Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site whuts.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuts!modl
From: modl@whuts.UUCP (SMITH)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: looking for people with Venix on PC/ATs
Message-ID: <114@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Mar-85 16:57:10 EST
Article-I.D.: whuts.114
Posted: Wed Mar 13 16:57:10 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Mar-85 06:17:29 EST
References: <5173@utzoo.UUCP> <161@sesame.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 82

> I have VENIX running on my AT, and in fact wrote the Hard Disk driver
> which is used by VENIX.  Some responses to your questions follow:
> 
> > I have recently acquired Venix for the PC/AT and have run into a few problems,
> > and was wondering if others out there (there MUST be others :-) ) had run
> > into them as well....
> >  1) date/time on bootup is sort-of correct..month, day and time are correct,
> >     year is always 1970
> Not a problem on my machine.  Check that you have used IBM's 'setup' properly.
> 
> >  2) awk(1) does not handle the BEGIN pattern correctly..it hangs the process
> Sorry- I avoid using awk on any machine.  It's too slow even when it works.
> 
> >  3) curses(3) routine getstr does not return when RETURN pressed..have to
> >     hit ^J (that took a while to stumble into)
> You probably want to use CBREAK rather than RAW mode.
> 
> >  4) awk(1) does not handle this type of command line properly:
> > 	awk -f prog filename
> >     it just hangs there
> > 
> > Some observations:
> >  1) though I could not find it anywhere in the manuals, I have discovered
> >     that kill -2 1 causes /etc/ttys to be re-read..sure beats re-booting as
> >     the manual's way to re-configure your ports
> This is the historic method used by V7 derivatives.
> 
> >  2) arbitrary-length reads directed at a tty in raw mode
> >     block until the number of characters
> >     requested are input. THIS IS MENTIONED in ONE (1) PLACE as far as I can
> >     see, and not well marked.
> >    (in thinking about this, it might be why getstr screws up)
> >     This means, among other things, that stdio can not be used in raw
> >     mode (I have some public software which does this), as the old
> >     _filbuf does a read of BUFSIZ. cute
> This is very true,  although it has hidden benefits for things like
> uucp that want to read 64 bytes RAW, and need all of them before anything
> can be done.
> 
> >  3) performance is pretty good
> > 
> > Has anyone put the floating point processor in? how does venix live with it?
> > How about the AST Advantage card??? Anyone with it?
> > And of course, the 64 dollar question, what about second source hard disks?
> I haven't been able to get the FPP, but it does work on machines that have it.
> I have an Advantage card in my machine, and am about to load it up with those
> $8.00 256K RAM chips that are now available.  As far as second source hard
> disks and VENIX go, here's the poop:  If the disk matches one of IBM's disk
> types as listed in the TR, fine.  If it doesn't, you'll need a later version
> of my disk driver, that can handle 'odd ball' disks.  In particular, the
> Maxtor-140 is one of these.
> 
> > 
> > I would appreciate hearing from those hearty souls who are running Venix
> > on a PC/AT....
> > 
> >    as they say, thanks in advance
> > -- 
> >      Jerry J. Deroo
> > 	{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!jerry
> 
> One further bit of advice:  Pop for the $1.59 and get a 15Mhz crystal for
> the AT.  The 15Mhz seems to work well, and even though it runs the 80286
> over spec, it won't be running the 80287 over spec.  The 286 will be running
> at 7.5Mhz and the 287 will be running at 5Mhz.  I think this is
> a reasonable compromise.  With a 15Mhz crystal, the 80286 out benchmarks
> a 10Mhz 68010 when running the drystone benchmark (balanced statement
> mix, variable types, but no floating point or disk).
> 
> -- 
> 		Rick Richardson, PC Research, Inc.
> 
> 	{genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick}
> 		{cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!{rick|pcrat!rick}
> 			rick%sesame@harvard.ARPA 

I'm currently running an AT with a 80287 and 512K, but no hard disk.  Could you
give me a source for a 15Mhz crystal?  Sure would appreciate it.

Max Robin AT&T BellLabs                
ZZ
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***