🚀 go-pugleaf

in article <38848@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>, tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu says:
> 
> My university research group is is considering getting some RS6000s.
> My question to the net is how well do they integrate into the
> hodge-podge university environment? In particular, they would have to
> cooperate with/tolerate our SUN machines.
> 
> 1. BSD support 
> 
>    How easy is it to run in the BSD command environment? 
>    Does putting /usr/ucb before /usr/bin really do the trick?
  for the most part, yes.  However, there will be a few things that are
  boarder-line as to wether they are SysV or BSD.

>    
>    Can one get away with using only BSD system administration tools?
  Only with the greatest of pain.

>    Or is use of System V administration tools necessary?
  Actually IBM (as always) has their own flavor of administration tools
  called SMIT (System Management Integrated Tool).  To be perfectly
  honest, we have had to use ALL three flavors of Admin tools to get
  the job done...

> 
>    We grab a lot of stuff off the net requiring the BSD C environment.
>    How easy is it to port BSD C-language applications? 
>    Does the BSD environment variable really do the trick?
  Again, for the most part, yes.  Some of our developers have found a
  few of the BSD library subroutine missing, though.  Actually this AIX
  tents to be more SysV-ish than BSD-ish.

> 
> 2. Network Services
> 
>    Any problems with the provided versions of:
>     sendmail, named (Hopefully, these are modern versions with MX records?)
>     NFS, YP
>     net daemons: inetd, lpd, rshd, etc. 
  These all work fine, however, there is an annoying management tool for
  system daemons called the SRC (System Resource Controller) master, which
  is supposed to proved a common control mechanise for deamons.  But it
  is inconsistent in that certain daemons will not respond to it, and
  (worse of all) it looses track of them and can't communicate with them
  again! (note: this is a bug for which there is an update comming any
  day now...so they tell me).
> 
>    Can you network boot and run run diskless (and swap via NFS)?
  Don't know about that...don't have any diskless stations, only 320s
  and a 530...oh and a bunch of X-stations (120s)
> 
>    Does an X11 R4 server exist for all the displays?
  Haven't seen one, bit there is one for X11R3.  One thing to note: their
  implementation of X11 on their 320s and the X11 that runs on their X-stations
  do *not* act the same way.  Example:  We just had a demo of FramMaker2.1
  for the RS/6000.  The demo (called demomaker) would talk to the X-station
  without any problems at all (nice graphics too), however, when talking to
  the X11 server running on the 320, it kills X!!  I mean the X process
  dies!  (Interesting, you say?...)

>    Dose the IBM X11 software come with Motif?
  Yes, it's their prefered flavor.
> 
> 3. General Impression
> 
>    Bugginess of the OS? 
>      (eg like the spectacular security holes in vanilla SUNOS 4.0)
  Haven't found any holes yet (yes, I've looked for them).  IBM tried to
  close up as many holes as possible with this version of AIX (after all, they
  planned to sell these things to the likes of the Government).  However,
  their "golden" copy of the OS that is being shipped, even as we type,
  has bugs in it.  We come across them almost daily.  But, fear not, for IBM
  has an Update in the works that is supposed to fix them Real Soon.

>    Reliability of the Hardware?
>      (eg like the high failure rate of SUN's 19" monochrome monitors on 3/60s)
  Of the hardware we have (530,320s,120s,13" color, 19" mono) only one of
  the 19" monos' had to be replaced.  In the beginning of the installation
  process we turned all of the machinery on/off several times a day, and
  haven't had any problems.  Oh, I jsut remembered, we also have a 4019
  LaserPrinter, which had to be "rebuilt"...IBM prefered to rebuild it
  instead of replacing it, because the paper work was less (do they claim).
  The One thing I like about IBM is that their hardware is very stable.
> 
>    Any other comments?
  Software, on the other hand.....well, there's a lot to be desired. I
  know they meant well, but IBM did what IBM always does when they enter
  into a market, they imposed their own standards on Unix.

  Looking back at my comments, it occurs to me that I was a bit cynical
  in my responses.  AIX v3.0 is an addequate implementation of Unix,
  however, integrating their system into a network of other systems
  will not be trivial.  While I'm not trying to turn you off to the RS/6000
  (really, I'm not), You should ask VERY detailed questions of IBM before
  you buy.
> 
> 
> -ted
> 
> Ted Kim                           Internet: tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu
> UCLA Computer Science Department  UUCP:    ...!{uunet|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!tek
> 3804C Boelter Hall                Phone:   (213)206-8696
> Los Angeles, CA 90024		  FAX:     (213)825-2273 

  For what it's worth, those are my comments.  Feel free to ask questions
  if you wish more information.

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