[comp.unix.i386] AT&T unix V386 on Compaq hardware?

robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) (02/27/90)

I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.

Thanks,

-- 
Robert Zeff                         (209) 577-4268 voice, FAX: (209) 577-8548
2549 Yosemite Blvd Ste. E           {lll-lcc,lll-crg}!csustan!zhome!robert
Modesto, Ca. 95354                  {lll-lcc,lll-crg}!csustan!robert

holt@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Peter Holt) (02/27/90)

robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:

>I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
>unix for hardware other than AT&T?  

I have been using 3.1 and 3.2 for the last 18 months on a 
386 televideo with no problems with the basic UNIX. However, I
have yet to find a satisfactory nfs. Also it is expensive if you
wish all the bells and whistles as tcp/ip, nfs, vpix, ksh, mouse driver
etc are all unbundled yet base price is comparable to other bundled systems.

cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (02/28/90)

In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
>I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
>unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
>to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.

AT&T doesn't support placing thier unix on a non-AT&T box.  (It will work,
but they don't want to get into the headaches of umpteen million different
configurations and the little differences between them).

If you want pretty much pure AT&T stuff you can get ESIX, or Bell Tech (now
Intel) Unix.  Interactives Unix is the same kernel, with additional 
performance modifications/additions.

I run interactive unix because of the much better X support and high 
performance disk driver that was only available from interactive at the time
I bought my main system.  

-- 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Conor P. Cahill     uunet!virtech!cpcahil      	703-430-9247	!
| Virtual Technologies Inc.,    P. O. Box 876,   Sterling, VA 22170     |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (02/28/90)

In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
>I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
>unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
>to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.

I'm not quite sure what you think the problem is.
UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T; anyone selling a product
labeled "UNIX" should be doing so with AT&T's approval, which
means that their product is derived from AT&T's official source code
for UNIX System V and passes AT&T's System V Validation Suite.

Because of architectural differences, you cannot simply pick up the
3B2 source code and magically obtain an Intel 386 version of UNIX
from it; considerable porting effort is required.  In fact, AT&T and
Intel had an arrangement to produce an officially sanctioned port to
the 386 architecture, and that version is available for licensing
through Intel last I heard, although you may be better off getting a
copy from a value-added reseller.

There are several releases of UNIX System V; the most recent is
Release 4.0 and I don't know whether or not a 386 port of that is
available yet.  I do know that UNIX System V Release 3.2 has been
available for the 386 for some time now.

tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff) (02/28/90)

In article <12245@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
>>I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
>>unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
>>to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.
>
>I'm not quite sure what you think the problem is.
>UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T; anyone selling a product
>labeled "UNIX" should be doing so with AT&T's approval, which
>means that their product is derived from AT&T's official source code
>for UNIX System V and passes AT&T's System V Validation Suite.

No, Robert's question is quite appropriate.  Besides being an "ultimate"
source for all System V UNIX, AT&T is also a value added reseller of its
own 386 port!  AT&T's own specific release of 386 UNIX includes some
utilities and management tools, and is considered by people who know the
various 386 incarnations to be as good as any of them, where "good"
means major-bug-free, good manuals, easy to install, and good customer
tech support.

BUT, and this is the big but, AT&T only supports their version on AT&T
6386 hardware!  The customer hotline asks for your CPU serial number
right off the bat, and they pull up your 6386 owner file before
dispatching you to a tech.  No 6386, no support.  So although some
distributors seem willing to sell the software unbundled, you shouldn't
take them up on it.

I happen to like the 6386 boxes and consider AT&T hardware+software to
be a winning solution for an office development cluster, but otherwise
there is no way I'd buy AT&T UNIX -- I'd go with Interactive.

Ironically, people who do install AT&T UNIX 386 on non-AT&T boxes say
it's usually pretty smooth.  But the day something breaks, you're SOL.

dyer@spdcc.COM (Steve Dyer) (02/28/90)

In article <12245@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) writes:
>In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
>>I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
>>unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
>>to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.
>
>I'm not quite sure what you think the problem is.
>UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T; anyone selling a product
>labeled "UNIX" should be doing so with AT&T's approval, which
>means that their product is derived from AT&T's official source code
>for UNIX System V and passes AT&T's System V Validation Suite.
>
>[blah blah blah]

His question makes a lot of sense to anyone who is knowledgeable about
386 UNIX systems.  AT&T, SCO and ISC all sell a 386 UNIX system.  AT&T
also sells a 386 box.  There has been controversy in the past about the
support, if any, you can get from AT&T if you try to run their UNIX on
a non-AT&T machine (reports were in the past that support would ask you for
the serial # of the hardware--I don't know what the policy is now.)
Also, it is quite common for there to be some variability in 386 systems
even if they all manage to run DOS identically, such that one flavor of
boxed 386 UNIX won't boot on such a machine.

You have a big gap in your knowledge when it comes to 386 UNIX systems,
Doug.  Try to restrain yourself from presuming what you think people
might mean, especially if they post the question to comp.unix.i386,
as he did here.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
dyer@arktouros.mit.edu, dyer@hstbme.mit.edu

brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) (03/02/90)

In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
<I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
<unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
<to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.

The SCO and ISC versions of Unix for the PC (I have the Compaq 386/20e running
ISC version 2.0.2) are the AT&T System V release 3.2.
-- 
      harvard\     att!nicmad\              cs.wisc.edu!astroatc!vidiot!brown
Vidiot  ucbvax!uwvax..........!astroatc!vidiot!brown
      rutgers/  decvax!nicmad/   INTERNET:<@cs.wisc.edu,@astroatc:brown@vidiot>

tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff) (03/03/90)

In article <209@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>The SCO and ISC versions of Unix for the PC (I have the Compaq 386/20e running
>ISC version 2.0.2) are the AT&T System V release 3.2.
                       /\
                      /  \
                     /    \
                    BASED ON!

Each vendor, including AT&T as an end user vendor, handles
installation/configuration, some device drivers and documentation
itself.  Each vendor does some value adding as well.  Therefore
installation compatibilites vary.  It is legitimate to want the exact
same release on all boxes under one's control.  (Whether it's feasible
to do so, or worth the cost, is another matter.)

-- 
"A man came into the the office one day and said he  \|/  Tom Neff
was a sailor.  We cured him of that." - Mark Twain,  -O-  tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET
on his days as a doctor's apprentice in California.  /|\  uunet!bfmny0!tneff

stevem@sauron.Columbia.NCR.COM (Steve McClure) (03/03/90)

In article <209@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>
>The SCO and ISC versions of Unix for the PC (I have the Compaq 386/20e running
>ISC version 2.0.2) are the AT&T System V release 3.2.

I don't think so.  SCO and AT&T V.3.2 are not totally compatible.  There are
differences as SCO saw fit to do their own thing because they have an 
incredibly high market share in 386/Unix.


Steve
-----
Steve.McClure@Columbia.NCR.COM
The above are my opinions, which NCR doesn't really care about anyway!
CAUSER's Amiga BBS! | 803-796-3127 | 8pm-8am 8n1 | 300/1200/2400

John_Robert_Breeden@cup.portal.com (03/05/90)

AT&T was selling V/386 long before they sold 386 machines. So, guess what
they used as a target box? You got it - COMPAQ!

They still use two targets, AT&T and Compaq 386s (look in the root of
Rel 3.1 or 3.2 - there's a file called compaq).

ti@altos86.Altos.COM (Ti Kan) (03/06/90)

In article <209@vidiot.UUCP> brown@vidiot.UUCP (Vidiot) writes:
>In article <1990Feb27.044606.14253@csustan.CSUStan.Edu> robert@csustan.CSUStan.Edu (Robert Zeff) writes:
><I would like to install AT&T unix on my Compaq 386/20.  Does AT&T sell their
><unix for hardware other than AT&T?  I could use SCO unix, but I would like
><to use the same unix as we have at work, which is AT&T.
>
>The SCO and ISC versions of Unix for the PC (I have the Compaq 386/20e running
>ISC version 2.0.2) are the AT&T System V release 3.2.
>-- 

The SCO UNIX System V 3.2 is *based* on AT&T's System V rel 3.2 and
SCO's own XENIX (which in itself is a modified version of Microsoft
XENIX).  *But*, SCO has substantially changed its 5.3.2 UNIX so that
it largely no longer resemble AT&T's version, whether it be the kernel,
libraries, or utilitites.  This is true at the source code level, and
in many cases in a functional level as well.

AT&T's UNIX System V release 4.0 has a i386 version that will run on
a generic 386 PC/AT clone.  I don't know whether 5.4.0 is commercially
available yet.

-Ti
-- 
Ti Kan                                                                  \\\
vorsprung durch technik!                                                 \\\
Internet: ti@altos.com                                                /// \\\
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