Re: Wrong timestamps in vax test results

Johnny Billquist <[email protected]> Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:36:56 +0200
Newsgroups gmane.os.netbsd.ports.vax
Organization SoftJAR AB
Message-ID <[email protected]>
You need to set the clock, using ntp, or a command, or whatever. VAXen 
in general do not have an external clock that tells absolute time.
There is a clock that runs when power is off, but it only keeps track of 
time for about a year before it wraps (it's a simple counter). So time 
gets set based on when the system was shut down, and what this counter 
then tells.

   Johnny

On 2026-04-11 11:08, Andreas Gustafsson wrote:
> Roland Illig wrote:
>> https://releng.netbsd.org/b5reports/vax/2026/2026.04.07.05.20.02/test.html
>> says:
>>> Start time of tests: Fri Jan 1 12:36:45 UTC 2010
>>> End time of tests: Sun Jan 3 06:01:37 UTC 2010
>>> Operating system: NetBSD
>>> Operating system release: 11.99.5
>>
>> The 2010 is wrong since NetBSD 11.99.5 hasn't been available back
>> then. Is that a real problem, or is it something to be ignored?
> 
> This is what the system clock of the emulated NetBSD/vax system gets
> set to when the testbed boots it in simh.  It could be an issue with
> simh, with NetBSD/vax, or with the simh configuration (.ini file) used
> by the testbed, which looks something like this:
> 
>    set cpu 64m
>    set rq0 ra92
>    set rq3 cdrom
>    set rq1 ra92
>    attach rq1 /bracket/vax/test/2026.04.07.05.20.02/anita/tests-results.img
>    attach rq0 /bracket/vax/test/2026.04.07.05.20.02/anita/wd0.img
>    attach -r rq3 /bracket/vax/test/2026.04.07.05.20.02/anita/download/vax/NetBSD-11.99.5-vax.iso
> 
> If you are able to boot NetBSD/vax in simh with a correct clock,
> please show me how so that I can make the testbed do the same.

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: [email protected]             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol