rneitzel@udenva.cair.du.edu (RICHARD NEITZEL ) (10/30/87)
I recently bumped up against a book on Xinu and found it very interesting. I am looking for more information. I am interested in learning the following: 1> Who, what, where and how can I obtain machine-rredable source for Xinu? Even better, is there a precompiled version out for LSIs. 2> What cpus besides the 11/2 and 11/23 will Xinu run on? Can newer versions support memory management? 3> The overview of the scheduler seemed to me to be suitable for realtime applications. Has anyone used it for this purpose? 4> What support software exists. The book mentioned a C compiler that ran under 4.x BSD; it there a C compiler that will run either under Xinu or on another PDP/LSI class machine. Please reply to the above net address or via US PO to: Richard Neitzel 312 Laveta Pass Golden , CO 80401 303-966-7203 Thanks!!!!
comer@PURDUE.EDU.UUCP (10/31/87)
Richard, Hello. Here are answers to your questions: 1> Who, what, where and how can I obtain machine-rredable source for Xinu? Even better, is there a precompiled version out for LSIs. Xinu distributions are available from Xinu librarian Computer Science Dept. Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 The LSI tape includes complete cross development system that runs under 4.X BSD UNIX on a VAX. You use UNIX to compile the operating system, create a memory image, and download the image onto an LSI either over serial lines or an Ethernet if you have one. The LSI version runs as is on most of the LSI 11 models (/2, 03, 04, /23, PDP 11/23, PDP 11/23+) and with minor changes on an 11/34 (downloader must be changed). 2> What cpus besides the 11/2 and 11/23 will Xinu run on? Can newer versions support memory management? There are versions for the IBM PC, MacIntosh (Mac, Plus, 2), SUN Microsystems, and native mode VAX (tested on uVAX I, uVAX II, 730, 780, 785, and 8600), as well as ConcurrenC, a Xinu-like system that runs a Xinu-like system as a process under 4.3 BSD UNIX. There is an experimental version that supports paging on the VAX; we expect to add much of that to the SUN version this spring. 3> The overview of the scheduler seemed to me to be suitable for realtime applications. Has anyone used it for this purpose? Yes, Xinu is popular as a real-time system. 4> What support software exists. The book mentioned a C compiler that ran under 4.x BSD; it there a C compiler that will run either under Xinu or on another PDP/LSI class machine. There is not much application/system software that runs under Xinu, at least not much available from Purdue. As described in Volume II, there is a shell, remote file system, a few basic file manipulation commands -- that's about it. This is not a competitor for a general purpose timesharing system like UNIX (there are thousands of man-years of effort behind UNIX and we could not possibly equal that). Instead, you should view Xinu as a system that has much functionality without much of the clutter, making it pleasant for experimentation or teaching. Doug There is an electronic mailing list for exchange of information or comments about Xinu: xinu-info@purdue.edu If you'd like your address (or a mail alias at your site) added, send a request to: xinu-info-request@purdue.edu