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From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix,comp.protocols.nfs
Subject: Re: NFS service
Message-ID: <730@crash.cts.com>
Date: 19 Nov 89 00:16:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: crash.730
Sender: root@crash.cts.com
Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA
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milne@ICS.UCI.EDU (Alastair Milne) writes:
>
>   I have only just started looking at this board, so this may be an old
>   question.
>
>   I am interested in knowing whether MINIX supports NFS.  Our project has a
>   number of DOS micro's running PC/NFS, using as their server(s) UNIX hosts
>   belonging to our department.  While this arrangement has served well so
>   far, I'd be interested in having a server that could take over when the
>   department's machines are temporarily unavailable.  We have a PS/2 model 
>   80 with a 70 meg hard disc, which is an obvious candidate (we'd need to get
>   a MicroChannel ethernet card for it, but that shouldn't be impossible); but
>   obviously it would have to run some OS that actually could provide proper
>   service (there is at least one NFS server for DOS that runs on top of
>   PC-NFS, but apart from its restricted performance, it prevents an expensive
>   and useful machine from doing anything else).  MINIX is an obvious choice;
>   but we'd need to know about its NFS abilities.

Not even SCO Xenix supports NFS.  SCO claims that there's no way to implement
it easily.  This may be true, but I do know that TCP/IP exists for SCO Xenix
via the Xenix-Net package SCO sells.  My company is about to be authorized
VAR's for SCO and once that happens, I will be raising some hell with SCO why
SCO Xenix does not support NFS.  I haven't seen the NFS developer's kit, but I
do know that one has to have a valid reason to get it from Sun MicroSystems. 
A friend of mine who works for a company that develops and does quality
control for networking boards can get the developer's kit at no charge, I
might be able to get it at no charge since I work for an Apple developer and
Sun VAR.  But I do know that Sun won't sell it to an end user, so don't expect
NFS unless somebody with an interest in Minix who has the pull to get it
decides to implement it.  I know NFS has some heavy copyrights and trademarks
on it.

My apologies to comp.os.minix for bringing up that nasty word 'business', but
this is the bull one will have to deal with if one decides to implement NFS
without some sort of company backing to get the developer's kit for it.
 
I'm pretty sure that if the PC-NFS code will fit in a seperate I&D space, it
will work with some hammering on PC Minix.  But of course, device drivers for
ethernet boards will have to be added.  Oh no!  Not /dev/ie0 and /dev/le0
again!  :)

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