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From: krowitz@RICHTER.MIT.EDU (David Krowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: OSF/1 on DNxxxx
Message-ID: <9011071431.AA20115@richter.mit.edu>
Date: 7 Nov 90 14:31:50 GMT
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No, unfortunately you are correct. So far HP has stated the following in public:

1) OSF/1 will be ported first to the new PA-RISC desktop machines (remember their
   promise of a 40 MIPS upgrade to your HP 9000 400 series? I think this is it).
   They have been saying that these machines will be available Q2 91.

2) OSF/1 will then be ported to HP 9000 series 400 machines. The 68040 chips have
   been delayed yet again. Apparently the latest batch almost works right, but fails
   when certain code sequences are executed under field conditions (ie. marginal
   voltage/temperature). The best estimate I have now, is that 25 MHz '040 chips
   will not be in products until after Christmas, maybe longer.

3) HP stated at the ADUS conference that OSF/1 would not be ported to *any* DN series
   machines. I heard else where that it would not be ported to the HP 9000 series 300
   (Motorola based pre-040) machines, but that these machines (or at least the later models)
   could be upgraded to series 400 models. Apparently at the recent Unix Expo, HP has
   revised its stand on DN machines -- DN5500's (DN3500/3550/4500 w/040 upgrade) will
   run OSF/1 eventually. I did not see a date for that, however. HP has stated that all
   DN machines prior to the DN3000 will be unsupported as of SR11.0 (Q4 91), and that
   a DCE/Motiff/OSF environment for DN3000/4000/3500/3550/4500, DN2500, and DN10000
   will be included in a later release of SR11. SR11.2 was the release that I heard.
   If this is correct, it pushes the OSF look-alike into late 1992 (SR11.0 in late 1991,
   plus one or two point releases at 6 to 9 month intervals).

It would seem kind of silly to support OSF/1 on the DN5500 but not on the 3500/4500.
As has been pointed out previously, the main burden of support is not the CPU dependencies
(which are relatively small between 68030/68040), but the large number of disk/tape/
graphics combinations that are available on the DN3xxx/4xxx series. On the other hand,
a DN5500 means that HP gets $5000 income from DN4500 owners, $6000 income from DN3550
owners, and $7000 from DN3500 owners.

In the meantime, Sun has not only announced the Sparcstation 2, but they are also shipping
the 28 MIPS/4.2 Mflop box as of date of the announcement.


 -- David Krowitz

krowitz@richter.mit.edu   (18.83.0.109)
krowitz%richter.mit.edu@eddie.mit.edu
krowitz%richter.mit.edu@mitvma.bitnet
(in order of decreasing preference)