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From: dorn@fabscal.UUCP (Alan Dorn Hetzel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.misc,comp.os.misc,comp.misc,comp.arch,comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: The NeXT machine has been announced! (long)
Message-ID: <555@fabscal.UUCP>
Date: 20 Oct 88 01:49:08 GMT
References: <360@elan.UUCP> <2070@cloud9.UUCP> <528@fabscal.UUCP> <1152@mmm.UUCP> <5826@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> <3542@phri.UUCP> <34946@clyde.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: dorn@fabscal.UUCP (Alan Dorn Hetzel, Jr.)
Organization: Fabscal Systems
Lines: 20

Re: software installation with 1 disk drive.

    1) DEC has a similar problem with RC25 based Microvax-II systems,
       the disk had a 25Mb fixed section, and a 25Mb removable section,
       but they shared a common spindle.  To load a removable disk, you
       had to spin down the system disk as well.  They fixed the problem
       by teaching VMS to understand extended absence of the system disk.
       It essentially just tapped its feet and waited for you to give it
       the disk back.

    2) Since the NeXT has 8Mb of main memory, it is probably practical to
       have a disk copy/installation utility which pages all nonessential
       code out, lock itself in memory, and then performs the copy using
       all spare memory as a buffer.  Agreed, this would really suck for
       copying a full disk, but the average installation could probably be
       done in 1-3 passes.

Opinions: ?

Dorn