I have just acquired a VAXstation 3520. This is a 2-processor machine, but I got a second processor card with it from another partially complete 3520 to make it a 4-processor machine and really this makes it a VAXstation 3540.
I booted it up to the alternate console and used the console to list the configuration. This is what I got:
KA60 V1.2
F..E..D..C..B..A..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0
5 01010004 L2003 4 ? V1.3
1 SSC 00000001
2 DZ 00031200 ?
3 NI 58610770 ?
4 SCSI 00000901
5 SYS 00000001
08-E1,P1
0B-E1,P1
08
CPU08 >>>t 50
KA60 V1.2
MID MODTYPE ID SLOT ERR
0 01010001 L2002 9
1 01020110 L2007BA 8
2 01010108 L2001 7
3 01020110 L2007BA 6
4 00000000 * 5
5 01010004 L2003 4 ?
7 01010002 L2004 3
CPU08 >>>t 50 0
0 01010001 L2002 9
1 QAM 00000001 V2.0
2 TQK70 00000001 V2.0
CSR= 00001940
VEC= 000000B0
CPU08 >>>show scsi
ADDR VMB DEVTYP DEVNAM NUMBYTS REV CHAR
----- ------ ------ ------- ------- ---- ----
5.0.0 DKA0 DISK 94191-1 663 MB 0136
5.1.0 DKA100 DISK 94191-1 663 MB 0136
5.7 HOST SII-A
This means that the specification is as follows:
- KA60-AA CPU Module (L2001).
- 32MB memory (MS60-BA, or L2007-BA x2).
- I/O Module (L2003).
- Graphics base module (L2004).
- Q-bus Adapter Module (L2002) with TQK70 controller attached.
- 2 RZ56 SCSI disks (663MB each).
It doesn’t list the graphics output module (L2005), but an L2005-AA is installed. I also have an L2005-AA from the partially complete 3520, so I have a spare if needed. After reseating the L2005-AA I get this instead:
KA60 V1.2
F..E..D..C..B..A..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0
5 01010004 L2003 4 ? V1.3
1 SSC 00000001
2 DZ 00031200 ?
3 NI 19210770 ?
4 SCSI 00000901
5 SYS 00000001
7 01010002 L2004 3 ?? V1.1-B
1 GFX 20153652 ??
08-E1,P1
0B-E1,P1
08
CPU08 >>>
I added the second CPU board, moving the memory board in slot 6 to slot 5 and putting the second CPU board in slot 6. Having done that I got this:
KA60 V1.2
F..E..D..C..B..A..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0
5 01010004 L2003 4 ? V1.3
1 SSC 00000001
2 DZ 00031200 ?
3 NI 19210770 ?
4 SCSI 00000901
5 SYS 00000001
7 01010002 L2004 3 ?? V1.1-B
1 GFX 10021112 ??
08-E1,P1
0B-E1,P1
0C-E1,P1
0F-E1,P1
08
CPU08 >>>t 50
KA60 V1.2
MID MODTYPE ID SLOT ERR
0 01010001 L2002 9
1 01020110 L2007BA 8
2 01010108 L2001 7
3 01010108 L2001 6
4 01020110 L2007BA 5
5 01010004 L2003 4 ?
7 01010002 L2004 3 ??
CPU08 >>>
So clearly I now have a 4-CPU VAXstation!
Now it was time to install VMS. At first I installed VMS 7.3 from a CD-ROM because I had some networking difficulties to net boot it. The installation procedure recognised the machine as a VAXstation 3540.
However, I then checked what the contemporary version of VMS would have been. The machine was released in January 1989 (wikipedia) and according to this the version of VMS should be 5.1-1. The closest I have is VMS 5.4, so I decided to install that.
This time I decided to try to get the networking to work so I could install VMS 5.4 over the network. I had a problem with thinwire (which is too slow anyway) so I tried thickwire. This is where I had an unusual problem. Normally on an AUI connector on a front panel, the connector is male and has the sliding clip. This one is male but has the protruding lugs instead. This meant I couldn’t connect it to my AUI-RJ45 adapter, nor could I connect it to the thickwire cables I have. I had to take the lugs off the adapter, and then I could use it. This worked for a while but then stopped working while copying some data from the boot node.
In the end I had to use CD-ROM again. I used the alternate console to install VMS 5.4, and I now get this:
$ SHOW CPU/FULL
CPU type: VAXstation 3540
Multiprocessing is ENABLED. Streamlined synchronization image loaded.
Minimum multiprocessing revision levels: CPU = 3 FBIC = 1.
Default CPU capabilities:
QUORUM RUN
Default process capabilities:
QUORUM RUN
PRIMARY CPU = 08
CPU 08 is in RUN state
Current Process: *** None ***
Revision levels: CPU = 5 FBIC = 1.
Capabilities of this CPU:
PRIMARY QUORUM RUN
Processes which can only execute on this CPU:
*** None ***
CPU 11 is in RUN state
Current Process: *** None ***
Revision levels: CPU = 5 FBIC = 1.
Capabilities of this CPU:
QUORUM RUN
Processes which can only execute on this CPU:
*** None ***
CPU 12 is in RUN state
Current Process: *** None ***
Revision levels: CPU = 5 FBIC = 1.
Capabilities of this CPU:
QUORUM RUN
Processes which can only execute on this CPU:
*** None ***
CPU 15 is in RUN state
Current Process: SYSTEM PID = 0000008E
Revision levels: CPU = 5 FBIC = 1.
Capabilities of this CPU:
QUORUM RUN
Processes which can only execute on this CPU:
*** None ***
$
So it recognised a VAXstation 3540 with 4 CPUs.
For the network interface problem I swapped the I/O module and the I/O panel to see if I could get the it to work, but it didn’t work at all. I put back the originals and they worked again, but I think they might be a bit suspect.
Next I tried to get the graphics working, instead of using the alternate console. I tried with an old Viewsonic LCD display that supports sync-on-green, but I couldn’t get any output. Then I realised that I didn’t have the graphics cover installed, and the graphics frontplane seems to have earthing contacts all around its edges. With the graphics cover installed I was able to get an image and I booted into DECwindows. However, the image quality was too poor for the text to be readable, although the monitor does match the spec of the VR295 monitor at 1280×1024 pixels. I think it is a sync issue and in text mode there is some coloured ghosting of the characters.
The diagnostic LEDs on the graphics frontplane also show a value of 2, this seems to mean a faulty expansion module, but this may be normal as there is no expansion module.