Running ITS in the KA10 SIMH

[larsbrinkhoff]

I suggest we move the discussion from #376 and #440 to here.

https://github.com/rcornwell/sims

[larsbrinkhoff]

CC @rcornwell.

[larsbrinkhoff]

The plan of attack would be something like:

1. Use MAGDMP and MAGFRM to get a file system on magtape. Try to run a few standalone programs.
2. Try to build the old SALV to make a file structure on a disk. Expect to debug the disk emulation and/or controller code.
3. Build KA version of DSKDMP and exec DDT to be able to load and run a monitor.
4. Build a KA monitor.
5. Profit!

[rcornwell]

Sounds like a good plan of attack. If you find bugs in my simulator post an issue on my sim. If I have time tonight I will try and fix the bug I introduced last night adding TLB and starting to add ITS pager support. Otherwise it will probably have to wait until the weekend. Biggest problem I can see is getting all the patches to support the 1 proceed and other ITS specific changes to the KA. The paging is not much different then than the KI paging.

[larsbrinkhoff]

This is a good read:
https://github.com/larsbrinkhoff/its-archives/blob/master/ailab/AI_WP_227.pdf

Thank you @cstacy.

[larsbrinkhoff]

I ran MAGFRM and created a tape with a MAGDMP on it. ka10 attempts to boot from it, but the hardware readin deposits the loader in memory locations 0-17. This doesn't work, because the KA10 fetches instructions from the ACs.

[larsbrinkhoff]

I tried to fix this in two ways:

• Deposit into fast memory.
• Make KA10 fetch from main memory.

The result was the same: the loader starts running, but loops endlessly waiting for CONSO 344,1 to signal that the TM10 is ready to go.

[larsbrinkhoff]

@rcornwell I believe there's a bug in the implementation of CONSO.

dev_tab[d](CONI|(d<<2), &AR);

CONSI should probably be CONSO, right?

[rcornwell]

I don't believe there is any bug in CONSO. The TMA controller passes Dec diags, except for some parity issues which can't be simulated on the sim. I will re-test it this weekend.

dev_tab[d](CONI|(d<<2), &AR);

this is correct, CONSZ and CONSO are both CONI as far as the hardware is concerned. Both do a mask of the CONI word, CONSZ skips if all bits are zero, CONSO skips if any bits are one.

The PDP10 hardware only implements DATAI, DATAO, CONI, CONO.

Please enable MT debugging I suggest (CONI;CONO;DATAIO;CMD;DETAIL) and see what that shows. CONSO 344,1 is checking for a data request. Perhaps the boot chunk is not in it's own record. If this is the case, I will have to make changes to the sim to support it.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Oh, you're right. I'm a bit rusty on the I/O instructions.

[larsbrinkhoff]

How to prepare programs for running a KA ITS. We're using the ML machine, because the AI disk controller isn't supported by @rcornwell's KA emulator.

• Make DSKDMP: Assemble SYSTEM; DSKDMP. Say "ask", and then "no" to everything else, except number of dirs which should be 250. (note period!). Put the binary in .; @ DSKDMP.
• Make SALV: Assemble SYSTEM; SALV. Not time-sharing version. ML machine.
• Make MAGDMP paper tape: Assemble MAGDMP and say yes to the paper tape question. Get the file onto Unix and convert it to a paper tape binary; use tools/dasm/its2rim.
• Make MAGDMP magtape: First assemble MAGDMP for use with ML. Put the binary in .; MAGDMP BIN.ML. Then run MAGFRM for the ML machine. Do initialize. Use the "W" command to put .; @ DSKDMP and .; @ SALV on there. Use "D" to see the tape contents, then "Q".

MAGDMP is a standalone program on paper tape to read from a specially formatted tape. MAGFRM is a tool to format such a magtape. Boot off the paper tape, then start other programs from the magtape.

[larsbrinkhoff]

• Mount the MAGDMP magtape: Start SIMH and enter "at mta0 magdmp.tap".
• Boot from the MAGDMP paper tape: Enter "load -r magdmp.rim", then "go".
• You should now be able to access the magtape. "F " should display a file listing. "filename " should load and start a standalone program.

For more MAGDMP commands, check SYSENG; MAGDMP 28.

[larsbrinkhoff]

@rcornwell I will try to add information here about how to build KA10 standalone programs, paper tapes, magtape images, operating instructions, etc.

[larsbrinkhoff]

• Make exec DDT: Assemble SYSTEM; DDT. Answer "0" to cpusw to build for a KA10. One disk and RH-10 I suppose? EDIT: wrong, no disk.
• Make DSKDMP paper tape: Assemble SYSTEM; DSMDMP. Answer "y" to the paper tape question. Etc.

[larsbrinkhoff]

@jeffpar
The tape images mentioned in this issue may also be useful to you for testing your JavaScript KA10 simulator.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Fixes needed so far:

• NMTAPE doesn't space to EOT correctly, makes MAGFRM fail.
• Wrote a Unix magfrm to make MAGDMP tapes.
• SALV (old KA/KL salvager) doesn't understand the DUMP tape format.
• Exec DDT needs to be build without disk support for $U to work.
• DSKDMP was built with wrong NUDSL.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Update. KA ITS is now running! Albeit limpingly in some areas.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Installation goes like this:

• Mount a MAGDMP magtape with DDT and SALV.
• Boot MAGDMP off paper tape.
• Load DDT and SALV.
• MARK two packs on unit 0 and 1, make them number 2 and 3.
• Mount the minsys tape on tape unit 5 and TRAN it.

Start ITS using the DSKDMP paper tape.

[eswenson1]

Any networking support?

[larsbrinkhoff]

No. For now, I think there's just the console, paper tape, magtape, and RP03 disk.

Wanted:

• Terminal scanner. @rcornwell wants to do the DC76.
• Networking. IMP or Chaosnet?
• DeCoriolis real-time clock.
• 340 display.
• Knight TV system.

[larsbrinkhoff]

Optional:

• DC10, Systems Concepts disk controller
• TK10, terminal scanner
• Morton box, terminal scanner
• Knight kludge, terminal scanner
• Datapoint kludge, terminal scanner
• DECtape
• NCP through IMP

Very very optional (I don't even know what all of these are):

• Morse code output device
• XGP printer
• Sylvania tablet
• Robot console
• Holloway clock
• OMX output multiplexor
• IMX input multiplexor
• VIDI
• Chess tournament clock
• D/A converter

[larsbrinkhoff]

ITS does boot and work reasonably well. Some things are not working yet, but there should be specific issues for those problems.