reply to 4.3BSD or Ultrix

[HAL%USU.BITNET at wiscvm.arpa]

Subject: 4.3BSD or Ultrix?

> My organization's backbone networks is Decnet which I can't talk.
> since I have two VAX (11/780, and 11/750) and a Sun (3/160) running under
> UNIX 4.2BSD. Since is a must that my VAX 11/780 becomes a network node
> I'm facing two alternatives :

> 1) I convert my 780 into a Ultrix machine.

> 2) I prove that Ultrix is not quite 4.2BSD and that the conversion
>    will be more expensive than to buy a uVax to be used as gateway.

> My intuition tells me to stick to UNIX and get a uVax, but I need
> more arguments than that, to convince my administration. Any info
> concerning this issue will be very much appreciated.

> Carlos Perez
> Department of Electrical Engineering
> Concordia University
> Montreal, Canada
> UUCP: {decvax}!utcsri!musocs!deervax!carlos
>

There is possibly a third alternative:

        A company called Technology Concepts Inc. markets a
        generic DECnet that reportedly runs on 4.xBSD, called
        CommUnity.  Their literature claims it is compatible
        with DECnet Phase IV, UNIX as an operating system.

        their address is:

                Technology Concepts Inc.
                40 Tall Pine Drive
                Sudbury, Mass 01776
                (617)443-7311

        We are not using the product ourselves because we chose
        Ultrix. We migrated from Eunice on VMS.  I suspect that
        #2 above might or might not be correct depending on what
        must be converted.  We converted Writers Workbench from
        Eunice(4.1bsd?!) to Ultrix with no problems, but we have
        yet to get S working 100%.  DECnet Ultrix works real well.
        File copies, remote rm's ls's and cat's are easy both ways.
        Task to task communications with VMS is a piece of cake.
        All our printing and tape work is done over the network
        to VMS machines.
                                        hal