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From: jps@wucs1.wustl.edu (James Sterbenz)
Newsgroups: comp.os.research
Subject: Re: CDC NOS/VE
Message-ID: <6792@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 28 Mar 89 19:13:28 GMT
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In article <6768@saturn.ucsc.edu> ken@gatech.edu (Ken Seefried iii) writes:
>
>Could someone point me to references concerning the design of CDCs
>NOS/VE operating system.
>
>Many thanks...
>
>	...ken seefried iii
>	   ken@gatech.edu

Hopefully someone from CDC can give you better pointers, but here goes...

As far as I know, precious little has been written in the standard 
literature about NOS/VE.  The only article I've ever seen was in 
one of the trade rags (Computer Design?).  I don't have the reference
with me, but I'll try to find it.

My information comes from CDC pubs.  Most of what I have is fairly old,
maybe more is out (if so, I'd like to hear about it!).

A marketing brocure thats actually better than most, and gives some
details is "System Architecture: Cyber 180 Systems", 204 137, 1984.
I got this (along with other glossy but non-technical stuff) from
a CDC sales office.

The NOS/VE software manuals that I have don't help much: commands, etc.
If there is an internals manual I'd like to hear about it!

Most of what I know I've gotten from the hardware manuals; for some
information, such as virtual memory management, they are useful.
Try looking at:
"CDC Cyber 170 and Cyber 180 Volume I: Virtual State System Description,
Functional Description", 60462090, 1984,
and
"CDC Cyber 170 and Cyber 180 Volume II: Instruction Descriptions, Programming
Information", 60458890, 1984.

It's a shame not more is easily accessable on NOS/VE.  From what I can tell
its a very nice design, and a very clever solution to providing modern
OS facilities, while still retaining compatability to an ancient 
predecessor (NOS).  It also keeps the Multics style of addressing and
memory management alive, since Honeywell has dumped it.
(flame on: I don't know to what extent modern GCOS does this, but getting any 
useful information out of Honeywell is next to impossible.  I've NEVER
delt with anyone that either knew or cared anything about spreading info
about Multics, GCOS, or DPS machines.   CDC, on the other hand can be
very helpful, they just don't seem to conisder it important to publicise
their systems.  You've got to ask.  flame off)

I consider NOS/VE and Multics to be among the essential systems to 
look at when I teach operating systems (along with MVS and MCP),
but I've never seen anything about it in textbook case studies
either.
-- 
James Sterbenz  Computer and Communications Research Center
                Washington University in St. Louis 314-726-4203
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