[rescue] rescue Digest, Vol 111, Issue 14

[Scott Quinn]

-----Original Message-----
Quoth Mark:


>...VAXstation 4000 Model 60 (55MHz BA46-B) desktop units with mice,
keyboards,
>video framebuffer to BNC cables. Alas they are spoken for (one's mine and
>one's going to a close friend). I know they aren't 'proper' VAXen as in you
>can pick them up without a forklift but they'll do for us :)

I saw a good, technically-based explanation of what makes a "real VAX."
According to it a "real VAX" had to have a VAX compliant main system bus with
all
peripherals attached via nexi that conform to the VAX reference. The
VAXstations and MicroVAXes generally did not qualify, as the peripherals were
located
on the main system bus. The interesting feature was the exceptions.
According to Sokolov (please, no flames based on his personality/etc - we're
just talking theory) the VAX 4000/200+ do count as a real VAXes because of
the presence of a VAX bus and nexi (my read is that this must be the way DEC
took the native SOC/NVAX/Rigel bus and converted it to CVAX for the
peripherals
and Q22 interface - correct or not?) The other, opposite exception is the VAX
7000/10000, because the main system bus is AXP-based and not VAX based. Based
on
that hierarchy you can have "proper VAXes" that you can pick up (if you're
strong - 4000/200+), as well as highly improper VAXes that need forklifts (VAX
7k).