Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!seismo!sundc!texsun!sun!toto!dbercel From: dbercel@toto.uucp (Danielle Bercel, MIS Systems Programming) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: 386 rumors, questions, and comments Message-ID: <16464@toto.uucp> Date: Fri, 14-Aug-87 11:38:27 EDT Article-I.D.: toto.16464 Posted: Fri Aug 14 11:38:27 1987 Date-Received: Sun, 16-Aug-87 04:31:00 EDT References: <1014@vi.ri.cmu.edu> <249@etn-rad.UUCP> Reply-To: dbercel@sun.UUCP (Danielle Bercel, MIS Systems Programming) Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View Lines: 62 Keywords: protection sun machine In article <249@etn-rad.UUCP> jru@etn-rad.UUCP (0000-John Unekis) writes: >In article <1014@vi.ri.cmu.edu> jfb@vi.ri.cmu.edu (John Brennen) writes: >> >>Second, I have heard that Sun is planning a 386-based machine. If this >>is true, it says something interesting: that someone with no financial >>interest in Intel and a considerable investment in Motorola has chosen >>an Intel part. Sun certainly isn't turning its back on Motorola, but >>broadening one's horizons never hurt anyone. >> > As far as I know, SUN has no plans to implement an intel based machine. > This sounds like a self-serving rumor started by Intel. The next SUN > machine out will be the SUN 4, which will be based on a very high speed > RISC processor(10+MIPS). The only rumor that I have ever heard about SUN > and Intel is that SUN was able to emulate the instruction set of the 8088 > in a software routine on the SUN3, and still beat out the PC in performance. > They intended to offer this software emulation as their answer to IBM > PC compatibility since, as far as I know, SUN would rather die than dirty > their hands with an intel chip. > First, let me say that I know nothing of Sun's future design and marketing plans. They usually don't consult with me on these decisions :-). We have a product called Sun IPC that is a AT on a board. We don't emulate an 8088, we actually have an Intel 80286 that interfaces with a Sun 3 via the VME bus. The IPC board runs in a window and, for all intents and purposes, is an AT. The clocl speed is 10Mhz and includes one parallel port and two emulated serial ports. In addition to the physical parallel port there are two emulated parallel ports. We also can emulate extended memory, up to 4MB. Also, as part of the stanard software, there is an EPSON to Postscript filter that works perfectly. This includes EPSON bit-mapped graphics. In additon to all this, the board has some further advantages over an AT though. By using NFS we can link our Unix file system to the MSDOS file system. And files can be moved back and forth trannparently. For example, I am using a Sun 3/160 and I have an IPC board in this system. If I were to open the IPC window I would find that I have Drive A: and B: (hardware attatched) and Drive C:, D:, and E:. Drive C: is am emulated hard disk. In reality it is a single unix file. As a consequence, whenever I back up my 3/160 Drive C: gets backed up along with everything else. Drive D: is a RAM disk and Drive E: is actually a directory on my 3/160. This is different from the emulated C: drive. If I were to do a DIR of drive E: I would find that I have 240MB of available disk space. I can access disc space this way (via NFS) on many systems throughout Sun. I can store data and/or program files on an NFSed file system and execute/access them just as I would a file/program on Drive C:. The Sun IPC board is very impressive and I love it. Not as much as I love my Sun 3/160, but it's close. The IPC board allows me to take advantage of all the MSDOS software without having to leave my Unix environment. So, we are in fact using an Intel chip and as far as I know, nobody has died yet :-). danielle --------- -- ---\ UUCP: {hplabs,decvax,}!sun!toto!{danielle,dbercel} ----> Toto, I don't this this is Kansas ---/ ARPA: dbercel@sun.arpa or COM: dbercel%toto@sun