[TUHS] Re: UNIX on (not quite bare) System/370

[segaloco via TUHS <tuhs@tuhs.org>]

Looooots of if(n)defs in userland on "u370" in PDP-11 System V code, zilch on 3.0.1.

Yep, must've been 4.0, because that's in the first document, A.1.1: https://www.tuhs.org/Archive/Documentation/Manuals/Unix_4.0/Volume_1/A.1.1_Overview_and_Synopsis_of_Facilities.pdf

"Currently, UNIX runs on the Western Electric Co. 3B-20; Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC) PDP-11/23, /34, /45, /70, VAX-11/780, and VAX-11/750; and IBM System/370 and equivalent."

But wait, there's more!

https://archive.org/details/unix-system-release-description-system-v

This is the Release Description released with System V.  It contains a couple of introductory documents explaining the new features and general environmental adjustments involved, as well as a number of appendices that make up the bulk of the document.  Of particular note in this case is Appendix I, the document I mentioned earlier containing a list of modification requests resolved between System III and System V.

Then there's the Documentation Guide: https://bitsavers.org/pdf/att/000-111_ATT_Documentation_Guide_Nov87.pdf

This is where mention is made of many different architectures.  There are documents for 3B20(A|S), 3B5, 3B15, 3B2, WE32100, VME/WE321SB, DEC (PDP/VAX), NS32000, M68000, iAPX 286, and Z8000.  This document also mentions docs for UNIX Real-Time-Reliable on the 3B20D.  No doubt a MERT and UNIX/RT descendant.  3B5 section mentions a "Release 5.3" so before the System V moniker.  Farthest I've seen the minor version.

I've skimmed over this listing a couple of times looking for other information but a few things stood out this time.  The WE321SB seems to be a single board computer running a version called System V/VME.  I wonder if any of those still exist, a single board running SVR2 out of the box!  No mention of System/370 though, but of course this is just a listing of available documentation at the time, it doesn't reflect what is actually out there.  Of the listed architectures, I don't think I've seen anything floating around for VME/WE321SB, Z8000, or iAPX 286, but I can't say I've looked very hard.

Needless to say the system really grew legs in the 80s even inside the Bell.

- Matt G.

------- Original Message -------
On Tuesday, December 20th, 2022 at 12:56 AM, arnold@skeeve.com <arnold@skeeve.com> wrote:


> Phil Budne phil@ultimate.com wrote:
> 
> > Is there any other surviving documentation about the system?
> > Any recall of what branch of AT&T UNIX it was based on?
> 
> 
> IIRC, in the USG 4.0 doc that I sent to Matt, it says something like
> "UNIX is an operating system for the DEC PDP-11, the DEC VAX 11/780,
> and the IBM System 370". Matt --- can you confirm? I can't get to my
> copy so easily.
> 
> That document dates from 1981, and as it came from USG, it would mean
> that the AT&T UNIX on 370 was from that world and is what is described
> in the 1984 BSTJ.
> 
> If anyone has the System III source handy, one could check if there
> is a u370 shell script and/or a u370 directory in the kernel source.
> (There used to be shell scripts named pdp11, vax, u3b, and u370 for use
> in shell 'if' statements, analogous to the C preprocessor defines.)
> If so, then UNIX 370 would date back even further.
> 
> HTH,
> 
> Arnold