LAST UPDATE 06/06/88
This is a list of questions about sr10, gathered from several training classes
conducted with Apollo field people, third-party suppliers and beta customers.
This information is presented very informally, but we hope it will be useful
to you.
Please see the sr10 release notes, the guide 'Making the Transition to sr10'
and other sr10 documentation for complete information about sr10.
The questions are ordered approximately by topic.
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DISK SUPPORT
How much disk space does sr10 use?
With all three full environments, about 90mb, more or less.
Will salvol salvage all volumes on a node?
No, only the boot volume.
Does salvol delete files when their reference counts = 0?
Salvol puts them into a lost and found file where find_orphans can get them.
Has anything been done to increase the speed of invol?
Yes, you may invol without formatting the blocks (just create
physical and logical volume labels, bad spot list, etc).
Why are invol and salvol faster?
They use memory more intelligently.
Can I invol one volume for SR9.7, and 2nd volume for sr10.0?
Yes, but we do NOT recommend this, esp for performance reasons.
Can you mount an sr10 volume on diskless 9.7 node?
No, you cannot mount an sr10 volume on a pre-sr10 node, disked or not.
Can we do Unix mount volume?
We support mount at 9.5-9.7. At sr10, mtvol, bsd mount and sysv mount
all support the same mount table and mount uses correct unix semantics
(entry directory must already exist).
Do we support BSD4.2 fsck?
No.
When will disk striping be available for all products?
Right now we are working on disk striping for the DN1000. It is possible
that we will support it on other products later.
How are we going to handle files that are larger than the disk volume?
You would have to use disk striping and remember the file can never
be larger than the logical volume.
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BOOTING AND INITIALIZATION
Is there a reboot mechanism to remotely reboot a node?
Yes, you can use /etc/reboot. The node must be in normal mode and you must
be running on the node (crp'd on).
How does one mount an SMD (second volume) under sr10.0 (i.e., automatically)?
In one of the startup files (/etc/rc.user or `node_data/startup.xxx) with
a conditional such as 'if not mtvol s then salvol ...'
Who do the processes invoked from /etc/rc.user run as?
user.server.none.
Will a node boot if there is no sys.conf?
If sys.conf is not there, there is a default set of libraries that the node
will load.
Any plans to make system parameters tunable?
Not in general. sys.conf is the first such mechanism.
Does startup.lo still exist?
Yes. (Why isn't it called enddown.lo?)
Can you still disable logout (lo -off)?
The DM has not changed in this regard, so yes.
What id does cron assume?
Cron runs as root (since it is invoked by init from /etc/rc).
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ACLS AND PROTECTION
Is there any performance degradation using extended acls?
At sr10, checking extended acls is more expensive than just using the
required entries. For operations over a large number of objects, you
might be able to measure the effect, but it should be comparable to the
equivalent use of acls on pre-sr10 systems. There is no degradation
compared to pre-sr10 systems.
Do you still have to run salacl?
Yes, to coalesce acls that have been created in separate operations.
Is 'salacl -l' going to be documented?
Done for sr10.
Why is the accounting log necessarily writable by world?
Cuz records are written in user space by the process doing the accounting,
whose identity may be anything.
Which programs actually make the changes to utmp and wtmp?
Callers of the login subroutine (dm, spmlogin, siologin, /bin/login, /com/login)
Can you have local-access-only on diskless nodes?
No. There are no local files on a diskless node.
How are we implementing local root?
We aren't at sr10.
Does remote root override local-access-only?
No.
Can we protect a node from remote root?
Yes, we have some remote root protection at sr10 (lprotect). It is per-node.
Does lprotect work against my sr9.5 node?
No, /etc/lprotect will not work against sr9.5, 9.6 nor 9.7.
How can I get to an lprotect'd node as root?
If you can crp and login as root, you are then local.
Why did we remove node id from SID?
We weren't sure we could guarantee that a node was who he said he was.
What have we done to protected subsystems?
No changes.
Do we do setuid on scripts at sr10?
No. We cannot reliably do this at this time.
What will be the difference between crd and mkdir with respect to acls?
Each works exactly the same, depending upon what the parent directory
says, i.e. if unix inheritance is set in parent directory, that's what
happens. Intitial default acls are used to specify the behavior.
Is locksmith still going to be around?
Yes, locksmith and root are equal.
Does SID mean only the user portion for sigp and kill?
Yes.
Does /etc/sup go away?
Yes.
How does protection work with hard and soft links?
None on links, just on the containing directory. Slinks are gone.
Does an execute-only file still need 'read' rights to be executed?
No longer. If x is specified but not 'r', you can execute the file
but cannot read the it through streams. Remember that our hardware
architecture does not support true execute only, r is implicit in
the mmu's, so in a true sense this is simulated execute-only. You
could still write a program that would map the object and 'read' it.
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LOGIN, REGISTRY, AND CRP
Who is doing the login?
At sr10 the DM is. When we have X windows, if you use a different window
manager, something else will.
If login_log is inhibited can people still log in?
Yes.
Will the DM assume a sid of root if su is executed in a window?
No, no change there.
Right now when the network is down, it takes a long time to log in. Any change?
This will be much better at sr10. There will be at most one network timeout.
If the network is unavailable, what level of unix registry usage will we have?
If your login sid is in the local registry, you will see it. All names in
your local registry and all canned id's and names will be available.
Is the login protected subsystem still necessary?
Yes, remember login is in user space and the subsystem allows multiple
sid changes.
Do you still have to run crpasswd?
No, that's all gone.
Are there going to be canned uid's for unix accounts?
Yes, there are canned uid's and canned unix id's.
How does this affect NFS because unix id's are critical?
The import_passwd program will help you resolve conflicts, but you
cannot change the canned unix id's.
Are /etc/passwd and /etc/group portable?
Yes, just copy.
Are account names chopped to 8 characters?
No, unless you use the 'I want to be restricted to Unix compatibility
only' option in setting up the registry.
Will login shell be set by registry?
Default login shell is in the registry and set at login.
What protects the master registry?
Local access only from remote invaders and internal registry checks
from unauthorized registry-based modifications.
In NCS there is a server and a client, who is the client of the registry?
Anyone who needs to log in or makes rpc calls on the registry for information.
Does LLBD need to be run on all nodes in order to log in?
No. But it must run concurrent with the registry server.
Do we keep track of the last date and time logged in?
Yes, in /usr/adm/wtmp if it exists and in the local registry.
Does master_rgy and all local sites have to be on 9.7?
Cvtrgy must run on 9.7. Servers can be on either.
Can you run rgy_server on a 9.7 node?
Yes.
Is it ok to to use pre-9.7 nodes on the same registry as sr10.0 nodes?
Do you mean can pre-9.7 nodes use the same registry that 9.7 is using in
concert with sr10? Yes.
Which registry should be made writable?
That is installation dependent and will change as the network converts to sr10.
Is readonly for mixed registry sites enforced?
Sr10 is enforced by the way you invoke the server. Sr9.7 registries
get marked so they are no longer writable.
With one writable registry, can I crp onto a node using the writable registry
and change my password or home directory or default shell?
Yes, but the change won't propagate to the readonly registry till the
next cvtrgy is done.
What is the default password for user.none.none under sr10?
-apollo- (that's 'dash apollo dash')
Using the registry control, what users can log onto a node?
Only users known in the registry can log in. There is no way to
use the registry to control access to nodes.
How do you determine what node looks at what server?
For the most part you don't, the location broker finds you a server,
but you can attach to a particular site for some things.
If you can't get to the server registry and the local registry does not have
your account, can you get logged in as user.none.none?
Yes, if you try to log in as user.none.none and there is no server available,
you can always get in as that identity. If there is no server and there is
no local registry, you always get in as user.none.none.
How does a standalone node work without a registry?
It needs to run a registry server at least once and then can create
a local registry from that.
Is there a model of how the registry server works?
Yes. There was a paper presented at Usenix in Dallas in February.
Give me some reasons why I might get 'registry server unavailable'.
There are several reasons. Common ones are: llbd not running, server is
down, network is down.
Do crp login and shell window login execute startup files?
Yes, if the files are in the right place.
When you crp from a Unix shell, what kind of shell do you get?
You get the default shell from the registry.
Will there be a crp on control?
Yes, there is a spm_control file in `node_data.
Can you crp onto sr10.0 from 9.5 or 9.2?
No, the crp mailbox is on the crp'ing node (sr10) and pre-sr9.7 releases
cannot access sr10 files (mailboxes).
Does spm_control remote DSEE builders?
Yes.
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NAMING AND DIRECTORIES
Since ` (tic) is special only with node_data now, what has been done in shells?
Shells still work the same as before.
What do we do with multiple /'s in middle of pathnames?
We collapse them, just like we always did.
What about DM handling a long pathname?
The DM will handle long pathnames.
Does "//" still exist and mean the same?
Yes.
Do name conversion routines work with sr8 and aux?
No.
Is DOWNCASE set at shell level?
Yes, it is per-process.
What is the Aegis shell going to do with command names?
Nothing is different except the shell is now case sensitive.
How does the new directory manager and the remoting of calls affect performance?
Operations should be the same or faster.
How is sald affected?
It is still being shipped because directories could still get corrupted,
but we expect it to be needed far less often.
Is there any file compression in sr10?
No.
Will dlt run faster or slower?
In general faster unless you cross a directory node-collapse boundary.
At sr9.5 we added naming_cc calls to handle case correctness, what happens at sr10?
At sr10 the naming_cc calls are not in the include files, but they
will still run. Use the _lc calls.
What about . and ..?
At sr10 you will see . and .. when you do an ls or ld. The new interfaces
show . and .. The old interfaces do not.
Why is a directory only 255 characters, what happened do the 256th?
It is reserved for the null terminator.
How can a user determine the actual name if a file name contains control characters?
There are switches on ls to show them.
What about streams, does the length include the null character?
If you mean in the length of a pathname, no. If you mean a null character
read from or written to the stream, yes. A null is just a character.
Can you have multiple hard links to a directory?
No, only files can have multiple hard links.
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LIBRARIES AND STREAMS
Is inlib built into all shells?
Yes.
Will the binder still take inlib option?
Yes.
How long does a dynamic library stay around, what about private ones?
A dynamic library only goes away when the program address space
goes away. You cannot unload private libraries.
Is there a tool to help system administrators figure out what goes on in Global A?
Only las and perhaps llkob.
Why is dialoglib in global and not private?
For 16mb virtual address, it is shared and therefore gets loaded into private
space.
Are usrlib.global and usrlib.private still supported?
Yes, for compatibility, but we would like to remove support for them.
What happens if too many libraries are loaded into the KGT?
An error will be given and you will return to the boot shell.
What is the order of loading for global device drivers?
Global drivers are loaded in whatever order they are seen in the directory
(therefore alphabetical). If you wish one driver to handle multiple devices,
you must use the crddf '-multiple' option on ALL ddfs for those devices.
Is there a 'rebind'?
No, there is no 'unbind and rebind'.
What does a parent do if stream 2 is closed?
The stream 2 is closed on the child side, so there is no effect on the
parent.
When you create a child process, do you have to pass it a stdin and stdout?
Only if the child expects them.
At sr10.0, will everything be coff or some obj?
Some things will be shipped as obj so they can run on sr9.7.
Why not just go to 3 streams and let all programs break?
We try not to do things like that, since people often need to keep running
programs without access to sources to rebuild.
Is writing to input pad the same as typing into input pad?
No. Anything written to the 'input pad' because of the changes in pad streams
is NOT seen as input by the system. It is output to that input window.
Why absolute code?
Loading is faster, it's JLRU (just like real unix), and programs execute
faster on the 68010, especially C programs.
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DEVICES, SIO
Do you handle raw disk devices?
You will be able to open a disk if it is not mounted. Performance
will not be better than system i/o. You will have the same level of
support as before.
Does GPIO support ioctl?
Yes, you must implement the trait operations in your drivers and they are
then available through streams.
Will you support fcntl and ioctl on all devices?
Yes.
Any changes to the VT100 Emulator? Is it still a server?
Only bug fixes. Yes, it is still a server.
With the new emt can you get to remote sio lines?
No. You must crp, then emt on the remote node.
What about line access code capability of siologin?
Still there. Not in getty.
On a DSP with a terminal on an sio line, can getty take over the line, rather than spm?
Yes, if you spawn the getty process first. I believe spm will run without
access to the sio line.
Are all input devices supported under SR9.7 supported under 10.0?
Yes. We know of none that aren't.
How does PCI work since MS DOS is not CASE sensitive?
You have to limit the names you can use with PCI to not be mixed case.
When will more than 16 internets be allowed?
64 internets have been supported since sr9.2, with a maximum of 16 hops.
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BACKUP
What does wbak do on local-access-only nodes?
That's local-access-only files, not nodes, and it does nothing. It can't
read them. Being root does not override protection on local-access-only files.
Are wbak and rbak using streams yet?
Yes, on the 'media' side (i.e. instead of tape or ctape). Of course they
still use mapping for reading/restoring the Apollo files.
Will WBAK formats be documented?
No plans.
Won't setuid root on wbak allow users to backup any file?
Yes. That's why we don't ship wbak that way. The administrator must stamp
it and control the acl and execute rights.
Can sr10.0 nodes backup 9.5 nodes?
Yes.
Can a 9.7 node do backup of an sr10.0 node?
Yes, but sr10 information will be lost (owner, etc)
Does rbak know about real colons on sr10 disks?
Rbak assumes all colons are the upper case escape character (when it makes
sense). The utility cvtname should be used to restore intentional colons.
*********************************************************************************
ENVIRONMENTS
How freely can a program mix AEGIS and UNIX calls?
In general, there is no problem unless the Unix calls rely on the Aegis calls
as their underlying or supporting mechanism (or vice versa).
How about BSD4.3 and SYS5.3 together?
In general, you can use calls from one that don't exist in the other. But
since it's impossible to verify all combinations, if you mix calls and they
work, fine; if they don't work, we make no claim that they should.
Is there any documentation that shows what calls can be mixed?
No. We have no plans to attempt this information. This would be difficult
to do and probably impossible to get right for all cases.
Are there problems mixing different managers that allocated memory (GPR,
Streams, etc.) ex., GPR and Forking?
There shouldn't be. They all use the same basic underlying mechanism.
Will there be a guaranteed shell to write shell scripts?
Yes, in /etc/sys_sh. It is a bourne shell. There is also a guaranteed
set of SYS5.3 commands on every node in the /sys5.3/bin directory that
is sufficient to run install scripts.
Will Apollo provide an install program to check environment and run appropriate script?
Yes. /etc/invoke_script will do this.
What has been moved into the shell?
nd and wd have been moved into the /com shell.
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COMPATIBILITY AND CONFIGURATIONS
Will sr9.6 work with sr10?
Not reliably, sr9.7 is the transition release.
Can you have sr9.6 on some nodes if one does not care about file-sharing sr10 nodes?
Yes. You can run SR7 if you don't care about sharing files.
Is sr9.7 a requirement for going to sr10?
You probably should not go from sr9.2 to sr10. You should at least go
to sr9.5 or 9.6, to iron out any 9.2 transition problems. We prefer that
you go to sr9.7 first.
What about sr9.x layered products that haven't changed and need to be re-installed?
We expect the old install scripts to be used. Currently we know that you should
make sure downcase and inprocess are set to 'true' to get all of the 9.7 semantics.
There may be other requirements, depending on the script.
Are the object files needed for sr9.7 compilers going to be made available under sr10?
Yes, the sr10 compiler products include a 9.7 version of the compilers.
Does mbx work on a mix of sr9.x and sr10 nodes?
Yes.
Can you use the sr9.7 registry on a sr10 node?
No, absolutely not. And you can't use the sr10 registry from sr9.x.
If you do malloc and you have no disk space left, what is the error?
You get a null pointer from malloc. You can look at errno_$status (probably
rws_$no_space).
When memory is freed from malloc, does memory get returned at free or at process death?
Disk space supporting malloc/free is returned only at process death.
Can you use tb to point at another proc_dump?
Yes.
Any support for core files?
No. No support for core.
What Apollo commands are now in the base software?
Look in /usr/apollo/bin and there are more things in /etc
******************************************************************************
UNIX ENVIRONMENTS
Do you support foreign system tapes?
There is currently a restriction on the size of the blocking factor that
can be used. We are working to remove that at sr10. Other than that,
the tar format we use is compatible.
What about nil files and tar?
Tar has a -A flag that stores Apollo-special information such as object type,
acl and so on. nil is a supported type and works with or without the -A.
Will you have shared memory commands in BSD4.3?
We will support the sysV shared memory interfaces and the bsd4.3-style
shared memory interfaces.
Can we use the sysV.3 shared memory calls from within a bsd4.3 application?
To the best of our knowledge, these calls from bsd4.3. However, they're
not documented in the bsd4.3 man pages, and they're not truly "supported"
i.e. they haven't been tested under the bsd4.3 systype and in the past we
have refused to take ucr's on bugs in using sys5.3 calls from bsd4.3
applications and vice-versa. You might want to look at using the mmap()
calls instead, which are supported under both systypes.
Is there a way to change your default shell?
Yes, /etc/edrgy or the chsh command (available in bsd4.3 and in sys5.3)
lets you change it in the registry.
Does dwb support international paper sizes?
Support for international paper sizes is not an sr10 deliverable.
Transcript at version 2.1 does not support it. DWB has no intrinsic
notion of international paper sizes; you can make the line and paper
length be anything you want and then get your printer to match.
Are dwb and transcript optional?
Yes.
Do you have a troff previewer?
Not at sr10.
Do I use /usr/apollo/include for ftn and pas?
No, it is only for C - it contains the .h files.
Is RFS included as part of SYS5?
No.
What happens to unixlib?
Gone.
Does csh still run .logout? When?
Yes, if it is invoked as a login shell (as by start_csh or login_sh).
Does init look in inittab for its tty's?
Init looks in /etc/ttys for its tty's. Inittab is used in sys5.3 and we
do bsd4.3 init only.
There are two flavors of init, which one is used?
We use the bsd4.3 version only.
Can init be convinced to invoke both dm and spm?
Yes, either by starting one of them from /etc/rc.user or by putting a dummy
tty line in /etc/ttys and specifying /sys/spm/spm (or /sys/dm/dm) as the
program to invoke.
Are you supporting bug-for-bug compatability with unix?
Yes, in some circumstances. We have to leave certain unix bugs in
because some people have programs that depend on them. Read the man pages.
Can we get more info about getting Aegis status from the shell?
We have implemented errno_$status for the aegis status (not documented yet).
You set the environment variable APOLLO_STATUS := true and run perror to
see the Aegis status.
Under pre-sr10 some unix calls were different (ie: stat). Is this still true?
There is a merged structure now for stat and we will continue to support
the pre-sr10 strucuture for programs stamped bsd4.2 or sys5.
Can we have the tar -a switch be the default to help naive unix users?
No, that is not compatible with expected Unix behavior.
*********************************************************************************
MISCELLANEOUS
Has the systest directory changed?
Not significantly.
Will the current SVC that provides nodeid still work at sr10.0?
Yes.
Have the Berkeley sockets been added to Sys 5?
Socket calls are available from both environments.
Is MBX still the fastest IPC? Is it faster than Domain Sockets?
Yes, MBX takes full advantage of the Domain system. Yes, it is generally
faster than the UDS.
Do the shells use sockets to implement pipes?
No.
If I have a permanent object and I use uctob, does the file go away?
Yes, if there are no other references to it.
Will my Aegis program return Unix error codes?
All Aegis interfaces return what they did before (usually status).
Did we do all Unix signalling?
Yes.
Did we take away sigapollo?
No.
Can we port unix device drivers?
No, since they need the Unix kernel.
Did we implement UNIX file locks?
Yes, but for the local case only at sr10.
Did we do /dev/kmem?
No.
Can cpf copy to and restore from NFS a typed objects and retain typing?
No. There is no support for typed files in NFS.
What is the state of the container versus contents issue?
cpf copies container and therefore contents. cp copies contents through
streams. There is an extension to cp (-o) that does it like cpf.
Has the stack been changed?
Yes, the stack size can be set with a switch on bind and ld. The default
size is still 256k.
Is there a maximum stack?
Don't believe so, limited only by address space.
Has the stack layout changed?
No.
Do Aegis shell scripts run out of process?
No.
Any info on clocks and clock synchronization?
Not available at sr10, although since we do support stime, you could write
your own synchronizer.
Is it less critical that clocks be in sync due to version numbers?
No.
What about limits help file, will it be included?
It will now.
Has the default typeuid switched from rec to uasc?
The default typeuid is now unstruct.
*********************************************************************************
DEBUGGER
Does the new debugger support open dialogue and x windows?
Not yet.
Is the debugger user extensible (ie: for objects that aren't ours)?
We will eventually offer an open debugger tool kit for users
to write their own managers.
Will ADA support be included in the new debugger?
Not yet, not at first customer ship. It has its own debugger.
What about -dbs and -dba?
-dbs should not affect code generation. -dba (no optimization)
does because it throws everything into memory and doesn't use registers.
With the new debugger in sr10 can you specifically examine registers?
Yes.
Are builtin functions user extensible?
No, users cannot do their own builtin functions.
Will it catch loops (infinite)?
No.
Will it reference inactive static variables?
Yes.
Is the interrupt capability better?
Yes.
Can debugger figure out programs of mixed languages?
Yes.
Can you dynamically allocate variables for recursion analysis?
No.
Can it be used over dumb terminal line?
Yes.
Can you do multi-process debugging from one degugger window?
No.
Any limitation on program size for debugger?
No.
Any performance considerations due to incremental symbol table init?
Yes, startup is slower.
Can we dump and/or debug core?
No.
Is there a way to determine faults? with cleanup or fault handler?
The debugger reports faults encountered before returning to command level.
Commands to execute the program (go, step) can do any of:
- Deliver the fault reported to the program (default)
- Ignore (do not deliver) the fault reported (-ignore)
- Signal a different fault to the program (-signal code)
With the new debugger, can you directly access mapped CSR's?
Yes, the new debugger uses ptrace, which supports shared access to CSR's.
You must of course access such registers correctly (e.g. some controllers can
only be read as words).
Will the debugger show the value of last function called?
No. Action lists could be set up to do this for particular functions.
Can you do a GOTO to function call?
At sr10, GOTO is restricted to the current routine.
Can you declare structures using the command language?
Yes, if there is a named type for the structure. The debugger does
not accept full declaration syntax.
Is wildcarding Unix or Aegis semantics?
Aegis.
Will new debug refuse to go further if symbol table is found to be stripped?
No.
Do any tools to handle preprocessors (C++ translator, RATFOR, etc.)?
No. There will be support for Apollo C++, probably sometime after sr10.
Does debugger show YACC grammar or YACC output?
YACC output.
*********************************************************************************
COMPILERS AND LANGUAGE TOOLS
Will cross language communication still work?
Yes, if you are using /com/cc and /com/ftn. In /bin/cc there is a
switch that you can use.
Any advantage of /bin/cc over /com/cc?
No.
Do we automatically bind?
Yes, if /bin/cc or /bin/f77. If you use /com compilers, binding is optional.
When using /bin/ld, do I have to worry about the order of linking?
/bin/ld in effect requires that object modules be first, followed by archives,
because it searches libraries only once when it encounters them.
Can you put 9.7 binary on 9.2 node and run it?
No. You never could.
How do we build (in a supported way) a 9.2 binary on a sr10.0 node?
You can't. It's not supported.
Can I compile something under 9.7 and another thing under sr10 and then bind them
together?
No. Do not mix executable types.
How does one use DSEE to target multiple SR environments?
With sml fragments that call out tools and with branches.
Does concurrent build work over sr10.0 and 9.7?
Yes. But we don't recommend mixing builders.
How can I tell if a sys5 coff file is absolute code when I dump it?
Look for f_pic. If you see it, then it is not absolute code.
Are coff files uasc?
No, they are their own type. We do support unstruct executables though.
Do you support ASM at sr10?
Yes.
Does our listing format report true assembler source?
No.
Does F77 support full 66 compatibility?
No.
How large can .bss be (how many C globals can you have)?
No limitations, since we have no sections anymore.
How are systypes set in object files?
All the tools (compilers and binders) have switches to set the systype
SRI record in object files. They can also be set with declarations in
source or from the SYSTYPE env variable (there is a search order).
Do new compilers support new floating point hardware?
Yes. There are no visible changes.
Do the LINT Libraries understand GPR calls?
Yes.
Are you going to release the coff manager interface?
Not at sr10.
Is there one ld or two versions?
There is one ld. It is also no longer a wrapper around /com/bind.
Will DPAT work the same at sr10.0?
Yes.
Is std_$call still supported?
Yes, but we would like to phase it out.
Are the compilers going to be bundled?
No.
Can the OBJ to COFF converter be used to build something that runs on 9.7 and sr10.0?
Yes, but there may be problems with standard streams. A better idea
is to build it twice, once with sr9.7 compilers, once with sr10.
For F77, is there a limit on the number of units you can have open?
No.
If you bind a Fortran and C Module (forcing case correctness), will DOWNCASE
override case correctness...at SR9.7...or, sr10.0?
If it overrides case correctness in a C program it also will in a FORTRAN one.
Does a user have to add an underscore at the end of a routine name when FORTRAN
calls C and vice versa?
Actually, vice versa. FORTRAN (when using f77 or the -uc switch with ftn)
appends an underscore to subprogram and common block names. C (or Pascal)
must have an underscore typed at the end of all references to these. Nothing
has changed about FORTRAN calling C.
Will fixes for the compilers be back fitted for sr9.7?
Yes.
How do I turn on profiling?
-prof switch in /com/cc
-p switch in /bin/cc
Is unix monitor subroutine supported?
Yes, that is how it is implemented, but I wouldn't go replace it with your own.
Is there a limit on ftn size?
Yes, address space. Ftn compiler will let you know.
******************************************************************************
DSEE
Is there a way to still run in-process?
Yes, use the environment variable "INPROCESS".
Does D3M work across SR9.7/sr10 O/S levels?
There is a new version of d3m for sr10 and a new version for sr9.7 to be
back-installed.
*********************************************************************************
UUCP
Will there be an HDB version of uucp for 9.7?
Yes, we will ship an sr9.7 version of HDB for backloading onto sr9.7.
Is this 8-bit clean?
There has been no work done on that yet.
Is there a problem between sites running HDB and others running old uucp?
There is a problem between nodes on the same network running sr9.7 and
sr10, having to do with queueing. We are shipping the 9.7 HDB to get
around this problem.
*********************************************************************************
TCP/IP
Is tcp/ip still going to be an optional product?
No, tcp/ip is bundled in the base os software.
Do we need to run routed on all nodes?
Yes, but there is a switch (-h) so once routing tables are stable, it
will shut itself down (for host nodes). Gateway routed will always run.
How are you handling sub net masks?
You specify the subnet mask as a parameter to the /etc/ifconfig command
in the rc.local file.
Are you sequentially searching or hashing /etc/host?
We sequentially search the internal routing tables. However,
at sr10, you can start the tcp server and specify one of three ways of
accessing name/internet address mapping information:
1. Sequential reading of the /etc/hosts and /etc/networks file. This
is the default.
2. Hashed access to the /etc/hosts.dir and /etc/hosts.pag files.
These files are created from the /etc/hosts and /etc/networks
files by the /etc/mkhosts command.
3. Using the named server to support domain naming. We supply tools
(/etc/hostns and /etc/nshost) which can create the named database
from the /etc/hosts file.
Unlike bsd Unix, you can choose which of these three options you wish to
use at system boot time.
Does tcp/ip work under sys5 environment.
Tcp/ip is not a standard part of sys5 but we are extending it
to include support for some of the bsd4.3 tcp utilities:
sys5.3/usr/bin/hostid
sys5.3/usr/bin/hostname
sys5.3/usr/bin/rcp
sys5.3/usr/bin/ftp
sys5.3/usr/bin/logger
sys5.3/usr/bin/netstat
sys5.3/usr/bin/remsh
sys5.3/usr/bin/rlogin
sys5.3/usr/bin/ruptime
sys5.3/usr/bin/rwho
sys5.3/usr/bin/telnet
sys5.3/usr/bin/tftp
sys5.3/usr/bin/whois
Is rip_server going away?
Yes, you will use routed.
Is tcp/ip performance different under sr10?
Not significantly different. One version for all environment.
Will we have ping and can we suppress pinging from route server?
Yes, and we will support the ping utility. Also you can suppress
pinging using tcpd -p0.
Any restrictions on transceivers,etc (hardware)?
You must use IEEE 802.3 compatible/compliant hardware.
A-ADD-ETH customers can upgrade their controllers (for full native operation)
by adding an on-board controller PROM to be able to boot diskless.
SR9.6 or greater is also a requirement for native Ethernet operation.
Will tcp/ip 3.1 be released for 9.7?
Yes, probably around 3rd quarter.
Does 3.0 work on 9.7?
Yes.
Is there a size limitation on host.txt?
host.txt is obsolete at sr10, replaced by /etc/hosts and by the /etc/named
server. The /etc/hosts file can presumably get very big.
*********************************************************************************
PRINTING AND HARDCOPY
Does io_device_name apply to spe port?
Yes, but for devices with no streams and just gpio drivers,
you need ddf files (ikon and dsp80 parallel port).
Do I only run one print manager per network?
The best way is to have one per bridge area.
Will the prmgr go over a bridge?
Yes.
Is it still as easy for users to add drivers to the print server?
It will be documented.
Can you abort a job in the middle?
Yes, and you will also be able to suspend one.
Will prmgr support lpr under unix?
Not yet.
What happens if the print server crashes?
Prmgr will restart the job when the print server comes back.
If there is more than one prmgr in a network, can a user still see all the printers?
Yes.
Prf and prsvr had analagous parameters under sr9.x. Will this be cleaned up?
Yes.
If an application uses prflib (9.x) and has not been recompiled and is now
running under sr10, what happens?
If you inlib, it will work. If it is bound into the application, it won't.
What kind of information does prmgr give me?
Printer name, current status, description (which you supply).
How will parallel printers be handled by prmgr?
Prsvr handles this because it is low level - is in config file.
Can you restrict the usage of a printer?
Right now you can't and it won't be ready for sr10.
Can a user cancel someone else's job?
Yes.
Are prf and lpr two separate programs?
Yes.
What documentation is available to write a prsvr?
"Printing in the Domain Environment" will be ready for beta 2. It includes
a chapter on writing print server drivers.
How easy (relative to SR9) is it to do plots on Verstac raster devices?
Users will see no difference. We have added hooks that allow programmers
to modify how the plots are done.
*********************************************************************************
FONTS AND GRAPHICS
Are fonts scalable?
No, we still have raster fonts, but maybe some day.
What is the status of Open Dialog/X windows, etc.?
They are separate products, not on the sr10 delivery train.
Will I be able to run the DM and X simultaneously under sr10?
Yes, I believe X will run in a window.
Will the colormap be on a pad by pad basis?
No changes in colormap support.
What is the maximum size of loadable font file?
224 x 224 pixels
Do you have any plans to release the new font formats?
Yes, they are being released at sr10.
*********************************************************************************
RAI INSTALL
Does the new RAI tool check for the existence of hardware?
No.
Is there a de-installation?
Deinstallation is not supported at sr10 (it is not an easy thing to do).
Do we use reference counts on de-install?
Multiple references are not tracked, so be very careful about removing
pieces. It also makes de-install a little tricky.
Does netman tell nodes to shut down and reboot after installation?
No.
How much disk space does RAI take and how do you install it?
About 300k, release indices about 800k. It gets installed from the boot
tape. File 1 will have a table of contents and installation tools.
Is there just one install?
RAI is one install tool. The indices that drive the install are product specific.
Will the patch tape mechanism change?
Patch installation will go out under RAI.
Will there be multiple versions of the toolkit itself?
Yes and you just overwrite the old one.
Can each RAI subset be made a link?
Yes, with a very few exceptions.
How does RAI determine if a file has "changed"?
By setting the DTM on the file when it is installed to a known value.
What is the availability for use by sys admin. for local installation use?
RAI will be released as a product sometime after sr10.
*********************************************************************************
DOCUMENTATION
General Info:
~92 new or revised documents
~50 are new or significantly new
~33 standard sfw manuals
~18 layered products
~17 hardware manuals
~23 release notes (20 of which are on-line only)
Will I be able to get to the on-line release notes from my custom tape without
having to install the entire product on a node?
Yes.
Are you planning on merging man pages and help files?
Delphi (a layered product) is a new online help system that lets you select
the on-line help you want to see, and merges the unix and Aegis help files.
In the base software, domain system calls and the domain commands that have
been added to /usr/apollo/bin and /etc all have man pages.
What about documenting unsupported calls?
No major changes here.
Does sr10 require a new version of Interleaf?
Yes.
The end.