Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hpfcso!steve-t
From: steve-t@hpfcso.HP.COM (Steve Taylor)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: hp9000/217, what can it do?
Message-ID: <7370079@hpfcso.HP.COM>
Date: 11 Feb 90 19:04:02 GMT
References: <43426@lanl.gov>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Lines: 58

/comp.sys.hp/tss@lanl.gov (Timothy S Sullivan)/6:06pm Feb 10,1990/
} ... HP9000/217 ... potential usefulness for data acquisition and control

The Series 200 machines were designed to be used for DAC using the HP BASIC
Language System (which is supposed to mean "combined Language and Operating
System").  They also support the Pascal Language System, and this one also
supported an earlier version of HP-UX.  I don't believe HP still offers any
of the HP-UX versions which ran on the old Series 200 machines, but the
current versions of both HP BASIC/WS and HP Pascal/WS should work.

} ... 9122 with two 3 1/2 in floppy drives ... HP35721A monitor. 
} 	9817A 2420A01969
	      ^^^^^^^^^^ this is the serial number of your unit.
} 	HP98626 at 9
} Now the questions:
} 1) Is it safe to conclude that this machine does not have a hard disk
} since it couldn't find the system?

None of the pieces of equipment you have listed would include a hard disk.
It would be a separate component.  The system would normally be booted from
a floppy in this configuration.  Neither HP BASIC nor HP Pascal requires
a hard disk to be useful.

} 2) What (besides two 3 1/2 inch floppies) is in a 9122? Will the
} 3 1/2 inch floppies use industry standard floppy disks? If so, what flavor?

Nothing.  Yes.  Either single sided (format to 270Kbytes) or double sided
(format to 640-720Kbytes, depending on format command option selected).
To use the newer 1.4Mbyte floppies, you would need a 9122C.

} 3) What is an HP98626 mentioned as being at 9?

That is the RS-232 port on the back of the machine.  It's built-in, but is
equivalent to the HP 98626 DIO card, and the Boot ROM identifies it as such.
Nine is the select code of the port.

} 4) The video output is labelled as "composite video". Is this
} really NTSC video?

No.  The 35721A is a monochome display, and I would expect that the 217 has
an HP98204B (or equivalent) display card.  If so, it has 512x390 graphics
pixels, 80x24 alpha (from a character rom), and the sync signal is part of
the video output.

} 5) What operating systems will this machine run and is there a
} C compiler for it?

HP BASIC 4.0 or later (maybe 3.0 - don't remember for sure),
HP Pascal (not sure of rev. numbers here),
early HP-UX (don't know rev. number) -- NOT supported by current HP-UX.

I'm not aware of any commercially available C compiler for the HP BASIC
or HP Pascal workstations.

} ----------
						Regards, Steve Taylor

NOT A STATEMENT, OFFICIAL OR OTHERWISE, OF THE HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY.