[comp.sys.misc] UNIX on Data General Machines

wdw@aucs.UUCP (Bill Wilder) (01/11/88)

At our site there is a possibility of obtaining a Data General Machine
(a 6000 I think but I'm unsure of the model number). I understand that
DG provides a native UNIX operating system as an alternative to their
proprietary OS. I'm interested to know how many sites might be running
UNIX on DG machines and what your experiences have been (good or bad).

What flavour of UNIX does it most closely resemble. We're currently running
BSD 4.3 on a VAX 780 - will we have trouble re-compiling sources on the DG?

Thanks very much for any info you can provide.
-- 
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john@uw-nsr.UUCP (John Sambrook) (01/15/88)

[Disclaimer:  I don't speak for Data General and they don't speak for me. ]

In article <708@aucs.UUCP> wdw@aucs.UUCP (Bill Wilder) writes:
>At our site there is a possibility of obtaining a Data General Machine
>(a 6000 I think but I'm unsure of the model number). I understand that
>DG provides a native UNIX operating system as an alternative to their
>proprietary OS. I'm interested to know how many sites might be running
>UNIX on DG machines and what your experiences have been (good or bad).

Data General does provide a native UNIX operating system.  It is known
as DG/UX and is currently at release level 3.11.1.  We have been running
it for about a year and a half now.  

I don't know how many sites are running DG/UX.  I am aware of about ten
or so.  There is an informal mailing list of DG/UX Users that you can
join.  Send mail to dg_users-request@unc.cs.edu to join.  
                      ^ (Yes, "_")

>What flavour of UNIX does it most closely resemble. We're currently running
>BSD 4.3 on a VAX 780 - will we have trouble re-compiling sources on the DG?

DG/UX is a so-called "hybrid" or "dual-port" of AT&T System V and 4.2BSD.
I have heard that the next major release of DG/UX will include a new kernel.
Based on discussions with our local office software support people there
are no plans to support 4.3BSD functionality.  This makes it difficult to
use this system in an environment where domain name servers and resolvers
are the rule rather than the exception. 

Porting code to DG/UX is generally feasible, but usually tedious.  My
complaint is that you have to port a lot of code to get a system that
provides the tools most people have come to associate with UNIX.

Since I doubt that the bulk of the net cares one way or the other
you are welcome to send me mail to continue this discussion.  

-- 
John Sambrook                        Internet: john@nsr.bioeng.washington.edu
University of Washington RC-05           UUCP: uw-nsr!john
Seattle, Washington  98195               Dial: (206) 548-4386