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EY-2849E-SG-0301

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Document:	PDP-8 Systems Module III OS 8-DEC X8 Student Guide
Order Number:	EY-2849E-SG
Revision:	0301
Pages:	79
Original Filename:	http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/pdp8/diag/EY-2849E-SG-0301_PDP-8_Systems_Module_III_OS_8-DEC_X8_Student_Guide.pdf

OCR Text

PDP-8 SYSTEMS
MODULE Ill
OS/8 ·- DEC/XS
Student Guide

EY-2849E-SG-0301

Student Guide
List of Contents
Page
Section 1

Section 2

OS/8 Operating Systems

1-1

OS/8 Command Formats·

1-A-l

DEC/XS Software System

2-1

Worksheets & Examples

2-A-l

Job & Device Code Information

2-B-l.

Status Registers

2-C-l

Boot Information

2-D-l

STUDENT GUIDE

SECTION 1
OS/8 OPERATING
SYSTEM

1-1

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 INTRODUCTION
The OS/8 Operating System is a sophisticated operating system
designed for the PDP-8 family of computers.
This system permits
use of a wide range of peripherals and all available ·core up to
32K.
OS/8 offers a versatile keyboard monitor that supervises a
comprehensive library of system programs.
These features make
o S / 8 a s i g n i f i cant improvement in sm a 11 computer opera t i n g
systems.

1-2

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 OVERVIEW
HARDWARE·CONFIGURATIONS
The OS/8 system can
system device.

operate

with

the

following

devices

the

TC01/TC08 DECtape
LINCtape (PDP-12)
TD8E .DECtape
DF32/RF08 disk
RK8E disk
RK8 disk
RX01 diskette
The term system device refers to the device on which the. OS/8
system resides and which it utilizes for system functions.
Thus,
DECtape unit 0 is the system device for a DECtape-based system. A
nonsystem device is any peripheral not specifically used for
system functions, such as LPT:, PTR:, DTA2:, etc.
A typical medium-sized system might contain a PDP-8/E with at
least 8K words of core memory, TD8E DECtape and control, and .an
RK8E disk pack and control.
A disk system offers the additional
convenience of easy and fast access to files and large amounts of
storage.
Up to 15 of the following devices can be included in a single OS/8
system:
o

As many as
TD8E/TU56)

DECtape

units

TA8E/TU60 cassette units

Tm8E/TU10 magnetic tape units

High-speed paper tape reader/punch

Up to four RK8E disks

Up to four RK8 disks

Up to four RS08 disks

Up to four DF32 disks

Card reader (optical mark or punched cards)

Line printer

PDP-12 LINCtape
1-3

(TC01/TU55),

TC08/TU56.

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 OVERVIEW
o

PDP-12 scope

Any other device for which it is possible
device handler in one or two pages of core

write

SYSTEM SOFTWARE COMPONENTS
The main software components of the OS/8 system include
Keyboard Monitor
The Concise Command Language
Command Decoder
•
Library of system programs
Device handlers
User Service Routine (USR)
The Keyboard Monitor provides communication between you and the
OS/8 executive routines by accepting commands from the console
terminal.
The commands enable you to create logical names for
devices, run system and user programs, and save programs.
The Concise Command
Monitor Commands.

Language

(CCL)

prov ides

extended

set

The Command Decoder allows you to communicate with a system
1 ibrary program by accepting a command string from the keyboard
indicating input/output files. Following your keyboard command to
run a system library program, the Command Decoder prints an
asterisk and then accepts the command line containing device and
file specifications.
The library of system programs allow trre user to create, load, and
run programs.
Extensive file maintenance programs are also
included.
Device handlers are subroutines designed to transfer data to and
from peripheral devices.
OS/8 is able to interface with as many.
as 15 different peripherals at a time.
During system generation,
device handlers become an integral part of the system; both system
and user programs have access to any available device.
(The BUILD
program allows quick and easy alteration of any available device.)
The User Service Routine (USR) controls the directory operations
for the OS/8. system.
A program can use the USR by means of
standard subroutine calls such as those used to activate device
handler subroutines.
Some of the functions performed by the USR
are ·loading device handlers, searching file directories, creating
and closing output files, cal 1 ing the Command Decoder, and
chaining of programs.
1-4

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 OVERVIEW
When
USER
When
core

OS/8 is operating, the Command Decoder, Keyboard Monitor, and
are swapped into core from the system device as required.
their operation has been completed, the previous contents of
are restored.

The memory-resident portion of OS/8 is extremely small
(256
words), allowing for a maximum use of memory by user programs.

1-5

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM CONVENTIONS
OS/8 observes the following conventions in the names of devices,
files, and units of storage.
PERMANENT DEVICE NAMES
During configuration, the OS/8 BUILD program assigns permanent
names to the devices in a system.
You can change these names by
reconfiguring the system, but you must keep in mind that some CCL
commands and system programs operate on the assumption that
certain names are present.
The DIRECT command, for example, uses
the name TTY:
as a default device for listings, and the CREF
program assumes LPT: as a default output device. Therefore, it is
good practice to keep the folowing names always present on the
system.
SYS:
OSK:
TTY:
LPT:
TABLE 1-1 lists all the device names used by OS/8.
FILE NAMES AND EXTENSIONS
File names may contain up to six alphanumeric characters, followed
optionally by a period and an extension of two alphanumeric
characters.
The extension usually identifies the file by type.
For example, a .PA extension after a file name indicates that the
file contains a PAL8 source program.
In most cases, you will want to confo.rm to the standard extensions
established for OS/8.
If you omit the extension on an output file
specification, some system programs append assumed extensions.
PAL8, for example, will add .PA to an output file.
If you specify
a file for input and omit the extension, some system programs will
look for a file with an assumed extension.
For example, if you
specify a program called PUMP as input to PALS, PAL8 looks for
PUMP.PA.
If it fails to find it, it looks for the file name and
no ex tens ion.
TABLE 1-2 lists the file extensions used by OS/8.

1-6

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM CONVENTIONS
TABLE 1-1
Permanent Device Names
Permanent Name·

I/O Dev ice

sys·

System device (disk if the system has a
disk -- RK8 or RF08; otherwise DTA0)

OT An

DECtape n, where n is an integer
0 to 7, inclusive

LTAn

When using BUILD, LINCtapes may be called LTA
rather than OTA.
n is an integrer in the
range 0 to 7 inclusive.

OSK

Default storage device for all files.

TTY

Terminal keyboard and printer

PTP

Paper tape punch

PTR

Paper tape reaqer

CDR

Card reader

LPT

Line printer

CSAn

Cassette drive n, where n is an integer in the
range 0 to 7, inclusive

MTAn

Magnetic tape drive n, where n
in the range 0 to 7 inclusive

DF32 disk

RF08 disk

RKAn

RK01 or RK05 disk unit n,
integer in the range 0 to 3

VR12 scope (PDP-12 only)

BAT

Pseudo device which reads from BATCH
stream (see BATCH section in Chapter 2)

RX An

Diskette n (floppy), where n is an integer in
the range of 0-7 inclusive

RKBn

DECpack n, where n is an integer in the range
0-1
1-7

large

in the range

is an

where

integer

input

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/S SYSTEM CONVENTIONS
TABLE 1-2
OS/S File Name Ex tens ions
.BA

BASIC source file

.BI

Batch input file

.BK

Backup ASCII file

.BN

Absolute binary file

.DA

Data file

• DC

Documentation file

.DI

Directory listing

• FT

FORTRAN language source file

.HL

Help file

•LO

F4 load mode

.LS

Assembly listing output

.MA

Macro source file

.MP

File containing a loading map

• PA

PALS source file

.RA

RALF assembly language file

'•RB

Relocatable binary source file

.RL

Relocatable binary file

• SB

SK SABR source file

.sv

Core image file or SAVE file; appended to a
f i 1 e name by the R , RUN ,
s AVE , and GET
Keyboard Monitor commands

.SY

System head

• TE

TECO macro file

.TM

Temporary file generated.by FORTRAN or SABR

• TX

Text files

1-8

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
The OS/8 Monitor and the Concise Command Language program
CCL. SV -- provide you with more than fifty different keyboard
commands.
o

The Monitor provides the following ·commands,
may abbreviate to the first two letters.

which

you

ASSIGN
DEASSIGN
GET
SAVE
ODT
RUN
R

START
DATE
The Monitor displays a dot to indicate that it is ready
to accept a command.
To execute a command that you have typed, press RETURN or
ALTMODE.
Any error that you make in the use of these commands
causes the Monitor to print an error message, display the
dot, and wait for you to try again.
o

The Concise Command Language program (CCL) prov ides an
extended set of Monitor commands. Some of these commands
allow you to call a system program indirectly, perform an
operation, and return automatically to the Monitor. This
method is simpler to use than the standard calling
sequence for a program.
For example, the following
two-line sequence causes PALS to assemble a source
program called SCOOP-PA and send a binary and listing
file to DSK, the default device •
• R PALS
2scooP.BN,SCOOP.LS<SCOOP.PA
You can obtain the same results faster by using the CCL
PAL command with the -LS option •
• PAL SCOOP. PA-LS
Other CCL commands perform special
available through OS/8 utility programs.

functions

not

You can· write your own CCL commands and add them to the
CCL program.
For instructions, see the OS/8 Software
Support Manual.
1-9

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
You enter a CCL command the same say you enter a Keyboard Monitor
Command
in response to the terminal dot.
Normally, you
terminate the command line with the RETURN key.
Depending· on the
characteristics of the command you are using, control may· return
to the Monitor when the operation is completed or may. remain
within another OS/8 program.
To remain under program contr.ol when
control would normally return to you~ terminate the CCL command
with an ALTMODE.
(Note that this termination procedure is the
opposite of the way most OS/8 programs work.)
CCL provides the following commands,
the letters printed as capitals:
BACKspace
BAsic
BOot
CCL
COM Pare
COM Pi le
CO Py
CREa te
CREF
DAte
DEassign
DELete
DIRect

DUplicate
EDIT
DOF
EXEcute
HELp
LI st
LOad
MAKe
MAP
MEMory
MONG
ODT
PAL

which you may abbreviate to
UC
UN Load
VERsion
ZERO

PR Int
PUNch
RE Name
RES
REWind
SET
SKIP
SQuish
SUbmi t
TEco
TYpe
UA
UB

A special CCL command -- called CCL - deactivates the entire
Concise Command Language Program and all the commands that run
under it.
To reactivate the program, you must run it with the R
command.
EXAMPLE
.CCL

- DEACTIVATES THE CCL PROGRAM

• R CCL

- ACTIVATES THE CCL PROGRAM

COMMAND FORMAT
The general format of the command line is
command output:file<input:file/option
where
command
is a legal OS/8 command
output:

is the
output

file

is the name and extension of an output file

name

the device

1-HJ

you

specify

receive

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
input:

is the name of the device you specify for input

file

is the name and extension of an input file

I option

is a command qualifier

Some commands permit multiple file and device specifications;
refer to the descriptions of the commands you want to use for
details.
OS/8 command options let you choose the way you want to execute a
command.
File options let you optimize the storage on an output
device.
EXAMPLE
• ZERO RXAl:/Y
Tqis command clears the directory of RXAl and
bootable system to RCAl (due to the "Y" option) •

then

copies

WARNING:
Use ZERO only on devices that contain
user programs and data files.
If you
zero the _system device, you will destroy
the system programs.
ZERO will not
clear the directory of SYS until it has
printed a message to ask if you are sure
you want to proceed.
If you do, type Y;
if you do not, type any other character.
USING WILDCARDS
Wildcards, which certain OS/8 commands accept, make it. possible
for you to refer to a group of related files ·with a single file
specification. OS/8 provides two wildcards:
*

The asterisk
extension

the question
character

(*),

which

mark

replaces an entire filename or

(?),

1-11

which

replaces

any

single

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
The following commands permit both the asterisk and question mark
as wildcards in input specifications.
COPY
DELETE
DIR.ECT
LIST
RENAME
TYPE
Here are some examples of the various
input specifications with wildcards.

ways

you

can

abbreviate

.DEL TEST!.*

deletes all files on DSK with the name TEST!
and any extension

.DIR*.BN

displays a directory of all files on OSK
a .BN extension and any name

.DIR TES??.*

displays a directory of all files
beginning TES and any extension

.LIST???.??

lists the contents of all DSK files with names
of th~ee characters or less

~ith

with names

You may use the asterisk wi ldcard in an output file name.
The
question mark, however, is illegal.
If you omit the output file
name altogether, the system assumes*·* -- that is, all files with
any extension.
For example, this command
~COPY

RXAl:*.BK,SYS:*.PA

copies all files from SYS with a PA extension to RXAl, adding the
extension BK.
NOTE:
A filename may not contain embedded
asterisks.
For example, TE*T.* is an
illegal specification and will produce
the following error message:
ILLEGAL *

1--·12

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
WARNING
Use wildcards in COPY and DELETE commands with extreme caution to
avoid destroying irreplacable files.
Always observe the following
fail-safe measures.
o

Keep a backup copy of the system diskette and all other
important files.

Use the Q option with COPY and DELETE.
The system pauses
to make sure you· have specified the file you intended.
If you wish to go through with the operation, type Y in
response to the query.
If not, type any other character.

EXAMPLE
.COPY RXA1:*.*<RXA0:*.*/Q
FILES COPIED:
SET. SV?Y
RESORC.SV?N

(TYPE "Y" TO COPY FILE)
(TYPE "ANY CHAR" for NO)

1-13

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
BOOT
The BOOT command makes it possible for you to bootstrap
another device or onto another PDP 8 system.
The format is:

onto

.BOOT/DV
.BO/DV
.R BOOT/DV
Where "DV" is a mnemonic that specifies the device to boot from.
If you type BOOT with no argument, boot
indicate that you must enter a mnemonic.

prints

slash

(/)

For example, this command
.BOOT/RX
Bootstraps the RX8E floppy disk.
If you wish to halt before doing the bootstrap, type the command,
a mnemonic, and a period.
For example:
.BOOT/DK.
The period causes the computer to halt, g1v1ng you time to mount a
new device.
To continue the operation, press the continue switch
on the console.
This form of the command is useful when only one
disk or dectape drive exists on the system.
OS/8 Boot Mnemonics are as follows:
CA
DK
DL
DM
OT
LT
PT
RE
RF
RK
RX
TC
TY
VE
ZE

TA8E Cassette
Default System Disk
Link Tape
RF08 or DF32
Default System Tape
Link Tape
Paper Tape· Reader
RK8E Disk
RF08 or DF32
RK8 Disk
RX8E Floppy Disk
TD8E DEC Tape
TC08 Unit 4 (Type Set Only)
Prints Current version of BOOT.SV
Zeros out Field 0

CCL
The "CCL" command disables the concise command language program on
1-14

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
the system device.

The format is:

.CCL
The command accepts no argl;lffients
The "CCL" command totally deactivates the CCL feature of OS/8
that the system will not accept any CCL command.

If you wish to use the CCL feature again, you must reactivate it
with the R command.
To·do this, type
.R CCL
COPY
The COPY command transfers files from one device to another.
format is:

The

.COPY OUTPUT:FILE<INPUT:FILE
COPY is a CCL command that runs the FOTP program.
For complete
information· on file transfer, reference the FOTP program._ in this
module.
DELETE
The DELETE command removes files from the directory of the device
you specify.
The format is:
.DELETE INPUT:FILE
Enter the file that you want to delete in the command line.
may specify only one device in command line.
Example:

You

.DELETE RXAl:TEST.SV
You may use the wildcard asterisk (*) to spec·ify- file names and
extensions and the question mark (?)
to indicate single
char actors.
Wild cards enable you to remove an entire group of
related files with a single delete command.
For example:
.DELETE *.SV
Removes all files with a SV extension from the system device.
Use wildcards with extreme caution to avoid deleting irreplacable
files.

1-15

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
DIRECT
The DIRECT command produces listings of OS/8 device directories.
The format is:
.DIRECT OUTPUT:FILE<INPUT:FILE
Direct prints a directory of all the files on all the devices that
you specify in the command line.
Direct makes the following
assumptions about input and output specifications:
If you omit the input device, direct assumes "OSK".
If you omit input file names, direct assumes *. *,
is, all files with any extension.

that

If you omit the output
directory on the terminal.

the

device,

direct

prints

Direct automatically adds a "DI" extension on an output
file.
For example, this command
.DIR RXA0:DILIST<RXA0:
Creates the file DILIST. DI on RXA0.
This file can be printed on
any useable output device.
For example:
.R PIP
*LQP:,RXA0:DILIST.DI
These commands will print the directory file on the LQP printer.
OPTIONS

/B
/C
/E
/F
/M
/0
/R
/U

/V
/W
=N

Include starting block numbers
List only files with current date
Include empty files
Fast m·ode
List empties only
List only files with other than today~ date
List remainder of files after first one.
Treat each input specification separately
List files not of form specified
Give version number
Use N columns

1~16

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
GET
The GET command loads a memory-image file (*.SV)
format is:

into memory.

The

GET INPUT:FILE.SV
If you omit the extension, get looks for a file with the name you
specify and an .sv extension.
You must specify the device; get
does not assume OSK.
For example, to load into memory a file called TTYTST.SV on RXA0,
Type
.GET RXA0:TTYTST
During execution, get loads the file and its core control block
into memory, then transfers the CCB to a special area on the
system device for reference and maintenance.
Get also places the
job status word into location 7746 of field 0 to indicate what
parts of memory the file uses and how.
It loads the block number
of the first block of the file into location 7747.
To run a program that you have loaded into memory with GET, use
the start of execute command.
MEMORY
The MEMORY command .finds th~ highest field available in hardware
or limits the fields available in software.
The format is
MEMORY
or
MEMORY n
where
n

is an octal number from 0 to 7 representing the number of
fields (each containing 4K words of memory) in software.

For example, this command line
.MEMORY 3
limits the amount of memory avail?ble in the system to 16K words.

1-17

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
The following list shows all the values of n and their meaning:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

all available memory fields
8K words of memory
12K words
16K words
20K words
24K words
28K words
32K words

·To. find the amount of memory currently being used by OS/8, type
the command with no argument.
The following output indicates that
a MEMORY 4 command, entered previously, has restricted a 32K
system to only 20K words of available memory •
• MEMORY
20K/32K MEMORY
If the system is using all available memory,
the total amount.
For example:

the Monitor prints

.MEMORY
3°2K MEMORY
The MEMORY command causes the execution of CCL.sv.
ODT
The ODT command enables you to debug the program currently in
memory, control its execution, and make alterations by typing ODT
instructions at the terminal.
The format is
ODT
Once you have entered the command with the RETURN key, you may
examine and modify any memory location of the program currently in
memory or use the breakpoint feature to control program execution.,
When using ODT to debug a program, you must call I/O devices by
their permanent names.
As long as ODT is in control of the
system, all user-defined names are invalid.

1-18

•

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
R

The R command loads and starts a memory-image file from the system
device.
The format is
R file.SV
R writes the block number
location 7747 in field 0.

the

first

block

the

file

Since the R command loads files from the system device only, you
may not specify an input device other then OSK in the command
· 1ine. If you omit the file extension, R assumes SV.
For example, this command
.R TEST
looks for a program called TEST.SV on the system device and loads
and executes it.
The R command differs from the· RUN command in that it does not
send the Core Control Block to the system device.
To save a
program that does not have its Core Control Block in the usual
place on SYS, you must include all the optional arguinents in the
SAVE command.
RUN
The RUN command loads a memory image (SV) file into memory,
transfers its Core Control Block to the system device, and begins
execution at the starting address of the program.
It places the
block number of the first block in the file into location 7747 of
field 0.
The format is
RUN input:file
If you enter a file name without an extension, RUN assumes
You must specify a device; RUN does not assume OSK.

sv.

For example, the following RUN command GETs and STARTs PROG.SV on
RXAl.
.RUN RXA2:PROG.SV

1-19

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
SAVE
The SAVE command makes an executable binary file of the program
currently in memory, assigns it a name, and stores it on a device.
If you do not specify the locations in memory that you want to
save, the SAVE command automatically looks for the information on
the current Core Control Block.
The format is
SAVE device:file fnnnn-fmmmm,fpppp;fssss=cccc
where
f nnn

is a 5-digit octal number representing the
field {f) and starting address· of a continuous
portion of memory that you want to save

f mmmm

is the final address {in the same field)
that part of memory you intend to save

f pppp

is a 5-digit octal nq.mber representing the
address of one location in memory.
A single
address causes SAVE to save the entire page on
which ·the location occurs

;fssss

is a 5-digit octal
starting address of
save

=cccc

is a 4-dig it octal number representing
contents of the Job Status Word

number representing the
the program you want to
the

If you omit the extension of the file name, SAVE appends sv.
If
you omit the other arguments, SAVE finds the locations it requires
in the current Core Control Block.
START
The START command beg ins execution of the memory image program
currently in memory at the address you specify in the command
line.
If you omit the address, START uses the starting location
in the current Core Control Block.

1-20

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 KEYBOARD COMMANDS
The format is
START fnnnn
where
f nnnn

is a 5-digit octal number representing a field
(f) and the location in memory (nnnn) you want
to use as a starting address

For example, this command
.START 10555
starts executing the program currently in memory at location 555
in field 1.
This command
.START
starts the program at the address contained
Control Block.

in the current Core

The Monitor runs the START command.
ZERO
The ZERO command clears the directory of the device you specify,
creating an empty file directory.
The format is
ZERO device
For example, the following example clears the directory of RXAl.
~ZERO

RXAl:

use ZERO only on devices that contain user programs and data
files.
If you zero the system device, you will destroy the system
programs.
ZERO will not clear the directory of SYS until it has
printed a message to ask if you are sure you want to proceed.
If
you do, type Y; if you do not, type any other character.

1-21

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
Now that you have seen the OS/8 Keyboard Commands and examples of
how to use them, we will discuss some of the OS/8 system programs
that will assist you in
COPYING
UPDATING
MAINTAINING
DIAGNOSTIC MEDIA.
The system utility programs that we will discuss
are:
FOTP

File-Oriented Transfer Program

PIP

Peripheral Interchange Program

RXCOPY

RX Floppy Disk Program

this module

FOTP
FOTP transfers files from one device
from a device, and renames files.

another,

deletes

files

FOTP
FOTP copies files in the image mode, that is, it copies the file
word for word, character for character, without making any changes
in the file.
Thus you may use FOTP to copy core image and binary
files as well as ASCII files, without specifying options to
identify the type of file.
CALLING FOTP
To call FOTP from the system device, type:
• R FOTP
In response to the keyboard monitor DOT.
(You can also call FOTP
indirectly with several CCL commands.)
The command decoder prints
a asterisk ( *) in the· left margin and waits to receive a 1 ine of
I/O files and options.
FOTP accepts one output specification and
up to five input specifications.
The command line may be
terminated with a carriage return. {FOTP retains control) or with
an escape (control returns to the keyboard monitor) •

1-22

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
INPUT SPECIFICATIONS
FOTP input specifications consist of a device, a file name, and a
file name extension.
Within the input specification, FOTP allows you to use a wild card
construction.
This means that the file name or the extension may
be replaced totally with an asterisk or partially with a question
mark to designate certain file names or extensions.
For example:
TEST!.*

All files with the name TESTl and any extension

* .BN

All files with a BN extension and any file name
,.
All files

*·*

You can include as many as five input specifications in a single
command line.
If all the files are on the same device, the input
device need be specified only once. For example:
• R FOTP
*RXAl:*.*<RXAl:*.BN,*.SV,*.RL
Refers to files on RXAl that have .BN,
any file name.

.~v,

or .RL extensions with

OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS
FOTP output specifications consist of a device, a file name, and a
file extension.
Output specifications are optional.
You can use
the wild card asterisk in output specifications, but use of the
question mark is illegal.
If no output device is specified but a file name is given, then
"DSK:n is assumed.
If no file name is specified, then * .* is
assumed. Thus the following output specificati~ns
* SWING.<RXAl: SWING. SV
*SWING.*<RXAl:SWING.SV
*RXA0:<RXAl:SWING.SV
ARE EQUIVALENT:
OSK: SWING
DSK: SW ING~ *
RXA0:* .*
1-23

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
US ING FOTP
FOTP performs file transfers in a different manner than other OS/*
transfer programs, the following is a detailed description of the
way FOTP works.
One of the main uses of FOTP is to copy files
from one device to another.
The following examples show how FOTP
examines each aspect of a command to determine what operation will
take place.
EXAMPLE 1:
To copy the file TTYTST.SV from RXAl to RKA0, changing its name to
OUTTST, type the following:
• R FOTP
*RKA0:0TTST.SV<RXA1:TTYTST.SV.
1.

If FOTP does not find the file TTYTST.SV on RXAl,
following message appears and no transfer occurs:

the

*No files of the form TTYTST.SV
2.

FOTP exam in.es RKA 0 to determine whether it a 1 ready
contains a file OUTTST.SV.
If OUTTST.SV exists on RKA0,
FOTP deletes it before beg inning the transfer.
This
process is called "PREDELETION".

The /N option specifies that no predeletion is desired.
Thus the command:
*RKA0:0UTTST.SV<RXA1:TTYTST.SV/N
Begins to copy TTYTST.SV to RKA0 wiwthout deleting the
old OUTTST.SV.
FOTP does this by opening a tentative
file names OUTTST.SV on RKA0. Wh~n the command completes
the transfer operation, it closes the tentative file.
Closing this tentative file makes it a permanent file and
deletes any old files of the same name.
This process is called "POSTDELETION".

FOTP assigns thhe creation date of TTYTST.SV to
OUTTST.SV.
This is an advantage over PIP, which would
assign the current date to the new file.
If you always
transfer files with FOTP, you preserve the original
creation date of the file.

1-24

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
5.

Use the /T option of FOTP to assign the current date to a
file.
For example:
*RXA0:0UTTST.SV<RXAl:TTYTST.SV/T

EXAMPLE 2
To copy all files from RKA0 to RKAl, type:
* RKA 1 : * • * <R KA 0 : * • *
Note that the *·* specification has a different meaning when it
appears on the left side of the < than is does when it appears on
the right.
When used on the output (left) side, *·* means that
the output file name is the same as the input file name.
When
used on the input (right) side,*·* means transfer or consider all
files on this device.
EXAMPLE 3
One feature of FOTP allows you to use the same command 1 ine to
transfer multiple· files from one dev.ice to another.
For example,
to transfer five binary files from DTA2 to DTAl, type:
*DTAl:<DTA2:TESTl.BN,TEST2.BN,TEST3.BN,TEST4.BN,TEST5.BN
PIP would
operation.
PIP

have

required

five

commands

perform

the

same

PERIPHERAL INTERCHANGE PROGRAM

CALLING AND USING PIP
TO CALL PIP FROM THE SYSTEM DEVICE, TYPE:
.R PIP
The command decoder then prints an asterisk in the left margin of
the console and waits to receive a line of I/O files and options.
Since PIP performs file transfers for all file types (ASCII, Image
or Binary), there are no assumed extensions PIP assigns to file
names for either input or output files.
You must specify all
ex tens ions.

1-25

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
Following completion of a PIP operation, the command decoder again
pr in ts an asterisk in the left margin and waits for another PIP
I/O specification line. You can return to the keyboard monitor by
typing CTRL/C or by terminating the specification line with the
escape (ALTMODE) key.
PIP OPTIONS
Table 1-3 details the options allowed on a PIP I/O specification
line.
Generally, you indicate /A, /B, or /I for each transfer; if
you have specified none of these, the system proceeds as if you
had typed /A.

1-26

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
OPTION

MEANING

Transfer files in ASCII mode.

Transfer files in binary mode (used
absolute and relocatable binary files).

Eliminate
only.

Delete the old copy of the output file before
doing any data transfer.

List directories in extended form

List directories in short form.

Ignore any errors that occur
transfer and continue copying.

Transfer files in image mode.

Move all files from. the input device to the
output device, eliminating any embedded empty
files.

Copy the OS/8 system area ~rom
device to the output device. ~·{So

the

Zero directory of output device
transfer.

before

trailing

blanks.

Valid

during

c.o >°X

Table 1-3
PIP Options

1-27

for

for
ASCII

y-..,, c:t

file

input

ke< /ooc"'->·~-~ (e
file

STUDENT GUIDE
OS/8 SYSTEM PROGRAMS
RXCOPY
You can use the RXCOPY program to copy or transfer the entire
contents and system head of one RX floppy to another RX floppy
disk.
Use this program only with RX permanent device .names or a
user-defined name that you have assigned to an RX device.
Specifying file names in the I/O specification line results in an
error message.
To load and run RXCOPY, type:
.R RXCOPY
*OUTPUT DEV:<INPUT DEV:/OPTIONS
•
EXAMPLE:
• R RXCOPY
*RXAl: <SYS:
When you have loaded RXCOPY and entered the I/O specification line
at the keyboard, the program copies the input device to the output
device on a sector-by-sector basis.
When the operation is
complete, the monitor dot appears on the screen, and the speci~ied
output device becomes an exact duplicate of the input device.
OPTION

MEANING

Pause and wait for response before execution

Copy with no check

Check both devices for identical contents

Read every block on specified device and list
any bad tracks and sectors

1-28

STUDENT GUIDE

&ABSLDR
ABSLDR. SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.LOAD DEV:BINFILE.BN, •••
• LOAD BINFILE.BN, ••• /FROM OSK
@SWITCHES:
/8 PROG DOESN'T USE BELOW 02000
/9 PROG ·DOESN'T USE BELOW 12000
/G GO
/I CORE IMAGE FILE
/P PROG DOESN'T DESTROY EXTENDED BATCH RESIDENT
/R.RESET
/S MULTIPLE BINARIES/FILE
/N FORCE LOADING TO FIELD N (N IS AN OCTAL DIGIT)
/N FORCE LOADING TO FIELD N (N IS AN OCTAL DIGIT)
=FNNNN SET STARTING ADDRESS

1-A-l

STUDENT GUIDE

&ASSIGN
&DATE
&DEASSIGN
&GET
&MEMORY
&R
&RUN
&SAVE
&START
&SQUISH
&UA
&ZERO
KEYBOARD MONITOR AN OTHER COMMANDS
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.ASSIGN DEV NAME /ASSIGN NAME TO DEVICE
.DAY DD-MON-YY /ENTER DATE INTO SYSTEM
.DEASSIGN /DEASSIGN LOGICAL DEVICE NAMES
.GET DEV FILE.EX /LOAD CORE IMAGE
.MEMORY N /SPECIFY HIGHEST MEMORY FIELD AVAILABLE
.R FILE /EXECUTE FILE.SV FROM SYS
.RUN DEV FILE.EX /EXECUTE FILE.EX FROM THE DEVICE
.SAVE DEV FILE.EX /SAVE CORE IMAGE
.SQUISH DEV: /COMPRESS FILE STORAGE ON DEVICE
.START FNNNN /START EXECUTION
.UA COMMAND /SAVE COMMAND(.UA<CR> EXECUTES IT)
.ZERO DEV: /ZERO DEVICE'S DIRECTORY

l-A-2

STUDENT GUIDE

&BASIC
BASIC.SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.BASIC
.R BASIC
@INTERNAL COMMANDS:
BYE EXIT FROM BASIC
.IST LIST CURRENT PROGRAM'S STATEMENTS
NAME RENAME CURRENT PROGRAM
NEW PREPARE FOR A NEW PROGRAM
OLD RETRIEVE AN OLD PROGRAM
RUN RUN CURRENT PROGRAM
SAVE SAVE CURRENT PROGRAM
SCRATCH DELETE CURRENT PROGRAM
.HELP BCOMP PRINTS BASIC COMPILER ERROR MESSAGES
.HELP BRTS PRINTS BASIC RUN-TIME ERROR MESSAGES

l-A-3

STUDENT GUIDE

&BOOT
BOOT. SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.BOOT/DV
@SWITCHES:
/CA TA8E CASSETTE CAPS-8
/DK ANY DISK
/DL LINCTAPE DIAL
/DM ANY DISK DISK MONITOR
/DT ANY TAPE
/LT LINCTAPE
/PT PT8E (LOADS BINLDR)
/RE RK8E DISK
/RF RF08,DF32 DISKS
/RK RK8 DISK
/RX RX8E FLOPPY DISK
/TD TD8E DECTAPE
/TY TYPESET (UNIT 4)
/VE VERS I.ON #
/TC TC08 DECTAPE ALL SYSTEMS
/ZE ZEROES CORE (FIELD 0)
DEVICES ARE UNIT 0 IF NOT SPECIFIED
DV. HALT AFTER LOADING. BOOTSTRAP

l-A-4

STUDENT GUIDE

&BUILD
BUILD.SV
@INTERNAL COMMANDS:
$ALTER GRP, LOC
$ALTER GRP,LOC=VALUE
$BOOT
$BUILD
$CTL ACTNAM
$CTL ACTNAM=VALUE
$CORE N
. $DCB ACTNAM
$DCB ACTNAM=VALUE
$DSK ACTNAM
$DSK GRP: NAME
$EXAMINE GRP, LOC
$INSERT GRP
$INSERT GRP:NAME, •••
$LOAD DEV:FILENM.BN
·$LOAD ACTNAM
$NAME ACTNAM=NEWHAM
$PRINT
$QLI.ST
$REPLACE ACTNAM, ••• =GRP:NEWNAM,,,
$SIZE ACTNAM
.
$SIZE ACTNAM=VALUE
$SYS GRP
$SYS GRP:NAME, •••
$UNLOAD GRP
$UNLOAD GRP:NAME, ••• ·
@ERRORS:
?BAD ARG NO DEVICE NAME IN LOAD COMMAND
?BAD INPUT INPUT NOT A VALID BINARY FILE
?BAD LOAD BINARY HANDLER NOT IN CORRECT FORMAT
?BAD ORIGIN ORIGIN IN BINARY FILE NOT IN RANGE 200-577
?CORE NOT ENOUGH MEMORY AVAILABLE
?DSK DSK IS NOT FILE STRUCTURED
?HANDLERS MORE THAN 15 HANDLERS ARE ACTIVE
I/O ERROR ERROR DURING LOAD
?NAME MISSING NAME
NO ROOM TOO MANY DEVICE HANDLERS LOADED
NAME NOT FOUND DEVICE OR FILE NAME NOT FOUND
?PLAT TOO MANY PLATTERS SPECIFIED FOR DEVICE
?SYNTAX BAD SYNTAX
?SYS HANDLER IS NOT A SYSTEM HANDLER OR TWO SYSTEM HANDLERS
ARE ACTIVE OR HANDLER CORESIDENT WITH NON-ACTIVE SYS
SYS ERROR 'I/O ERROR OCCURRED WITH SYSTEM HANDLER.
PRESS CONTINUE
TO RETRY
SYS NOT FOUND NO ACTIVE HANDLER BY NAME OF SYS DURING BOOTSTRAP

l-A-5

STUDENT GUIDE

&CCL
OS/8 MONITOR COMMANDS
CMD PROG EXPL
ASSIGN KBM ASSIGNS LOGICAL NAME
BACKSP CAMP BACKSPACES DEV
BASIC BASIC ENTERS BASIC SYSTEM
BOOT BOOT BOOTSTRAP TO DEV
CCL CCL DISABLES CCL
COMPARE SRCCOM COMPARES FILES
COMPILE PALS COMPILES PROG
F4/FORT
BASIC
RALF
SABR
COPY FOTP COPIES FILES
CREATE EDIT OPENS FILE FOR EDITING
CREF PALS ASSEMBLES AND CHAINS TO CREF
CREF CREF'S LISTING
DATE KBM/CCL SPECIFIES DATE
DEAS CCL DEASSIGNS LOGICAL DEVICES
DELETE FOTP DELETES FILES
DIRECT DIRECT PRINTS DIRECTORIES
DUPLIC RXCOPY COPIES RX DISKS
EDIT EDIT EDITS FILE
EOF CAMP WRITES END-OF-FILE
EXECUTE PALS COMPILES AND EXECUTES
F4/FORT
BASIC
RALF
SABR
ABSLDR LOADS AND EXECUTES
LOAD(ER)
GET KBM GETS CORE-IMAGE
HELP HELP LIST'S HELP FILE
LIST FOTP LISTS FILES
LOAD ABSLDR LOADS FILES
LOAD(ER)
MAKE TECO MAKES NEW FILE FOR EDITING
MAP BITMAP PRINTS BITMAP
MEMORY CCL SPECIFIES MACHINE CORE SIZE
MONG TECO MUNGS FILE WITH TECO MACRO
ODT KBM RUNS OCTAL DEBUGGER
PAL PALS RUNS PALS
PRINT LPTSPL RUNS 'LPTSPL' IF PRESENT
PUNCH FOTP PUNCHES DATA
R KBM RUNS PROGRAM FROM SYS:
RENAME FOTP RENAMES FILES
RESORC RESORC PRINTS RESOURCE OF SYSTEMS
REWIND CAMP REWINDS DEV
l-A-6

STUDENT GUIDE

RUN KBM RUNS PROGRAM
SAVE KBM SAVES CORE IMAGE
SET SET ALTERS PARAMETERS
SKI CAMP SKIPS RECORDS
SQUISH PIP SQUISHES DEV
START KBM STARTS PROG
SUBMIT BATCH STARTS BATCH JOB
TECO TECO EDITS FILE
TYPE FOTP TYPES FILES
UA CCL REMEMBERS COMMAND
~

UC CCL
UNLOAD CAMP UNLOADS DEV
VERSION CCL TYPES VERSION #
ZERC PIP ZEROES DEV

l-A-7

STUDENT GUIDE

@SWI'TCHES:
-L OUTPUT TO LPT:
-S OUTPUT TO TV:
-T OUTPUT TO TTY:
-P OUTPUT TO PTP:
-D OUTPUT TO DUMP:
-N OUTPUT TO NULL:
-LS PRODUCE LISTING
-NM NO BINARY YET
-MP PRODUCE MAP
-EXT SET DEFAULT EXTENSION
@FEATURES:
/X PASS SWITCH OPTION X TO PROGRAM
(XYZ) PASS SWITCH OPTIONS TO PROGRAM
[N] MAX OUTPUT SIZE
=NNN PASS OCTAL NUMBER TO PROGRAM
#NNN _TAKE INTERNAL OCTAL FORM OF FILENAME
@FILE REPLACE IN CMD LINE BY FILE'S CONTENTS
$ COMPLEMENT DEFAULT ALTMODE SWITCH

l-A-8

STUDENT GUIDE

· &DIRECT
DIRECT. SV
@CALLING COMMANDS
.DIR DEV:LISTFILE.DI<DEV:FILETYPE /* IS WILD NAME OR EXTENSION
.DIR FILETYPE /? IS WILD CHARACTER
@SWITCHES:
/B INCLUDE STARTING BLOCK NUMBER (OCTAL)
/C LIST ONLY FILES WITH CURRENT DATE
/E INCLUDE EMPTIES
/F FAST MO"DE
·/I PRINT ADDITIONAL INFO WORDS
/L USUAL MODE
/M LIST EMPTIES ONLY
/0 LIST ONLY FILES WITH OTHER THAN TODAY'S DATE
/R LIST REMAINDER OF FILES AFTER FIRST ONE (BUT USE /C,/0)
/U TREAT EACH INPUT SPECIFICATION SEPARATELY
/V LIST FILES NOT OF FORM SPECIFIED
/W GIVE VERSION NUMBER
=N USE N COLUMNS

l-A-9

STUDENT GUIDE

&EDIT
&CREATE
EDIT.SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.EDIT DEV:OUTFILE.PA<DEV:INFIL~.PA
.CREATE OUTFILE.PA
@SWITCHES: /A RETURN TO EDITOR ON CLOSE
/B· CONVERT 2 OR MORE SPACES TO TAB
/D PREDEL~TE
@ERRORS
?0 INPUT ERROR
?l OUTPUT ERROR
?2 CLOSE ERROR
?3 OPEN ERROR
?4 COULDN'T LAOD DEVICE HANDLER
@INTERNAL COMMANDS:
A APPEND TEXT
B LIST # OF CORE LOCATIONS LEFT
C CHANGE TEXT
D DELETE TEXT
E OUTPUT BUFFER, TRANSFER REST OF DATA, AND CLOSE
F AND J, SEARCH FOR NEXT OCCURRENCE OF SAME STRING
G GET AND LIST TAGGED LINE
I INSERT
J INTER-BUFFER STRING SEARCH
K KILL BUFFER
L LIST TEXT
M MOVE TEXT
N WRITE BUFFER, KILL AND READ NEXT PAGE
P WRITE TEXT BUFFER TO OUTPUT
Q IMMEDIATE END OF FILE
R READ TEXT FROM INPUT DEVICE
S CHARACTER SEARCH
T PUNCH TRAILER TAPE
V PRINT ON LP08
Y INPUT TEXT PAGE, NO OUTPUT
# PRINT VERSION NO.

l-A-10

STUDENT GUIDE

&FOTP
&LIST
&COPY
&RENAME
&TYPE
&DELETE
FOTP.SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.COPY DEV:OUTFILE.EX<DEV:INFILE.EX /* IS WILD NAME OR EXTENSION
.REN DEV:NEWFILE.EX<DEV:OLDFILE.EX /? IS WILD CHARACTER
.DEL DEV:FILE.EX
.LIST DEV:FILE.EX /= .COPY LPT:<DEV:FILE.EX
.TYPE DEV:FILE.EX /= .COPY TTY:<DEV:FILE.EX
@SWITCHES:
/C MATCH ONLY FILES WITH CURRENT DATE
/D DON'T TRANSFER (I.E. AT MOST ONLY DELETE
/F REQUEST NEW DEVICE IF OUT OF ROOM
/L TYPE LOG OF INPUT FILENAME MATCHES (*)
/N NO PRE-DELETE
/0 MATCH ONLY FILES WITH OTHER THAN TODAY'S DATE
/Q QUERY USER ABOUT FILE BEFORE OPERATION (*)
/R RENAME
/T USE TODAY'S DATE
/U TREAT EACH INPUT SPECIFICATION SEPARATELY
/V MATCH FILES NOT OF FORM SPECIFIED
/W PRINT VERSION #
NOTES:
(*) /D CAUSES LOG OF OUTPUT FILES

(IF /L ALSO)

. IF INDEV: EQUALS OUTDEV:, THEN /N IS FORCES.
IF NO INPUT FILE, *·* IS FORCED EXCEPT FOR /D
IF OUTPUT DEVICE SPECIFIED, BUT NO FILE,*·* IS ASSUMED.
OP ABORT OPERATION, FIX OUTPUT DIRECTORY
OC FIX OUTPT DIRECTORY, RETURN TO OS/8
0 SUPPRESS TYPEOUT

l-A-11

STUDENT GUIDE

&ODT
ODT
@CALLING COMMANDS
.ODT
@INTERNAL COMMANDS:
NNNNN/ OPEN LOC
/ REOPEN LAST OPENED LOC
NN<CR> DEPOSIT NN IN OPEN LOC, CLOSE LOC
NN<LF> DEPOSIT NN IN OPEN LOC, CLOSE LOC, OPEN AND DISPLAY NEXT
LOC
NN; ••• DEPOSIT NN IN OPEN LOC, CLOSE AND OPEN NEXT LOC
<CR> CLOSE PREVIOUSLY OPENED LOC
<LF> CLOSE LOC, OPEN NEXT LOC
N+ OPEN CUR LOC+N
N- OPEN CUR LOC-N
0 CLOSE LOC, OPEN LOC ADDRESSED BY CONTENTS
CLOSE LOC, OPEN POINTED TO BY CONTENTS
NNG GO
NNB ESTABLISH BREAKPOINT
B REMOVE BREAKPOINT
A OPEN AC
L OPEN LINK
C CONTINUE FROM BREAKPOINT
NNC CONTINUE, ITERATE NN TIMES
M OPEN SEARCH MASK
<LF> OPEN LOWER SEARCH LIMIT
<LF> OPEN UPPER SEARCH LIMIT
NNW SEARCH CORE FOR NN MASKED BETWEEN LIMITS
D OPEN DATA FIELD {0010=FIELD 1)
F OPEN FIELD FOR O,
, W {0010=FIELD 1)
00 SUPPRESS PRINTING-

l-A-12

STUDENT GUIDE

& PIP
PIP.SV
@SWITCHES:
/A ASCII MODE
/B BINARY MODE
/C ELIM TRAILING BLANKS
/D DELETE OUTPUT FILE BEFORE TRANSFER
/G IGNORE ERRORS
/I IMAGE MODE
/0 OKAY TO COMPRESS OR ZERO
/S SQUI°SH
/T CONVERT TABS TO SPACES, ETC.
/V VERSION #
/Y COPY SYSTEM HEAD
/Z ZERO OUTPUT DIRECTORY BEFORE TRANSFER
=N # OF ADDITIONAL INFO WORDS (/Z OR /S)
=N SIZE TO CLOSE OUTPUT FILE (/I}

l-A-13

STUDENT GUIDE

&SET
SET.SV
@CALLING COMMANDS:
.SET DEV PARAMETER(S)
.SET DEV NO PARAMETER(S)
@PARAMETERS:
READONLY DECLARE DEVICE TO BE READ ONLY
FILES DECLARE DEVICE TO BE FILE STRUCTURED
DVC CHANGE DEVICE CODES
VERSION X CHANGE VERSION
LOCATION N[=M] EXAMINE OR CHANGE LOCATIONS
LV8E DECLARE LINE PRINTER TO BE AN LV8E
•
LABA DECLARE LINE PRINTER TO BE LA180 ON DKC8-AA
LA78 SAME AS .SET LPT NO LA8A
WIDTH N SET WIDTH OF LINE PRINTER OR TTY
LC DECLARE LINE PRINTER OR TTY TO HAVE LOWER CASE
ECHO RESTORE TTY CHARACTER ECHOING
PAGE RESTORE TTY OS AND OQ .FACILITIES
TAB IN TTY PRINT TABS (DON'T SIMULATE WITH SPACES)
FILL IN TTY APPEND FILL CHARACTERS AFTER TABS
FLAG IN .TTY FLAG LOWER CASE CHARACTERS
SCOPE ERASE CHARACTER ON TTY RUBOUTS
ESC PRINT ESC(ASCII 033) WITHOUT CONVERTING IT TO $.SIGN
ARROW PRINT CONTROL CHARACTERS WITH UP ARROW (E.G. OC, OS)
HEIGHT [M] SET TTY TTY SCREEN HEIGHT
PAUSE [N] SET TTY PAUSE TIME
COLN SET DIRECT TO USE N COLUMNS (.SET TTY COL 2)
CODE N CHANGE TTY IOTS OR CARD READER CODES
PARITY EVEN/ODD SET MAGTAPE PARITY
OS8 DECLARE SYS TO BE OS/8
0878 DECLARE SYS TO BE OS/8
!NIT XXXXX CAUSE SYS TO EXECUTE XXXXX ON BOOTSTRAPPING

l-A-14

STUDENT GUIDE

SECTION 2
DEC/XS SOFTWARE SYSTEM

2-1

STUDENT GUIDE

INTRODUCTION
DEC/XS is a modular software system.
This implies that the total
system may have many unique software configurations dependent upon
the type and placement of the various software modules.
A
software system structured in this manner can be likened to a
modular hardware system in which predefined hardware modules may
be inserted into a predefined hardware mainframe (within certain
constraints) to produce a desired effect.

2-2

STUDENT GUIDE

OVERVIEW
DEC/XS consists of three major sections.
The first and primary
section is the DEC/XS monitor.
The monitor is the software
mainframe and true "work-horse" o-f the exerciser.
It controls
interrupt servicing deferred service queuing, and user-exerciser
communications.
The second section is the DEC/XS builder.
The builder is used
only during the exerciser building phase and provides the means
with which the user "inserts" software modules (jobs) into the
DEC/XS mainframe and saves the fully configured exerciser in
suitable form for future use.
In 4K systems, the builder is
necessarily restricted
to paper
tape or
PMK-02 cassette
input/output.
However, in systems with 8K or more memory and at
least one standard mass storage device, the builder becomes
virtually device independent by interfacing directly with the SK
programming system, OS/S.
Both monitor and builder reside on the
same binary tape or file.
The third and final section of DEC/XS consists of all av,aiiable
DEC/XS software modules (jobs).
Each of these modules is designed
to exercise a specific function and/or device associated with the
PDP S hardware.
Each module resides on its own binary tape (or a
file on a floppy disk), has its own descriptive document, and is
included in product code "AXZZZ".
The list of modules available
from the DEC software distribution center (SOC) may be found in
the current edition of the "PDP-8 Software Price List".
In
addition, all object programs associated with DEC/XS are available
on OS/S formatted media and may be ordered from the software
distribution center.

2-3

STUDENT GUIDE

DEC/XS SOFTWARE MAINFRAME
16K EXAMPLE

. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .
USER-EXERCISER COMMUNICATIONS
SERVICE INTERRUPT JOBS
SERVICE BACKGROUND JOBS

AXQAB-E

USER<-------->.
VT100

MONITOR

................... ..
USED ONLY IN THE BUILDING
PHASE TO BUILD AND SAVE
THE EXERCISER.

BUILDER

EXERCISER MODULES (JOBS)

. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
M
E

M
0

R
y

J01
J02
J03
J04

4 PAGE
4 PAGE
2 PAGE
2 PAGE

Jl2
Jl3
Jl4 ,

4 PAGE
2 PAGE
2 PAGE

J22
J23
J24

4 PAGE
2 PAGE
2 PAGE

J31
J32
J33
J34

4
4
2
2

.. ..Jll
..... .4. .PAGE
. . .. . . . . .
. . . .J21
..... . .4 .PAGE
. . . . . .. . .
PAGE
PAGE
PAGE
PAGE

.. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .

2-4

STUDENT GUIDE

DEC/XS BUILDING PROCEDURE
Three steps must 'be accomplished
Exerciser.

successfully create a

DEC/X

Planning
Building
Saving
Planning Phase
The purpose of the following steps is to describe the planning
which is necessary to build an operational DEC/SX Exerciser.
The
maximum configaration is still restricted to 32K even if more
memory is available.
This restriction allows "custom" exerciser.s
to be configured on 32K systems even though they will be used on
12SK systems.
Part of the KTS-A support expands this 32K
exerciser up to 12SK at load time.
1.

Complete the DEC/XS hardware inventory worksheet.
Process type
Available memory
Internal p~ocessor options
Hardware you wish to test
Required module (job)
Number of pages
To determine what software modules are required and their page
size reference the "DEC/XS Software Module Index" (AXQAF) •

Complete the DEC/XS module work sheet.
Write in the module
name to the right of e?ch job number following the rules for
page size as follows:
JXl ---- 4 page
JX2

JX3
JX4

2 page

Using the "DEC/XS Software Module Index" fill in the priority
of each module beginning with priority 00 (i.e. S,B,C, •••• x
would be- pr i 0 0 , 01, 0 2 , etc • ) •
3.

Complete the DEC/XS priority work sheet (using the data from
the module work sheet).
Priority 00 first then 01,02, etc.
to
determine
if
a
module
requires
parameters
(for
initialization).
It will be necessary to reference module
microfiche AX?????.

We are now ready to "build" a DEC/XS exerciser.

2-5

STUDENT GUIDE
SAMPLE BUILDING DIALOGUE
.R DX8.MBE

-THE OS/8 MEDIA IS BOOTED AND THE
DECX/8 MONITOR BUILDER IS CALLED
AND IDENTIFIES ITSELF

REVISION E
AXQAB-E
REFER TO THE DEC/XS USERS GUIDE "PREFACE" FOR A
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHANGES FROM REV A TO REV E.
HSR? N
HSP? N
EXT MEM?

-SYSTEM HAS NO PC04
(00-37)~

-FIELDS 00-03 PRESENT FOR 16K

PDP-8? N

-NOT A "STRAIGHT-8"

PDP-SE? Y

-8E OR 8A

KT? N

-NO KT8-A

VT100? Y

-CONSOLE TERMINAL

EAE? N

-NO EAE ON SYSTEM

PF? N

-NO PF (POWER FAIL OPTION)

MP? N

-NO MEMORY PARITY OPTION

TS? N

-TIME SHARE DISABLED

! ""B OK? Y

-NOW IN BUILDER MODE

INPUT VIA OS/8 ? Y
OUTPUT VIA OS/8 USING FILE BASED DEVICE? Y

-BEGIN
TO
BUILD,
INSTALLING
MODULES IN PRIORITY ORDER

2-6

STUDENT GUIDE
SAMPLE BUILDING DIALOGUE
PRI:00%

-REQUESTING FIRST JOB NUMBER
-ENTER EACH
WORK SHEET

JOB

FROM

THE

DECX 8

PRI:00% J02
*FLOPPY
DC:0750

-RX8-E JOB
FILE NAME
STANDARD DEVICE CODE? (75)
CARRIAGE RETURN = YES

PRI:01% J01
*TIMERA
DC:0130

-CLOCK JOB. USED FOR ALL CLOCKS
FILE NAME
DEVICE CODE 13? (YES)

PRI:02% J03
*OPRATE

-0 PERA TE JOB

PRI:03% Jl4
*OPRATE

-OPERATE JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:04% J33
*OPRATE

-0 PERA TE JOB

PRI:05% J34
*OPRATE

-0 PERA TE JOB

PRI:06% J04
*MRI08A

-MRI08A OB
FILE NAME

PRI:07% Jll
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l0% Jl2
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:ll% Jl3
*MRI08A

-MRI08A JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l2% J21
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l3% J22
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l4% J23
*MRI08A

-MRI08A JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l5% J24
*MRI08A

-MRI08A JOB
-FILE NAME

FILE NAME

FILE NAME
FILE NAME

2-7

STUDENT GUIDE
SAMPLE BUILDING DIALOGUE
PRI:l6% J31
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:l7% J32
*RANMRI

-RANMRI JOB
FILE NAME

PRI:20% "C

-NO MORE JOB SLOTS TO ENTER;
RETURN TO MONITOR WITH "C
.
-MONITOR PROMPT
-WE ARE NOW READY TO INITIALIZE
THE EXERCISER BEFORE WE SAVE IT
ON THE OS/8 MEDIA

!AI

-INITIALIZE "ALL" COMMAND

IJ01
TIMERA
A 100
B 0000
c 0000
D -0-

-MONITOR WILL IDENTIFY EACH JOB
BY ITS FILE NAME AND REQUEST
PARAMETERS. YOU MUST REFERENCE
THE MICOFICHE FOR EACH JOB.
EXAMPLE IS FOR THE PDP-SE LINE
CLOCK.

IJ02
FLOPPY
A 0
B 0

-RX8-E JOB
WE ARE SELECTING ALL DEFAULTS
EXCEPT FOR DRIVE SELECTION.
WE HAVE SELECTED DRIVE 1 ONLY

c i

-r -0 -1

IJ03
OPRATE 2

-FOR THE OPERATE TEST TO RUN
WE MUST SPECIFY PROCESSOR TYPE.

IJ04
MRI08A

-NO PARAMETERS FOR THIS JOB BUT
MONITOR WILL IDENTIFY IT ANYWAY.

IJll
RANMRI
IJ12
RANMRI
IJ12
RANMRI
IJ13
MRI08A

2-8

STUDENT 'GUIDE
SAMPLE BUILDING DIALOGUE
IJ14
OPRATE 2

-OPERATE JOB 2

= PDP-8E/A

IJ21
RANMRI
IJ22
RANMRI
IJ23
MRI08A
IJ24
MRI08A
IJ31
RANMRI
IJ32
RANMRI
IJ33
OPRATE 2

- 2

= PDP-8E/A

IJ34
OPRATE 2

- 2

= PDP-SE/A

-WE ARE NOW READY TO
CUSTOM EXERCISER.
RETURN TO THE BUILDER.

AB OK? y

SA VE THE
WE MUST

-RETURN TO BUILDER

-BUILDER PROMPT

-TELLS BUILDER TO SAVE EXERCISER
UPON

.SAVE RXA0:TEST

" ." ' TYPE "SAVE

(DEV)

(FILE) " ---

-THIS WILL SAVE THE EXERCISER ON
RXA0 AND NAME IT "TEST. SV"
-WE NOW HAVE A RUNABLE DEC/XB
FILE NAMED TEST.SV ON RXA0.

2-9

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
-OS/S HAS BEEN BOOTED
-OS/S KEYBOARD MONITOR WAITING
FOR COMMAND INPUT.
• R TEST

-THIS COMMAND WILL LOAD AND
THE OS/8 FILE "TEST.SV"

Eventually the processor will halt (PDP-SE MA=3002).
remove all volatile media.
i.e disks, floppys etc.

RUN

At this time

NOTE
If the processor is of the VT78 category
no "HLT" instr uc t.i ons are performed.
The exerciser comes up in the DEC/XS
monitor.
Starting the customized exerciser (from a HALT following LOAD)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Extended load address 0000.
Load address 3000.
Depress start.
The program will HALT with MA = 3002.
Depress continue.
-PRINT Ac AND DISPLAY THE
DEC/XS MONITOR PROMPT.
-THIS COMMAND WILL PRINT JOB
NOTE THAT ALL JOBS ARE
STATUS.
IN THE "K" (KILL) STATE.

JOB
01
02
03
04
11
12
13

14
21
22
23
24
31
32
33
34

MODULE
TIMERA
FLOPPY
OPRATE
MRI0SA
RANMRI
RANMRI
MRI08A
OPRATE
RANMRI
RANMRI
MRI 0SA
MRI08A
·RANMRI
RANMRI
OPRATE
OPRATE

MAINO EC
AXDKA-E
AXRXB-C
AXKAC-C
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAC-C

FLO
00
00
00
00
01
01
01
01
02
02
02
02
03
03
03
03

PRI
01
00
02
06
07
10
11
03
12
13
14
15

17
04
05

STATE
K
K
K
K
K
K

K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K

. 2-10

CNTR
0000
0000
. 0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
Two commands are available for running jobs.
1.

"RJXX" run job JXX results in the job JXX· being switched to
the run state.
The job will not be started until AE or AR is
typed to exit the keyboard monitor.
To run jobs J01,J02,J03 and J04 type the following.
-MUST BE AT KEYBOARD MONITOR
-SWITCH J01 TO "R" STATE
-SWITCH J02· TO "R" STATE
-SWITCH J03 TO "R" STATE
-SWITCH J04 TO "R" STATE
-EXIT KEYBOARD MONITOR AND
RUN ALL "R" STATUS JOBS.

RJ01
RJ02
RJ03
RJ04

"AR" run all jobs is available in systems with SK or more
memory and causes all existent jobs not already in the "R"
state to be switched to the "R" state.
To run all jobs type the following:

!AR

-MONITOR PROMPT
-SWITCHES ALL JOBS TO "R"
-EXIT KEYBOARD MONITOR AND
RUN ALL JOBS.

Ac
-!!S

-USER COMMAND TO RETURN TO THE
DEC/XS KEYBOARD MONITOR.
-ALL JOBS IN RUN STATE

DEC/X8
JOB
01
02
03
04
11
12
13
14
21
22
23
24
31
32
33
34

MODULE MAINDEC
TIMERA AXDKA-E
FLOPPY AXRXB-C
OPRATE AXKAC-C
MRI08A AXKAA-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
MRI08A AXKAA-B
OPRATE AXKAC-C
RANMRI AXKAB-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
MRI0SA AXKAA-B
MRI08A AXKAA-B
RANMRI . AXKAB-B
RA NM RI AXKAB-B
OPRATE AXKAC-C
OPRATE AXKAC-C

FLO
00
00
00
00
01
01
01
01
02
02
02
02
03
03
03
03

PRI
01
00
02
06
07
10
11
03
12
13
14
15
16
17
04
05

STATE
R
R
R
R
R
·R
R
R
R

R
R

R
R
R
R
R
2-11

CNTR
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
Two commands are available for killing jobs.
1.

"KJXX" kill job JXX sets the "COMMAND TO KILL" flag in job
JXX.
The job will not be killed until AE is commanded and the
job has the chance to reach a point of exit.
To kill jobs J01,Jll and J33 type the following:

!KJ01
!KJll
!KJ33

-SET KILL FLAG FOR JOB J01
-SET KILL FLAG FOR JOB Jll
-SET KILL FLAG FOR JOB J33
-ENTER RUN MODE TO ALLOW JOBS
TO REACH AN EXIT POINT.

"AK" kill all jobs is available only in systems with at least
SK of memory.
The "AK" command sets the "COMMAND TO KILL"
flag in all existent jobs.
To kill all jobs type the following:

!AK

-COMMAND TO KILL ALL JOBS
-ENTER RUN MODE TO ALLOW JOBS
TO· REACH AN EXIT POINT.

Two commands are available for exiting the DEC/XS keyboard
monitor, turning the interrupt system on, and resuming job
servicing.
1.

AE "EXERCISE" results in the . interrupt being turned on and the
monitor resuming job servicing.
Also any jobs which have just
been put in the "R" state will be started, any jobs which have
their "COMMAND TO KILL" flag set will be killed.

AR "EXERCISE and force rotation (or scatter)" results in all
actions specified by AE, and in addition forces rotation and
an automatic status report.
If the system has only 4K AR
functions exactly as AE.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Rotation and status
greater systems.

reports

2-12

are

available

only

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
In the following example we will show. how these commands are used
in running the 16K exericizer that we have already built
-BOOT OS/S
-RUN THE CUSTOM EXERICIZER
-DEC/XS STARTS IN COMMAND MODE
-COMMAND TO DEC/XS FOR STATUS

.R TEST

"c
!S

JOB
01
02
03
04
11
12
13
14
21
22
23
24
31
32
33
34

MODULE
TIMERA
FLOPPY
OPRATE
MRI08A
RANMRI
RANMRI
MRI0SA
OPRATE
RANMRI
RANMRI
MRI0SA
MRI 0SA
RANMRI
RANMRI
OPRATE
OPRATE

MAINDEC
AXDKA-E
AXRXB-C
AXKAC-C
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAC-C

FLO
00
00
00
00
01
01
01
01
02
02
02
02
03
03
03
03

PR!
01
00
02
06
07
10
11
03
12
13
14
15
16
17
04
05

!AR

STATE
K
K

K
K

K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K
K

K.
K
K

CNTR
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000

-COMMAND TO RUN ALL EXISTENT JOBS
-EXIT KEYBOARD, ENTER "RUN" MODE

TIMERA-J01 FLO 0 ET: 0

STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:03 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0120 SC:0020 SD:0103 SE:0025 SF:7767
ROTATE 2227
DEC/XS
JOB
01
02
03
04
11
12
13
14.
21

MODULE
TIMERA
FLOPPY
OPRATE
MRI0SA
RANMRI
RANMRI
MRI0SA
OP~ATE

RANMRI

MAINDEC
AXDKA-E
AXRXB-C
AXKAC-C
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAB-B

FLO
01
01
01
00
02
'02
02
01
03

PRI
01
00
02
06
07
10
11
03
12

STATE
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
2-13

CNTR
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
22
23
24
31
32
33
34

RANMRI
MRI0SA
MRI0SA
RANMRI
RANMRI
OPRATE
OPRATE

AXKAB-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAA-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAB-B
AXKAC-C
AXKAC-C

03
03
02
00
00
00
03

13
14
15
16
17
04
05

R
R
R
R
R
R
R

0000
0000
0000
0000
·0000
0000
0000

STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:01 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0120 SC:0020 SD:0076 SE:0010 SF:7766
STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:01 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0210 SC:0020 SD:0074 SE:0003 SF:7767 .
STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:01 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0120 SC:0020 SD:0000 SE:0030 SF:7766

"'c

-COMMAND TO STOP DEC/XS RETURN TO
DEC/XS KEYBOARD MONITOR.
-KILL THE JOB THAT IS ERRORING

!KJ02

STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:03 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB: 012 0 SC:0020 SD:0071 SE:0003 SF:7754
ROTATE 3430
DEC/XS
JOB
01
02
03
04
11
12
13
14
21
22
23
24
31
32
33
34

MODULE MAINDEC
TIMERA AXDKA-E
FLOPPY AXRXB-C
OPRATE AXKAC-C
MRI 0SA . AXKAA-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
RA NM RI AXKAB~B
MRI08A AXKAA-B
OPRATE AXKAC-C
RANMRI AXKAB-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
MRI08A AXKAA-B
MRI 0SA AXKAA-B
RANMRI AXKAB-B
RA NM RI AXKAB-B
OPRATE AXKAC-C
OPRATE AXKAC-C

FLO
03
00
01
00
00
01
02
01
01
02
03
02
02
03
00
03

PR!
01
00
02
06
07
10
11
03
12
13
14
15
16
17
04
05

STATE
R
K
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R

CNTR
7705
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
00~0

Note the error message at the top of this page.
The DEC/XS·
software will report errors either by printout or by halting the
processor.
The user must then analyze any error pr in touts or·
processor halts to determine corrective action.
2-14

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
ERROR REPORTING
There are four major classes of errors:
Monitor Errors
Builder Errors
OS/S Errors
Job Errors
MONITOR ERRORS
Monitor errors may occur during the building and running phases.
With one exception, all monitor errors result in a program halt
without an error printout.
The exception is the power fail error
as detected by the power fail option.
In this case, when power is
res to red, the monitor pr in ts "PF".
The exerciser than enters
monitor mode and awaits user commands.
BUILDER ERRORS
Builder errors occur only during the building phase and. result in
a progr~ halt.
Their are no pr in touts for this class of error.
OS/8 ERRORS
OS/8 errors are indicated by an error printout and return
either the OS/8 keyboard monitor or to the DEC/XS builder.

JOB ERRORS
Job errors are usually reported by error printouts.
A program
halt without a report will occur if the error condition is
considered fatal.

2-15

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
ERROR HALT RECOVERY PROCEDURES
When an error halt occurs, refer to the table below to find the
procedure to follow.
ADDRESS

RANGE
;.

0000-0177
0200-1177
1200-1377
1400-3177
3200-3577
3600-4577
4600-5577
5600-6577
6600-7177
7200-7577
7600-7777

MEMORY
FIELD

EXERCISER
PHASE

PROCEDURE

BF
0
BF
0/1
BF
BF
BF
0/1
BF
BF
0/1

RUN
BUILD
RUN
ANY
ANY
RUN
RUN
BUILD
RUN
RUN
BUILD

1
1
1
1
1
2

2
1
2
2

OS/8 DOCUMENTATION

All other areas are undefined crashes
RECOVERY PROCEDURES
1.

To find the error cause or definition and error recovery
procedure, refer to the "the table of error halts" of the
monitor/builder listing. AXQABF0 DEC/X8 Users Guide.

Save all pertinent register contents, halt location, AC, ect.
Now examine the first location in that job slot.
This
location always should contain the job number in bits 6-11.
Then compute the relative address of the halt as follows:
RRRR

= AAAA·+ 200 - SSSS

Where (RRRR) is the relative address, { AAAA) the absolute
address of -the halt and (SSSS) is the first address of that
job slot.
Now using the relative address, reference the
applicable module listing to determine the cause of the error.
For recovery, restart the exerciser at 003000.

2-16

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
JOB ERROR REPORTS
A job error report always has the following header:
"TYPE ERROR" IN JXX MOD: TITLE FLD:BF CNTR:NNNN RPC:NNNN CODE:NNNN
TYPE:
JXX:
MOD:
FLO:
CNTR:
RPC:

CODE:

"STAT" for a status error. "DATA" for a data error.
Job Number
Module Title
The memory bank in which.the job currently resides
The contents of the job's pass counter
The relative module PC at which the error was detected
This job's error ID code (refer to module fiche
def ini ti on)

for

In addition, various status words pertaining to the job in error
may be indicated in either "STAT" or "DATA" reports.
These status
words appear below the header as follows:
SA:NNNN

SB:NNNN

SC:NNNN

SD:NNNN

There may be from 0 to 26 (10) status words depending on the
module.
The symbols SA,SB, ect. appear in alphabetical order and
are defined in the applicable module document.
"DATA" errors also include a set of data words for each set of
failing data.
The data sets are reported after the "SX" and are
prefixed by "DX".
After the final "DX" report, a tally of the
number of failing data sets is reported.
We will now examine the error printout that occurred while running
the DEC/XB Exerciser (16K example)
STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:03 CNTR:0000 RPC:0340 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0120 SC:0020 SD:0106 SE:0016 SF:7770

2-17

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/XS
ERROR-ANALYSIS EXAMPLE
STAT ERR IN J02 MOD:FLOPPY FLD:03 CNTR:0000 RPC:0343 CODE:0004
SA:0000 SB:0120 SC:0020 SD:0106 SE:0016 SF:7770
It it important to note that a status {STAT) error occurred
without any "DATA" error information.
This indicates that the
data was either good or that no transfer occurred.
The failing job is J02 which is the "Floppy" module currently in
memory field 03.
The pass counter {CNTR) indicates no complete
passes yet. This is all the information we can be sure of without
referencing the module microfiche.
REFERENCE MICROFICHE AXRXBC0:
The microfiche for this module defines
error printout as follows:

the

symbols

the

stat

/STATUS ERROR REPORT

RPC : 0343

-JMS ERROR

CODE:0004

-WRITE FUNCTION

SA:0000

-STATUS A REGISTER

SB:0120

-STATUS B REGISTER

SC:0020

·-DRIVE NUMBER AND TYPE OF TRANSFER

SD:0160

-TRACK

SE:0016

-SECTOR

SF:7770

-NUMBER OF SECTORS TO R/W {COMPLEMENT FORM)

The 0020 {Bit 7), in the command register (SC:), indicates drive 1
~s to be selected.
Note that status a register is clear.
Bit 4
of this register should be set to indicate drive ready.
This
error was caused by running the exerciser without making the drive
ready.

2-18

STUDENT GUIDE
RUNNING DEC/X8
ON-LINE MEMORY MODIFICATION/EXAMINING

""o is the basic command used for examining or modifying memory.
There are two modes of address specification for this command,
absolute and relative.
The absolute mode should be used whenever
the absolute address is know (monitor address). The relative mode
should be used in specifying module (or job} addresses.
The absolute
address:
!""OFFAAAA

form

follows

where

"FFAAAA"

absolute

- FF = FIELD, AAAA = ADDRESS
DODD = CONTENTS OF LOCATION

DODD

The relative form requires the following:
- JXX = JOB NUMBER
- AAAA = RELATIVE ADDRESS

!""OJXX
AAAA

The following example shows how to examine the first five
locations of ·the operate module, job J03 and change the relativve
location 0206 to a halt instruction (7402).
!""OJ03
0200
--006600
006601
006602
006603
006604
006605
006605

0003
1720
2201
2405
0000
0130
7420

7402

-JOB TO EXAMINE
·-FIRST ADDRESS OF MODULE
-LINE FEED TO ADVANCE
-LINE FEED
-LINE FEED
-LINE FEED
-LINE FEED
-CARRIAGE RETURN TO CLOSE
-CARRIAGE RETURN TO MONITOR

2-19

DEC/XS
WORKSHEETS AND EXAMPLE

2-A-l

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS HARDWARE INVENTORY WORK SHEET
PROCESSOR TYPE
PDP 8

---

PDP 8E/A

./VT78

MEMORY (NUMBER OF 4K FIELDS)
OPTIONS

DEVICES TO TEST

REQUIRED MODULE

PAGES

··x ~'W.._
...

~:.:::..:~· ~

'• .

-4
1-

-J~

v
-·t-·..

.,.... :,,....

"-..,,.,..,._);..,,,

::;;:l''

v···/

~...... ,~,_

~- .. ·-·:·,,'!}

2-A-2

,,.,,,.

i;;;5

L,.,.,,/

w.y··

.~---,...

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS MODULE WORK SHEET
FIELD 0
J

FIELD 4

01-f:J.;1i75fi4 PR I ID

fJ 2 D i,~/ <:"·.,.:::~~; / t . . PR I
J VJ QI '. . . (., c~... ( .• ·.. · ~"4

t:;;;;

/r.n"-

J 03 ("'<,;1->:;/·' ..... /~·r~:::,·. PRI . . ~

J41
J42

PRI

- - - - - PR!

J43

----- PRI---

J44

- - - - - PRI

FIELD 1

t"·/. ,'.J

Jll .

'.'?

~,,,___.:,

FIELD 5
PRI

/~:,~·;
J-"

qj'.·· ···~

........ .

PR!

--J 14•_
.. _ __,____
.:::·PRI ::::::f

J51

----- PRI ---

J52

- - - - - PR! --J53
- - - - - PR! --J54

PRI

FIELD 6

J61

- - - - - PR! --PRI
J62
--J63
- - - - - PRI--J24

"""''#"

PRI:~

J64

----- PRI
FIELD 7

J71

- - - - - PRI ---

J72

----- PR!
J73
----- PRI--J74

2-A-3

PRI

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS PRIORITY WORK SHEET

PRIORITY JOB

MODULE

JOB PARAMETERS

(IF REQUIRED)

·A

F .

F·

2-A-4

---

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS HARDWARE INVENTORY WORK SHEET
EXAMPLE
PROCESSOR TYPE
PDP 8

---

MEMORY

PDP 8E/A YES

VT78

(NUMBER OF 4K FIELpS)

---

OPTIONS
KT

VT100 YES

DEVICES TO TEST

EAE

•

REQUIRED MODULE

PAGES

RX01

FLOPPY

LINE CLOCK

TIMERA

CPU

MR108A

CPU

RANMRI

CPU

OPRATE

2-A-5

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS MODULE WORK SHEET
. EXAMPLE
FIELD 0

FIELD 4

J01

FLOPPY

PR!

J41

PR!

J02

TI MERA

PR!

J42

PR!

J03

OPRATE

PR!

J43

PR!

J04

MR! 08A

PR!

J44

PR!

FIELD 5

FIELD 1
Jll

RANMRI

PR!

Jl2

RANMRI

PR! 10

Jl3

MRI08A

PR! 11

Jl4

OPRATE

PR!

- - - - - PR! --J52
- - - - - PR! - - J53
- - - - - PR! --J54
- - - - - PRI---

JSl

FIELD 6

FIELD 2
J21

RANMRI

PR! 12

J61

J22

RANMRI

PRI 13

J 62

PR!

J23

MRI08A

PR! 14

J63

PR!

J24

. MRI08A

PR! 15

J64

FIELD 3

------ PR! -----

--PR!
---

FIELD 7

J31

RANMRI

PRI 16

J32

RANMRI

PR! 17

J33

OPRATE

PRI

J34

OPRATE

PR!

J71

PR!

--J72
- - - - - PR!--J 73
PRI
--J74
PR!
---

2-A-6

STUDENT GUIDE
DEC/XS PRIORITY WORK SHEET
EXAMPLE
PRIORITY JOB

MODULE

JOB PARAMETERS

(IF REQUIRED)

J01

TIMERA

A 100 B 0000

c 0000 D

J02

FLOPPY

B 0

J03

OPRATE

Jl4

OPRATE

J33

OPRATE

J34

OPRATE

J04

MRI08A

Jll

D 101 E

RANMRI

Jl2

RAN MRI

Jl3

MRI08A

J21

RAN MRI

J22

RANMRI

J23

MRI08A

J24

MRI08A

J31

RAN MRI

J32

RAN MRI

--·

2-A-7

DEC/XS
JOB AND DEVICE CODE INFORMATION

2-B-l

STUDENT GUIDE
DECX8 JOB MODULE SIZE AND PRIORITY LIST
NAME

SIZE

PRIORITY

NAME

SIZE

PRIORITY

TC01DT
DC08A
TA8ECS
RL8A
RX02
CARD8E
VT8E
TIMERA
FLOPPY
RK8EDS
RF08DS
DF32
TC12LT
FPP12
FPP8A
TM8EMT
PLOT ER
TC58MT
LQP8
PRNTER

4
4
4
4
4

A
A

HSRHSP
DC02
TYPSET
CDP8
DP8E
LPD8
ICSX8
ADRSTT
MULTTY
MULSLU
MSLULP
TTYLUP
RANMRI
MRI08A
OPRATE
NOTFUN
EAEALL
EA EDP
TD8EDT
VCAD8E

2
2

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

B
B
B

4
4
4
·4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4

D
D
E
E
E
E
F
F
F
F

H
H

G
G

2-B-2

4
4
4
2
2
4
2
4
4

J
J
.J

z
z
z
z

2
2
2
4

2
4
2

STUDENT GUIDE
PDP-SE DEVICE CODES
00/
PROCESSOR
01/
HSR
02/
HSP
03/
CONSOLE KEYBOARD
04/
CONSOLE PRINTER
05/
VC8-E
06/
N/A
07/
N/A
10/
N/A
11/
DC02/KG8-EA
12/
DC02
13/
CLOCK
14/
N/A
15/
N/A
16/
N/A
17/
N/A
20-27 /
MEMORY
30-37/ USER DEFINED
40/
DP8-E
41/
DP8-E
42-47/ USER DEFINED

50/
51/
52/
53/
54/
55/
56/
57/
60/
61/
62/
63/
64/
65/
66/
67/
70/
71/
72/
73/
74/
75/
76/
77/

2-B-3

PLOTTER

"
"

A/D CONVERTER

FPP.
FPP

DF32/RL8-E
DF32/RF08/RL8-E
DF32/RF08
DF32/CR8-E/RF08
RF08
LE-8
LA180 ·
CR8-E
TC58/TM8-E
TC58/TM8-E
TC58/TM8-E
TC58/RK8-E
TC58/RK8-E
RK8-E/RX01
TC01/RX01
TC01

PDP 8
STATUS REGISTERS

2-C-l

STUDENT GUIDE
STATUS REGISTERS
DF32
STATUS REGISTER
AC BIT

MEANING

PHOTO SYNC
EMA 5
EMA 4

1
2

3
4
5
6
7
8

10
11

EMA 3

EMA 2
EMA 1
EXT MEM (EA3)
EXT MEM (EA2)
EXT MEM (EA!)
DATA REQUEST LATE
DISK NON-EXISTENT OR WRITE LOCK
PARITY ERROR

TRACK ADDRESS= EMA BITS 1-3
DISK SELECT = EMA BI~S 5-4
LQP8
STATUS REGISTER
BIT

FUNCTION

0
1
2
3

PRINTER READY
CHARACTER READY
CARRIAGE READY
PAPER READY
NOT USED
LEFT PAPER HI (N/A SPLIT PLATEN)
CHECK (ERROR)
PAPER OUT
BAIL DISENGAGE (N/A SPLIT PLATEN)
LIFT READ (N/A ONLY USING BLACK RIBBON)
LEFT BLACK
INTERRUPT ENABLE.

4
5
6
7
8

10
11

2-C-2

STUDENT GUIDE
STATUS REGISTERS
LQP IOT'S

6500
6501
6502
6503
6504
6505
6506
6507

SKIP ON DONE
READ DATA
AC TO LQP AND MOVE PAPER
AC TO LQP AND MOVE CARRIAGE
AC TO LQP AND PRINT
READ STATUS AND CLEAR DONE
LOAD STATUS AND SET DONE
RESTORE

RF08
STATUS REGISTER
AC BIT

MEANING

0
1
2

PHOTO SYNC (PCA)
DATA REQ ENABLE (DRE)
WRITE LOCKED (WLS)
ERROR INTERRUPT ENABLE (EIE)
PHOTOSYNC INTERRUPT ENABLE (PIE)
COMPLETION INTERRUPT ENABLE (CIE)
MEMORY FIELD
DATA REQUEST LATE (DRL)
NON-EXISTENT DISK (NXD)
PARITY ERROR (PER)

3
4
!:?

6-8
9

10
11

RK02
STATUS REGISTER
AC BIT

MEANING

ERROR FLAG
TRANSFER DONE
CONTROL BUSY
TIME OUT ERROR
PARITY OR TIMING ERROR
DATA REQUEST LATE
TRACK ADDRESS ERROR
BAD SECTOR
W_RITE LOCKED
TRACK CAPACITY EXCEEDED
SELECT ERROR
BUSY

1
2

3
4
5
6
, 7
8
9

10
11

2-C-3

STUDENT GUIDE
STATUS REGISTERS
RK8E
COMMAND REGISTER

STATUS REGISTER

BIT 0-2
000=READ DATA
00l=READ ALL
010=SET WR PRT
011 =SEEK ONLY
l 00=WRITE DATA
10l=WRITE ALL
BIT 3 INTERRUPT ON DONE
BIT 4 SET DONE ON SEEK DONE
BIT 5 BLOCK LENGTH
0=256
1=128
BIT 6-8 EXT MEM ADD
BIT 9-10 DRIVE SELECT
BIT 11 MSB CYC ADD

BIT 0 0=DONE l=BUSY
BIT 1 . 0=STOP l=MOVING
BIT 2 ALWAYS=0
BIT 3 l=SEEK FAIL
BIT 4 l=FILE NOT READY
BIT 5 l=CONTROL BUSY
BIT 6 l=TIMING ERROR
BIT 7 l=WRITE LOCK ERROR
BIT 8 l=PARITY ERROR
BIT 9 l=DATA REQ LATE
BIT 10 l=DRIVE STATUS ERROR
BIT 11 l=CYC ADD ERROR

TA8-E (TU60) CASSETTE
STATUS A REGISTER
AC BIT

FUNCTION

11
10

ENABLE INTERRUPTS
NOT USED
NOT USED
FUNCTION REGISTER

8-6

AC6
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1

AC7

ACS

OPERATION

0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1

READ
REWIND
WRITE
BACK SPACE TO FILE GAP
WRITE GAP
BACK SPACE TO B·LOCK GAP
READ/WRITE CRC CHARACTER
SPACE FORWARD TO FILE GAP

(iJ

1
1
1
0
1
1

TU60 DRIVE SELECT
0=DRIVE A
l=DRIVE B

4
0-3

SELECT ENABLE
NOT USED FOR STATUS

2-C-4

STUDENT GUIDE
STATUS REGISTERS
STATUS B REGISTER
AC BIT

FUNCTION

11
10

READY FLAG
WRITE LOCK
REWINDING
DRIVE EMPTY
EOF (FILE GAP OR BLANK SPACE)
EOT/BOT
TIMING ERROR (NO RESPONSE)
CRC/BLOCK ERROR

9
8
7

6
5

TC08
STATUS REGISTER
AC BIT

MEANING

ERROR FLAG (EF)
MARK TRACK ERROR (MK-TRK)
END OF TAPE (END)
SELECT ERROR (SE)
PARI~Y ERROR (PE)
'TIMING ERROR (TIM)
,.MEMORY FIELD (MF)
NOT USED
DECTAPE FLAG (DTF)

1
2

3
4
5

6-8

9-10
11

TC58
STATUS REGISTER
AC BIT

MEANING

0
1
2

ERROR FLAG
TAPE REWINDING
BEGINNING OF TAPE
ILLEGAL COMMAND
PARITY ERROR
END OF FILE
END OF TAPE
READ COMPARE ERROR
RECORD LENGTH ERROR
DATA REQUEST LATE
BAD TAPE
MAGTAPE FLAG

3
4
5
6
7
8

10
11

2-C-5

STUDENT GUIDE
STATUS REGISTERS
RX01

RX02

COMMAND AND STATUS

0 = N/A
1 = N/A
2 = 0
3 = 0
4 = MAINTENANCE
5 = 8 BIT TRANSFERS
6 = N/A
7 = UNIT SELECT
8 = FUNCTION CODE
9 =
"
"
10=
"
"
11= N/A

0 = N/A
1 = N/A
2 = 0
3 = DENSITY
4 = MAINTENANCE
5 = 8 BIT TRANSFERS
6 = N/A
7 = UNIT SELECT
8 = FUNCTION CODE
9 =
"
"
. "
10=
"
11= N/A
FUNCTION CODES
000
001
010
011
100

= FILL BUFFER
= EMPTY BUFFER
= WRITE SECTOR
= READ SECTOR
= SET DENSITY (RX02 ONLY)
HH - READ STATUS A
110 = WRITE WITH DEL DATA MARK
111 = READ STATUS B
RX01

RX02

STATUS A

0 = N/A
1 = N/A
2 = N/A
3 = N/A
4 = DRIVE READY
5 = DELETED.DATA
6 = N/A
7 = N/A
8 ;::; WRITE PROTECT ERROR
9 = INTERRUPT DONE
10= PARITY ERROR
11= CRC ERROR

0 = N/A
1 = N/A
2 = N/A
3 = N/A ·
4 = DRIVE READY
5 = DELETED DATA
6 = DRIVE DENSITY
7 = DENSITY ERROR
8 = RX02
9 = INTERRUPT DONE
10= N/A
11= CRC ERROR

2-C-6