Subject: 5.01: Non-IBM AIX hosts. Bull manufactures and sells AIX systems. To find a distributor in your country, check the web page at and/or . Other vendors and manufactures include Motorola, Harris, General Automation and Apple. Kenetics Technology Inc. 35 Campus Drive Edison NJ 08837 Contact : Brian Walsh Phone - 908-805-0998 Fax - 908-346-1288 Manufactures a Power PC based RS-6000 clone that runs AIX versions 3.2.5 and 4.1.4. A typical configuration with a 100 MHz Power PC 601 and 32 MB RAM, and 2 GB Hard drive, monitor, keyboard and networking is about $4995.00 ------------------------------ Subject: 5.02: Disk/Tape/SCSI From: anonymous - Most SCSI disk drives work (IBM resells Maxtor, tested Wren 6&7 myself); use osdisk when configuring (other SCSI disk). - Exabyte: Unfortunately only the ones IBM sells are working. A few other tape drives will work; use ostape when configuring (other SCSI tape). - STK 3480 "Summit": Works with Microcode Version 5.2b From: bell@hops.larc.nasa.gov (John Bell) In summary, third party tape drives work fine with the RS/6000 unless you want to boot from them. This is because IBM drives have 'extended tape marks', which IBM claims are needed because the standard marks between files stored on the 8mm tape are unreliable. These extended marks are used when building boot tapes, so when the RS/6000 boots, it searches for an IBM tape drive and refuses to boot without it. From: jrogers@wang.com (John Rogers) On booting with non-IBM SCSI tape drives: I haven't tried it myself but someone offered: Turn machine on with key in secure position. Wait until LED shows 200 and 8mm tape has stopped loading. Turn key to service position. From: amelcuk@gibbs.clarku.edu (Andrew Mel'cuk) The IBM DAT is cheap and works. If you get all the patches beforehand (U407435, U410140) and remember to buy special "Media Recognition System" tapes (Maxell, available from APS 800.443.4461 or IBM #21F8758) the drive can even be a pleasure to use. You can also flip a DIP switch on the drive to enable using any computer grade DAT tapes (read the hardware service manual). Other DAT drives also work. I have tried the Archive Python (works) and experimented extensively with the Archive TurboDAT. The TurboDAT is a very fast compression unit, is not finicky with tapes and doesn't require the many patches that the IBM 7206 does. Works fine with the base AIX 3.2 'ost' driver. From: pack@acd.ucar.edu (Daniel Packman) >>You can boot off of several different brands of non-IBM Exabytes. >>At least TTI and Contemporary Cybernetics have done rather complete >>jobs of emulating genuine IBM products. A model that has worked for us from early AIX 3.1 through 3.2 is a TTI CTS 8210. This is the old low density drive. The newer 8510 is dual density (2.2gig and 5gig). Twelve dip switches on the back control the SCSI address and set up the emulation mode. These drives have a very useful set of lights for read-outs (eg, soft error rate, tape remaining, tape motion, etc.). ------------------------------ Subject: 5.03: Memory Nordisk Computer Services (Portland 503-598-0111, Seattle 206-242-7777) is reputed to have memory for use on AIX platforms. 5xx & 9xx machines have 8 memory slots, 3x0s have 2, and 3x5s have only one. You need to add memory in pairs for the 5xx & 9xx machines excepting the 520. Some highend 5xx's & 9xx's get memory as 2, 4, 4+4 cards. RS/6000 Models M20, 220, 230 and 250 can use "PS/2" style SIMM memory. All have 8 SIMM sockets. 60ns or better is needed for the 250, 70ns should be OK in the M20, 220 and 230. The M20, 220 and 230 are limited to 64MB of memory, the 250 is limited to 256MB. 40P, C10, C20, 41T and 42T also user SIMM memory. G30 & G40 have two memory slots. J30, J40, J50, R30, R40, R50 have four memory slots. These eight models have cards populated with DIMM-like memory. 7248 (Old 43P's) and 7043 (New 43P's) use DIMM-like memory. F40, F50 & H50 use have two memory slots. S70, S7A & S80 get memory "books". Still unidentified: E20, E30, F30, B50, H70 Caveat: Do not mix manufacturers or batches in the same memory card/bank. PS: [Ed's notice] I say DIMM-like memory because it won't even fit on my PC's DIMM slots. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.04: Others From: anonymous IBM RISC System/6000 Interface Products National Instruments Corporation markets a family of instrumentation interface products for the IBM RISC System/6000 workstation family. The interface family consists of three products that give the RISC System/6000 connectivity to the standards of VMEbus, VXIbus and GPIB. For more information, contact National Instruments Corporation, 512-794-0100 or 1-800-433-3488. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.05: C++ compilers Several C++ compilers are available. You can choose from Glockenspiel, Greenhills, IBM's xlC (sold seperately :), and GNU's g++. Glockenspiel may now be part of Computer Associates. Comeau Computing (718-945-0009) offers Comeau C++ 3.0 with Templates. For a full development environment there's ObjectCenter's C++ (formerly Saber C++). ------------------------------ Subject: 5.06: Memory leak detectors IBM's xlC comes with a product called the HeapView debugger that can trace memory problems in C and C++ code. SENTINEL has full memory access debugging capabilities including detection of memory leaks. Contact info@vti.com (800) 296-3000 or (703) 430-9247. Insight from ParaSoft (818) 792-9941. There is also a debug_malloc posted in one of the comp.sources groups. A shareware dmalloc is available. Details at . TestCenter is now available for the RS/6000. It supports AIX 3.2.5 and AIX 4.1 on POWER, POWER2 and PowerPC machines. More information is available from . Purify (408) 720-1600 is not availible for the RS/6000. ZeroFault detects memory violations and leaks without recompiling or relinking. Works on all RS/6000 systems running AIX 3.2.5 or later, DCE and pthreads. Contact The Kernel Group, Inc. +1 512 433 3333, email , . ------------------------------ Subject: 5.07: PPP PPP does not come with AIX 3.2.x (only SLIP). PPP support was announced for AIX 4.1.4, see: David Crow caught the announcement of a non-IBM ppp package that claims to support AIX 4.x. More information is availible from or A comercial PPP for AIX is availible from Morningstar (sales@morningstar.com or marketing@morningstar.com) (800) 558 7827. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.08: Graphics adapters Abstract Technologies Inc. (Austin TX, 512-441-4040, info@abstract.com) has several high performance graphics adapters for the RS/6000. 1600x1200, 24-bit true-color, and low cost 1024x768 adapters are available. Retail prices are between US$1000-2000. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.09: Training Courses Email training@skilldyn.com with "help" in the body of the message for information about how to receive a list course descriptions for AIX* and/or UNIX* courses offered by Skill Dynamics. ------------------------------ Subject: 5.10: Hardware Vendors New & Used RS6000s, peripherals Core Systems Inc 1605 12th Ave Seattle WA 98122 Phone (800) 329-2449 Fax (206) 329-3799 Optimus Solutions 5825-A Peachtree Corners East Norcross GA 30092 Phone 770-447-1951 Fax 678-291-9201 email mark@optimussolutions.com ------------------------------ Subject: 5.11: Debugging aides From: Curt Finch SCTrace reports system calls (and more) made by an AIX process. SCTrace from SevOne Software . It is $199 and a demo is available from . ------------------------------