mario@utcsstat.UUCP (07/06/83)
A group at the University of Toronto has proposed using a Xerox Star in combination with a VAX/Unix system for an upcoming project. Communications between the two systems will be vital. The Star supports Ethernet as part of the XNS (Xerox Network Standard (?)) but it does not appear that it will be possible to write applications programs for the Star. Does anyone have experience with uucp-XNS communications or uucp using Ethernet? Is there a better way to make these machines talk to each other? Please reply by mail to ...!decvax!utzoo!utcsstat!mario. Thanks in advance, Mario Ruggiero University of Toronto Computing Services Toronto, Ontario, Canada
hdj@burdvax.UUCP (07/08/83)
I'm told that, barring further "political unrest," Xerox will be releasing XNS software for the Vax (under Unix) within a few months. Or you could buy the Star configured as a Dandelion (Xerox 1108?) Lisp machine (running Interlisp-D) and be running under 3- or 10-mb Pup protocols, as I am doing right now (although I'm using a Dolphin). Pup isn't "state-of-the-art" anymore, but it works fine! And Interlisp-D is a very fine environment to work in. Herb Jellinek, burdvax!hdj
guyton%rand-unix@sri-unix.UUCP (07/11/83)
The odds are not very good for Ethernet communication with the Star, as Xerox has not released the specs for any of their higher-level protocols. The published XNS protocols go only up to remote-procedure calls (Courier). Mail, printing, file transfer, are all still secret. There is a chance that simple file transfers could be done with the Star's foreign device software, but I have a feeling that this isn't what you had in mind. Needless to say, I think Xerox is being pretty dumb to not have announced these protocols. It is one key factor in why we've not purchased Stars here. You might ask them about the Mesa system though. They have been trying to come out with a workstation product that would allow you to write your own applications in the Mesa language. -- Jim Guyton