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From: jim@newmedia.UUCP (Jim Beveridge)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: DOS/UNIX network configuration
Summary: DOS networked.
Keywords: DOS UNIX Network
Message-ID: <432@newmedia.UUCP>
Date: 24 Jan 91 01:20:08 GMT
References: <1991Jan18.170356.16819@csn.org>
Organization: New Media Graphics, Billerica, MA
Lines: 40

In article <1991Jan18.170356.16819@csn.org>, chuck@csn.csn.org (Chuck Luciano) writes:
> I have been running SCO SysV 386 for a couple of months now. Currently I have
> a 30Mbyte DOS partition, and a 170Mbyte unix partition. When I want to run
> DOS I reboot. Likewise when I want to do DOS development I use MSC 6.0 under
> DOS. I have been carefully avoiding vpix for some time now. I have in mind 
> an alternative configuration to running vpix, which ties in with the fact that
> I would like to build a diskless DOS machine. Put network cards in my unix
> and my DOS machine, and basically run DOS off of the unix disk system. The 
> requirements are that the unix machine contains an area that appears to be 
> a disk to the dos machine. That I can develop s/w for dos under unix and have
> my makefile move it to the dos disk area, and immediatly run it on the dos 
> system. 
> 

Under Open Desktop, with Merge 386, it is almost the perfect development
environment.  Your machine never requires a reboot because it crashed
(All DOS sessions run in virtual machines).  You can have a dozen
DOS sessions, with a hot key between them.  Full virtual memory
support with up to 8 megs of expanded memory per DOS session.  No
TSR overhead for loading network drivers, because you overlay on the
Unix NFS partitions.  Use of Unix file systems, including tape
backup, network backup, etc.  A real plus: If you dial in to
the system, you can run DOS quite successfully over a modem without
any special software.  This means that you can get at that _one_
file you forgot to bring home with you.

The downsides:  You can't run Windows 3.0.  Codeview screen updates
	are a little sluggish.  You can't access the 386 debug 
	registers under languages like Borland Turbo C++.  You're
	stuck with MS-DOS 3.3.

If the SCO pricing policy for Unix V 386 is the same as ODT, then
the NFS nfsd filesystem export daemon costs about $1500.  You
will also pay $200+ for a 3COM ethernet card.  You can
buy a 600 Megabyte hard disk for the price of all that.
Hardly seems worth the effort

Just my two cents of course.  Feel free to circular file it.

		Jim