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Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!dmmartindale
From: dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: HELP me access a VAX CPU serial number from UNIX
Message-ID: <1182@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Jan-84 14:52:47 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.1182
Posted: Fri Jan  6 14:52:47 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 7-Jan-84 00:28:04 EST
References: <135@cubsvax.UUCP>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 10

I believe all VAXes have a CPU serial number register which can be read
by the priviledged Move From Processor Register instruction.  If the
proprietary software you are distributing is a UNIX kernel you can get
at it, but I don't know of any of the "standard" versions of UNIX which
let you get at it.  And it's not entirely secure anyway - someone can
always change the serial number if they want (it's a simple job to move
the backplane jumpers on a 780, at least.)  There are many processors
which provide no such features.  The PDP11 didn't.  Microprocessors
don't provide one on chip and the people who build systems around them
often don't include any hardware to give you a serial number.