Old VAX machine crashed need to recover files

So I had a client contact me about some data recovery. I told her I'd take a look. Well when the box arrived I saw my first microVAX 3500. The only thing the lady was able to tell me was "one day it went dead", this was years ago. I've been researching this stuff all day and I currently have 4 things I'd like to try.

1. There is an RJ-45 to AUI adapter (CentreCOM 210T) in the back so I'm going to configure a linux box to play well with Decnet and see if I can interface like that.

2. I've ordered the adapter to allow terminal access and maybe I can ftp the files off.

3. There is a TK70 tape that was in it but I don't know of any reader that will read these. Does anyone have a suggestion?

4. I would like to mount the hard drives and dd the drives then use scalpel to pull out the ones I'm looking for. The issue is that the drives are dssi. Does anyone know how to get one of those pulled and mounted?

I'm also open to any other ideas you guys have. I've already called the local places I thought most likely to have functional Vax machines and only the hospital recalled having any but they upgraded a couple years ago.

OverworkedTechydude:

Thoughts:

• Have you been to: http://www.openvms.org or http://h71000.www7.hp.com

• What was the software that the client wanted restored, or files recovered from? Unless I am wrong VAX/VMS is equivalent to saying Dell Poweredge/Windows 2013 Server and is less relevant to the actual request that the client is asking.

• I remember the VAX/VMS from college. You might try a local university if you have one in your area to see if anyone in their IT department is still around that worked on the VMS systems. It could be fun for that person and you might learn alot.

• Was it 'usenet newsgroups' that we used to use for help on things like this? It makes more sense to me that you should ask this on an older system. If the newsgroup is still alive you have a better chance at reaching more the guys that worked on VAX/VMS on a daily basis.

• Some places to start:

  • comp.os.vms
  • vmsnet.pdp-11
  • alt.sys.pdp8
  • alt.sys.pdp11
  • de.comp.os.vms

• Goodwill in Texas at one point took computers as donations. Some of the shops actually have a computer store. You might try calling these guys to see if they have parts:

  • Goodwill, 8965 Research Blvd, Austin, TX 78753-6608, (512) 637-7501
  • https://www.goodwillcentraltexas.org/donate/computer-museum
  • You never know, they may get a donation that matches what you are looking for. Or if the micro vax you are working on is inoperable you could donate it. ;)

Answer to #4:

• Have you tried contacting HP to see if they offer data extraction services for the TK70 disk? And even more important a data conversion service. If we are talking about software backups that are stored on that disk, retrieving the files to a CD or flash drive will be useless to you if the files must be read by the micro VAX for the program to process the data. If HP is still supporting a legacy system chances are that they can perform a data extraction so that it can be used on modern systems.

• Use a TK70 Disk tape drive? If the tape has data they need get the client to purchase a used tape drive from ebay and hook it up to the old vax machine to read the tape. (if that is still possible) Just pray it doesn't chew up the tape.

  • Seach ebay: "digital TK70 Disk / Tape Drive, RD53-DA, RD54 Chassis"

• Or just ask on comp.os.vms if anyone has a TK70 disk drive that is still working and if you could mail them the tape and have then perform a data extraction for you. Unless vibration and heat will destroy the tape.

HP bought Compaq that bought DEC. This technology comes from an age where patents and copyright protected hardware so that you wouldn't have 3rd party devices without some kind of lawsuit. I believe this is also before the age where we shipped manufacturing to China so there isn't likely to be any help from that angle.

More information on the legacy TK70 disk: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.sys.pdp11/xDbJzS9CJKs/sG7IPnTqviUJ

HP talks more about the TK70 disk http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/73final/6136/6136pro_010.html#tape_compatibility
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/wizard/wiz_0996.html

Creating a VM for VAX/VMS

Here is a link to another post on the exchange that may assist in getting a VM up and running if you think that having an alternate environment to break and try commands in is a good idea. (I do). https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13432375/how-can-i-set-up-a-vms-vm-environment

There is also an interesting discussion on google groups on the subject: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.os.vms/XXr12jKPskE

And more here: http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/640

According to this document OpenVMS on a VM may allow for TCP/IP (if that helps) http://www.wherry.com/gadgets/retrocomputing/vax-simh.html

Important parts that I distilled from the conversations

• a hobbyist license is needed to install it ( http://www.openvms.org/pages.php?page=Hobbyist )
• At least three companies exist to assist with legacy VAX/VMS. Some even offer free software for simulated environments. You might try contacting their support.
  • Stromasys
  • Migration Specialties
  • AVTware
  • Quayle Comsulting Group works with Stronasys ( http://www.stanq.com/charon-vax.html )
    • there is system spec information here that could be useful
• VAX/VMS emulator platform links (Virtual Machine emulation possible in some cases/VM-WARE)
  • OS X / linux
    • SIMH ( https://github.com/simh/simh )
  • Windows
    • PersonalAlpha by Stromasys ( http://www.stromasys.com/products/charon-freeware/charon-freeware/ )
    • FreeAXP by Migration Specialties ( http://www.migrationspecialties.com/FreeAXP.html )
  • Linux
    • AXPNCE by Stromasys ( http://www.stromasys.ch/axpnce/ )
  • Commercial
    • vtAlpha by AVTware ( http://www.avtware.com/alpha%20replacement.html )
    • Avanti and AvantiFlex by Migration Specialties
    • Charon AXP products by Stromasys

(thank you Peter Hofman, and Craig A. Berry and everyone else who contributed to those posts)

Personal thoughts:
The inner geek in me begs the question if one could create an emulated environment on your good machines and connect to the old hardware using a type of rs232 connection and then transfer over all the good files to the emulation environment, thus allowing for a copy of the original as well as a stable environment for them to run in temporarily until they decide where to go. Perhaps pull out the legacy pc hardware if you still have a pentium hanging around or buy a modern PCI rs232 port and try to see if the VM can add it to the connected peripherals to allow communication?

At least then if you had a copy of the content you could execute commands in the simulated environment without having to worry about damaging the original. And in many cases the emulated environments offer a bridge to allow moving files to and from the newer hardware. Though I would expect they want the data and not the files. If they want the data I would suggest looking into a way to export the data from the VMS application into a modern format while still in VMS. There seems to be mysql for openvms ( http://hg.vmsmysql.org ) but I cannot see any documentation for it. This suggests full data migration is possible.

A long shot but perhaps someone from DECUS could help? ( http://www.decus.org )

-Light Man