Digital VAX 11/750 Magic Book

This document, titled "DIGITAL VAX 11/750 MAGIC BOOK" (EY-D5283-SG-002, Rev. 8, dated January 1, 1983), is an internal reference guide for Digital Equipment Corporation field service personnel.

Its primary purpose is to centralize essential information required for maintaining and installing VAX 11/750 systems at a branch level. It is explicitly stated as not a step-by-step troubleshooting tool, but rather a compilation of useful technical information in a single package for internal use only, subject to change without notice.

Key contents include:

• System Architecture Overview: Simplified block diagrams of the VAX 11/750, definitions of major buses (M-Bus, W-Bus, CMI), power system block diagrams, physical address organization, and backplane pin counts.
• Module-Specific Details: Extensive sections dedicated to individual CPU modules and peripherals, such as the Floating Point Accelerator (FPA L0001), Data Paths Module (DPM L0002), Memory Interconnect Module (MIC L0003), Unibus Interconnect Module (UBI L0004), CPU/Writable Control Store (CCS/WCS L0005), Remote Diagnostic Module (RDM/MTM L0006), Massbus Adapter Module (MBA L0007), CPU Memory Controller Module (CMC L0011/L0016), and the Unibus Exercisor/Terminator (UET M9313). These sections often detail their functions, internal gate arrays, part numbers, board locations (slots), and related diagnostic procedures.
• Maintenance and Diagnostic Procedures: Information on VMS shutdown, various diagnostic programs (e.g., ECKAB, EVKAB, ECCBA, Autosizer) with their runtimes and purposes, basic console and copy commands, and the Writeboot utility for creating boot blocks.
• Configuration and Compatibility: Details on backplane cables and jumpers, and a comprehensive "REVCON Revision Control Document" outlining hardware and software revision levels and their compatibility requirements.
• System Behavior and Error Analysis: Descriptions of the bootstrap process, instruction decode process, and in-depth guides on machine checks and bugchecks, including how to interpret error log data using tools like the SYE Error Logger and SDA System Dump Analyzer.
• Ancillary Information: Includes a Unibus address translation worksheet and EDT editor keypad diagrams.

The document serves as a crucial reference for technicians needing to understand the VAX 11/750's internal workings, perform installations, and troubleshoot system issues based on detailed component and software compatibility information.