All CHARON templates are located in the "/opt/charon/cfg" folder. Copy the appropriate template configuration file(s) to a new directory that you have created specifically for them and give the directory proper permissions. You can name the configuration file as you wish. We recommend <hostname>-<model-name>.cfg. For example: zonker-mv3k6.cfg.

Example:

Please do not edit the original template configuration files since they can be updated or even removed on update/deinstallation of CHARON-VAX

Once the file has been created you can open it in your favorite editing tool and proceed with modifications to reflect the exact features of the system you are going to emulate.

We will review all the parameters step by step issuing some recommendations and guidelines.

Note: the lines preceded by the comment sign "#" inside the configuration files will not be interpreted. You can use this sign to debug your configuration.

The first configuration statement is the specification of the exact VAX hardware model to emulate.

Example:

You must leave this line untouched.

If you create the Charon-VAX configuration file from scratch, it must be the very first uncommented line in the configuration file.

The next configuration statement is the "Configuration name" option.

Example:

You can optionally uncomment this line to differentiate this CHARON-VAX instance from all others in a multi-instances environment. The configuration name can be any label that is meaningful. It is reported in the log file and is used to set the log file name for rotating log (see further: Rotating log (default)).

Execution of CHARON-VAX creates one log file or a set of log files reflecting the progress of its start-up and ongoing operation - start and end time of execution, system information, license and configuration details, warnings, reports on problems that may occur, etc. In case of possible problems either with the running CHARON-VAX or the emulated system configuration (such as the absence or malfunction of certain devices), the log file(s) is the primary source to be analyzed for troubleshooting.  If it becomes necessary to contact Stromasys for support, the configuration and log files, plus the license number, will be requested to begin problem resolution.

The next group of parameters defines the name of the CHARON-VAX log file and how CHARON-VAX will use it:

By default CHARON-VAX utilizes a so called "rotating log" mechanism. This means that a new default log file is created each time CHARON starts and can switch to another log file if the size of the log file exceeds 64Kb (this behavior can be changed with the "set session log_file_size" and "set session log_rotation_period" parameters; see more details in the "General Settings" chapter of this guide). 

This mode is turned on if all the log parameters above are disabled (commented out) or the "session_log" parameter is pointing to an existing directory rather than to a file. If a directory is specified, the log files will be created in that directory.

The names of the rotating log files are composed as follows:

If the "Configuration name" parameter described before is omitted (commented out), the log name has the following format instead:

Note that "xxxxxxxxx" is an increasing decimal number starting from "000000000". During a session (the time between start and stop of the emulator), when the log file is rotated, this number will be incremented by 1.

Alternatively it is possible to use a single log file: uncomment the "set session log" line and specify the desired CHARON-VAX log file name. Optionally, a path can be added to the log file name. If the path is not specified, the log file is created in the directory from where the guest (emulated machine) is started.

The log file can be extended ("log_method = append") or overwritten ("log_method = overwrite") by CHARON-VAX.

Below is a specification of a CHARON-VAX log file located in the "/my_logs" directory which will be appended each time CHARON-VAX starts:

The next objects to be configured are TOY, ROM and EEPROM containers. Their presence depends on the VAX model. It is always recommended to enable them. If a container file of the given name does not exist, CHARON-VAX will create it. Specific paths can be added to the file name specification.

TOY means "Time of Year"; its container records time, date and some console parameters while CHARON-VAX is not running. To enable the TOY, uncomment the following line:

The ROM container stores an intermediate state of the Flash ROM and some console parameters. It is highly recommended to define its location:

EEPROM stores the NVRAM content. It is highly recommended to define its location:

The next parameter defines the amount of host memory the chosen CHARON-VAX model reserves for the emulation.

Example:

The amount of RAM is specified in MB. It cannot exceed or be lower than certain values specific for each VAX model. It is very important to keep the listed predefined increment between possible memory values.

The following table lists all the parameters per model:

It is possible to leave the RAM line commented out. In this case the model's default RAM amount is used.

The next step is the specification of the VAX console (OPA0) serial line.

Example:

The goal of this configuration step is to tell CHARON-VAX what host device to use as the virtual system console. The following options are available:

The default setting is "operator_console".

Note that the VAX 4000 and MicroVAX 3100 models have a 4-line QUART adapter onboard so their configuration for the console line looks a bit different:

IF VAX 4000 and MicroVAX 3100 models are used, it is possible to configure up to 4 independent console lines: OPA0, TT0, TT1 and TT2. The main one is OPA0.

 Note there are a number of additional parameters for CHARON-VAX serial line configuration. Follow this link for details.

A hot key can be defined to stop the execution of the CHARON-VAX virtual machine:

It is strongly recommended to uncomment this line to provide CHARON-VAX the ability to exit by pressing the "F6" key.

The next step is the configuration of the disk subsystem and mapping it to the system resources using the samples given in the template configuration files.

CHARON-VAX supports MSCP, DSSI, CI and SCSI disk controllers. The examples below are for MSCP and SCSI controllers only. DSSI controllers are discussed in details in the following section and CI controllers in this section.

Below is a typical configuration sample for MSCP disk controller RQDX3:

The first line ("load RQDX3 DUA") loads disk controller RQDX3 with name DUA, followed by 4 lines showing different ways of mapping to the host resources: