From: arne@vajhoej.dk   
      
   On 9/27/2025 10:24 PM, Dave Froble wrote:   
   > On 9/25/2025 2:40 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:   
   >> On 9/25/2025 9:59 AM, Johnny Billquist wrote:   
   >>> But as asked by Volker - standalone backup on a tape? As far as I   
   >>> know, that   
   >>> was generally not supported. Old VAXen in general can't boot off tape.   
   >>> (MicroVAX being the first exception.) That's why the standalong   
   >>> backup exists.   
   >>> Because if you have a full backup of the system on tape, you need a   
   >>> way to   
   >>> recover that back to disk, in addition to a way of doing an initial   
   >>> install on   
   >>> disk. Standalone backup is what provides this. Done via floppies on the   
   >>> VAX-11/780, DECtape II on the VAX-11/750 and /730. Exists on the FE   
   >>> RL02 on   
   >>> the VAX 86x0.   
   ...>> MicroVAX'es could boot of tape. And one could backup the system   
   >> disk to another tape when booted.   
   >>   
   >> Booting was painfully slow. As I remember it 35 years later, then   
   >> it was like 30 minutes from 9 track tape and 2 hours from TK50.   
   >   
   > And then we had CD drives and things were much better.   
      
   Yes. Way faster and more functionality!   
      
   > Also, place a bootable kit on non-system drives and boot off them to   
   > backup system disk.   
      
   That is also an option. I never did it back then though.   
      
   >               Or use /IGNOREINTERLOCK (and duck when Steve throws   
   > something at you).   
      
   :-)   
      
   Arne   
      
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