Setting up an Econet L3 File Server on a Model B with BeebEm

[marrold]

Hi all,

I'm experimenting with setting up a level 3 file server (with scsi harddrive) on a Model B in BeebEm so I can get to grips with it before trying on proper hardware.

I'm following bits of this guide https://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Econet/Level3.html and anything else I can find.

BBC Model: Model B
Floppy Controller: 1770
Second Processor: 65C02
EcoNet: Enabled
Econet.cfg: uncommented relevant bits
SCSI Harddrive: ON

ROMS:
OS: OS12
15: BASIC2
14: ADFS-1.30
13: DNFS

I've formatted the SCSI drive with SUPERFORM and initialised it with WFSINIT but the *FS command to start the fileserver fails with "BAD COMMAND"

A few observations:

After running WFSINIT, the FREE / USED sectors changes, indicating it was succesful
If I swap ADFS / DNFS I can run *FS but get a "NET ERROR" and I can't read the ADFS formatted floppy.
If I remove the DNFS ROM entirely it no longer detects the Second Processor.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions, or even better a tutorial on configure a Level3 File Server on a BBC Model B in BeebEm ?

Thanks

[BeebMaster]

Can't really help with emulators but a few general pointers.

DNFS is required as it contains NFS, and also the Tube host code for using second processors.

I don't think ADFS/DNFS order should make a difference, so that's a bit suspect.

Check that the FS code has load and exec addresses of 00000400. That's not likely to give a "Bad command" error if incorrect, but one of the first things the L3 FS does when it starts is *ADFS followed by *DIR :0 so it sounds like ADFS has disappeared for some reason when the file server starts.

(On a real Beeb) ADFS will recognise a hard disc without a 1770 disc interface, so maybe try setting the emulator to 8271 just in case something is going wrong there.

What version of the FS code is it?

[BeebMaster]

Just thinking - is the FS code actually on the initialised hard disc? WFSInit will lay out the hard disc ready for use with Level 3 file server (it partitions it so that all the free space is used as the Econet area, and the ADFS free space map is altered so the Econet partition is "hidden") but it doesn't put any software on the disc. So you will still need to run the FS code from somewhere - it can be copied on the ADFS part of the hard disc if there's enough space, and then when the file server is running, Libraries and other utilities will need to be copied to the L3 area from another station (the WFSInit "copy master directories" option generally doesn't work, unless you have an original (DFS) Level 3 installation disc).

Bad command would result from trying to load the FS code from an empty ADFS disc.

With DNFS higher than ADFS then *FS would be sent by NFS to the Econet file server, and an Econet error would occur if the file isn't found. Normally you would expect "Not listening", as nothing else is there as yet, but Net error can happen for numerous reasons, one of which is if the sending station has an illegal station number (0 or 255).

There's a ready made ADFS floppy disc image with everything needed to get going here:

https://www.beebmaster.co.uk/Downloads/L3Utils3.zip

This will need 1770 disc controller selected for ADFS to see it as a floppy disc, but if BeebEm is using BeebSCSI/Pi1MHzSCSI compatible hard disc images, then it should be possible to rename the L3 disc image to "scsi0.dat" and then it will appear as a 640K hard drive.

[marrold]

Thanks for the info!

Just thinking - is the FS code actually on the initialised hard disc? WFSInit will lay out the hard disc ready for use with Level 3 file server (it partitions it so that all the free space is used as the Econet area, and the ADFS free space map is altered so the Econet partition is "hidden") but it doesn't put any software on the disc

I haven't copied anything over so it does sound like that's the issue, I'll give it a try and let you know how I get on.

[marrold]

I have now formatted the SCSI disk, copied the contents of the "L3FS-ISW.adl" floppy supplied with BeebEm to the harddisk, and then ran WFSINIT.

If I run *CAT :0 I can see all the files, however if I ran any command like *FS, *DATE etc it just prints an empty line and nothing else before exiting.

It feels like I'm a bit closer than I was before but still missing something unfortunately.

[BeebMaster]

Any chance of a screenshot please?

The other confusing thing is that *FS is also an Econet command to set the current file server. This is included as a Library utility with file servers, and is a built in command in the ANFS ROM. So possibly doing *FS is trying to load that utility from the Library where it has just been copied to. I usually rename the FS code file to avoid conflict, so it should be called something like FS3-092 or FS3-125. If you run that with the second processor on, hopefully the file server will start.

[marrold]

Yes I'll grab some screenshots in the next couple of days.

Thanks again

[wiggy]

What DFS is in your DNFS (try *HELP)? The standard ones have DFS 1.x for the 8271, not DFS 2.x for the 1770... this might be confusing things.

Looking at the version listings on MDFS.net, most of the DFS2.x for the B/B+ have the tube code in, so I suspect you should be running with a 1770 and separate DFS 2.x, NFS and ADFS ROMs.

That makes sense of your initial findings:
- *FS gives "Bad Command" in ADFS, because it isn't there yet
- Swapping the ROMs means DNFS boots first, but doesn't find the 8271 so defaults over to NFS as the current filing system. That can't find *FS as the network isn't connected/logged-in yet, hence the "Net Error" command.

[BeebMaster]

Yes, but the tube host code is also in DNFS, and you don't need a 1770 DFS to use an ADFS hard disc.

It's only ever the 8271 DFS which is in the DNFS ROM, as both parts are approx. 8K, whereas the 1770 DFS is a 16K ROM which wouldn't fit with NFS as well in a 16K ROM. It's likely that the 8271 DFS in the DNFS ROM won't work, as it will be disabled because it doesn't detect the 8271 controller. Unless DFS is actually going to be used, there should be no need for a separate 1770 DFS ROM.

[marrold]

I usually rename the FS code file to avoid conflict, so it should be called something like FS3-092 or FS3-125. If you run that with the second processor on, hopefully the file server will start.

*FS3-092 is what I was missing, thank you.


It's now starting but seems unable to find the disk, despite having already ran WFSINIT

[BeebMaster]

When you to get to "Command", you can type * commands, so try *MOUNT 0 and then *. to make sure it is looking at the hard drive.

[marrold]

When you to get to "Command", you can type * commands, so try *MOUNT 0 and then *. to make sure it is looking at the hard drive.

It's correctly looking at the hard drive but it see's the files I copied over from the L3 utils disk before initialising the disk - I thought the Econet bits were put on another, hidden partition?



Thanks for your help with this!

[BeebMaster]

I wonder if WFSInit actually did anything? It should go through asking various questions, date, disc name, password file, users etc., then start initialising, and eventually end with asking "Copy master directories?", to which the answer should be No, and then finish.

What size is the hard disc, and what does *FREE show?

[marrold]

I wonder if WFSInit actually did anything?

I suspect this might have been a PEBCAK error on my part. I ran WFSInit again. Unfortunately its now failing with another error, and Google isn't revealing much

[BeebMaster]

Right...much better progress, sounds like WFSInit has done the job now. FS Error 9 means it hasn't found an Econet interface in the machine, so in the emulator, it might need Econet turning on somehow.

[marrold]

Got it in one, I hadn't enabled the Econet interface in BeebEm. Some of the hardware settings don't persist after a restart (Or at least I haven't figured that bit out yet) so it's easy to forget to re-enable something.

The file server is now running:



I guess that means it's time to try and get some stations going.

Thanks again for all your help

[BeebMaster]

Great! At this point, the file server disc is going to be blank, apart from the passwords file, so the next step will be to copy useful files to the file server from another station. The contents of Library, Library1 and Utils should be copied from the L3Utils disc (mounted in ADFS on another station) to the server, which can be done with CopyFiles, TreeCopy or LogCopy, all in the Utils dir.