todd@uhccux.UUCP (The Perplexed Wiz) (10/27/87)
A friend called telling me about a UNIX box he had read about. I'd
like to get more information on it to see if it is worth looking into
seriously.
The box is called 'Cubix' and claims to run various version of UNIX
(including Xenix). I don't know what kind of CPU it has. It comes
in an 11"x11"x11" box. The basic $20K unit comes with 2M RAM, 55M disk,
60M tape drive, 8 serial ports, UPS backup power, UNIX (binary-only
I would guess). It is expandable to 8M RAM, 216M disk.
The friend I heard about it from says he heard "it outperforms
an AT" (to which I replied, "that isn't saying much"). Still it
sounds like a possibly interesting box to at least take a peek at.
If anyone out there has had any expirience with this box, I'd appreciate
any opinions you'd care to share...todd
--
Todd Ogasawara, U. of Hawaii Faculty Development Program
UUCP: {ihnp4,uunet,ucbvax,dcdwest}!sdcsvax!nosc!uhccux!todd
ARPA: uhccux!todd@nosc.MIL BITNET: todd@uhccux
INTERNET: todd@uhccux.UHCC.HAWAII.EDUrwhite@nusdhub.UUCP (Robert C. White Jr.) (10/27/87)
In article <1009@uhccux.UUCP>, todd@uhccux.UUCP (The Perplexed Wiz) writes: > in an 11"x11"x11" box. The basic $20K unit comes with 2M RAM, 55M disk, > 60M tape drive, 8 serial ports, UPS backup power, UNIX (binary-only > I would guess). It is expandable to 8M RAM, 216M disk. Try a 3B2/600 Starting price $36K Starting config: 4M RAM, 2x147M disks, SCSI interface, 60M tape drive, 28 serial ports, Math Accelerator Unit, VCACHE instruction cache, UNIX SVR3.1.1 [binary] with Windows and Graphics [You will need a bit-mapped display with a layers module to use those two, the cheapest available from AT&T is aprox $2,200] It is has 12 expansion slots [going up] in each of which you can put 8port cards [or whatever] a little math will show that 4 come used. The memory builds on another 12 slots [going down] only four of which are defined for memory and one for VCACHE. I dont know about the othe seven. A total of 16M RAM possible. the 3B2/500 is the same, but it has no "down" slots. [I don't know where they put the memory.] It has the same "up" slots and costs someware in the low $20K range (so I hear). The lower price would hint a smaller disk space, but who knows? Both are designed to act as network engines, they are very fast, but the implementation of UNIX is a little weird. Everything runs well but the first time you "ps" after a long time, it takes about 15 sec. other than that is uses threshold triggered virtual paging, and there is a seprate "swapper" type program to process io service requests. All good stuff. Disclaimer: What difference does it make? Rob.
wayne@fmsrl7.UUCP (10/28/87)
In article <178@nusdhub.UUCP> rwhite@nusdhub.UUCP (Robert C. White Jr.) writes: >In article <1009@uhccux.UUCP>, todd@uhccux.UUCP (The Perplexed Wiz) writes: >> in an 11"x11"x11" box. The basic $20K unit comes with 2M RAM, 55M disk, >> 60M tape drive, 8 serial ports, UPS backup power, UNIX (binary-only >> I would guess). It is expandable to 8M RAM, 216M disk. > >Try a 3B2/600 Starting price $36K Starting config: 4M RAM, 2x147M disks, >SCSI interface, 60M tape drive, 28 serial ports, Math Accelerator Unit, >VCACHE instruction cache, UNIX SVR3.1.1 [binary] with Windows and Graphics >[You will need a bit-mapped display with a layers module to use those two, >the cheapest available from AT&T is aprox $2,200] Try an MPulse. Starting price $5,995. 16.6 MHz 68020, 50-230 Meg disks, SCSI interface, 60M tape drive (real QIC or cassette or both), 8-40 serial ports, optional 68881, 2 Meg disk and I/O cache, Unix system V. I maintain that this is about the _best_ bang-for-the-buck you can get (It was even better back when I bought mine for $4,995 :-). I know that the company is also building a 25 MHz, zero wait state machine, 68030, multi processor systems, other fun things. I do not work for LPC but I do own one of these machines (as do 3 of my coworkers. We know a good price on iron when we see one!). /\/\ \/\/ -- Michael R. Wayne *** TMC & Associates *** INTERNET: wayne@ford-vax.arpa uucp: {philabs | pyramid} !fmsrl7!wayne OR wayne@fmsrl7.UUCP >> If you own an MPulse, please contact me to exchange info and experiences <<
abcscnge@csun.UUCP (10/29/87)
in <1009@uhccux.UUCP>, some one asks about a "cubix" box (2MB RAM, 55MB disk).
Forget about that and buy a Compaq 386/20 : 20MHz 386, 1MB RAM (upgradable
to 16), 60, 130, or 300 MB Hard disk. Price: unknown (guess around $12K --
the portable 386 w/100MB disk is $10K.). You save $8K and get a hell of a lot
more disk space, then run SCO XENIX or Microport UNIX.
======================================================================
======================================================================
The above in no way reflects the opinions of CSUN, and a good thing
too, I might add, as they would be out of business in two days if
they paid any attention to me...
Scott Neugroschl
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing" -- S. Hammer
--
UUCP: {litvax,humboldt,sdcrdcf,rdlvax,ttidca,}\_ csun!abcscnge
{psivax,csustan,nsc-sca,trwspf }/
======================================================================lm@eta.ETA.COM (Larry McVoy) (10/29/87)
In article <178@nusdhub.UUCP> rwhite@nusdhub.UUCP (Robert C. White Jr.) writes: >In article <1009@uhccux.UUCP>, todd@uhccux.UUCP (The Perplexed Wiz) writes: >> in an 11"x11"x11" box. The basic $20K unit comes with 2M RAM, 55M disk, >> 60M tape drive, 8 serial ports, UPS backup power, UNIX (binary-only >> I would guess). It is expandable to 8M RAM, 216M disk. > >Try a 3B2/600 Starting price $36K Starting config: 4M RAM, 2x147M disks, I'd be careful about sinking money into the 3b sink hole. I've heard rumors that AT&T is thinking about moving to the Sun SPARC cpu and I don't know where that leaves 3b users. There are additional rumors that they are looking at a merge of SunOS & 5.3. When this all is to happen, if ever, I don't know. -- Larry McVoy uucp: ...!{uiucuxc, rosevax, meccts, ihnp4!laidbak}!eta!lmcvoy arpa: eta!lmcvoy@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu or lm@arizona.edu
ron@topaz.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie) (10/29/87)
These were the guys who were giving stop watches out at the last Uniforum. The box is a 286 running (I believe) microsoft. Yes, it is cute looking. They are planning a 386 product but they hadn't yet got the board small enough to get into the cube. They say their machine originally looked like a NCR tower (cabinet) but they decided that too many people had used that. The company is new to the UNIX-biz, but has been making Pascal engines for a long time. -Ron
wcs@ho95e.ATT.COM (Bill.Stewart) (11/06/87)
In article <8700197@eta.ETA.COM> lm@eta.UUCP (Larry McVoy) writes:
:I'd be careful about sinking money into the 3b sink hole. I've heard rumors
:that AT&T is thinking about moving to the Sun SPARC cpu and I don't know
:where that leaves 3b users. There are additional rumors that they are looking
:at a merge of SunOS & 5.3. When this all is to happen, if ever, I don't know.
DISCLAIMER: The following is not an official statement from AT&T;
it's just my opinion on things.
First of all, the AT&T deal with Sun about the SPARC chip was announced
on Black Monday; while it didn't cause the market crash it got lost in
the shuffle, but the Wall Street Journal can tell you about it.
AT&T has licensed the SPARC technology; that doesn't say who will
actually build the chips; it may be us, Sun, or a silicon foundry.
AT&T is still seriouslly in the computer business; if we planned to
abandon the 32*** processor line we wouldn't have just announced
two major computers based on it. The 3B4000 is a large multi-processor
system based on the 32200 and 32100; the 3B2/500 is a 32100-based
2.1MIPS machine (it's a scaled-down 3B2/600, cheaper but fewer slots.)
Just because we use SPARC doesn't mean we're abandoning the 32100;
we'll continue to use it, and the new 32200 set we've recently announced,
and the host of Motorola and Intel chips we also use. The 3B line will
continue to be supported, and supported about as well as we do now.
(Note that even though AT&T couldn't figure out how to market the 7300 box
successfully, they'll still be supporting it for about 5 more years.
You'll get better support for 3Bs, since we make them ourselves instead of OEM.)
In the software area, there are several main activities. Merging
System V with Sun 4.3BSD will take a couple years. Some of the things
you'll see early on are a standard System V for SPARC, including a
standard binary format. You'll see a lot of standardized applications
environments, with X-Windows and OSI Networking, and a lot better
integration than you've been getting from the System V world so far.
It may be that CISC machines like the 32***, 68***, and 80*86 are on
their way out, but they've got a lot of life left before they go.
In 5 years, maybe I'll be able to get a desk-top Cray for $10K.
If you guys at ETA build it, then fine. But CISC isn't dead yet, and
AT&T's still in that game as well as the RISC game.
--
# Thanks;
# Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs 2G218, Holmdel NJ 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs