key to move the cursor to the
second entry from the right in the list of parameters. Use the up- or down-arrow
key to change the parameter to 0. Type <Shift>-<S> to save the setting. Then
press <Ctrl>-<Set-Up>. The screen will clear, the computer will do a brief
self-test, and a menu of keyboards will appear along with directions for choosing
one. Use the up- or down-arrow key to move the cursor to the option you wish.
Then press the <Select> key to make the selection. (We found we could use the
<Return> key as well as <Select>, but the directions mention only <Select>.) The
Rainbow will then go to the next step of resetting itself. On the machine we tried
recently, this was to present the start-up menu, but your 100B may be configured
differently. The keyboard you selected will be stored in non-volatile memory as
the default.
Please note that even if you have the United States/Canada English keyboard
installed, you can use the <Compose Character> key to produce a foreign character.
For example, the sequence <Compose Character> <e> <'> produces "e'".
Neither the keyboard selection nor the use of <Compose Character> are available on
a Rainbow 100A.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buy, Sell, Or Swap
This section is presented as a service to members. There is no charge for
advertizements placed here, though donations will be accepted. Only items related
to computing will be advertized; if you wish to sell an old car, we respectfully
suggest you publicize elsewhere. Advertizements are not accepted from suppliers.
In accordance with DECUS policy on commercialism, we do not print prices. Ads
should preferably be submitted to the editor in writing or as ASCII computer files,
but may also be phoned in.
----------------------------------
FOR SALE: Poly-XFR CP/M communications software for Rainbow 100. The software is
in the original package with all documentation. Three 65 536-character DRAM
(memory) chips. One serial-to-parallel interface. One AC computer fan. These
items are just taking up space now, so all offers will be considered. Telephone
David P. Maroun at (604) 792-4071.
WANTED: A PC380--just the system (cards, hard drive, and motherboard). No
peripherals required. Telephone Dido Diseko at (204) 284-8100 during business
hours, (204) 261-4671 after office hours.
FOR SALE: Peachtree business modules for MS-DOS: PeachCalc spreadsheet, personal
calendar, job cost system, and inventory control. Any offer will be seriously
---
considered. Note: These modules require Code Blue and maximum memory to run on
Rainbows. Contact David P. Maroun at (604) 792-4071.
AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE: One memory expansion board with a nominal capacity of
192 k, for a DEC Rainbow. Contact Ken Alger at (604) 724-3181.
AVAILABLE FOR THE COST OF SHIPPING: One pair of disk drives for a DEC Robin
(VT180). If you pick these up in person, you pay nothing. Telephone David P.
Maroun at (604) 792-4071.
WANTED: Read-only memory (ROM) chips to allow a DEC LA100 printer to print 8-bit
characters and to print near-letter-quality text at twelve characters per inch.
Telephone David P. Maroun at (604) 792-4071.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Do You Think Of This Issue?
Please tell us what you liked or did not like.
The best articles were:__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
The worst articles were:_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Comments or suggestions:
Send your opinions to The Editor, VARUG Newsletter, 9395 Windsor Street,
Chilliwack, BC, Canada V2P 6C5.