Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!agate!shelby!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@mcs-server.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: NeXT questions Message-ID: Date: 19 Nov 90 02:12:55 GMT References: <1990Nov18.181541.16646@percy.uucp> Followup-To: comp.sys.next Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 60 Nntp-Posting-Host: mcs-server.gac.edu In-reply-to: nerd@percy.uucp's message of 18 Nov 90 18:15:41 GMTLines: 60 In article <1990Nov18.181541.16646@percy.uucp> nerd@percy.uucp (Michael Galassi) writes: b) When booting my '030 I get a message telling me the RAM is of the 100 nS variety. Can I use faster memory and get fewer wait states out of the CPU? Will this be the case for the '040? How do I tell the CPU what speed is installed? On regular '030 or '040 machines, I've heard that the answer is "no." It sounds like there's some different reasoning that goes into the color machines, though, because they seem to need 80ns ram. Maybe that's because they're interlaced (now that I think about it, probably). c) NuBus (a variation of which is called NeXTBus (I think?)) is touted as supporting multi-processing, mach (a variation of which we run on the NeXT supports multi-processing (I know)). All of us who have '030s and upgrade to '040s will have 2 cpu boards. Given these three facts (?) the logical question is can I run both processors in my cube? 2 CPU boards plus multi-tasking bus/operating system != multiprocessor computer. Most multiprocessor computers are specifically set up to multitask. Presumably, the NeXT hardware is not set up for decent shared memory, and I _know_ that it is not set up for a motherboard to run in a slot other than slot 0. Also, I don't think that the multi- processing Mach stuff is done yet - much less incorporated into NeXT's version of Mach. The best solution that we've (some friends and I) come up with is to do the needed hardware mods, and run the second motherboard at a networked node. Then, one of them netboots off the other, and we're home-free. This has problems, also, the main one being that we aren't licensed to run NextStep or Mach/Unix on both motherboards . . . that might be a problem with attempting the multi-tasking solution, also. e) It is my understanding that some applications that were a part of 1.0a software will NOT be a part of 2.0. If this is the case, will the applications from my 1.0a OD work under 2.0? So far, I believe the missing apps are Sybase, Common Lisp, and Mathematica (that last is only missing for non-educational buyers). In at least the case of Common Lisp, all NextStep1.0 licensees get a card, or something, which allows them to run cl on 2.0. I believe there's something similar with Sybase, but I'm not sure. g) My cube is of the old variety with the out blowing fan, is it enough for me to reverse the fan (mount it backward or are there other structural changes that need to be made for the machine to be safe to my OD? I've heard that simply reversing the fan doesn't work, either. Something with how the casing is designed . . . Which brings up a good question: Why isn't NeXT offering a case upgrade to user's with the very old cases? This would seem to be relatively cheap, so that they could either offer it free (ala the 40M swapdisk), or fairly cheap. Presumably they get their cases from somewhere, right . . . ? -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer (Stuart) GAC Undergrad (Horrid. Simply Horrid. I mean the work!)