pranav@ecsvax.UUCP (10/19/83)
Today IBM announced its PC XT/370 hardware and the corresponding VM/PC
software to run a subset of the popular VM system for the IBM main frames,
on the IBM PC. The XT/370 is a regular PC XT with additional cards to
interpret the 370 instruction set. The XT/370 requires a additional 512KB
memory card and a 3277 emulation card. These three cards are a standard
feature of the XT/370. One model of the XT/370(588) does not have the
fixed disk storage that is needed with the system. The purchase price of
the model 588 is $ 8,995 and model 568(with out hard disk) is $ 6,720.
The software designed to run VM on the PC XT/370 is called VM/PC. This
is designed to work as a System/370 workstation. The VM/PC runs a subset
of the VM/370 and VM/CMS commands and functions. VM/PC has many of the
standard CP commands such as the IPL,LINK,LOGOFF,QUERY,TERMINAL... etc.
The CMS/PC has a large number of the CMS commands implemented, along with
the EXEC2 commands programming language. The VM/PC allows you to run in
the LOCAL VM mode or you can connect to a host VM system with a connection
through a coaxial cable to a IBM 3274. In the remote mode you would
be connected through a 3277 model 2 simulation card. You can also connect
through a async line with the optional 3101 emulation program. Once you
are connected to the host machine amazing things can be done. You can
run a program on the host to allow the VM/PC to share minidisks. You
would return to local mode then commands like link will search not only
the PC mini-disks but will pass on the command to the main frame to
check for a link to a REMOTE mini-disk. Then once you have linked to
the REMOTE disk then you can access it as one of the standard mini-disks.
Once accessed the REMOTE disk can be used in standard commands like
COPYFILE to transfer files from the VM/PC to the host and vice-versa.
You can also copy down most load modules without any modifications and
run them directly on the VM/PC machine. The hardware relocation allows
upto 4MB of virtual storage. You can also spool the virtual printer to
the host(assuming you are looged on to the host). PC/CP also allows
multiple IDs for the VM/PC. This allows sharing of a XT/370 storage
between users(only on user can use the PC though). The cost of VM/PC
is a One-Time Charge of $ 1,000.
I saw the VM/PC working on a upgraded XT. It worked pretty good and i
found that many of the VM/CMS commands were implemented so i felt at home.
The PC was also hooked up to a main frame VM/370. The file transfer is a
snap with this combination and easy to use. The program on the host
seemed to fail every so often(not during file transfer though.).
XEDIT is also implemented on the VM/PC. This combination makes transition
from main frame and vice-versa very painless.
If you have any questions, suggestions or questions, feel free to
contact me through MAIL at the following address.
-Pranav K. Patel-
N.C.S.U Computing Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27606
919-737-2517
!decvax!duke!mcnc!ecsvax!pranav
References: IBM Product Announcement for the IBM Personal Computer XT/370,
5160 Model 588 and 568
IBM Programming Announcement for the IBM VM/PC Lincensed Program
Announced.
IBM,PC,XT/370,VM/PC ,CMS,EXEC2
are registered trademarks of the International Buisness
Machines INC.john@ecsvax.UUCP (10/19/83)
Today's Wall Street Journal also reported that IBM announced a 3270 Personal Computer that provides windowing capabilities somewhat like the Apple Lisa. The price of the 3270 PC ranges from $4290 to $7180. The Journal also reported that some analysts saw the XT/370 as "a response by IBM to the growing presence of desk-top computers that make use of... Unix...." If these unnamed analysts are correct, the implication seems to be that IBM does not plan to include Unix in its top of the line PC's, or at least not now. Doesn't this leave open an opportunity for one of the personal computer (or minicomputer) companies to do this? It seems to me that three companies in particular, Apple, DEC, and Hewlett-Packard, have made serious business mistakes by ignoring or delaying implementations of Unix on their microcomputers. For instance, Unix System III is available from Unipress Software for the Apple Lisa, but the Lisa's 5 megabyte hard disk is not adequate, to say the least. So you must buy two 5 megabyte Profile disks, which you will throw away if and when Apple produces or markets a larger capacity hard disk. Surely Apple could ask someone else to design and build a twenty- megabyte hard disk for them. DEC's inability to accept Unix is well known, but the problem here is particularly forceful when Unix is compared with the Professional (?) Operating System (POS) for the DEC Professional 325-350. How anyone could think this operating system preferable to Unix is hard to imagine. Although DEC has announced a Programmer's Tool Kit so that BASIC programs at least will no longer have to be compiled on a large 11 system before they can be run on the microcomputer, this Tool Kit is not yet available. Similarly, Hewlett-Packard has focussed its resources on yet another IBM PC like machine; But H-P had planned to announce a Unix system for its 68000 system as early as last April. Apparently the 150 took a higher priority. Even within the smaller microcomputer companies Unix appears to be stalled. TYX corporation of Virginia has ported three-user Xenix to the Victor 9000, and the system works just fine, but apparently someone near the top at Victor wanted to control the port of Unix to the Victor, with the result that right now no version of Unix is available for this very well designed computer. Perhaps Radio Shack's lack of conspicuous success with the Model 16 Xenix system has made companies reconsider their plans for Unix, but are Radio Shack's results a good model? john hogan nc educational computing service box 12035 research triangle park, nc 27709 (919) 549 0671 ...!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!john