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From: cwr@crash.cts.com (Will Rose)
Subject: Re: Minix on an IBM XT
Organization: CTS Network Services (CTSNET), San Diego, CA
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 04:06:30 GMT
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jonklipp@fn1.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca wrote:
: Will Rose (cwr@crash.cts.com) wrote:
: : Albert S Woodhull (aswNS@hamp.hampshire.edu) wrote:
: : [...]
: : : The new beta release of Minix 1.7.0 is not set up for easy
: : : installation on old PC/XT machines, but it can be done. Also, I
: : : haven't heard yet whether the 640K memory limit makes it difficult to 
: : : do serious work, like recompile the kernel. It will be difficult to
: : : make a networked Minix 1.7 work in limited memory.

: : You can recompile the kernel - I doubt you can use networking.

: But could I run a small UUCP Server on it?

Perhaps, but I doubt it.  The problem is that uucico execs eg. mail
and uucp, and it's too easy to run out of memory for processes.  I
run UUCP on my XT, but the root file system is kept in EMS, and I'm
running 1.5, whose kernel and binaries are significantly smaller.
Even so, when I run uucico I make sure that it has the system to
itself.  I don't run it automatically in the background, since 
with eg. vi in the foreground it can easily run out of memory and
possibly drop stuff on the floor.

You probably don't have a (supported) EMS card, but you could try
putting the root file system on an HD partition and see what 
happens.  UUCP 1.3 is a pretty straightforward compile (apart from
cu, I think there's one compile warning) and the installation is
well documented.  It's essentially the AT&T Version 2 UUCP, not BNU.
It will handle *small* networks, with eg. forwarding capabilities.

Will
cwr@crash.cts.com

