usenet@bsadrc.UUCP (Darrel R. Carver) (10/29/88)
I read the original MINIX book by ast over a year ago. At the time I
was considering several different machines for purchase. I ended up
with a 3B1 since AT&T was having that great fire sale at the time.
I am now curious about a couple of points. Consider the following
scenario:
[1] I purchase a stripped down version of the ATARI ST (i.e. the
minimum configuration of the 1M ST with no hard drive).
[2] Buy PH's new version of MINIX for the ST
[3] Recode the FS module of MINIX to use part of the 3B1 as a file
server.
To expand on number 3 I am just thinking of switching the calls in the
FS to send messages to a server on the 3B1. All files on the user
partition would be on the 3B1. You boot the ST from the floppy as normal.
When MINIX comes up it remotely mounts the /usr partition from the
3B1. This spawns a server process on the 3B1 that allows the ST to
treat the 3B1 drive as a local drive.
I was thinking of having the process that runs on the 3B1 use the 3B1
file system (say under the directory /minix) and do a chroot after
getting to that directory. All file manipulation commands would work
using the 3B1's system calls and the data passed using the current
MINIX message system. The question of byte order etc could be ignored
since the CPU's are identical.
The systems would be linked through their RS232 ports. The two
machines could communicate by a simple protocal for messaging (i.e
xmodem for packet encoding). The connection would be rather slow
by ethernet standards. I don't know if you could use this scheme for
program execution, as the time to load a program from the 3B1 may
be unacceptable. However for data files and editing you should be
able to get this type of scheme to work. (My boss uses Laplink on his
PC at work and the transfer time is not too bad).
I am looking for comments on the whole scheme. Am I totally out in
left field? Would such a system be workable? What are major pitfalls
I can expect or have missed?
Thanks in advance...
--
Darrel R. Carver Home: uunet!bsadrc!drc
Computer Sciences Corporation Work: att!wp3b01!drc
White Plains, NY 10606 attmail!dcarverwes@obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes) (11/02/88)
In article <113@bsadrc.UUCP>, usenet@bsadrc.UUCP (Darrel R. Carver) writes: > [1] I purchase a stripped down version of the ATARI ST (i.e. the > minimum configuration of the 1M ST with no hard drive). Well, you'd better hurry. My dealer told me a couple of weeks ago Atari won't be making any more 1040STs (the 1 meg machine), only 520STfm's (512K, 720K floppy, and RF Modulator). Of course, they just dropped the price of the Mega 2, which is a MUCH better machine from a "packaging" standpoint, to $1295 (for monochrome). If you've got the money, get it instead. It fits on a desk a lot easier, and the keyboard is really pretty good. > I was thinking of having the process that runs on the 3B1 use the 3B1 > file system (say under the directory /minix) and do a chroot after > getting to that directory. All file manipulation commands would work > using the 3B1's system calls and the data passed using the current > MINIX message system. [...] > The systems would be linked through their RS232 ports. Does the 3B1 have a parallel printer port? The parallel port on the ST is bidirectional, and it might be possible to use it instead (with better data rates one would hope :-). This would shorten the cable length you could use, but gain speed. Good Luck, and let us know how it's going. You might want to look at the "Amoeba" networking code for PC Minix and base your system on that - all you would have to do is hack the Amoeba code into the ST Minix, and then write an Amoeba server for the 3B1. (Simple enough, as long as YOU do, right :-). Wes Peters -- "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell "How come he didn't put `I think' at the end of it?" - James P. Hogan