Running and managing CHARON-VAX and CHARON-PDP for Windows
Table of Contents
Starting CHARON Virtual Machines Manager
CHARON execution is controlled by the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager" that manages each CHARON instance, called a "CHARON Virtual Machine", running on the host.
The CHARON installation procedure creates a shortcut on the desktop and under the Windows Start menu for the CHARON Virtual Machines Manager.
Desktop shortcut:
"Start" menu shortcut:
The CHARON Virtual Machines Manager runs automatically at Windows startup. If it is minimized to tray, it can be re-opened in the following way:
After clicking the shortcuts, the main dialog of CHARON Virtual Machines Manager appears.
Creating a CHARON Virtual Machine
Creating a CHARON VM using provided templates
CHARON installation contains a set of template files for creating a base configuration for each VAX/PDP11 model. Once the CHARON Virtual Machine (VM) is created using these templates it can be configured further to meet your requirements and all the specifics of the emulated system.
By default the CHARON templates do not contain any specification for disks and network; you need to update the configuration file created from the template to specify your specific disk and network configuration.
Start the CHARON Virtual Machines Manager (see above) and press the "Create VM from Template" button:
In the appearing dialog select the VAX/PDP11 hardware model:
Note the Home Directory for the VM (see screenshot below), it will be used by default for storing logs, virtual disk images, toy and container files if no path is specified in the configuration file.
Specify a name for the VM and press the "Create" button:
The CHARON Virtual Machines Manager will report the VM has been created successfully:
It will then appear in the left pane:
Creating a CHARON VM using an existing configuration file
It is also possible to use an existing configuration file for creating a CHARON Virtual Machine.
Open the CHARON Virtual Machines Manager (see above) and press the "Add Existing VM" button:
In the appearing dialog select the target configuration file by pressing the "Browse" button:
Select the configuration file and press the "Open" button:
Never select a configuration file template provided in the Charon installation folder as these files could be overwritten with patching.
Enter the CHARON Virtual Machine name and note the Home Directory for this VM, it will be used by default for storing logs, virtual disk images, toy and container files if no path is specified in the configuration file.
Press the "Create" button:
The CHARON Virtual Machines Manager will report the VM has been created successfully:
It will then appear in the left pane:
Running a CHARON Virtual Machine
Select the target CHARON VM in the left pane and press the "Start" button:
CHARON Virtual Machines Manager will display the execution log:
Note the color meaning:
Colors | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
Red
| Error | |
Light blue | Warning | |
Light yellow
| Information | |
Purple
| Begin/End of the Windows system log |
The console of this particular CHARON VM will then appear (if defined in the configuration file):
Depending on settings, Windows may display a Firewall warning dialog asking to confirm CHARON access to different networks.
Check the desired options and press the "Allow access" button.
If you closed the CHARON VM console, it is always possible to re-open it by pressing the "Show Console" button:
Closing the console will not stop the CHARON Virtual Machine
Stopping a CHARON Virtual Machine
Note: before stopping the virtual machine from the CHARON Virtual Machines Manager, a clean shutdown of the operating system running on the VM has to be performed.
Select the target CHARON VM in the left pane and press the "Stop" button. A dialog will appear to confirm, select "Yes" to continue to stop the VM:
Removing a CHARON Virtual Machine
To remove a CHARON VM, select it and press the "Remove VM" button:
The Virtual machine has to be stopped before removing it (see Stopping a CHARON Virtual Machine chapter above)
A confirmation dialog will be displayed:
Press the "Remove" button and confirm the CHARON VM removal by pressing the "Yes" button:
Modifying a CHARON Virtual Machine
Select the target CHARON VM and switch to the "VM Configuration" tab to see its features:
Using this dialog it is possible to:
Explore the Home Directory of the CHARON VM.
Create virtual disks by pressing the "Create Virtual Disks" button.
Edit the CHARON VM configuration file.
Change the startup mode.
Select the CHARON version used for this Virtual Machine.