Years ago I got OpenVMS 6.2 up and running using SimH.
I have just tried to boot it up over the weekend to find some files
that I need to get over to OpenVMS 9.2-1 on x86.

Unfortunately, it now hangs at this line:
"%UCX-I-DEFINTE. Defining interfaces"

I think this might be because licences have expired but I was given to
understand that I still could login as SYSTEM even if the licences have
expired?

Any ideas how I can get past this so I can get at my files? I left it
running overnight and it was still hanging.

Many thanks,
Alex
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens

Single Stage to Orbit schrieb am Montag, 13. November 2023 um 11:36:34 UTC+1:
> Years ago I got OpenVMS 6.2 up and running using SimH.
> I have just tried to boot it up over the weekend to find some files
> that I need to get over to OpenVMS 9.2-1 on x86.
>
> Unfortunately, it now hangs at this line:
> "%UCX-I-DEFINTE. Defining interfaces"

Alex,

try a minimum boot using >>> B/1 and then in SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1 "MIN"
This will skip execution of SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM and should allow you to log in on OPA0:

Comment out UCX$STARTUP, reset STARTUP_P1 to "" and reboot.

Then try to manually execute UCX$STARTUP, if it hangs, you can now abort it via CTRL-Y

Volker.

Single Stage to Orbit <alex.buell@munted.eu> wrote:
> Years ago I got OpenVMS 6.2 up and running using SimH.
> I have just tried to boot it up over the weekend to find some files
> that I need to get over to OpenVMS 9.2-1 on x86.
>
> Unfortunately, it now hangs at this line:
> "%UCX-I-DEFINTE. Defining interfaces"
>
> I think this might be because licences have expired but I was given to
> understand that I still could login as SYSTEM even if the licences have
> expired?
>
> Any ideas how I can get past this so I can get at my files? I left it
> running overnight and it was still hanging.

You could follow the VMS FAQ
https://www.digiater.nl/openvms/freeware/v70/vmsfaq/vmsfaq_007.html#mgmt5b
or, more directly,
https://www.digiater.nl/openvms/freeware/v70/vmsfaq/vmsfaq_007.html#mgmt5b

Have you tried to integrate the VAX disk into the x86 hypervisor directly?
After all, it's a VMS disk, so VMS x86 should be able to read it.

HTH,
Martin

On Mon, 2023-11-13 at 03:32 -0800, Volker Halle wrote:
> try a minimum boot using >>> B/1 and then in SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1
> "MIN"
> This will skip execution of SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM and should allow you to
> log in on OPA0:
>
> Comment out UCX$STARTUP, reset STARTUP_P1 to "" and reboot.
>
> Then try to manually execute UCX$STARTUP, if it hangs, you can now
> abort it via CTRL-Y

Thanks, that was most helpful in getting back in. However, I've just
discovered the reason why it wasn't working is that somehow the
ethernet support never got compiled in when it was upgraded some years
ago. Guess I need to fix it and give Gentoo a tongue lashing as this
definitely used to work in the past.
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens

On 11/13/2023 9:24 AM, Single Stage to Orbit wrote:
> On Mon, 2023-11-13 at 03:32 -0800, Volker Halle wrote:
>> try a minimum boot using >>> B/1 and then in SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1
>> "MIN"
>> This will skip execution of SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM and should allow you to
>> log in on OPA0:
>>
>> Comment out UCX$STARTUP, reset STARTUP_P1 to "" and reboot.
>>
>> Then try to manually execute UCX$STARTUP, if it hangs, you can now
>> abort it via CTRL-Y
>
> Thanks, that was most helpful in getting back in. However, I've just
> discovered the reason why it wasn't working is that somehow the
> ethernet support never got compiled in when it was upgraded some years
> ago. Guess I need to fix it and give Gentoo a tongue lashing as this
> definitely used to work in the past.
>

While it also could be a SimH issue, If I recall correctly, (that's a crap shoot
these days), without the licenses, the layered products, including networking,
will not work.

--
David Froble Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc. E-Mail: davef@tsoft-inc.com
DFE Ultralights, Inc.
170 Grimplin Road
Vanderbilt, PA 15486

Single Stage to Orbit wrote:
> On Mon, 2023-11-13 at 03:32 -0800, Volker Halle wrote:
>> try a minimum boot using >>> B/1 and then in SYSBOOT> SET STARTUP_P1
>> "MIN"
>> This will skip execution of SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM and should allow you to
>> log in on OPA0:
>>
>> Comment out UCX$STARTUP, reset STARTUP_P1 to "" and reboot.
>>
>> Then try to manually execute UCX$STARTUP, if it hangs, you can now
>> abort it via CTRL-Y
>
> Thanks, that was most helpful in getting back in. However, I've just
> discovered the reason why it wasn't working is that somehow the
> ethernet support never got compiled in when it was upgraded some years
> ago. Guess I need to fix it and give Gentoo a tongue lashing as this
> definitely used to work in the past.

If you are still stuck, check your version. SIMH 3.9 for VAX runs 6.2
just fine.

The SIMH 4.x variant is in many ways a fork of 3.9 and may show issues.
It has been several years now, so I hope that 4.x has been
straightened out, but I haven't tested it in a while.

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

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

On Tue, 2023-11-14 at 00:05 -0600, Chris Scheers wrote:
> > Thanks, that was most helpful in getting back in. However, I've
> > just discovered the reason why it wasn't working is that somehow
> > the ethernet support never got compiled in when it was upgraded
> > some years ago. Guess I need to fix it and give Gentoo a tongue
> > lashing as this definitely used to work in the past.
>
> If you are still stuck, check your version. SIMH 3.9 for VAX runs 6.2
> just fine.
>
> The SIMH 4.x variant is in many ways a fork of 3.9 and may show
> issues.   It has been several years now, so I hope that 4.x has been
> straightened out, but I haven't tested it in a while.

I tried 3.12, it had the same problems. Tried 4.0 and it worked out the
box. I'll be filing a bugzilla with gentoo to bump to latest and get
ethernet sorted.
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens

Single Stage to Orbit wrote:
> On Tue, 2023-11-14 at 00:05 -0600, Chris Scheers wrote:
>>> Thanks, that was most helpful in getting back in. However, I've
>>> just discovered the reason why it wasn't working is that somehow
>>> the ethernet support never got compiled in when it was upgraded
>>> some years ago. Guess I need to fix it and give Gentoo a tongue
>>> lashing as this definitely used to work in the past.
>> If you are still stuck, check your version. SIMH 3.9 for VAX runs 6.2
>> just fine.
>>
>> The SIMH 4.x variant is in many ways a fork of 3.9 and may show
>> issues. It has been several years now, so I hope that 4.x has been
>> straightened out, but I haven't tested it in a while.
>
> I tried 3.12, it had the same problems. Tried 4.0 and it worked out the
> box. I'll be filing a bugzilla with gentoo to bump to latest and get
> ethernet sorted.

That's interesting. I'm glad it is working for you.

I'm using 3.9 here. I don't remember for sure, but I suspect that I
built it myself to make sure it had the options I wanted.

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

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

On Wed, 2023-11-15 at 00:31 -0600, Chris Scheers wrote:
> > I tried 3.12, it had the same problems. Tried 4.0 and it worked out
> > the
> > box. I'll be filing a bugzilla with gentoo to bump to latest and
> > get
> > ethernet sorted.
>
>
> That's interesting.  I'm glad it is working for you.
>
> I'm using 3.9 here. I don't remember for sure, but I suspect that I
> built it myself to make sure it had the options I wanted.

Now I have 7.3 working, I can configure and get going a multiuser game
we devised at Uni in the early 90s.

Then I'm going to port it over to OpenVMS on x86. Since it is a mixture
of Fortran, Pascal, C and some Macro32 that will be an interesting
exercise.
--
Tactical Nuclear Kittens