RT11 - Create / edit a new .rl2 disk for storing files

[Alberto Calò]

Hi guys,

I hope you can help my out with something.

I am having a lot of fun with creating my own animations using the VT100 escape codes.

Is there a way to edit the rt11games.rl2 and add files (in my case.VT files) to it under RT11?

Is it possible to create a new .rl2 image in general? I am asking that as it would be way quicker to create my animations, then add the .VT files to the .rl2 and then attach the new disk .rl2 with attach rl2 mydisk.rl2.

Many thanks in advance for your kind assistance.

Alberto

[Pavel Tsybulin]

To create a new image file, simply mount the non-existent file to RL in the simh, it will be created automatically. 

Then, initialize the drive in the system. 

I use a punched tape reader to exchange files. Attach your VT file to the reader and then read the data from the reader to a file on RL.

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 00:55 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Hi,

Thanks for coming back to me.

I have created a new RL by following your instructions.

Nice, so you have an original pinched tape reader? But as far as you know, is it possible to actually copy a file from the /home/pi folder to the new or existing RL disk?

Thanks again!

[Pavel Tsybulin]

Sorry, I wasn't very detailed. I'm using a virtual device. PC11 - paper tape reader/puncher. It's PC: device in rt-11 and ptr / ptp in the simh. Since this device doesn't use a file system, it doesn't need to be initialized. Simply attach an existing file for input and a new file for output. 

Example transfer from pi into PDP:

ctrl-e

att ptr /home/you/existing_file.sav

cont

COPY PC: DL1:MYFILE.SAV

Example transfer from PDP to pi:

ctrl-e

att ptp /home/you/newgame.sav

cont

COPY DL1:GAME.SAV PC:

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 11:27 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Oh nice! Many thanks for clarifying, much appreciated. I can't wait to try it out!

Also when you said before:

"To create a new image file, simply mount the non-existent file to RL in the simh, it will be created automatically. 

Then, initialize the drive in the system"

By initialize, did you mean just restart the PiDP and select the RT11 as booting system?

Thanks!

[Pavel Tsybulin]

By initialize I meant INIT (i.e. create file system)

PIP.11.70.CONS.0

A bug in the code is worth two in the documentation.

.DIR DL1:

 

FORTH .DAT 16384  21-Jan-1980    FORTH .MAC   171  21-Jan-1980

FORTH .SAV    53                 

 3 Files, 16608 Blocks

 3774 Free blocks

.

Simulation stopped, PC: 154130 (BR 154032)

sim> att rl1 newfile.rl02

Overwrite last track? [N]y

sim> c

DIR DL1:

 

?DIR-F-Invalid directory xD`

.INIT DL1:

DL1:/Initialize; Are you sure? Y

.DIR DL1:

 

 0 Files, 0 Blocks

 10172 Free blocks

.

пятница, 24 октября 2025 г. в 12:29:52 UTC+3, albyw...@gmail.com:

[Alberto Calò]

Of course! Many thanks for clarifying that. Hopefully all the escape codes won't be messed up when the .vt gets copied over the DL1 ;)

I am mentioning that as while using KED to edit a .VT file, the ESC gets recognized as π, so for example:

ESC[r

becomes

π[r

Let's what happens. But thanks again for your help I am very excited to use the ptr command :)

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[Alberto Calò]

Hi there,

I am nearly there.

So I have created a new image which I have successfully and initiated. 

I have managed to copy a file from DK0: to LD1: and the file is correctly there.

So far so good.

Then I have used:

sim> att ptr /home/pi/exa.vt

sim> cont

However, when I try with:

.COPY PC: DL1:EXA.VT

I get this error message

?PIP-F-Invalid device PC: 

Now, I am lost. Thanks!

[Alberto Calò]

Ah,  please see below:

.show devices

Device    Status          CSR     Vector(s)

------    ------          ---     ---------

....

    PC      Not installed  177550   070 074

...

Does that mean I need to enable / install PC somehow?

Thanks!

.

[Pavel Tsybulin]

Hi Alberto.

Please ctrl-e into simh console and:

sho ptr

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 22:09 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Hi Pavel,

Please see below:

sim> sho ptr

PTR address=17777550-17777553, vector=70, BR4

attached to /home/pi/exa.vt

[Pavel Tsybulin]

Hi again.

Let's make sure ptr and ptp are both enabled before rt-11 booted: ctrl-e to simh console and:

set ptr enabled

set ptp enabled

boot rl0

// Pls replace rl0 with your boot device

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 22:17 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Sorry, 

set ptr enabled

set ptp enabled

or 

set ptr enable

set ptp enable

Thanks!

[Pavel Tsybulin]

it could be shortened up to 3 letters.

set ptr ena

sho ptr

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 22:32 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Thanks for clarifying!

I have tried but still same error message :(

[Pavel Tsybulin]

Ok. Looks like it is enabled on "hardware" side.

Boot into rt-11 then and try to make handler to work:

INSTALL PC:

SHO DEV

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 22:40 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

I have tried both on the simh and rt-11 side:

.install pc:

?KMON-F-No room

Simulation stopped, PC: 146730 (ASR R5)

sim> install pc

Unknown command

[Pavel Tsybulin]

?KMON-F-No room

This usually means there are too many drivers loaded. Let's try temporarily unloading an unused one. You're not using a real printer, are you? :)

Btw: commands are  for rt-11,  in console simh they are not needed.

UNLOAD LP

REMOVE LP

SHO DEV

LP should be marked as Not installed now.

Try to load PC

INSTALL PC:

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 23:10 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

hahaha. No I don't own a real printer yet:)

Upon checking my devices:

  CR      Not installed  177160   230

  CT      Installed      000000   260

  DD      Installed      176500   300 304

  DL      Resident       174400   160

  DM      Installed      177440   210

  DP      Not installed  176710   254

  DS      Not installed  172040   204

  DT      Not installed  177340   214

  DU      Not installed  172150   154

  DW      Not installed  000000  

  DX      Not installed  177170   264

  DY      Not installed  177170   264

  DZ      Not installed  000000  

  PD      Not installed  000000  

  RF      Not installed  177460   204

  RK      Not installed  177400   220

  LD      Not installed  000000   000

  LP      Not installed  177514   200

  LS      Not installed  176500   470 474 300 304

  MM      Not installed  172440   224

  MS      Not installed  172522   224 300

  MT      Not installed  172520   224

  NL      Not installed  000000   000

  PC      Not installed  177550   070 074

  PI      Not installed  000000   000

  SL      Not installed  000000   000

  SP      Not installed  000000   110

  TT      Installed      000000   000

  VM      Not installed  177572   250

  XC      Not installed  173300   210 214

  XL      Not installed  176500   300 304

It doesn't look like LP is installed. In fact I got:

.UNLOAD LP

?KMON-F-Invalid device LP:

.remove lp

?KMON-F-Device not installed LP 

Can you advise which one I can safely remove? Thanks!

[Pavel Tsybulin]

Assuming you are booted from RL (DL handler) drive, you could remove 

CT DD DM 

пт, 24 окт. 2025 г., 23:45 Alberto Calò <albyw...@gmail.com>:

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[Alberto Calò]

Great news!!!!! I have removed DM and everything worked like a charm!

Thanks so much for your kind help, patience and assistance. Very much appreciated! :)

[Steve Tockey]

Minor correction to the above, by the way. When you are using PTP as an output device you must go back into SIMH and explicitly DETACH it. Otherwise the file SIMH creates is never closed so you won't see it in the PiOS folder. Specifically:

Example transfer from PDP to pi:

ctrl-e

att ptp /home/you/newgame.sav

cont

COPY DL1:GAME.SAV PC:

ctrl-e

det ptp

cont

-- steve

[Alberto Calò]

Many thanks Steve, that worked perfectly!

[Adam Thornton]

I'm a little confused.  What flavor of RT-11 do I need to be running to get the PC device?  Neither 5.3 (SJ, I think?) nor 5.7 seem to have it and it's not in either one's sysgen.

Adam

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[Tony Nicholson]

On Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 8:45:09 AM UTC+11 atho...@gmail.com wrote:

I'm a little confused.  What flavor of RT-11 do I need to be running to get the PC device?  Neither 5.3 (SJ, I think?) nor 5.7 seem to have it and it's not in either one's sysgen.

Adam,

There's a PC.MAC source file for the high speed paper tape device on the RT-11 distribution kits.

You may need to assemble and link it to create a PC.SYS file which you can copy to your

bootable volume.  Depending on the number of free driver slots in the monitor, it should be

auto-detected when it recognises the paper tape hardware at the default addresses when

you boot or you can UNLOAD unused drivers and LOAD it as required.

For the RT11FB monitor, build it using

. macro pc/obj:pc

. link/nobitmap pc/exe:pc.sys

Tony

[Adam Thornton]

Thank you!  Assembling and linking the device driver was exactly what I needed to do.

Adam