Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!ken
From: ken@gatech.edu (Ken Seefried III)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.nsc.32k
Subject: ICM-3216 questions
Keywords: ICM, 32016, minibus, MBIC, graphics, x.25, ICM-332, expansion
Message-ID: <18414@gatech.edu>
Date: 11 Apr 89 21:55:21 GMT
Organization: School of Information and Computer Science, Georgia Tech, Atlanta
Lines: 63

Looks like I have inherited an ICM board (if someone doesn't find a 
last minute use for it).  It looks like it has the CPU, Memory, 
Ethernet and 'power distribution' board.  

I yanked out my National Semi books, to see what I had, and I have a
couple of questions:

	What is the status of the ICM project at National (including
	the later ICM-332?  (I am under the impression it is dead).

	Is any ICM stuff still availible from National, like software,
	memory boards, the ICM-SIO-M-8 eight serial I/O board, etc.?
	Is it availible elsewhere?  Anyone throwing one away...;')?

	My 1988 "Semiconductor Master Selection Guide" from National
	(which, by the way, still lists the ICM-3216), states that:
	"Functions such as Local Area Network controllers, Graphics
	controllers, X.25 interface and others will be availible in
	the future...".  Well, seems I have the Local Area Network
	controller (Ethernet).  Are any others availible?  A Graphics
	board would be WONDERFUL, and an X.25 controller would be a
	big bonus.  Maybe someone even has an engineering prototype
	that they would let go (I'll even write the drivers if I have
	to...;')

	What is the status of the 'MiniBus' interface and the
	ICM-MBIC-C MiniBus interface chip?  Are there Application
	notes dealing with MiniBus interfacing? (I'll BUILD a graphics
	board if I have to...;')

	Does anyone have experience with an ICM-3216 with the full 
	8MB of RAM?

	Could someone estimate the number of ICM boards out there?
	Why didn't it catch on?  

Other, related questions:

	I understand that at one time there was (be still my beating
	heart) a 4.2 BSD port to the ICM-3216 done by a Canadian
	university (U of Toronto???).  What is the word on this??
	Is there plans for 4.3?  Is there support for the ICM Ethernet
	board (TCP/IP, etc.) in this Unix?

	Anyone running the GNU tools on an ICM board? (life wouldn't
	be worth living without GNU Emacs) I guess this would be
	either under System V.2, System V.3 (does this run? I know
	National has it), Genix, or U of Toronto BSD 4.2.

	Is the ICM mailing list officially dead?  I haven't heard from
	it in something like 6 months.  Course, with all the talk
	about deleting slow newsgroups, we should probably funnel as 
	much traffic through here as we can ("But guys!  This is 
	QUALITY, not QUANTITY!")

As always, any help would be appreciated.  I'm awfully exited to be
getting a Unix box with a REAL CPU in it for a change...none of this
68020 stuff...;') ;') ;') ;')

Thanks...

	...ken seefried iii
	   ken@gatech.edu