Are there any BSD-derived UNIX versions for 386's?

[Larry Wagner]

andyb at stb.info.com (Andy B.) writes:

>mikes at iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Squires) writes:
>> 2.  Buy a used Sun 386i.  They are a drug on the market now (one surplus house
>>     had 386i/150's for sale for $2000, new, for months with apparently few
>>     takers).  I'd go for a 386i/250; one with a 19" color monitor and 330MB
>>     HD/60MB tape drive went last year for $5000, and the prices should be
>>     lower now by a good bit.
>> 
>> My experience with a 386i/250 was that it was quite a bit slower than a
>> 386/20 running SCO XENIX, especially when the system loaded up.  However,
>> things like X11R4 apparently compile on the 386i without giant hassles.

>This caught my eye.  Does anyone have a list of the various Suns
>in order of speed/power/price?  386i/250 would seem to be faster
>than a 386/20 just from the naming convention.  Is this a fluke?

Sun sold three versions or models of the 386i:

1) A 5 mips (Sun's numbers) machine (386i/250) that consists of
a 25MHz 80386 and 80387 with a cached memory board capable
of holding up to 16MB of 80ns ram.

2) A 4 mips machine (386i/150) that consists of a 20MHz 80386 and 80387
with a cached memory board capable of holding up to 16MB of 80ns ram.

3) A 3 mips machine (386i/150) that consists of a 20MHz 80386 and 80387
with a non-cached memory board capable of holding up to 8MB of 100ns ram.

There was some type of additional designation between the fast and
slow 20MHz versions but I don't remember them.  I use a 386i/250 with 16MB
at work with OpenWindows (Sun's version of X-windows).  It is acceptable
for most of the work I do.  I have used the slow 20MHz machine with 8MB of
ram with MIT's X-windows also.  It is actually just as fast as my machine
with respect to screen i/o, but significantly slower on cpu intensive tasks.
We have several Gateway 2000 386/20 machines here (without cache cards) and
the 386i/250 consistently scores higher than they do on DOS cpu intensive
benchmarks.  The 386i/250 is also noticably faster doing such things as
compiling programs with Microsoft C than the 386 PCs, probably because of
the faster disks on the 386i.

We have just recently ordered an additional 386i/250 (used since SUN no
longer makes them).  Our best quoted price for a 386i/250 with 8MB of ram,
19 inch monitor, and 155MB disk was $3300.  They also matched SUN's original
warranty of 90 days.  Others bids were around $4000.
It's tough to meet that price with a PC when you need the coprocessor,
high resolution monitor, ethernet, some form of multi-tasking, and network
software.

If anyone needs the names, addresses, and/or phone numbers of these vendors
just ask.  I am at home and do not have that info here.
--
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Larry E. Wagner                     | wagner at chepil.weru.ksu.edu
USDA-ARS Wind Erosion Research Unit | wagner at matt.ksu.ksu.edu
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