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From: afb3@hou2d.UUCP (A.BALDWIN)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: oldest surviving Unix machine?
Message-ID: <526@hou2d.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 16:19:42 EST
Article-I.D.: hou2d.526
Posted: Wed Apr  3 16:19:42 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Apr-85 06:38:59 EST
References: <5299@utzoo.UUCP>, <331@mtxinu.UUCP>, <5379@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 35

While I was in research at the University of Vermont, a group involved
with the Vermont Lung Center program project grant bought an 11/40.
After much frustration attempting to use RSX-11M Ver. 2.0 (for those
who know, multi-user on "M" in those days was a dream), the person
responsible for the system was convienced to try the "new" OS from
Bell Labs.  As I recall, this was around late winter or spring of 1975.
The UN*X was version 6 (but real early).  The system consisted of:

	PDP-11/40 CPU with EIA and FIS (useless for UN*X!!).
	32K core memory (DEC)
	16K core memory (Plessey)
	Dual RK03 2.4 meg. disk drives
	6 DL11-E single line interfaces
	Children's Museum's RK05 and DL11-E drivers
	
That's right, a 48K machine.  This machine ran like this until
1979 when it was upgraded to an 11/45 (64K) + RK06's.  I inherited
the system in 1978 (and promptly worked an upgrade).  The 11/45 ran
until the project folded in 1984.  Throughout the entire time, the
original V6 code was used (no upgrade to V7 due to the applications).

What I found impressive was the fact that not one line of kernel
code was modified during that time (only I/O driver code, RK06s,
tty driver, etc.).  Most all of the system failures were due to 
power fails (V6 didn't cope with that condition well), or hardware
problems.  In fact, it was not uncommon towards the end for the 11/45 
system to run 3 or 4 months between reboots (and then only for PM).


Al Baldwin
AT&T-Bell Labs
...!ihnp4!hou2d!afb3


[These opinions are my own....Who else would want them!!!]