Problem changing CD

[Paolo_R]

I am running Tru64 UNIX 5.1B in a FreeAXP virtual environment. I have the UNIX installation and patch CDs in .iso file form and use a 'virtual CD' program to mount the .iso files (in WIndows) which are then 'seen' in UNIX. Having installed Patch Kit 4, I did : umount /dev/disk/cdrom0c in UNIX and unmounted the patch kit .iso in WIndows. I then mounted a languages .iso file in Windows and did: mount -t cdfs -o noversion /dev/disk/cdrom0c /cdrom in UNIX. When I did: ls /cdrom in UNIX the file list shown was the file list from the Patch CD - not the languages .iso so UNIX is still 'seeing' the Patch kit. Can anyone shed any light on this issue and offer a solution? Thanks Paul

[Steven Schweda]

> I am running Tru64 UNIX 5.1B in a FreeAXP virtual environment.

   I'd been wondering if I'd ever learn exactly what "in a virtual
environment" meant.  I've never touched FreeAXP, so I know nothing in
general, and perhaps even less about how it deals with disk images.

> [...] and use a 'virtual CD' program to mount the .iso files (in
> WIndows) which are then 'seen' in UNIX.

> [...] I then mounted a languages .iso file in Windows [...]

   What, exactly, does that mean?  And how are you associating any
particular Windows (disk image) file with /dev/disk/cdrom0c?
Apparently, whatever you did is stickier than you thought.

   Knowing nothing, I might try to create more cdromX devices, and map
them to various CD image files, rather than try to switch cdrom0 from
one image file to another while the emulator is running.  (But what do I
know?)

   Where's the FreeAXP documentation?

[Paolo_R]

Hi Steven (again!)

First: info about FreeAXP: http://www.migrationspecialties.com/FreeAXP.html and the User Guide: www.migrationspecialties.com/pdf/VirtualAlpha_UserGuide.pdf

FreeAXP (running under Windows) emulates an AlphaServer 400 4/166 and runs software for this hardware. It emulates up to 128mb of memory, up to 7 storage devices, one CD-ROM, 2 100mb NICs and 2 virtual serial ports (1 console, 1 terminal). I have configured mine with 1 x RRD42 CD and 1 x RZ29B hard disk.

By configuring a CD FreeAXP will read CDs mounted in the host Windows environment, either using a physical CD or (as I have) a 'virtual' CD i.e. an .iso image of a physical disk.

Just for info, there are several emulators that run in Windows including VMWare and Virtual Box although these emulate PC hardware.

> [...] I then mounted a languages .iso file in Windows [...]<

I'm talking here about computer languages i.e. compilers for, say, COBOL. So what happens is that, using my MagicISO software, I 'mount' the .iso file in Windows, so that it appears in the Windows File Explorer as a physical CD. Then in UNIX, by 'mounting' the RRD42 it should appear, and does, in UNIX as /dev/disk/cdrom0c.

As you know from our previous exchanges. I installed Tru64 UNIX from a virtual .iso CD then updated it with the Patch Kit, again from a virtual .iso CD, which worked fine.

>Knowing nothing, I might try to create more cdromX devices, and map them to various CD image files, rather than try to switch cdrom0 from one image file to another while the emulator is running.<

I will give this a go and see what happens.

Thanks

Paul

[Paolo_R]

Steven

>Knowing nothing, I might try to create more cdromX devices, and map
them to various CD image files, rather than try to switch cdrom0 from
one image file to another while the emulator is running.<

# ls /dev/disk

cdrom0a  dsk0a    dsk0c    dsk0e    dsk0g  << current contents
cdrom0c  dsk0b    dsk0d    dsk0f    dsk0h

# mount -t cdfs -o noversion /dev/disk/cdrom1c /cdrom  <<  try cdrom1c
/dev/disk/cdrom1c on /cdrom: Filesystem (/dev/disk/cdrom1c - type cdfs) invalid or not installed

# mount -t cdfs -o noversion /dev/disk/cdrom0d /cdrom  << try cdrom0d
/dev/disk/cdrom0d on /cdrom: Filesystem (/dev/disk/cdrom0d - type cdfs) invalid or not installed

# mount -t cdfs -o noversion /dev/disk/cdrom0c /cdrom

# ls /cdrom

patch_kit  <<still showing the patch_kit

So changing cdrom0a and cdrom0c to cdrom0d and cdrom1c did not work. If either are 'not installed' how would I 'install' them?

Thanks
Paul

[Steven Schweda]

> So changing cdrom0a and cdrom0c to cdrom0d and cdrom1c did not work. If
> either are 'not installed' how would I 'install' them?

   I haven't looked at the details, so I wouldn't trust me, but,
generally, adding (pseudo-)hardware is done at the emulator level, and
then the OS creates the device-special ("/dev/whatever") files (at
system-start) with little or no help from the user.  You could probably
use (pseudo-)hard-disks instead of (pseudo-)optical-disks, if that's
easier with this emulator.  (The "mount" command options may depend on
the data which you map to that device, of course.)

   Similarly, changing "discs" in a (pseudo-)optical-disk drive is
something which I'd expect the emulator to need to handle.  The OS would
need to "umount" and re-"mount" the thing, but the emulator is what
needs to know which (real-)disk file holds the emulated storage to
associate with any particular emulated device.

   Whether and/or how you can do that while the emulator is running is
one of the many things I don't (yet) know about FreeAXP.  But, thanks to
the link which you provided, I may be able to explore more easily.  I
have used SIMH, but I never needed more than one CD-ROM at a time, so
this question never came up in my (limited) experience.

[Paolo_R]

Steven

I've found where I was going wrong. I needed to use the Alpha Configuration Utility to  'remove' the Patch Kit .iso from disk0.0 which is configured as a CD-ROM image file and replace it with the .iso file contaning the computer languages that I want. Then launch UNIX, mount the CD and I now have access to the files I want.

So ...

>>The OS would need to "umount" and re-"mount" the thing, but the emulator is what
needs to know which (real-)disk file holds the emulated storage to associate with any particular emulated device.<<

... you were correct. I'd just forgotten (brain snap) that I needed to do this.

Thanks for your help (again).

Paul