[comp.sys.amiga] Supercomputer Experiment vs Amiga

boily@phy.ulaval.ca (Edouard Boily) (09/29/90)

	Hi,

	I just received  the  Sept/Oct issue of "Cpmputers in Physics"
and  there is a letter  from  C. F. Coasts  (Alabama) titled "Friendly
Amigas" where he asks the following question:

	[...]
	"Admittedly,   Crandall's article   did not mention  a
	networking  project,  codenamed Godzilla Supercomputer
	Experiment,  that  should  give trouble   to Amigas in
	their basic configuration.   So I have a question:  Do
	any of your reader know if the networking capabilities
	of the new Unix-based Amigas would permit their use in
	such an experiment?"

	Since I  do not  know  the answer, and I  want  to, I turn the
question to  you.   If anybody know an   answer,  it  would be nice to
answer to Mr. Coast.  If you don't want to write to CiP, I will, but I
need an answer to the above first!

	A response in this publication, positive or negative, is a
publicity for the Amiga...

	Anyone?

 - Edouard
.---------------------------------------------------------.
| boily@phy.ulaval.ca             1150055@LAVALVX1.bitnet |
|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Edouard Boily  | Projects: AmiGraph, AmigIRAF, A.I.R.P. |
| Physic's Dept. | Interests: Astronomy, Comp. Sciences   |
| Laval Univ.    | Work: On my Ph. D.            _ //     |
| Quebec, CANADA | Citation: Not yet!            \X/      |
`---------------------------------------------------------'

hubey@pilot.njin.net (Hubey) (09/29/90)

In article <31879@nigel.ee.udel.edu> boily@phy.ulaval.ca (Edouard Boily) writes:

> and  there is a letter  from  C. F. Coasts  (Alabama) titled "Friendly
> Amigas" where he asks the following question:
> 
> 	[...]
> 	"Admittedly,   Crandall's article   did not mention  a
> 	networking  project,  codenamed Godzilla Supercomputer
> 	Experiment,  that  should  give trouble   to Amigas in
> 	their basic configuration.   So I have a question:  Do
> 	any of your reader know if the networking capabilities
> 	of the new Unix-based Amigas would permit their use in
> 	such an experiment?"
> 
> 	Since I  do not  know  the answer, and I  want  to, I turn the
> question to  you.   If anybody know an   answer,  it  would be nice to
> answer to Mr. Coast.  If you don't want to write to CiP, I will, but I
> need an answer to the above first!
> 
> | boily@phy.ulaval.ca             1150055@LAVALVX1.bitnet |

In mathematics, this would probably be called an ill-posed
problem. The networking model that is used to compare against
others is the OSI (Open System Interconnection) from the 
ISO (Interational Standards Organization)--please note that it is
a palindrome :-)  (i..e ISO OSI)..

Anyway, the OSI is only a model. In practice, some of its 
layers are comprised of (or maybe filched from) other standards
making orgaizations. For example, in the lower layers, it 
uses the IEEE 802.x standards such as Ethernet (CSMA/CD), Token
Ring and Token Bus.

In the upper layers there are standards left over from the
ARPAnet days i.e. TCP/IP. (ARPAnet is gone but not NSFnet !)

TCP/IP essentially consists of FTP, Telnet and SMTP. All systems
that claim to have TCP-IP protocols have to offer these. So,
the AMiga Unix system will have these too. 

In addition there are other de facto networking standards such
as NFS (Network Filing System) which was pioneered by Sun. There is
also X window standard from MIT. AMiga Unix offers these too.

So, I don't understand what the problem is about......

Would you care to explain this in a little more detail ????


It is beginning to sound like; "Mr. X cannot do a triple
sommersault. Therefore he is incompetent."

Really ????

Regards
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 hubey@pilot.njin.net  |  hubey@apollo.montclair.edu | ...!rutgers!njin!hubey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

scott@NIC.GAC.EDU (09/30/90)

	   [...]
	   "Admittedly,   Crandall's article   did not mention  a
	   networking  project,  codenamed Godzilla Supercomputer
	   Experiment,  that  should  give trouble   to Amigas in
	   their basic configuration.   So I have a question:  Do
	   any of your reader know if the networking capabilities
	   of the new Unix-based Amigas would permit their use in
	   such an experiment?"

	   Since I  do not  know  the answer, and I  want  to, I turn the
   question to  you.   If anybody know an   answer,  it  would be nice to
   answer to Mr. Coast.  If you don't want to write to CiP, I will, but I
   need an answer to the above first!

I believe that all that is needed is support for the remote execution via
the rexec call.  NFS would be nice, too.  Since we can safely assume
NFS (only IBM expects you to be amazed that their unix machine supports
NFS.  And windowed apps, too!), and rexec(3) is a trivial write more many
people familiar with unix and tcp/ip, . . . yes, I suspect the Amiga could
support it under its new unix.  If/when it comes out.

I guess I really don't see any reason why the Amiga couldn't support
it right now.  Amigas can do NFS already (can't they?), and, as mentioned,
rexec() is trivial . . .

scott hess
scott@gac.edu
Independent NeXT Developer	(Stuart)
NeXT Campus Consultant		(Not much, really)
GAC Undergrad			(Horrid.  Simply Horrid.  I mean the work!)

phorgan@cup.portal.com (Patrick John Horgan) (09/30/90)

|Anyway, the OSI is only a model. In practice, some of its 
|layers are comprised of (or maybe filched from) other standards
|making orgaizations. For example, in the lower layers, it 
|uses the IEEE 802.x standards such as Ethernet (CSMA/CD), Token
|Ring and Token Bus.
|
|In the upper layers there are standards left over from the
|ARPAnet days i.e. TCP/IP. (ARPAnet is gone but not NSFnet !)
|
|TCP/IP essentially consists of FTP, Telnet and SMTP. All systems
|that claim to have TCP-IP protocols have to offer these. So,
|the AMiga Unix system will have these too. 
|
|In addition there are other de facto networking standards such
|as NFS (Network Filing System) which was pioneered by Sun. There is
|also X window standard from MIT. AMiga Unix offers these too.
|
|So, I don't understand what the problem is about......

Furthermore, Amiga NOW supports all this, with mostly public domain
stuff if desired, all of this.  After you buy an ethernet card you
can (if the card doesn't come with it), use public domain TCP/IP 
stuff.

Patrick Horgan                         phorgan@cup.portal.com