Newsgroups: comp.os.mach Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!uw-beaver!rice!news From: troth@rio-grande.rice.edu (Richard M Troth) Subject: Re: Mach as a Virtual Machine Message-ID: <1991May2.214203.21549@rice.edu> Sender: news@rice.edu (News) Organization: Rice University Date: Thu, 2 May 91 21:42:03 GMT Organization: Rice University, Houston, TX. Date: Wednesday, 1 May 1991 14:40:32 CDT From: Rick Troth Message-ID: <91121.144032TROTH@RICEVM2.RICE.EDU> Newsgroups: comp.os.mach Subject: Re: Mach as a Virtual Machine References: <1991Apr19.180259.18834@cs.cmu.edu> <21336@paperboy.OSF.ORG> When I first caught this discussion, I wanted to say, "No no ... you don't understand what a VM virtual machine is/does.". But now that everyone has defined their terms, it's clear that we all do. VM in fact emulates some instructions that do not exist on native 360/370/390 machines. VM provides the testing-new-releases and the running-different-environments-concurrently aspects Mach offers. It also allows you to run VM on VM, which Mach does not offer. And, of course, Mach offers a number of features VM does not, not the least of which is some sense of portability. :-] I should maybe have changed the subject to "Mach IN a Virtual Machine". I'm in the middle of a research project at Texas A&M to configure a personal UNIX [UNIX is a trademark of ATT] as an alternative to CMS. Mach/370 would certainly be of great use, although I am sure I would not be able to complete implementing it in this go-around. My e-mail tracks led me into IBM research, which has now proven to be a dry gully. [it's gettin' near Summer] If any of you know of a lead to a Mach/370 port, please please tell me. VM offers some interesting possibilities to Mach: if you picture the VM world as a virtual network, you can see one virtual machine acting as the UNIX server, one or more acting as file servers, etc., with user virtual machines serving individual users or small groups. And this virtual network can just as well be "plugged in" to your real network, offering access to/from non-370 machines. -- "The tomb is empty" Rick Troth ------------- Rice ONCS VM Systems Support