🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Bx5Iwn.to.2@cs.cmu.edu> ddj+@cs.cmu.edu (Doug DeJulio) writes:
> In article <1992Nov2.170741.2092@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>  
eboltz@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Eric Scott Boltz) writes:
> >This week's Info World, "Reports from the Field" claims that NeXT has
> >terminated the dual 88110 NRW and will go with the P5 (Pentium) from
> >Intel in future machines.
> >
> >This sucks for a few reasons:
> >1. We won't have a faster NeXT till the P5 ships.
> >2. We're stuck with Intel.
> >3. The NRW will be AS FAST AS A HIGH-END CLONE.
> 
> This last item is not neccesarily true.  Let's suppose NeXT goes with
> the P5.  Remember that the NeXT OS, Mach, already has support for
> multiprocessor systems.  Doesn't the P5 have enhanced support for
> working in multiprocessor systems?  Can you imagine a four processor
> P5 system, with one processor devoted to a realtime Display PostScript
> environment, another devoted to a realtime sound server (including a
> port pin-compatible with the current DSP port), and two more for
> general purpose CPU tasks?  NeXT could put out a wide variety of
> systems simply by changing the number of processors.
> -- 
> Doug DeJulio
> ddj+@cmu.edu

I'm not so sure that there wouldn't need to be additional changes made for  
multiprocessor support in the NeXT OS and Mach, if the information  
provided by hostinfo is to be believed (but then again, I'm assuming it's  
correct):

binky> hostinfo
Mach kernel version:
         NeXT Mach 3.0: Wed Jul 29 19:43:28 PDT 1992;  
root(rcbuilder):mk-127.15/BUILD/RELEASE_M68K

Kernel configured for a single processor only.
1 processor is physically available.
Processor type: MC680x0 (68040)
Processor speed: 25 MHz
Processor active: 0
System type: 1
Board revision: 0x0
Primary memory available: 20.00 megabytes.
Default processor set: 61 tasks, 111 threads, 1 processors
Load average: 0.26, Mach factor: 0.91

While Mach has support for multiple processors, I would hesitate before  
assuming that the NeXT implementation of Mach would have support for it.   
And having been a former CC for NeXT, I've heard a lot of rumors about  
what they've had (and still do have) running in "the lab", but that  
doesn't mean any of it is anywhere near production status.  If someone  
knows different about this (NeXT...care to comment? :-), please correct  
me, as support for multiple processors is much desired...at least by me.

Joe Gerkman
Systems Programmer
Washington State University
gerkman@binky.csc.wsu.edu