🚀 go-pugleaf

Brian> Just wondering if XINU is a free os. i've see the books, but
Brian> also heard its a commerical implementaion. what platforms does
Brian> it support in any case?


======================================================================
			 XINU FAQ - V1.0
======================================================================


------------------------------------------------------------
What is Xinu?
------------------------------------------------------------
Xinu is a small, elegant operating system designed by Douglas Comer at
Purdue University.  Xinu is a recursive acronym standing for "Xinu Is
Not Unix".  It was designed in conjunction with and is well documented
in the following textbooks:

	Operating System Design Vol. 1 The Xinu Approach, 1984 
	By:  Douglas Comer
	ISBN 0-13-637539-1

	Operating System Design Vol. 1 The Xinu Approach (PC Edition), 1988
	By:  Comer & Fossum
	ISBN 0-13-638180-4
	Software ISBN 0-13-638271-1

	Operating System Design Vol. 1 The Xinu Approach (Macintosh
	Edition), 1989
	By:   Comer & Munson
	ISBN 0-13-638529-X
	Software ISBN 0-13-638545-1

	Operating System Design Vol. II Internetworking with Xinu,
	1987 ISBN 0-13-637414-X

	Internetworking with TCP/IP: Principles, Protocols, and
	Architecture, 1991 (2nd Edition)
	ISBN 0-13-470154-2  

	Operating System Design Vol. II Internetworking with Xinu, 1987
	By:  Douglas Comer
	ISBN 0-13-637414-X

	Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. II Design, Implementation,
	and Internals, 1991.
	By: Comer & Stevens
	ISBN 0-13-472242-6
	Software Title Code 472332

Xinu supports timeslicing, threads (processes executing in the same
address space), semaphores (counting and mutex), and asynchronous
process communication.


------------------------------------------------------------
What Does Xinu Support?
------------------------------------------------------------
Xinu kernels come in the following versions/flavors:

Version 6
	V6 was the first public release.  It corresponds to the code
        in Vol. 1 of the textbook.  Version for the LSI/PDP family,
	Sun 3/50, and PC are available.

Version 7
	V7 Xinu includes the original networking code from Vol. II of
	the textbook series.  It is available for the Sun 3/50.  It
	includes IP routing code and UDP/IP networking code as well as
	a user shell and a remote file system.

Version 7.9
	V7.9 is from "Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. II".  It is a
	full TCP/IP implementation.  The full kernel is available for
	the Sun 3/50.

Version 8.0
	Version 8 Xinu is the current research platform.  It is not
	currently documented in any text.  It was originally designed
	and implemented by Jim Griffioen as part of his PhD research.
	Current research versions support remote paging, a Unix
	emulation library, virtual memory, RPC clients, NFS remote
	file access, SRMP MIB I.  Jim's original code is
	available for the Sun 3/50.  Current work is taking place on
	the DecStation3100/Mips platform.  A Sparc port is also under way.


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How Do I Find Out More?
------------------------------------------------------------
Information about Xinu is exchanged through electronic mail and
gatewayed unto a Usenet news group (comp.os.xinu).  To have your name
added to the mailing list, send to xinu-info-request@cs.purdue.edu. To
send mail to the Xinu list, address it to xinu-info@cs.purdue.edu.



------------------------------------------------------------
How Do I Get Xinu?
------------------------------------------------------------
The PC and 7.9 versions of Xinu are most easily available directly
through Prentice Hall.  Orders for software through Purdue will be
send via magnetic media and include a distribution fee.  Ordering
information for any of the software is available through the mail
address "xinu-librarian@cs.purdue.edu".


------------------------------------------------------------
Is Xinu Copyrighted?
------------------------------------------------------------
The source code for Xinu is copyrighted, but we consider
it to be in the public domain in the sense that it may be
altered for personal use.  However, Xinu may not be redistributed
without permission from Comer.  The C library sources and the
UNIX compiler found on some distribution tapes may not be
redistributed.

We grant permission for anyone to give away Xinu with products.
However, because Xinu was developed with some support from the
National Science Foundation, you should make it clear that you
are charging for the product and not for Xinu itself (i.e., you
can only charge for your mods to Xinu or your applications that
use it.)

I ask people to talk to me before redistributing Xinu just to
avoid a problem that happened early on (someone typed in the code
from the book along with many typos, posted it to the net, and I
was swamped with calls about bugs).


------------------------------------------------------------
How is Purdue Xinu Related to Mt. Xinu?
------------------------------------------------------------
The Purdue Xinu project and the Mt. Xinu folks at Berkeley both came
up with the name at roughly the same time.  The 2 projects are
unrelated.


------------------------------------------------------------
Is Xinu A Commercial Product?
------------------------------------------------------------
No, Xinu is not a commercial product.  It has, however, been used as
the base or basis of many products by companies not associated with
Purdue University.
    

------------------------------------------------------------
How Is Xinu Supported?
------------------------------------------------------------
Xinu is not currently a funded project.  Dr. Comer and several
graduate students and researchers here at Purdue and elsewhere are
doing work on the code.  We try to answer all the questions that come
up on the news group and mailing list, but sometimes they fall between
the cracks of our various areas of experience.


------------------------------
FAQ version 1.0
Tue Aug 11, 1992
Shawn Ostermann