Ultrix == 4.xBSD, SysV, other ???

[daya at iuvax.UUCP]

/**** iuvax:net.unix / decuac!avolio /  8:53 pm  Jun 11, 1986 ****/
In article <140 at endot.UUCP>, payne at endot.UUCP (Craig Payne) writes:
> 	I need to know if DEC's Ultrix is compatible, or "identical", to
> other unixs on the market. In particular, we here think that it is identical
> to the most recent Berkeley releases. Does anyone know for sure?

I shall assume that you refer to the Ultrix-32 product, although the
compatibility statements here can mostly be said for Ultrix-11.
(Ultrix-32m is a repackaging of Ultrix-32, so it is included here.)

Ultrix-32 V1.0 was built on 4.2BSD. Bug fixes and drivers were added
(and a few other fixes to make it maintainable).  It is binary
compatible with 4.2BSD.  (An executable could be copied from a pure
4.2BSD system and it would run.)  U-32 V1.1 added more drivers, bug
fixes, and hooks for layered products (DECnet, for example), a
Modula-2 compiler, better error reporting, etc., while maintaining the
compatibility.  (I am simplifying things, but you don't want to hear
about 'ease of reconfiguration with sources' and so on...)

The most recent release, Ultrix-32 V1.2 has added more of the same,
plus 4.3BSD performance enhancements (not everything from 4.3BSD as
U-32 V1.2's code was frozen before 4.3BSD's) and compatibility with
the System V Interface Definition (edition 1) at the source code level
(through a System V programming environment, libraries, etc.).
(That means a program written for 4.2BSD or for System V in accordance
with the SVID will run under the Ultrix-32 system.)

It can no longer be said that Ultrix-32 is 100% binary compatible with
4.2BSD as a few (a very few) programs would probably have to be
recompiled, but I suspect the same would be said for 4.3BSD.  Most
programs could just move across, without recompiling.

I hope this helps.

[Oh, yeah... System V is a trademark of AT&T something-or-other and
Ultrix-* are trademarks of DEC.]

-- 
Fred @ DEC Ultrix Applications Center
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