MightyFrame CTIX 5.25.1 install tape restored and used

[Convergent MightyFrame]

Last month, we were finally able to see first-hand how Convergent Technologies intended the MightyFrame install process to go, and what a fresh un-hacked MightyFrame CTIX operating system looks and feels like.

Here's a link to my blog/site to see our page with details:
http://bit.ly/1zFN8ic

Again, I want to thank so many contributors here for helping me get to this milestone (Especially DoN and Clarence!). I couldn't have gotten to this place without all of your help!

Also, I just want to offer any of the recovered install files to the keepers of bitsavers.org in the MightyFrame section at:

http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/bits/Convergent/mightyframe/

The files can be downloaded from my site.

Just let me know if you need me to re-arrange the format, presentation, or naming convention of these source files. I will be happy to do so.

Thanks again,
-AJ

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2015-04-21, Convergent MightyFrame <mighty...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Last month, we were finally able to see first-hand how Convergent
> Technologies intended the MightyFrame install process to go, and what a
> fresh un-hacked MightyFrame CTIX operating system looks and feels like.

Congratulations!

> Here's a link to my blog/site to see our page with details:
> http://bit.ly/1zFN8ic

Hmm ... your scripts look as though they did something similar
to the tprobe program written by a regular here, Thad Floryan.

Here is an excerpt from the man page:


======================================================================
tprobe duplicates tapes without consuming disk space and, as
a side benefit, indirectly converts tape media between QIC-
11/-24/-120/-150/-525 within the storage capability of the
output tape.

The first test of tprobe was the duplication of a SunOS
install tape by reading the original on a 3B1 while writing
the duplicate on a CT MightyFrame, then booting and
suninstall'ing from the duplicated tape on a Sun-3/60.

Systems on which tprobe has been installed and tested
include 3B1, CTIX, Sun-3, Sun-4, and an AT&T 3B2.
======================================================================

I would guess that he was the one who had the only SCSI card in
existence for the 3B1, since he says he read A SunOs Sun3 tape on a 3B1,
and wrote it on a Mightyframe, so it sounds as though you can put a copy
of that on your MightyFRame to make it easier to duplicate boot tapes in
the future. And it can be used to make a single file which is an image
of the boot tape, and to make a new boot tape from that -- assuming that
you have enough disk space to hold the image. (And a good idea is to
copy that image, and the source tree for tprobe, to a CD-ROM for longer
term safety.

If you can't find the source for tprobe, I should be able to
supply you a copy.

> Again, I want to thank so many contributors here for helping me get to
> this milestone (Especially DoN and Clarence!). I couldn't have gotten to
> this place without all of your help!

I'm very glad that you succeeded!

> Also, I just want to offer any of the recovered install files to the
> keepers of bitsavers.org in the MightyFrame section at:

> http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/bits/Convergent/mightyframe/
>
> The files can be downloaded from my site.

> Just let me know if you need me to re-arrange the format,
> presentation, or naming convention of these source files. I will be
> happy to do so.

A good idea -- make a set safely somewhere else.

Good Luck,
DoN.

--
Remove oil spill source from e-mail
Email: <BPdnic...@d-and-d.com> | (KV4PH) Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

[Convergent MightyFrame]

DoN,

I was just re-reading this, and I think I should try experimenting with tprobe on my MightyFrame.

On further research, it appears that Thad is no longer with us, nor is his site, ThadLabs.com

My belated condolences, as this forum's and vintage computer enthusiasts' loss of this great man.

To keep at least one of his creation alive, however, I was wondering if you might be able to point me to a good copy of tprobe. I'd like to start experimenting with it on the MightyFrame.

Thanks always, DoN...
-AJ

[tlvp]

On Wed, 5 Aug 2015 22:00:28 -0700 (PDT), Convergent MightyFrame wrote:

> On further research, it appears that Thad is no longer with us, nor is his site, ThadLabs.com
>
> My belated condolences, as this forum's and vintage computer enthusiasts' loss of this great man.

This sad news prompts me to come out, from the shadows within which I
usually lurk watching this NG, to echo these condolences on the untimely
loss -- if the announcement is not, in fact, "premature" -- of a valuable
and respected expert UnixPC enthusiast.

-- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.

[Convergent MightyFrame]

DoN,

It's been a while since I've spoken up here. Hope you are well.

I'm wondering if you might be able to point me to a good source for tprobe. I am unable to find it anywhere else.

Thanks always,
-AJ

[DoN. Nichols]

On 2016-07-03, Convergent MightyFrame <mighty...@gmail.com> wrote:

> DoN,

> It's been a while since I've spoken up here. Hope you are well.

> I'm wondering if you might be able to point me to a good source for
> tprobe. I am unable to find it anywhere else.

A quick search shows that you are right. In part, the problem
is that there is a commercial package out there with the same name,
which seems to have shoved all mention of the rest aside.

I've got it sitting on my systems. I've got a tar file which
contains:

======================================================================
drwxr-xr-x 0/0 0 2006-07-10 22:50:15 tprobe-1.0/
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 47464 1992-12-30 14:38:00 tprobe-1.0/part01
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 437 1998-06-03 14:51:43 tprobe-1.0/MANIFEST
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 1211 1998-06-03 14:51:43 tprobe-1.0/Makefile
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 1140 1998-06-03 14:51:43 tprobe-1.0/Makefile.3b1
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 3465 1998-06-03 14:51:43 tprobe-1.0/README
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 1675 1998-06-03 14:51:43 tprobe-1.0/README.2150
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 2440 1998-06-03 14:51:44 tprobe-1.0/README.5945
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 1931 1998-06-03 14:51:44 tprobe-1.0/README.exb
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 2742 1998-06-03 14:51:44 tprobe-1.0/README.qic
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 1657 1998-06-03 14:51:44 tprobe-1.0/README.tzk10
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 11058 1998-06-03 14:51:45 tprobe-1.0/tprobe.c
-rw-r----- 10035/10035 9992 1998-06-03 14:51:45 tprobe-1.0/tprobe.man
======================================================================

Note the "MANIFEST" which suggests to me that it was originally
distributed in shar (shell archive) format, and the file just above it
(part01) turns out to be the actual shar file. (In case you haven't
encountered shar files before -- you extract them simply by feeding them
to /bin/sh. As follows:

/bin/sh part01

after moving to a location where you have a directory for it all.

But -- you should not need to do this, because the tar file
contains it all as well. I saved it with the extraction just for
general purposes. You *might* want to feed part01 to /bin/sh (or
wherever your sh lives) just to be sure to get what was originally sent.
I seem to remember tweaking the default block size when compiling it, so
I could get the smallest file. The shar would have the original source
no matter what I did to it. (Not sure whether this is one which I
modified or not.)

A number of the README.* files document jumpers on various tape
drives of the period.

Anyway -- I can send you the compressed tar file:

======================================================================
-rw-r--r-- 1 root other 28K Jul 3 21:53 tprobe-1.0.tar.gz
======================================================================

or just the shar file.

But let me know -- I don't send attachments until someone knows
that they are coming and agrees.

Just send to my e-mail (after fixing the address as shown in the
.sig block below) and I'll e-mail to you.