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From: Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us>
Subject: Re: Where can I get replacement xenix software
Date: Sun, 02 Feb 2003 11:08:40 -0800
References: <3e39bc15$0$210$5a62ac22@freenews.iinet.net.au> <3e3a50cb$0$231$5a62ac22@freenews.iinet.net.au> <Xns9316887B1DB91jajii1netscape@205.188.138.161> 

On Sun, 2 Feb 2003 18:24:27 +0000 (UTC), James J
<SPAMMYjajii1@netscape.net> wrote:

>Chris Weaver <c_weaver@del_this_bit.telstra.com> expounded in 
>news:3e3a50cb$0$231$5a62ac22@freenews.iinet.net.au:
>
>> Firstly as Stephen said, being that trying to install on my
>> 486DX/100 is looking for trouble as it is too advanced for
>> the XENIX 2.3.2 GT OS, sounds funny really ;-).
>
> That CPU is definitely not too fast.  I've installed Xenix on a few 
>Pentium systems.  Actually, at my work we used Xenix 2.3.2 on a Pentium 
>166 for years.
(trimmed...)

The AMD 486DX4/100 is a rather fragile beast.  It runs at about as
fast as the motherboards and memory of the time could handle.  The
problems isn't that the processor is too fast, but that it requires
60ns SIMM's to operate correctly.  I had a customers office full of
these things on some model of MSI motherboard that drove me insane
with mysterious hangs and reboots.  Wholesale RAM replacement was too
expensive so I opted to replace most of the CPU's with Intel 486DX2/66
chips.  The hangs and reboots disappeared.

I dunno how much of this applies to Xenix 2.3.2 as this was on DOS 6.x
and Windoze 3.1.  Just check the speed of the RAM.  Also, there's a
16MB RAM limit for Xenix.  The system will recognize more, but won't
use it.  I had weird problems on one experiment that was traced to too
much RAM.  Bela assured me that it should not be a problem, but I was
in a hurry and just reduced the RAM to 16MB.  Fixed.

I've run Xenix 2.3.4 on a variety of semi-modern systems.  I think the
fastest was a Pentium 75 with the cache disabled.  There are several
data loggers I've blundered across running Xenix 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 on
similar speed systems.  No problems.  However, when Xenix try it on
fast systems, I can usually get it to load, but find it screws up
trying to talk to ancient ISA tape controllers and smart serial cards.

Moral:  Better than stock is not necessarily better.  Try to recreate
the system as was fashionable in its day.


-- 
Jeff Liebermann  150 Felker St #D  Santa Cruz CA 95060
(831)421-6491 pgr  (831)336-2558 home
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com   WB6SSY
jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us   jeffl@cruzio.com
 

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