DEC 7000 AXP System VAX 7000 Console Reference Manual

This manual serves as a comprehensive guide for system managers and operators, detailing the console and diagnostic features of DEC 7000 AXP and VAX 7000 systems.

It is structured into three main chapters and an appendix:

1. Console Hardware: Describes the physical components providing console support, including flash-erasable and electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (FEPROMs and EEPROMs), UARTs, control logic, timers, and LEDs. It also explains the system control panel's keyswitch settings (Disable, Secure, Enable, Restart) and indicator lights (Key On, Run, Fault), along with the roles of primary and secondary processors in a multiprocessor setup.
2. Console User Interface: Covers the command language syntax, special characters for console interaction and editing (e.g., Ctrl/C, Ctrl/P, arrow keys, wildcarding, comments), and predefined console environment variables (e.g., auto_action, baud, bootdef_dev) that allow users to modify console behavior and system recovery. Device naming conventions are also explained for identifying system components.
3. Console Commands: Provides an exhaustive reference for various commands used to examine and modify the system state, and direct tests to functional components. Key commands include boot for operating system startup; build eeprom for EEPROM image management; cdp for DSSI device configuration (VAX 7000 only); clear for removing environment variables or clearing EEPROM data; continue for resuming program execution; crash to force a system restart and memory dump; create for new environment variables; deposit and examine for storing and displaying data in memory, registers, or devices; initialize for system/device resets and self-tests; mchk for hardware failure diagnosis (DEC 7000 only); set for configuration, environment variables, and power regulators; show to display system information; start to begin execution at a specific address; stop to halt secondary processors; and test for system diagnostics.

The document also includes an appendix listing symbols recognized by the deposit and examine commands, such as general-purpose, floating-point, and internal processor registers.