Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!amgraf!huver
From: huver@amgraf.UUCP (Huver)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: Buying UNIX for a clone
Summary: P-H books don't tell the whole picture
Message-ID: <418@amgraf.UUCP>
Date: 29 Apr 91 05:20:36 GMT
References: <15283@life.ai.mit.edu> <1991Apr27.180658.18160@techbook.com>
Organization: Amgraf Inc.,  Kansas City
Lines: 38


On the subject of AT&T SVR4 docs on kernel and drivers...

In article <1991Apr27.180658.18160@techbook.com>, jamesd@techbook.com
(James Deibele) writes:

> ...		Prentice-Hall publishes the official AT&T documentation,
				       ^ missing "some of"
> which includes "UNIX System V/386 Release 4 Device Driver Interface/Driver-
> Kernel Interface Reference Manual" (With this manual, experienced C
> programmers have the reference information needed to create, modify, and
> maintain device drivers in the UNIX System V Release 4 environment.  It
> describes both the DDI and DKI interfaces in four sections: introduction,
> driver entry points, kernel functions, and data structures.  Portability
> and scope are addressed and two appendices cover error codes and migration
> from Release 3.2 to 4.  List price is $28).

Sounds like a quote from P-H sales brochure.  To be clear, DDI/DKI is the
equivalent of old (V3) BCI (Block and Character Interface) Driver Ref.
Manual, just the dry manual pages stuff.  To someone new to System V, the
companion volume BCI Driver Development Guide tells a lot more.  Other than
the V3 character device clists are now trashed (V4 uses streams instead),
lots of V3 info still applies (actually the V4 DDI/DKI book "suggests" you
read the V3 BCI Driver Development Guide).  It was ~$100 as I remember.

> ...  There's also the UNIX System V/386 Release 4 Programmer's 
> Guide: SCSI Interface which lists for $15.

This thing, again, is just the manual pages.  Without what AT&T calls the
AT&T SCSI Definition, one cannot even write applications to use the SCSI
driver, let alone roll your own driver.  In fact, the $15 SDI book says
"You must obtain the AT&T SCSI Definition, Select Code 305-013".  The catch,
though, is that AT&T wants ~$200 for it (this quote came from their 800-
number ordering center, twice; and no, I did not buy it because I think it
is an outrage).


-huver