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From: dce@mips.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Explanation of uname(2) values
Message-ID: <273@quacky.mips.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-Apr-87 09:28:58 EST
Article-I.D.: quacky.273
Posted: Fri Apr 10 09:28:58 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Apr-87 17:16:49 EST
Reply-To: dce@quacky.UUCP (David Elliott)
Distribution: world
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 35


Mips supports two versions of Unix: one based on System V.3 and one
based on 4.3BSD. Currently, we are adding the uname system call and
command to our BSD-based system, but we've run into some a snag that
affects both systems.

The snag is that we don't know what the values returned should be,
and we could use some help.

Going down the list (as given in SVID Vol. 1, page 141 and comparing with
SVID Vol. 2, page 127):

	sysname - This one is tough because the uname() system call says
		it is the "current operating system" whereas the uname
		command (both code and manual page) imply that it is the
		host name. The BRL uname bears this out.

	nodename - If sysname is the host name, when and why is nodename
		different?

	release and version - What are the value restrictions for these?
		Do people really expect these to not contain spaces even
		though it isn't specified?

	machine - The same questions as above apply, plus, is there an
		official registry of hardware names? The SVID says that
		this is a "standard name that identifies the hardware",
		but it doesn't give anything else.

Is uname really intended to be useable by programs, or is it kind of
like the id command; useful in interactive mode, but useful in programs
only if you are willing to process the data with something like sed or
expr.
-- 
David Elliott		{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!mips!dce