[comp.unix.aux] CD ROMs, graphics accellerators, memory management & AUX

russell@uswat.uswest.com (Russell Greenlee) (06/12/90)

I have three short but not simple questions for you AUX wizards out
there:

1. Several months ago someone in this group suggested the idea of
running AUX partially from the CD ROM and partially from disk, with
the goal of minimizing the amount of disk spaced used for AUX. Can
this be done? Has anyone tried it?

2. Others in this forum have said that Apple's 8/24 GC graphics
accellerator will not work with AUX 2.0. Does this mean that the card
is totally inaccessible from AUX? Or can it still be used without the
accellerator capability? Does anyone at Apple know when we might see
this accellerator working under AUX?

3. I have heard that unlike AUX 1.1.1, AUX 2.0 unix applications that
use the toolbox must use Mac OS memory management (i.e. handles in a
fixed 8 meg heap) instead of unix memory management. Is this true?

Thanks in advance for your help.


Russell Greenlee
U S WEST Advanced Technologies
russell@uswest.com

alexis@panix.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) (06/14/90)

In article <8663@uswat.UUCP> russell@uswat.uswest.com (Russell Greenlee) writes:
>1. Several months ago someone in this group suggested the idea of
>running AUX partially from the CD ROM and partially from disk, with
>the goal of minimizing the amount of disk spaced used for AUX. Can
>this be done? Has anyone tried it?

No problem. The CD-ROM is mountable as a standard file system, so anything not
needed to boot (before the ROM gets mounted) can live on it. In particular,
man pages, games, libraries, etc. Just mount it, and make whatever links are
appropriate.

Don't forget, this sucker is s-l-o-w.

Alexis Rosen
A/UX victim
apple!panix!alexis
alexis@panix.uucp

amanda@mermaid.intercon.com (Amanda Walker) (06/15/90)

In article <738@panix.UUCP>, alexis@panix.UUCP (Alexis Rosen) writes:
>[about running A/UX with the CD-ROM as a live filesystem to conserve disk
>space]
> Don't forget, this sucker is s-l-o-w.

That's an understatement.  It's not quite as bad as running UNIX off of a
boot tape :-), but it'll probably be worth it only if you're broke or don't
use the files on the CD-ROM very often.

--
Amanda Walker, InterCon Systems Corporation
--
"Y'know, you can't have, like, a light, without a dark to stick it in...
 You know what I'm sayin'?"     --Arlo Guthrie

justin@Apple.COM (Justin Walker) (06/15/90)

In article <8663@uswat.UUCP> russell@uswat.uswest.com (Russell Greenlee) writes:
>I have three short but not simple questions for you AUX wizards out
>there:
>
>2. Others in this forum have said that Apple's 8/24 GC graphics
>accellerator will not work with AUX 2.0. Does this mean that the card
>is totally inaccessible from AUX? Or can it still be used without the
>accellerator capability? Does anyone at Apple know when we might see
>this accellerator working under AUX?
	The card is accessible from and works with A/UX 2.0.  However, since
	the accellerator "knows" what the internal structure of MacOS memory
	looks like, it can't be used with A/UX in accellerated mode.  A/UX
	kernel memory bears little relation to that of MacOS.  When this will
	be "fixed" is unclear (to me).

>
>3. I have heard that unlike AUX 1.1.1, AUX 2.0 unix applications that
>use the toolbox must use Mac OS memory management (i.e. handles in a
>fixed 8 meg heap) instead of unix memory management. Is this true?
	Well, yes and no.

	This is true for those chunks of memory that you hand to the Toolbox
	(either directly or indirecly).  For memory areas that the Toolbox
	never has to touch, stack or malloc() allocation works jes' fine.

	The heap is not a fixed size, but is configurable up to 16 MB
	(necessary to avoid the inevitable 32-bit uncleanliness (:-}).
	The default is your physical memory size.

>Thanks in advance for your help.
>
>
>Russell Greenlee
>U S WEST Advanced Technologies
>russell@uswest.com

Regards,

Justin

Justin C. Walker, Curmudgeon-At-Large   (justin@apple.com) *
A/UX Group                              *------------------|
Apple Computer, Inc.                    |  When meetings are outlawed,
10440 Bubb Rd,                          |    Only outlaws will have meetings
Cupertino, CA 95014                     *
-- 
Justin C. Walker, Curmudgeon-At-Large   (justin@apple.com) *
A/UX Group                              *------------------|
Apple Computer, Inc.                    |  When meetings are outlawed,
10440 Bubb Rd,                          |    Only outlaws will have meetings
Cupertino, CA 95014                     *