[comp.unix.xenix.sco] Will Xenix 286 software run on Microport 386?

orville@weyrich.UUCP (Orville R. Weyrich) (05/31/91)

I have been offered an obsolete RM/Cobol (ANSI-74) which has a dev sys and 
runtime for a 286 Xenix. I have heard that Interactive and SCO are binary 
comptable. 

What is the chance of a compiler/dev sys/runtime intended for 286 Xenix
running on Microport System V/386r3, and producing programs that will run
on the Microport System V/386r3? I don't care if it is slow and can't handle
huge programs.

Thanks,

Orville


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Orville R. Weyrich, Jr., Ph.D.                   Certified Systems Professional
Internet: orville%weyrich@uunet.uu.net             Weyrich Computer Consulting
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urban@cbnewsl.att.com (john.urban) (05/31/91)

In article <1991May31.085731.1660@weyrich.UUCP> orville@weyrich.UUCP (Orville R. Weyrich) writes:
>I have been offered an obsolete RM/Cobol (ANSI-74) which has a dev sys and 
>runtime for a 286 Xenix. I have heard that Interactive and SCO are binary 
>comptable. 
>
>What is the chance of a compiler/dev sys/runtime intended for 286 Xenix
>running on Microport System V/386r3, and producing programs that will run
>on the Microport System V/386r3? I don't care if it is slow and can't handle
>huge programs.

Under UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2 (or higher) the odds quite high that
that the 286 XENIX Application will run.  The merged Microsoft XENIX and
System V occured in UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2, so if your version is
prior to 3.2 (ie 3.1) it won't work.

Under UNIX System V/386 Release 4.0, the odds lower.  Why is this?  Well
many XENIX Application don't user opendir(), readdir() ... but hard code
reads of 16 when accessing the directory.  The XENIX Filesystem and the
Standard UNIX filesystem (s5) are very similar.  So the reads of 16 work
on s5 or xenix filesystems.  However, if you run the XENIX application on
a UFS filesystems, things will start breaking if they start looking at the
directory and assume the 16 character layout.

Sincerely,

John Ben Urban

sef@kithrup.COM (Sean Eric Fagan) (06/01/91)

In article <1991May31.134740.12735@cbnewsl.att.com> urban@cbnewsl.att.com (john.urban) writes:
>Under UNIX System V/386 Release 4.0, the odds lower.  Why is this?  Well
>many XENIX Application don't user opendir(), readdir() ... 

Mainly because there *was* no "filesystem-inedependent" way to read
directories prior to SCO XENIX 2.3.*.  ('286 and'386)  In fact, I'd *almost*
be willing to guarantee that a '286 xenix binary will *not* be able to work
on a non-v7ish filesystem.

-- 
Sean Eric Fagan  | "I made the universe, but please don't blame me for it;
sef@kithrup.COM  |  I had a bellyache at the time."
-----------------+           -- The Turtle (Stephen King, _It_)
Any opinions expressed are my own, and generally unpopular with others.