Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!dptg!mtunb!jcm
From: jcm@mtunb.ATT.COM (was-John McMillan)
Newsgroups: unix-pc.general
Subject: lipc  vs  nipc -- and 'ipcs'
Summary: 'ipcs' only knows of 'lipc'
Keywords: lipc nipc ipcs
Message-ID: <1567@mtunb.ATT.COM>
Date: 18 Jul 89 20:00:56 GMT
Reply-To: jcm@mtunb.UUCP (John McMillan)
Organization: AT&T ISL Middletown NJ USA
Lines: 38

If you do not use Inter-Process Communication features --
	specifically, if you do not use 'nipc' instead of 'lipc' --
	then ignore the following.

			- - - - - - - - - - - -
			This is a minor warning:

Many moons ago, as CT was terminating their work and a new release was
	being finalized, an IPC bug was fixed -- but CT would not
	accept the 'fix' because there was inadequate time/resources
	to validate it to their satisfaction.  The loadable driver
	'lipc.o' -- their package -- was retained and the new version was
	added to the /etc/lddrv directory as 'nipc.o'.

Those users who reported an error message of something like "rmfree error"
	were instructed to switch to using 'nipc'.  If this switch
	was made by REPLACING 'lipc.o' with 'nipc.o', no problem
	arises.

However, if the user changed the 'drivers' file such that 'nipc' was
	specified as the driver to use -- rather than 'lipc' -- the
	program 'ipcs' cannot find the correct information as it
	has no information about 'nipc'.  IPC works just fine, but
	the report-program indicates IPC is not implemented.

			- - - - - - - - - - - -
			REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
			- - - - - - - - - - - -

In the two intervening years, not a single 'nipc' bug has been
	reported (to me).  IF YOU USE *NIPC* and have observed
	any bugs, please E-MAIL me any details:

			att!mtunb!jcm

Otherwise, I am inclined to replace lipc with nipc in the fix disk.

john mcmillan	-- att!mtunb!jcm