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From: chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Qs about MicroVAX UNIX availability
Message-ID: <9611@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 21:02:27 EST
Article-I.D.: mimsy.9611
Posted: Thu Dec  3 21:02:27 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Dec-87 02:52:04 EST
References: <3076@megaron.arizona.edu>
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
Lines: 43

In article <3076@megaron.arizona.edu> whm@arizona.edu (Bill Mitchell) writes:
>We're currently running 4.3+NFS from Mt. Xinu and they say that their system
>will run on a MicroVAX II, but not a 2000, due to the new interconnect
>technology.

Correct.  I believe someone at MIT has the necessary changes to either
4.3 or Mt Xinu to make it run on a Vaxstation 2000.

>It is my understanding that 4.3 direct from UCB does not run on a
>MicroVAX II.

The kernel runs, but there is no boot code, and it may support
fewer devices than Mt Xinu.

>It is my understanding that only Ultrix supports the display tube driver.
>... does anyone know of tube driver available for 4.3+NFS?

We (actually CSC) have (has) one for 4.3BSD, but I am not sure of
its history; it may be derived from the Ultrix driver.  The only
tricky parts are the virtual console stuff (we dropped it) and
getting the Qbus mapped (some hacky code in autoconf.c does it,
but this is the wrong way).

>... It appears that if you've got an Ultrix machine around you don't
>need a tape drive to do the initial loading and get an Ultrix up and
>running.

Right.  There are some fancy boot floppies (using the VMS boot
loader and a `compress'ed vmunix!) that let you boot via Ethernet
from a server.  Personally, I have never minded tape boots, but
then I have never had to use TK50s either :-) .

>Once you've done this, I'd assume that you could replace Ultrix
>with 4.3+NFS.

Or with 4.3BSD.

(Disclaimer:  I have not done any of this myself; most of this is
secondhand information, except for the stuff about getting the QV
driver to work, where I, ah, `provided suggestions' :-) .)
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 7690)
Domain:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu	Path:	uunet!mimsy!chris