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From: posdamer@wudma.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.pc
Subject: IBM RT information
Message-ID: <383@wudma.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Feb-86 15:48:17 EST
Article-I.D.: wudma.383
Posted: Fri Feb 28 15:48:17 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Mar-86 23:09:38 EST
Organization: Washington U. in St. Louis, CS Dept.
Lines: 31
Keywords: RT
Xref: watmath net.micro:13945 net.micro.pc:7229

I recently returned from an "RT Briefing" at IBM Palo Alto. A number of
interesting(?) items were forthcoming.

4.2 bsd from ACIS
	- Only available to colleges/universities. You must "qualify". This
 	 appears to mean that you have 4.2 operational and a support operation
	 already in place.
	- The initial machine for which 4.2 bsd can be ordered must be a 
	 RT model 25 plus a streaming tape drive plus a network interface.
	 4.2 will run on smaller machines but officially this must be the
	 first machine on which it is brought up.
	-4.2 bsd does not support the AT coprocessor. To run the coprocessor,
	 the machine needs the Virtual Resource Manager (VRM) which is not
	 used or compatible with 4.2. 
	-There appears to be "no reason" that you could not have an ethernet
	 connection and a token ring on the same machine.
	-Associated with 4.2 is the "ACIS Experimental Display" a bit-mapped
	 display with fairly nice characteristics. As it is not "a product"
	 you must deal through your ACIS rep to acquire one. What this means
	 is not totally clear.
	-There is no PASCAL in the 4.2 distribution.

AIX- IBM's adaptation of System V
	-Appears to be the "supported" product.
	-A lot of work has been done on supporting the installation procedures
	 to make them menu driven and relieve users of the need for a guru.
	-Supports the AT coprocessor. RT and AT can share files, memory, etc.
	 but there is no formal structure for synchronization or message-passing
	 between the AT and RT.

There was more detailed stuff, but this seemed (to me) to be the highlights.