naim@eecs.nwu.edu (Naim Abdullah) (06/03/88)
Here is some interesting information about 4.4 bsd that I picked
up from a rag (called "Connectivity" dated May 31, 1988). Since
the people developing 4.4 bsd rarely say anything about it, we
might as well pool all the information and rumors that we have.
Anyway, here is a synopsis of the article which is mostly about
OSI support in 4.4.
* 4.4 bsd is scheduled for release next year.
* It is expected to include a complete implementation of
the OSI protocols, in addition to TCP/IP (the article
doesn't say anything about XNS; I assume that will still
be there).
* "Transport level bridges and application layer gateways"
will be required to allow TCP/IP and OSI networks to interoperate.
Several vendors are currently at work to develop these products.
DoD is funding this part. Work is expected to commence in July
and run for 18 months.
* University of Wisconsin at Madison is writing the software to
implement the transport and network layers of the OSI model
within 4.4 bsd. It is also developing subnetwork support protocols
that will allow multiple departmental networks to coexist on
an enterprisewide OSI network.
* The NBS is developing software to implement the directory
services application protocol of the OSI model.
* The MITRE Corp. is working on a virtual terminal protocol.
* University College, London is designing the X.400 message handling
system protocol.
* Wollongong is working on presentation and session services,
reliable transfer, remote operations and association-control
protocols.
* DoD will conduct conformance and interoperability tests on
the revised BSD Unix before it's release, to ensure that the
OSI implementation actually conforms to the standard.
The best part:
*** The (networking) code will be free!!! No licensing arrangements
will be required. Hurray. Another major piece for GNU!!!
Given these rumors, would any of the people working on 4.4 bsd,
care to give us some more information about 4.4 bsd ? (are you listening
Chris ?) More rumors welcome.
Naim Abdullah
Dept. of EECS,
Northwestern University
Internet: naim@eecs.nwu.edu
Uucp: {ihnp4, chinet, gargoyle}!nucsrl!naimmrose@twg.com (Marshall Rose) (06/05/88)
Mumble, mumble.
Although the article was mostly accurate, a couple of the details
were wrong. I know 'cause I was one of the people Karyl Scott
talked to when writing the article.
First off, Berkeley has not stated what the next BSD release will
be called. Although the name "4.4" is a possibility, it could just
as easily be something else (like "4.3c").
Next, you imply that DoD is funding the development of vendor
products to allow TCP/IP and OSI interoperate. WRONG. What the
article said is that the project is working on a couple of
application-layer gateways, but that some vendors are also working
on other things, like transport-level bridges.
The article says that testing will occur before the release of the
OSI code. Unlikely. My guess is that one release will go out with
only partial testing. The rest will get tested after that release.
The reason for this is that conformance test suites do not exist
(but may soon) for all parts of all layers in the stack.
Now, the article is sort of WRONG (but well-intentioned) when it
says the networking code will be free. For the OSI in the kernel,
the code will be available under the usual Berkeley UNIX license.
The stuff above the kernel will be donated to the ISO Development
Environment, an openly-available implementaton of the OSI
upper-layers. ISODE is openly-available, but not public-domain.
This means that 1) you pay a modest handling fee at one of the four
world-wide distribution sites, usually around $300, 2) you never
sign a license, but 3) you agree to hold everyone (particularly ME)
harmless from anything bad that happens.
By the way, it is not helpful to pool rumors. Most rumors are just
plain wrong. It is better to get on the phone (like to the author
of the article in question) and ask precisely what you want to
know. Of course, don't tell her that you called PC Week
Connectivity a "rag" in public.
/mtrterryl@tekcrl.TEK.COM (06/09/88)
In article <11854@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes: >You already saw a comment from Marshall Rose; I am not going to say >anything further in that respect. But: > >> * 4.4 bsd is scheduled for release next year. > >`Next Year' is as slippery as `Real Soon Now' or `Sometime This Week'. >As with fine wines, Berkeley will `release no code ... before its time'. > >You *can* expect the post-4.3-tahoe release (which is supposed to be >STW, or at least RSN, but anyway BU [Before Usenix] [cute acronyms due >to Donn Seeley]) to have a POSIX-compatible tty driver. (It is already >running at Berkeley, but all the utilities have to be converted ... ugh). >Whether any of the new virtual memory code or file system reorganisation >will be done I cannot say. Which USENIX???? BSU (before summer USENIX), or BWU (before winter USENIX)??? Thanx, Chris, I really love those TLA's (three letter acronyms, but you're gonna hafta find a TLA for BU!!!! (-:). Boy Do I Hate Inews !!!! !!!!
mouse@mcgill-vision.UUCP (der Mouse) (06/10/88)
In article <16006@brl-adm.ARPA>, mrose@twg.com (Marshall Rose) writes: > Now, the article is sort of WRONG (but well-intentioned) when it says > the networking code will be free. [...about kernel...] The stuff > above the kernel will be donated to the ISO Development Environment, > [which is] openly-available, but not public-domain. > This means that 1) you pay a modest handling fee at one of the four > world-wide distribution sites, usually around $300, 2) you never sign > a license, but 3) you agree to hold everyone (particularly ME) > harmless from anything bad that happens. If you never sign a license, in what sense do you agree to anything? And what's to stop me from getting one copy and distributing it for free all over the place? Since I'm sure the ISODE people aren't stupid, there must be answers to the above - what are they? I'm curious. der Mouse uucp: mouse@mcgill-vision.uucp arpa: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu
bzs@bu-cs.BU.EDU (Barry Shein) (06/10/88)
> Which USENIX???? BSU (before summer USENIX), or BWU (before winter >USENIX)??? Thanx, Chris, I really love those TLA's (three letter acronyms, >but you're gonna hafta find a TLA for BU!!!! (-:). and besides, we have prior claims. -Barry Shein, Boston University