PDP-9 Advanced System Software Keyboard Monitor Guide

This document serves as an operational guide for the bulk-storage version of the PDP-9 Advanced Software System. It provides comprehensive instructions for interacting with the Keyboard Monitor and offers concise summaries of operating procedures for various individual system programs.

Key areas covered include:

• Keyboard Monitor Operations: Detailed instructions on how to start the monitor, and a breakdown of its commands into three categories: loading system programs (e.g., FORTRAN IV Compiler, MACRO-9 Assembler, Peripheral Interchange Program (PIP), Editor, Linking Loader, Dynamic Debugging Technique (DDT), Update, Dump, Patch, Chain, Execute, System Generation), special function commands (e.g., for system configuration, API management, memory dumping, error handling, device assignment), and control character commands for managing program execution.
• Batch Processing: A description of the Batch Processor, which allows users to run commands from paper or card readers without operator intervention, including commands like BATCH, $JOB, $DATA, $END, and $EXIT.
• System Program Specifics: For each major system program, the guide outlines its calling procedure, general command characters (e.g., RUBOUT, CTRL U, CTRL P), command string formats, detailed operating instructions, expected error conditions, and restart procedures.
• Appendices: A suite of reference appendices covering device assignments, the PDP-9 ASCII character set, error diagnostics for MACRO-9, details on the MACRO-9 Permanent Symbol Table, explanations of IOPS error codes, FORTRAN IV error lists, Keyboard Monitor errors, and sample programs utilizing system software and batch processing.

The manual is designed for convenient use at the computer, providing both high-level overviews and specific operational details for effective system management and program execution.