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From: stripes@eng.umd.edu (Joshua Osborne)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: turning a Sun 3 into an Xterminal
Message-ID: <1991Jan11.034841.11029@eng.umd.edu>
Date: 11 Jan 91 03:48:41 GMT
References: <61959@bbn.BBN.COM>
Sender: news@eng.umd.edu (C-News)
Reply-To: stripes@eng.umd.edu (Joshua Osborne)
Organization: College of Engineering, Maryversity of Uniland, College Park
Lines: 27

In article <61959@bbn.BBN.COM>, mthome@bbn.com (Mike Thome) writes:
> I keep hearing rumors about a software package which is capable of
> turning (for instance) a diskless Sun 3/60 into an Xterminal.  Does
> such a beast actually exist? or is SunOS with an X server the only
> option? 

The only one I have seen is a set-up with a minimal Kernel and support (4M swap,
nothing but init runs...).  The diffrence between a real Kernel & the assorted
daemons and X vs. the Xkernel on a 3/50 is asstounding.  On a 3/60 it is not
even noticable (I susspect if you had a 4M 3/60 it would be noticable :-).

The version I got only supported SunOS4.0 on a 3/50.  I have made 4.1 & 3/60
versions.  I also discovered how to make the 3/50 (or 3/60) boot as a normal
workstation with the DIAG switch (the switch on the back of the Sun that normally
does nothing interesting) in one position, and an X terminal with it in another...

I had to emacs the kernel to do it 'tho...    (change /etc/init to /etc/Xnit,
then use eeprom -i to make the diagbootpath /Xunix, and the normalbootpath
/vmunix, the normabootdev should be left alone [le(0,0,0), or se(0,0,0)], and the
diagbootdev should be set to le(0,0,0) [the Xkernel has no disk support, to save
memmory for things it needs like background bitmaps...).
-- 
           stripes@eng.umd.edu          "Security for Unix is like
      Josh_Osborne@Real_World,The          Multitasking for MS-DOS"
      "The dyslexic porgramer"                  - Kevin Lockwood
"Don't over-comment"     - p151 The Elements of Programming Style 2nd Edition
                                   Kernighan and Plauger