Hi folks. Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e. graphical
console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a graphical
workstation, under 8.4?

Thanks,
-Dave

--
Dave McGuire
Large Scale Systems Museum
Pittsburgh, PA USA

I'd check the actual documentation (VMS V8.4 and rx2600), but I
believe so. (I seem to recall reading about people doing it.) My main
rx2600 is in the basement because of its fan noise, and I use a serial
console with it, but:

ITS $ show devi g

Device Device Error
Name Status Count
GHA0: Online 0
GHB0: Online 0

I believe that one of those is on the MP/iLO card, and the other is
in a PCI slot.

Also:

its $ show syst /proc = *decw*
OpenVMS V8.4-2L3 on node ITS 25-SEP-2023 20:46:42.05 Uptime 68 04:22:21
Pid Process Name State Pri I/O CPU Page flts Pages
2020044D DECW$SERVER_0 HIB 8 857 0 00:00:00.70 2892 3238

So, I'd guess that if I dragged a display over to it, something would
appear on it.

I'd also guess that a USB keyboard and mouse would work, but I have
no actual knowledge of that.

> So, I'd guess that if I dragged a display over to it, something would
> appear on it.

Apparently, GHA0 is the PCI card. Connecting a display to its VGA
port provided a New Desktop. No bets on the DVI port. The default
resolution (1024x768?) is lame, but I assume that higher values can be
configured.

I use a serial console on these systems, so I never looked at the
configuration for GH devices on them. I also never tried to configure
GHB0 (the one built into the mp/iLO card, I assume). But what could go
wrong?

> I'd also guess that a USB keyboard and mouse would work, but I have
> no actual knowledge of that.

I connected an Apple USB keyboard and mouse to the rear-panel USB
keyboard(-icon) and mouse(-icon) ports, and that worked. (Also with the
mouse connected to the keyboard.)

That's all with the current VSI VMS V8.4-2L3, but this DECwindows
stuff is generally decades old, so I'd guess that HPE V8.4 should do
about as well.

On 2023-09-25, Dave McGuire <mcguire@lssmuseum.org> wrote:
>
> Hi folks. Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e. graphical
> console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a graphical
> workstation, under 8.4?
>

As a possible alternative, is it possible for you to run your DECwindows
application(s) over a SSH connection (say from a Linux GUI desktop) ?

Simon.

--
Simon Clubley, clubley@remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.

on 26/09/2023, Dave McGuire supposed :
> Hi folks. Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e. graphical
> console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a graphical
> workstation, under 8.4?
>
> Thanks,
> -Dave

I think so, yes. If memory serves me well, the RX2600 could even be
equipped with a so called "silencer kit" to make it usable in office
environments.

--
Marc Van Dyck

On 9/26/23 08:21, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> Hi folks. Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e. graphical
>> console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a graphical
>> workstation, under 8.4?
>
> As a possible alternative, is it possible for you to run your DECwindows
> application(s) over a SSH connection (say from a Linux GUI desktop) ?

Hi Simon, thanks for the suggestion, but we're specifically trying to
set up a VMS workstation with a graphical desktop. This is for a museum
exhibit. Not that an I2 running VMS 8.4 is anywhere near museum
material, but will allow people to see (and use!) VMS systems from both
the modern era, and, say, the 4.7 days. We're running 4.7 on our
VAX-11/750, and will probably run something earlier on our 11/780 when
we get it running.

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire, President/Curator
Large Scale Systems Museum
New Kensington, PA

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 12:48:29 PM UTC-4, Dave McGuire wrote:
> Hi Simon, thanks for the suggestion, but we're specifically trying to
> set up a VMS workstation with a graphical desktop. This is for a museum
> exhibit. Not that an I2 running VMS 8.4 is anywhere near museum
> material, but will allow people to see (and use!) VMS systems from both
> the modern era, and, say, the 4.7 days. We're running 4.7 on our
> VAX-11/750, and will probably run something earlier on our 11/780 when
> we get it running.

I have a bunch of Alpha-era supported cards (Oxygen. Elsa Gloria, 3G Labs
or some things with similar names) new-in-box if you wan5t them for the
museum. I also have an unrestored DS20 and a fully restored and set up
VAX 4000-200 pedestal system for you. And a PiDP-11.

On Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:59:20 -0700 (PDT), terry-...@glaver.org wrote:
>> Hi Simon, thanks for the suggestion, but we're specifically trying to
>> set up a VMS workstation with a graphical desktop. This is for a museum
>> exhibit. Not that an I2 running VMS 8.4 is anywhere near museum
>> material, but will allow people to see (and use!) VMS systems from both
>> the modern era, and, say, the 4.7 days. We're running 4.7 on our
>> VAX-11/750, and will probably run something earlier on our 11/780 when
>> we get it running.
>
> I have a bunch of Alpha-era supported cards (Oxygen. Elsa Gloria, 3G
> Labs or some things with similar names) new-in-box if you wan5t them for
> the museum. I also have an unrestored DS20 and a fully restored and set
> up VAX 4000-200 pedestal system for you. And a PiDP-11.

Sounds good to me, are those cards supported in Itanium2 systems?

Also, he asks pointedly, when are you coming out for a visit? Quite a
lot has changed since you were last here.

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire
Large Scale Systems Museum
Pittsburgh, PA USA

Marc Van Dyck wrote:
> on 26/09/2023, Dave McGuire supposed :
>> Hi folks. Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e. graphical
>> console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a graphical
>> workstation, under 8.4?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> -Dave
>
> I think so, yes. If memory serves me well, the RX2600 could even be
> equipped with a so called "silencer kit" to make it usable in office
> environments.

IIRC, it was called the Office Friendly Kit.

The RX2620s needed it more.

The problem was that it was prohibitively expensive. There was no self
install version. You had to pay for a FE to install the kit.

So my RX2620 is still in the box from the porting workshop. <sigh>

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Scheers, Applied Synergy, Inc.

Voice: 817-237-3360 Internet: chris@applied-synergy.com
Fax: 817-237-3074

> IIRC, it was called the Office Friendly Kit.

As I recall, it was standard (along with the vertical "cabinet") on
the near-identical zx6000 workstation. But yes, generally rare and
costly. Hence my always-on rx2600 lives in the basement, out of
earshot.

> [...] are those cards supported in Itanium2 systems?

I doubt it. The VMS Software Product Description might have more
authoritative details, but, with variables like voltage, speed, and
width, I wouldn't bet on the rx2600 PCI slots being compatible with the
older cards.

What you want in an rx2600 is an ATI Radeon 7500 PCI. (Or 7000? My
dim recollection is that what's on the MP/iLO card is equivalent to the
7000.)

The PCI/AGP card cage in the zx6000 had three PCI-X 133MHz slots and
one AGP Pro 4x 32-bit 1.5V slot. The rx2600 cage had four PCI-X 133MHz
slots. I would not bet that VMS supported the AGP slot in the PCI/AGP
cage.

For hints on supported devices, see: SYS$SYSTEM:SYS$CONFIG.DAT

Plenty of Qlogic and/or LSI SCSI cards have worked for me.

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 8:26:20 PM UTC-4, Dave McGuire wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:59:20 -0700 (PDT), terry-...@glaver.org wrote:
> > I have a bunch of Alpha-era supported cards (Oxygen. Elsa Gloria, 3G
> > Labs or some things with similar names) new-in-box if you wan5t them for
> > the museum. I also have an unrestored DS20 and a fully restored and set
> > up VAX 4000-200 pedestal system for you. And a PiDP-11.
> Sounds good to me, are those cards supported in Itanium2 systems?

I doubt it. Support wasn't even consistent within the Alpha series - I
had a AlphaStation 200 4/233 (one of the Onsale ones with the PCMCIA
reader) and whatever the super-snazzy graphics card was for that one
wasn't supported in the DS10.

> Also, he asks pointedly, when are you coming out for a visit? Quite a
> lot has changed since you were last here.

More stuff for me to fix? Did you ever get all of the 780 floppies imaged?

Drop me a note by email and I'll fill you in.

On 9/28/23 23:41, terry-...@glaver.org wrote:
>> Also, he asks pointedly, when are you coming out for a visit? Quite a
>> lot has changed since you were last here.
>
> More stuff for me to fix?

Oh there's tons (literally!) of stuff to fix, perpetually. If you
let me know what you're interested in working on, I'll let the guys know
to stay away from it until you arrive. Or, just show up and I'll point
you at some stuff!

We've gotten quite a bit of new hardware in since your last visit.

> Did you ever get all of the 780 floppies imaged

No, but we can write them any time. Nobody has been working on the
machine lately, so I haven't bothered.

> Drop me a note by email and I'll fill you in.

Will do!

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire, President/Curator
Large Scale Systems Museum
New Kensington, PA

On 9/27/23 20:51, David Turner wrote:
>>>   Hi folks.  Is it possible to run a DECwindows server (i.e.
>>> graphical console) on the VGA controller of an rx2600, to run it as a
>>> graphical workstation, under 8.4?
>>>
>>>          Thanks,
>>>          -Dave
>>
>> I think so, yes. If memory serves me well, the RX2600 could even be
>> equipped with a so called "silencer kit" to make it usable in office
>> environments.
>>
> Do you have an rx2800 at the museum yet?
>
> If not let me know. I may be able to help

Hi! No, no rx2800s yet!

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire, President/Curator
Large Scale Systems Museum
New Kensington, PA