Introduction

PersonalAlpha is software that rebuilds the environment of a DEC3000 AXP Alpha based computer system inside a regular MS-Windows 32 bit computer. It allows running the original Alpha/OpenVMS applications inside this new computer without having to alter or migrate these applications.

PersonalAlpha is meant to allow the development and testing of Alpha/OpenVMS application software on your Personal Computer. Applications and data can be transferred to this new environment by copying disk content. No migration or conversion is required.

PersonalAlpha emulates the architecture of a DEC3000-400 AXP system and offers support for 4 Alpha disks, CD-ROM's or floppy disk drive's, 96 MB of emulated Alpha memory and 1 network adapter. This software requires a PC with at least a 1 GHz processor for performance reasons.

System requirements

Any 32-bit Personal Computer hardware platform with a recent processor (> 1 GHz frequency) and 1 GB of memory for adequate performance (512 MB will do also but with a system performance penalty), minimum of 4 GB free disk space, Ethernet adapter for data transfer or connection with other OpenVMS systems.

Installation instructions

Since you are reading this file you have successfully downloaded and activated PersonalAlpha on your PC.

At first startup you need to perform the following actions in order to make PersonalAlpha run properly:

Create (at least) 1 empty Alpha disk, use the <make disk> button in the configuration window for this purpose. You may select from various disk types/sizes. You can create as many empty disk as you want, especially when you want to try multiple VMS releases
Assign the created disk to DKA0. Enter the path to the disk or point and click via the <...> button
Select the terminal emulator of your choice. Click <here> to view how
Select the network adapter to use for OpenVMS. Click <here> for more information
Select DKA200 (CD-ROM) as the boot device
Save the configuration settings using the <save as> button under a name of your choice
Place your OpenVMS installation CD into the CD-ROM drive
Click the <start> button and VMS will install from your CD-ROM like any normal Alpha
Complete the installation of OpenVMS
Shutdown VMS and stop the emulator (<stop> button in configuration menu)
Change the boot device (probably to DKA0)
Start the emulator and log in your emulated Alpha system

Emulator operation

Click the PersonalAlpha item in your Windows start menu. PersonalAlpha will run as a background program. When starting PersonalAlpha a pop-up screen shows the options available:

Start/Stop. This function starts or stops the emulator, it works as the power on switch. When started the emulator automatically boots from the boot device.
Configuration. This function allows you to assign the Ethernet adapter of your choice to PersonalAlpha and to define which logical disk volumes are to be associated with your PersonalAlpha. You may decide to have more than one OpenVMS version available to boot from. Disk(-images) are kept as files in the Windows file system.
Exit. Ends PersonalAlpha session.

NOTE: Stop and Exit terminates the operation of PersonalAlpha like flipping the power switch on a real Alpha system. This may damage the OpenVMS data that is stored on the disks like with the real Alpha. Always properly shutdown OpenVMS first before using Stop and Exit.

Configuring the emulator

There are a few options that you can change:

the device or disk file that has to be assigned to DKA0, DKA100, DKA200 and DKA300
select the terminal emulator of your choice
which device to use as the boot device
the Ethernet adapter to be used for OpenVMS
whether you want to assign the selected Ethernet adapter exclusively to PersonalAlpha or share it with Windows
set boot flag parameters

Create and assign your Alpha disk images

First define the directory path for the disk image files. This can be typed in directly or selected by point/click using the appropriate <...> button. The CD-ROM and floppy drive are defined by default to DKA200 and DKA300. You may trade these devices for disk files.

After installation no disks are available, despite the default value in the disk-name box, you have to create them using the <make empty disk> button

You may now select out of 4 disk-types (size) using the pull-down menu and assign a name and location to the disk image file. You may create multiple empty disk images to install different versions of VMS upon, for example.

Select a VT-terminal emulator

In the "serial lines" box terminal you can select the VT-terminal emulator of your choice, or keep the default that accompanies PersonalAlpha. When you want to change the default terminal emulator untick the OPA0 box and select the emulator from the Windows directory, add the required startup parameters for that emulator (if any) and define the port address you want to use as communication channel between PersonalAlpha and the terminal.

To use Hyperterm (comes standard with Windows)

Open HyperTerm: Start / All Programs / Accessories / Communications / Hyper Terminal
Enter name of the connection (e.g. personalalpha)
Select <TCP/IP> from the <connect using> pull-down menu
Enter <localhost> or host name (TCP/IP address) in <Host Address>
Enter port number in <Port Number> (equal to port number you have specified in the PersonalAlpha Configuration Menu
Click <OK>, ignore the following message and click <OK> again
Select <Properties> from the <file> menu and select the <Settings> tab
Set <Backspace key send> to <Del> and <Emulation> to VT100
Click <Save as> and select the directory you want to save these settings into
Return to the PersonalAlpha Configuration Window
Enter the exact location of the saved file into the Command arguments box (e.g.: <C:\Program Files\Personal Alpha\personalalpha.ht>)
Select Hyperterm as preferred terminal emulator using the browse function of the Serial Lines box. Typically this would be: <C:\Program Files\Windows NT\hypertrm.exe>

To use KEA!

Open KEA!: Start / All Programs / KEA! VT/ KEA!
Click <new session> and enter the name of your choice (e.g. personalalpha)
Select <Telnet> and <configure>
Enter <localhost> or host name (TCP/IP address) in <Host>
Click <Advanced> and enter the port number you specified in the PersonalAlpha Configuration Window into the <Telnet Port> box
Set <Pair CR with> to <null>
Enter <OK> twice
Set <Terminal> to <VT100> and click <Configure>
Set <DA Response> to <VT100> and click <OK>
Click <OK>
Click <Save as> and select the directory you want to save these settings into
Return to the PersonalAlpha Configuration Window
Enter the exact location of the saved file into the Command arguments box (e.g. C:\....\....\personalalpha.ktc)
Select KEA! as preferred terminal emulator using the browse function of the Terminal emulator box

To use Powerterm

Open Powerterm: Start / Programs / Pathworks Powerterm 525 / Powerterm
Select <Telnet> in <Session type>
Enter <localhost> or host name (TCP/IP address) in <Host Name>
Enter the port number you specified in the PersonalAlpha Configuration Window into the <Port Number> box.
Save session in <save Terminal setup> from the <File> menu item
Return to the PersonalAlpha configuration window
Enter the exact location of the saved file into the Command arguments box (e.g. C:/..../..../personalalpha.pts)
Select Powerterm as preferred terminal emulator using the browse function of the Terminal emulator box.

To use Reflection

Start Reflection: Start / Programs / Reflection / Host UNIX & Digital
Enter <localhost> or host name (TCP/IP address) in <Connection> <Connection Setup>
Select <More Settings> and enter the port number you specified in the PersonalAlpha Configuration Window into the <TCP Port> box.
Enter <VT100> in <Terminal type>
Select <OK>
Select <Setup> <Terminal setup>
Enter desired terminal (VT102) in <Terminal type>
Enter desired terminal (VT102) in <Emulation> <Terminal ID>
Enter OK
Save session in <File> <Save Settings>
Return to the PersonalAlpha configuration window
Enter the exact location of the saved file into the Command arguments box (e.g. C:/..../..../personalalpha.r2w)
Select Reflection as preferred terminal emulator using the browse function of the Terminal emulator box.

Select the boot device

Please note that for first startup you must select DKA200 as boot device since the PersonalAlpha disks are still empty and the operating system needs to be installed first. Place your OpenVMS (hobbyist) CD in the CD-ROM drive before activating the <Start>-button. When the installation is completed you can stop PersonalAlpha with the <Stop>-button, select the appropriate disk to boot from and start the emulator again.

Assign the Ethernet adapter

In the Network box you may select the Ethernet adapter you want to use for PersonalAlpha, using the pull-down menu. PersonalAlpha offers the capability to assign the Ethernet exclusively to the emulator or to share it with other users (like Windows). The default setting is "shared". Sharing allows you to keep your Ethernet connection open for other users, like Internet browsing or Windows E-mail. This is especially useful when running on a computer with only one Ethernet adapter. Shared access may decrease performance in special situations, for example after changing the DECnet address. Restarting the emulator solves that situation so it will only be a temporary situation.

Save and Open configuration files

Various configurations can be saved and reactivated using the OPEN/SAVE/SAVE AS buttons.

NOTE:

make sure PersonalAlpha is in stopped state when you alter the configuration
always shutdown OpenVMS before you stop PersonalAlpha

The <Start> button starts the PersonalAlpha process
The <Stop> button stops the emulator
The <Exit> button closes PersonalAlpha completely

<Help> show this help document

Log data

In the Logging-tab of this screen you can review the log information PersonalAlpha generates. This may be helpful when a problem occurs. Example:

Tips

First time start

Please note that after installation you have to create an empty disk image to install your OpenVMS (hobbyist) version upon. Use the <make disk> button to create a disk of your choice and assign it to for example DKA0. After this insert your OpenVMS installation CD in the CD-ROM drive, select your CD-ROM decive (DKA300 i this example) as boot device in the Configuration Window, save the configuration file and start PersonalAlpha. OpenVMS will install from your CD like any normal Alpha. Don't forget to change the boot device to the disk you installed OpenVMS to after the installation is completed.

Networking

Network adapters can be configured into "shared" or "exclusive" mode. The first option allows sharing the adapter between PersonalAlpha and Windows (keeping your Internet/E-mail link alive while running OpenVMS communications over the same link). Exclusive assigns the chosen adapter to OpenVMS alone.

In some OpenVMS situations it is required to change the mode of the network adapter to promiscuous. For example when changing the DECnet address. This is a temporary situation that will disappear when the emulator is restarted. There are network adapters that do not support that mode (e.g. most wireless adapters) and these are excluded from configuring into shared or exclusive mode.

CPU usage

PersonalAlpha claims its host CPU for 100% since there is in principle no way to tell whether the Alpha Operating System needs the CPU or not. On a single CPU system like a laptop this will affect the other applications that run on the Windows system and it may drain your batteries.
For the production quality emulator VirtualAlpha this will be no problem since one of the 2 host CPU's should be dedicated for Alpha Hardware Virtualization only. PersonalAlpha however will most likely run on a single CPU system. In cooperation with OpenVMS engineering we have created a mechanism that allows VMS to inform PersonalAlpha that it is idleing and that it can let go of the CPU for a while. This function is embedded in PersonalAlpha already, you only need to install the appropriate utility in OpenVMS. For that purpose the PersonalAlpha package includes an OpenVMS disk with this software that you can add to your OpenVMS environment via the regular installation process:

add the idleloop.vdisk disk image to PersonalAlpha as DKA100 using the Configuration window
start PersonalAlpha
mount DKA100 ( $ mount DKA100 idle )
change the directory to DKA100 ( $ set def DKA100:[idle012] )
install the software ( $ product install * <enter> and answer the questions

After this procedure the CPU-idle package is installed on your OpenVMS boot disk (please note that you have to repeat this process when you are using more than 1 OpenVMS boot disk with for example different release versions).

Notes regarding design choices and special situations

PersonalAlpha emulates the DEC3000-400 AXP architecture. This original system offered some facilities or devices that we decided not to include in the PersonalAlpha equivalent. Devices like TTA0 and TTA1 com ports that we did not want to support in this baseline product and e.g. a sound device (SOA0). The devices show up in the show device command since OpenVMS expects them to be present in a DEC3000 environment, but they are not operational. A parallel printer port (LRA0) is also not supported in PersonalAlpha and will not show up in OpenVMS.

Another design decision is the omittance of the SRM-console, since that function requires the embedding of a complete operating system into the emulator. Instead of this we include certain boot parameters that are specifically requested, in order to provide the most wanted functionality.

Setting up a Virtual Network inside the Emulator Host system

This section describes how to create an Ethernet connection within 1 computer system without using physical Ethernet adapters. This capability is useful when you want to setup a network link between two software entities within 1 computer. For example when linking an X-Windows emulator with the Alpha Emulator.

Host connection without using a physical network card
Instead of using 2 NIC's to create a connection between OpenVMS and the host system you can install 2 Microsoft loopback adapters and bridge these together:

Install the Microsoft Loopback Adapter
Go to ‘Start” / “Control Panel” / “Add Hardware”.
In the introductory dialog box, click “Next”.
Select “Yes, I Have Already Connected the Hardware”, and click “Next”.
Scroll to the bottom of the Installed Hardware list box, select “Add a New Hardware Device” and click “Next.
Select the “Install The Hardware That I Manually Select From A List (Advanced)” option and click “Next”.
Under “Hardware Types”, select “Network Adapters”, and click “Next”.
Under “Manufacturer”, select “Microsoft”.
Under Network Adapter, select Microsoft Loopback Adapter.
Click Next twice, and click Finish.
Set up the Bridge connection
Open Network Connections (Go to “Start” / “Settings” / "Control Panel" / “Network Connections”).
Under “LAN or High-Speed Internet”, hold down the CTRL key, and then click each of the adapters that you want to include in the bridge (one of them should be Loopback adapter).
Right-click one of the connections that you have selected, and then click “Bridge Connections”.
If you do not see the Bridge Connection option, it’s means what network bridging is disabled in the Administrative Templates in Group Policy. So, open the Group Policy Management, then select "Small Business server client computer" and disable the policy "Prohibit installation and configuration of Network Bridge on your DNS domain network".
Configure the Bridge
Configure the IP address of the MAC Bridge and set it up with a different IP and subnet than your physical network card. e.g. 192.168.2.100 (setup OpenVMS with something like 192.168.2.x).

Configure the network

Select the "MAC Bridge Miniport" as your network adapter

Now you can start the emulator and test the system:

Start OpenVMS and configure the (dummy) Ethernet adapter with an address in the same subnet as the MAC Bridge.
Install on the host computer a X-Server product (Exceed, eXcursion, Reflection-X or any other) and start X-server application.
Start Personal Alpha and load the OpenVMS environment.
Create/set DISPLAY (in the example below the host computer IP address is used):
SET DISPLAY/CREATE/TRANSPORT=TCPIP/NODE=192.168.2.100
Start TCP/IP (if not started automatically):
@SYS$STARTUP:TCPIP$STARTUP.COM
Check what networking connection established properly:
TCPIP PING 192.168.2.100
Run any X-Windows application (should be visible on the host computer screen):
RUN DECW$CLOCK