02 — Bootstrap: Load SINTRAN from Floppy to Disk (MACM)¶

Validation policy: every statement below is validated against one of: - [DOC] Operations/SINTRAN/ND-30.003.007 EN SINTRAN III System Supervisor.md §3.4 "Loading SINTRAN from floppy diskettes" (and §3.2.1 save-area, §3.3 cold start). - [LOG] captured session from the SINTRAN-H archive (Admin/install-log.txt; emulator run, with SINTRAN output distinguished from emulator artifacts). - [TOOL] ndtool (the NDFS disk-image tool) for inspecting images.

Nothing here is assumed. Open items are listed under TODO.

1. What this phase does¶

MACM is the standalone Mass-storage Assembler / loader that runs before SINTRAN. It loads a fresh copy of SINTRAN from the distribution floppies onto the system disk's save-area, then SINTRAN is cold-started from there. [DOC §3.4, §3.2.1]

This phase is required when a new SINTRAN version or a new patch file is delivered. [DOC §3.4]

2. Preconditions¶

Requirement	How to obtain	Source
Target disk already formatted & correctly sized	Out of scope here — see 01-DISK-DEVICES.md	scope decision
Device name of the main directory (holds SINTRAN)	`@DIRECTORY-STATISTICS` → e.g. `DISC-70MB-1 UNIT 0 : PACK-ONE`	[DOC §3.4]
CPU number (system number) of the machine	`@LIST-TITLE`, or the confirmed ND order	[DOC §3.4]
Distribution floppies `N-<system-no>-I`, `-II`, …	Delivered by ND	[DOC §3.4]

CPU / system number — every ND computer has a unique CPU number assigned by ND, also called the system number. @LIST-TITLE prints it. [DOC §3.4] In the H session the started system reported CPU (SYSTEM NUMBER): 9102. [LOG]

3. Procedure flow¶

flowchart TD
    A["@STOP-SYSTEM — stop processes"]:::step --> B["OPCOM: STOP, MCL<br/>wait for second #"]:::step
    B --> C["Insert SINTRAN floppy I<br/>(N-&lt;sys-no&gt;-I) in unit 0"]:::step
    C --> D["Load MACM from floppy<br/>(e.g. #1560& )"]:::step
    D --> E["MACM asks: GIVE DISK TYPE<br/>(octal number)"]:::decide
    E --> F["Type disk-type number<br/>→ INITIALIZED FOR: ..."]:::step
    F --> G["10,0$ — LOAD SINTRAN FROM DISKETTE"]:::load
    G --> H{"MACM prompts to<br/>insert next diskette?"}:::decide
    H -- yes --> I["Swap to next floppy, 10,0$ again"]:::load
    I --> H
    H -- no --> J["%% ... )GJEM AND )9BYTT EXECUTED<br/>save-area written"]:::ok
    J --> K["22! — START SINTRAN"]:::ok
    K --> L["Run NEW-SYSTEM after main<br/>directory entered (guided setup)"]:::step

    classDef step fill:#2196F3,stroke:#0b3d66,color:#fff;
    classDef load fill:#9C27B0,stroke:#4a1259,color:#fff;
    classDef decide fill:#FFA726,stroke:#7a4d00,color:#000;
    classDef ok fill:#4CAF50,stroke:#1b5e20,color:#fff;

(Colors per MERMAID_COLOR_STANDARDS.md: blue=step, purple=load action, amber=decision, green=success.)

4. MACM commands (verified)¶

Banner reminder text, identical in [DOC §3.4] and [LOG]:

Command	Meaning	Source
`)REDEF`	Redefine disc type	DOC, LOG
`)HENT`	Get SINTRAN from the save-area (used for later cold starts)	DOC, LOG
`22!`	Start SINTRAN	DOC, LOG
`10,0$`	Load SINTRAN from diskette	DOC, LOG

MACM build strings observed: MACM-1718-K [LOG, H], MACM-1718-0 [DOC, K example]. The K distribution floppy VSXK1 carries MACM-1718L:BPUN [SINTRAN-K archive, FILE-INFO/VSXK1.txt].

5. Disk type selection (verified)¶

After MACM loads it asks GIVE DISK TYPE AS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OCTAL NUMBERS. Full table transcribed from [DOC §3.4]:

Octal	Type	Alternative
0	DISC-14MB
1	DISC-21MB
2	DISC-23MB
3	DISC-28MB
4	DISC-30MB	(DISC-60MB / DISC-90MB)
5	DISC-33MB
6	DISC-38MB
7	DISC-45MB
10	DISC-66MB
11	DISC-70MB
12	DISC-74MB
13	DISC-75MB
14	DISC-140MB	(DISC-2-70MB)
15	DISC-2-75MB
16	DISC-288MB-R	(DISC-225MB-R / DISC-3-75MB / DISC-4-70MB-R)
17	DISC-288MB-F	(DISC-4-70MB-F)
20	DISC-450MB	(DISC-2-225MB / DISC-6-70MB-F)

A wrong choice can sometimes be redefined with )REDEF (e.g. type 11 → 6 or 13). [DOC §3.4]

The H system was INITIALIZED FOR: DISC-75MB AND DISC-38MB. [LOG]

6. What each floppy loads (verified, SINTRAN-H)¶

From [LOG], the H distribution used 2 SINTRAN floppies (single-side/single-density sets may use more — II, III, IV — repeating the same step [DOC §3.4]):

Floppy	`10,0$` reports loading	Source
DISKETTE-I (`N-10-102-I.img`)	File-system part-1; then part-2 + spooling	LOG
DISKETTE-II (`N-10-102-II.img`)	RT-loader; SINTRAN-Service-Program, MAIL & NORD-NET; "PAGING-OFF" area; SINTRAN; then `)GJEM` + `)9BYTT`	LOG
DISKETTE-III	Symbol-lists + the `NEW-SYSTEM` program	LOG

[DOC §3.4, K example] places the symbol-lists on DISKETTE-II and NEW-SYSTEM on the same diskette — i.e. floppy contents/numbering vary by version. Always follow the on-screen MACM prompts, not a fixed floppy count.

7. Starting the system (verified)¶

22! starts SINTRAN. The system then prints generation parameters, e.g. (H) [LOG]:
- OCTAL NO. OF PAGES THE SYSTEM WILL USE ON THE SEGMENT FILE(S): 2526
- FIRST SYSTEM SEGMENT STARTS ON PAGE (OCT.): 513
- NUMBER OF BACKGROUND PROCESSES (DEC.): 15, EACH ... NEEDS (OCT. PAGES): 105
- CPU (SYSTEM NUMBER): 9102, SINTRAN III - VS H, GENERATED: ... 6 NOVEMBER 1984
On a brand-new disk with no directory yet, login (ENTER sys) reports NO MAIN DIRECTORY until file-system init is done — see 03-FILESYSTEM-INIT.md. [LOG]

8. Later cold starts (verified)¶

Load MACM from SINTRAN DISKETTE-I, type )HENT (CR), wait for line feed, type 22!; or issue the SINTRAN command @COLD-START. [DOC §3.4, §3.3.1; LOG]

9. After loading¶

Run NEW-SYSTEM once the main directory is entered — it guides the post-load setup. [LOG, DOC §3.4]
For VSX standard configurations, run the S3-Configuration program — see 04-S3-CONFIGURATION.md. [DOC §3.4, §3.5]
Run the patch file on the fresh copy — see 05-PATCHES.md. [DOC §3.4, §12.1]

Inspecting images with ndtool [TOOL]¶

To verify a floppy/disk image's identity and contents without booting:

ndtool -i  <image>              # filesystem info (directory name, sizes)
ndtool -t  <image>              # list files
ndtool -t -u SYSTEM <image>     # files owned by SYSTEM
ndtool --fsck <image>           # full filesystem check

(Do not use --shell — it is interactive.)

TODO (validate via DOC / NPL source / ndtool / ask)¶

VSE branch of §3.4 (the manual splits VSX vs VSE; only VSX transcribed above).
Exact )9SBLO / )9BYTT / )GJEM loader-directive semantics — check ND-60.009.02 MACM manual and/or NPL source (0.SIN-GEN.NPL).
Confirm DISKETTE-III existence/numbering per version via ndtool -t on each image.
Map disk-type octal → ndtool template (smd75, winchester74) and total block counts in 01-DISK-DEVICES.md.