Help please for a 3b2 neophyte...

[Art Gentry]

In article <2978 at jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> morris at jade.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Mike Morris) writes:
>I have a chance to pick up a 3b2-300 with a very dead hard disk drive for
>very little money.  It's been dead for over a year.  I've seen it with
>the cover off, and as I remember it has 4 serial ports on a card
>in the card cage, and blank plates over two slots.  The console
>plugs into a port on the back.

The 'ports' card you're seeing in the card cage also has a parallel port on
it.  Th 'console' port on the rear also has 'contty' next to it.

>Does anybody supply aftermarket cards (memory or otherwise) for this machine?

Yes, I have seen ads in UNIX Today for 3b2/300 memory cards.

>The disk is (was, really) a full-height 5.25" CDC Wren.  Knowing a little
>about how AT&T designed hardware, I'm wondering if this is a standard 
>ST-506 interface, or do I need to look for a specific flavor of hard drive?

I believe, but don't quote me, they are standard, so you shouldn't have any
trouble replacing it.
 
>Also, if my source can't turn up the docs/floppies, how available
>is the needed software? 

The software is still quite available.  I just received rel 3.2.1 for my
3b2/310 a little over a month ago.

> Also a AT&T "DMD" terminal will come with it.  I
>understand that it is a "semi-smart" terminal, but orphaned...

Not a great terminal, good, but nothing I'd brag home to mother about.

 
>My environment/planned use for this system will be polled mail & news
>(I'll do the polling), a semi-public "BBS" environment for a ham radio 
>club, a little C language development, etc.  i.e. a home unix system.
>Is there a pd/shareware/cheap BBS for it? 

Yes, xbbs, from Sandy Z. at alphcm runs quite nicely on it and is PD.

> How about a starlan card for it?

Yep, AT&T makes a Starlan card that'll plug right in.  I understand that
they are coming out with an official Starlan/10 card soon.

>If I can turn a starlan card for my XT will they talk?

Yep, have a 'network' of 6 XT's on my 3b2

>  Can the 3b2 be a file server & a print server?

Sure can, not the fastest thing around, but works.

>As I recall the system is vintage 1983-1984 or so...

Sounds like a realatively 'new' one :-}

>Am I getting in over my head?

Not necessarily.

>Is there something I should be asking and am not? 

Probably, but you've made a good start here, can't think of anything off
the top of my head.

>My background is CP/M (since IMSAI days), lots of MS/DOS, and a little unix.
>This will be a learning experience, I guess.

Yep!! :-}

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| R. Arthur Gentry     AT&T Communications     Kansas City, MO     64106 |
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