vintage_systems:its_managing_tv11 []

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**Managing the TV-11.**

The AI lab PDP-10 had a "10-11" interface with up to eight Unibuses.  Each Unibus is mapped into PDP-10 memory and can be used to attach a PDP-11.  Or other Unibus processors like the CONS Lisp machine, or the CHEOPS chess accelerator.  The TV-11 was a PDP-11/20 attached to 10-11 Unibus number 0, suggesting it was the first to use this facility.  It was shortly followed by the XGP-11, an PDP-11/10 driving the XGP printer.  The TV-11 has bitmapped framebuffers, a video switch, and a keyboard scanner.  It was used for raster display workstations around Tech Square.

For the TV-11 to work, it must be running, connected to the 10-11 interface, and loaded with the TV-11 software.  On the PDP-10 side, ITS must be assembled with TV11P.  The location TT11P controls ITS' view of the TV-11: 0 means off, -1 means running, and 1 means reinitialize.

There is a software emulator for the TV-11 and its Knight TV and keyboard hardware, called tv11 and tvcon.  The tv11 talks to the PDP-10 emulator through TCP/IP; this provides the 10-11 interface.  When ITS has booted, the TV-11 software must be loaded.  This is done by running //:STUFF TV//.  If the 10-11 interface works, the software will be written to the PDP-11/20 core memory.  Next, ITS must be told to reinitialize its communication with the TV-11.  This is done by depositing 1 to ITS location TT11P.  STUFF and TT11P are normally automatically handled by the program CHANNA; RAKASH TVFIX.

The TV "console" emulator, i.e the display and keyboard, is a separate program called tvcon.  It talks to tv11 through TCP/IP.