oberman@LLL-ICDC.ARPA.UUCP (04/07/87)
Just a bit more gossip for the V5.0 rouor mill: 1) Symetric multiprocessing. I've heard that it is a major goal for V5.0. I, too, have heard rumors that DEC is running multiprocessors in-house. 2) New executive. In light of 1), it's pretty obvious that the system kernal will need a major re-write, but if you attended the sessions on the new executive system at SF DECUS, you would have heard that the current monolithic code will be broken into a large number (>20) of pieces. This should improve maintainability and make it less likely that a change to one part of the executive will cause disaster because something related was missed. 3) TCP/IP. I've heard nothing about it, but I sure let the developers know about my wishes at every opertunity. 4) Security. V5 will integrate most of the functions in SEVMS. At DECUS I was told that DEC wants to get B1 approval for V5.2. 5) Common journaling and checkpointing. I classify this with Sasquatch and the Loch Ness monster. It's been comming soon for about the last eon. But it's clearly geting closer. Just note the hooks in V4.4. Maybe it will finally arrive. After all, we did get volume shadowing. 6) Time frame. I can't say just when V5 will appear, but I have heard that about 2 months AFTER V5 is born, V4.7(8?) will be released! The idea is to provide most V5 utilities in a V4 system for those who need to significantly delay the conversion to a new kernal. Remember the fun of V3.0? And nobody who was foolish enough to try running V4.0 will forget the fun. If this is really what DEC is planning, it means DEC is providing dual upgrade paths- a fast one for the brave (or desparate) and a slow one for the cautious, paranoid, or irrational. After all! Who would think that there might be problems with a brand new kernal? R. Kevin Oberman Lawrence Livermore Nat'l Lab arpa: oberman@lll-icdc.arpa (415) 422-6955 Disclaimer: The above is largely based on rumor. Those items based on conversations with the developers at DECUS were noted. If not so noted, the sources were passing credible. But I wouldn't bet the house on any of it. Even if they were true, plans change. And DEC has been known to toss out a red herring now and then. Happy speculation! ------