4.2BSD on uVaxII ??

[Dan Ts'o]

In article <> kaiser at jaws.DEC (Pete Kaiser, HLO2-1/N10 225-5441) writes:
>I've said it here earlier, and I'll say it again: Ultrix-32 is 4.2BSD.  The one
>on-line documentation, since I have it nearby on a shelf anyway.  And it does
>seem reasonable that a Q-bus machine needs no Unibus drivers.
> ...
>I hope I've stuck sufficiently to the facts here.  Questions?  Flames?

	(I do think the uVAX II is a decent machine).
	Question:

	PRECISELY, what is the difference between Ultrix-32m for the uVAX II
and the 4.2BSD source distribution from Berkeley ?

	Let me help you start the list, correct me please if I'm wrong:

	- No online documentation		\
	- No user-contributed software		 > These aren't too important
	- No UNIBUS drivers (really?)		/
	- Better error reporting, DEC-style
	- Hashed inode and linked proc queues
	- expensive source license		\
	- Emulation for missing instructions	 > These are very important
	- Bootstraps for MSCP Qbus devices	/

	Please list the real substantive differences. I am particularly
in changes to the memory management code, machine trap handling and missing
instruction emulation.

	The basic question is: What do I need to do to take a 4.2BSD
distribution tape and get a uVAX II running ? (Why not get Ultrix-32m you ask?
because I understand that the source costs $7000 to universities, furthermore,
what happens with 4.3 and 4.4 BSD ?)

	A tidbit: The uVAX II, like the uVAX I, apparently only recognizes
a small set of devices in its boot ROMS: specifically MSCP disks, MRV-11 PROM
and a DEQNA Ethernet board. This fact means that disks such as RK07, RMxx and
third party emulations will not boot on the uVAX II unless you burn a MRV-11
PROM with an appropriate boot routine or new controllers come with VAX boots
(current Qbus controllers have PDP-11 boot ROMS). Thus you must buy at least
one MSCP disk. There are currently no MSCP controllers available which
interface to SMD disks, e.g. the Eagle  (Dilog should have one in a few months
though I hear there have been legal problems).