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From: xxremak@csduts1.lerc.nasa.gov (David A. Remaklus)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: In What Sense is Sun the "First" Open Systems Manufacturer?
Message-ID: <1990Nov26.183840.5324@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: 26 Nov 90 18:38:40 GMT
References: <2940@crdos1.crd.ge.COM> <1990Nov21.194240.28355@Neon.Stanford.EDU> <1990Nov21.205753.13677@portia.Stanford.EDU> <4343@lib.tmc.edu>
Reply-To: xxremak@csduts1.UUCP (David A. Remaklus)
Organization: NASA/Lewis Research Center, Cleveland
Lines: 32

In article <4343@lib.tmc.edu> jmaynard@thesis1.hsch.utexas.edu (Jay Maynard) writes:
>
(stuff deleted)
>
>I don't know houw an Amdahl 5990 site would get MVS/ESA - or any other IBM
>program product - licensed, but I know it's possible; I do know that Amdahl
>users get their support from Amdahl, not IBM.
>-- 

An Amdahl user can order any IBM licensed software paying the same 
license fee that a user of a comperable IBM machine would pay.  As
a licensee, they are entitled to the same level of support from IBM
as an IBM customer would receive.  In addition they can also obtain
support and assistance for problems with the IBM software from Amdahl.

A later posting to this thread commented that numerous Amdahl
changes and patches were required.  This is no longer the case.  Amdahl
poineered a firmware feature named Macrocode which provides for all
Recovery Management Services and remaining IBM compatibility (that
not directly supported by the box).  As part of Macrocode, they
introduced the Multiple Domain Feature (MDF).

MDF permits a customer to operate multiple OS'es on the same physical
hardware as if each had total control of the machine.  It is interesting
that IBM has cloned this feature as PRSM as has HDS.  It is now safe
to say that in this case, IBM is the clone.

--
David A. Remaklus		   Currently at: NASA Lewis Research Center
Amdahl Corporation				 MS 142-4
(216) 642-1044					 Cleveland, Ohio  44135
(216) 433-5119					 xxremak@csduts1.lerc.nasa.gov