Ultrix 3.1C vs PMAX

George Robbins grr at cbmvax.commodore.com
Fri Jan 12 23:25:00 AEST 1990


Learning experiences are often painful...

In trying to build a 3.1C system to run on my DECsystem 3100 (for compatibility
with the 5800 that's serving it), I ran across a problem...

The MAKEDEV that comes with 3.1C has some errors in the section that
generates the devies for the PMAX display controller (pm0).

1) The code that actually makes the nodes for the devices associated with
   pm0 is in the wronge place so that doing "MAKEDEV pm0" doesn't.

2) The code makes a number of devices with major number 60.  In short this
   doesn't seem to work too well.  X action is sluggish or non-existant,
   the system crashes and console crap comes out on the display.

3) The old (Ultrix 3.1/UWS 2.1 update) MAKEDEV used minor number 0 for
   the pm0 devices, the same as /dev/console.  I tried this and it worked
   a lot better - prompt response, xcons works and no crashes.

4) I dunno if making /dev/console major number 60 would work...

Bonus Factoid:

There's stuff in various files in /sys/MIPS that mention a "DECstation 5000"
and some other thing that look like drivers for one of the non-dumb-frame
buffer display controllers.  Smells like maybe a VAX 3520/3540 equivalent with
some MIPS chips perhaps?  I'd love one...

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr at uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)



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