Xref: utzoo comp.unix.questions:10538 comp.sys.ibm.pc:21911 Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!uwmcsd1!marque!uunet!steinmetz!davidsen From: davidsen@steinmetz.ge.com (William E. Davidsen Jr) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Upgrade 386 PC to UN*X Message-ID: <12749@steinmetz.ge.com> Date: 6 Dec 88 20:17:28 GMT References: <336@csun1.UUCP> Reply-To: davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) Distribution: na Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY Lines: 50 Cc: 386users@crdos1 In article <336@csun1.UUCP> weyrich@csun1.UUCP (Orville Weyrich) writes: | | I have a 16-MHz 80386-based AT-clone (Goldstar Technology GST-386) which | is built around a Micronics motherboard and which has an Adaptec 2372 RLL | controller, Seagate ST-4096 hard drive, 1.2 Meg floppy, 8087 coprocessor, | two standard RS-232 ports, two standard parallel ports, a CGA video board, | 2-Meg of main memory, and AWARD BIOS version C3.03. I am currently running | MS-DOS 3.30 and am using TURBO-Pascal type applications. I only want a | one- or two-user system. | | QUESTION # 1: Has anyone brought up some flavor of UN*X on any or all of the | hardware described above? Any recommendations? [I realize that I may need | more memory -- but how much?] I'm using the controller and hard disk you mention, but do you mean an 80287? 2MB of memory is tight for UNIX, but it will run. I use Xenix/386. | QUESTION # 2: How heavily does UN*X utilize the PC BIOS? I had trouble | getting my hard disk to function reliably using Phoenix BIOS, and am | concerned about how UN*X will handle my disk/controller configuration. Xenix doesn't use the BIOS. | QUESTION # 3: I still need to use this box for MS-DOS applications. | Eventually I would like to migrate my applications to UN*X, and so would | like to be able to run TURBO Pascal and applications implemented in TURBO | Pascal under UN*X with the ability to have the applications under MS-DOS | communicate with processes running under UN*X. Some of my TP applications | use LIM EMS. Any recommendations? Xenix is available with Vp/ix, which lets you run DOS under UNIX. It mentions LIM memory, but I haven't tried it. It seems to be supported. | QUESTION # 4: Alternatively, how hard is it to have both UN*X and MS-DOS | to reside on the hard disk and choose one or the other when booting? With Xenix you type "dos" at the boot prompt. | QUESTION # 5: Finally, I am considering upgrading my CGA card to a | Paradise VGA-Professional. Will this mess up UN*X? Not Xenix. Sorry I don't want to comment on other flavors of UNIX, I have expressed my opinions before. -- bill davidsen (wedu@ge-crd.arpa) {uunet | philabs}!steinmetz!crdos1!davidsen "Stupidity, like virtue, is its own reward" -me