NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #19/NN_1992_19.iso/spool/comp/unix/aux/3318

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From: [e-mail] (Jim Jagielski)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aux,news.answers
Subject: Apple A/UX FAQ List (1/2)
Summary: Latest posting of FAQ for A/UX
Keywords: FAQ A/UX
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 1 Sep 92 12:18:41 GMT
Expires: Wed, 16 Sep 1992 00:00:00 GMT
Sender: [e-mail] (Usenet)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jim Jagielski)
Followup-To: comp.unix.aux
Organization: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
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Supersedes: <[e-mail]>
Nntp-Posting-Host: jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov

Archive-name: aux-faq/part1
Last-modified: Tue Sep  1 08:17:16 EDT 1992

         This is the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) list for A/UX 3.0


This FAQ list is intended to cut down on the number of "often asked questions"
that make the rounds here on comp.unix.aux. Also included you'll find a few
words of wisdom as well as some general information for the A/UX community.
This list assumes that you are familiar with Unix (to some extent) but
are curious about A/UX's eccentricities. The list will concentrate on A/UX
3.0 but may also have info about previous versions. If you don't understand
something in the FAQ List, and a "Point of Contact" isn't specified, then
contact me and I'll attempt to help or else point you to someone who can.
In any case, let me know how I can make the list more clear.

The list will be posted biweekly (every 2 weeks) on comp.unix.aux as well as
news.answers. It is also available via anonymous ftp on jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov.

There is a frozen FAQ that deals with A/UX 2.0.1 which is available via anon-
ftp on jagubox (FAQ.aux.201). This FAQ will be posted monthly (or so) on
comp.unix.aux.

Send your additions|modifications to Jim Jagielski ([e-mail]).
(editor's notes are included as <<ED: ...>>)

|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|Significant changes since last posting:
|  (All changes are preceded by the change bar ("|")
|   in the 1st column)
|
| o added csh as "slightly" broken
| o added a few more compatible Extensions/CDEVs
| o added new topic: Vendors who make things difficult for A/UX
| o Q&A 48 - added a few more CD-ROMs
| o Q&A 49 - added; where to add CDEV/Extensions for A/UX
| o Q&A 50 - added; MacPartition s/w
| o Q&A 51 - added; CD Remote
|++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


===============================================================================

                          **** TABLE OF CONTENTS: ****

o List of Contributors to A/UX FAQ List
o List of anon-ftp archives for A/UX
o List of what's broken under A/UX 3.0
o List of ported software
o List of compatible Extensions and CDEVs known to work under 3.0
|o Vendors who make things difficult for A/UX
o Hints and Words of Wisdom
o Q&A-
   0)  What's A/UX? Is it any good?
   1)  What's the minimum system I need (CPU, disk and RAM) to run A/UX?
   2)  What's new about A/UX 3.0?
   3)  What's the upgrade path for A/UX 3.0
   4)  What Mac applications are compatible with A/UX?
   5)  Can I use my Teac|DC2000|DC6000|DAT|etc tape drive under A/UX?
   6)  How come rn|elm|less|etc... acts weird concerning signals? Mainly, their
       support of job-control is less than perfect.
   7)  What screen-savers are compatible with A/UX?
   8)  Is X11R5 available for A/UX?
   9)  I've noticed that FSF GNU doesn't support A/UX. Does that mean I'll
       miss out on all the neat Gnu-stuff like gcc?
  10)  I have an EtherNet card that works fine under the Macintosh operating
       system but not under A/UX. Why?
  11)  Can I use my scanner under A/UX?
  12)  How come my Login screen is gray, not color?
  13)  Even though I have lot's of swap space and only a little bit is
       being used, I STILL get a lot of messages saying that my swap
       space is running low. What the buzz?
  14)  How can I copy a complete file system from one disk|partition to
       another?
  15)  What's with UUCP?
  16)  How can I log anonymous ftp entries? in.ftpd has a -l option,
       but it doesn't work.
  17)  I'm trying to use a SyQuest drive under A/UX but it refuses to work.
       I keep on getting a "more data than device expected" error message.
       What's wrong?
  18)  I'm unable to start a getty process on a built-in serial port. When
       I use "setport" to enable the port, I get a "no such device" error.
       Configuring /etc/inittab to respawn getty on the port has no effect.
  19)  I am using and depending on /etc/hosts to do all my hostname resolving
       (i.e. not using named or /etc/resolv.conf). How come I can't mail
       to other hosts, but I can ping|ftp|etc... them?
  20)  My MacOS partition mounts fine under MacOS but it doesn't show up
       under A/UX... Why?
  21)  I've ported ELM (or other mail reader) and it doesn't seem to work.
       Why?
  22)  What 3-button mice work under A/UX (and X)?
  23)  How come when I do a "df" as a regular user, it shows me a different
       number of free blocks compared to when I run it as "root"?
  24)  Does A/UX LocalTalk support IP?
  25)  How do I get MPW 3.1 to work? It hangs my system...
  26)  Can I refer to a file on my Mac system from within A/UX?
  27)  How can I adjust the amount of virtual memory available Finder uses?
  28)  Is it worth getting a cache card for the IIci?
  29)  How do I keep command lines that I edit with "backspace" from erasing
       the prompt?
  30)  When I try to mail something, I get the following error message:
       "Cannot read frozen config file: not a typewriter". What's wrong?
  31a) I have MacsBug installed. How can I trigger it?
  31b) Sometimes my MultiFinder environment (and/or CommandShell) freezes
       up; how can I unfreeze it? Should I hit the Interrupt switch?
  32)  Is there an archive of comp.unix.aux out there somewhere?
  33)  My site is not upgraded to EtherTalk Phase 2 yet... can I use Phase 1
       under A/UX?
  34)  What languages are available for A/UX?
  35)  How can I figure out the /etc/disktab entry for my hard disk?
  36)  How come I can't use color under X?
  37)  What are Right-To-Copy and Right-To-Upgrade licenses?
  38)  How do I set up my Mac and A/UX to enable remote logins via a modem
       on tty0?
  39)  How come I can't used "talk" with some of the other Unix boxes out
       there, and they can't talk to me?
  40)  I'm having trouble transfering files between A/UX and my MacOS disk...
       Also, sometimes things get transfered fine, othertimes not. What's
       going on?
  41)  Using the command shell interface, I'm trying to delete some Mac files
       (that have strange names) but I can't; "rm" returns an error and I can't
       remove the file. What's going on?
  42)  How can I reports bugs that I find?
  43)  Which serial cards work under A/UX?
  44)  I heard the the Installer for 3.0 works on "any" 3rd party hard disk.
       Well, it doesn't on mine!
  45)  I'm using a LaserWriter IIg with A/UX and whenever I print some-
       thing to it through "lpr", the first line of the page is cut off. Why?
  46)  Whenever I try to run xinit (or startx) from the CommandShell I get
       a fatal server error. Why?
  47)  I'm trying to access my tape drive using 'tc' (with something like
       "find . -print | cpio -o > /dev/rmt/tc1") but it doesn't work...
| 48)  What CD-ROM drives are compatible with A/UX 3.0?
| 49)  Do I install CDEVs and Extensions in the System Folder on MacPartition
       or on the "/" A/UX disk.
| 50)  I heard that A/UX requires a special version of System 7 to boot...
       Is this true?
| 51)  I've tried to install the CD Remote extension to A/UX so that
       I can play audio CD's, but it doesn't work...


===============================================================================

               **** List of Contributors to A/UX FAQ List ****

The editor would like to thank all the various people who have contributed to
the A/UX FAQ List (both those that submitted questions as well as those who
submitted answers). Also included under the Q&A section are the relevant people
to contact if you have specific questions about specific A/UX items. If I've
left you out, PLEASE E-mail me!

Brian Bechtel        ([e-mail])
Nick Beser        ([e-mail])
Vicki Brown        ([e-mail])
John Coolidge        ([e-mail])
Tony Cooper        ([e-mail])
Bob Denny        ([e-mail])
Eric Dittman        ([e-mail])
John Dundas III        ([e-mail])
Thomas Eberhardt    ([e-mail])
Ron Flax        ([e-mail])
James Gritton        ([e-mail])
Jim Jagielski        ([e-mail])
Chris Johnson        ([e-mail])
Bill Johnston        ([e-mail])
Ron Johnston        ([e-mail])
Bob Kirby        ([e-mail])
Luke Mewburn        ([e-mail])
Darrell Pfeifer        (spycal!denigma![e-mail])
William Roberts        (he's moving....)
Alexis Rosen        ([e-mail])
Craig Ruff        ([e-mail])
Jim Ryan        ([e-mail])
Paul Sander        ([e-mail])
Kent Sandvik        ([e-mail])
Craig Struble        ([e-mail])
Chuq Von Rospach    ([e-mail])
Jon W{tte        ([e-mail])
Earl Wallace        ([e-mail])


===============================================================================

              **** List of anonymous ftp archives for A/UX ****

The following sites have A/UX related archives and materials available via
anonymous ftp (see below for more information):

afsg.apple.com                   (192.1.34.2)
    ports and hacks for A/UX

aux.support.apple.com             (130.43.6.2)
    comp.unix.aux archives;
    A/UX patches and some ports;

jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov             (128.183.44.1)
    FAQ List;
    ports, utilities, new mini-inews (1.6);

rascal.ics.utexas.edu             (128.83.138.20)
    misc. ports;
    Mac applications, CDEVs, etc...;

redstar.dcs.qmw.ac.uk              (192.135.231.4)
    IIci benchmarking results;

wuarchive.wustl.edu               (128.252.135.4)
    ports; (look in systems/aux)


===============================================================================

              **** List of what's broken under A/UX 3.0: ****

BNU (the whole thing):
    Severe problems as distributed, such as inability to dialout
    with correctly configured modem, etc...
    ***                 3.0 patch is now available                ***
    ***         on ftp.apple.com under pub/earlw/bnu_1_16         ***
    ***     This "patch" is a newer version of HDB (to 1.16)      ***
    ***         and adds some Mega-enhancements as well.          ***
    ***                Thanks to Earl Wallace!!!                  ***
    #### If you snagged version 1.14 from aux.support.apple.com  ####
    ####  then be _sure_ to update to version 1.16. When using   ####

|csh:
|    Doesn't seem to like filename completion.

in.telnetd:
    Leaves ports open and hanging occasionally.
    ***                 3.0 patch is now available                ***
    ***         on wuarchive.wustl.edu under systems/aux          ***
    ####  Please note that it appears that this new version has  ####
    ####    some slight bugs in correctly handling Synchs and    ####
    ####     options negotiation. I have only seen this using    ####
    #### VersaTerm Pro 3.6.2 and connecting to myself via telnet ####

serial drivers:
    After some use on all Macs (except IIfx and maybe the Quadras)
    the kernel will crash.
    ***  This has been confirmed by Apple but no fix exists yet!! ***

tc (tape driver device driver):
    Reports incorrect file number when 'mt' is used to skip
    files (fsf and/or bsf).
    Doesn't allow for additional storage capability of extended
    length tapes or hardware compression tape drives.
    ***    'mt2' written and available on jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov   ***
    ***        to correct for 'tc's file number confusion         ***
    ***                                                           ***
    ***            No patch/fix for extended tape bug             ***

/usr/include/sys/types.h:
    Incorrectly defines size_t as signed int when every other header
    file defines it as unsigned int.
    ***     Fix is very simple... edit /usr/include/sys/types.h   ***
    ***           and change it from signed to unsigned           ***



===============================================================================

           **** List of ported software available via anon-ftp: ****
(Included is the person responsible for the port and the location of the port)

bpf (Berkeley Packet Filter):
    Ron Flax             ([e-mail])
    afsg.apple.com               [pub]

emacs (GNU 18.58):
    James Gritton        ([e-mail])
    wuarchive.wustl.edu (soon)

gated (2.0.1.14):
    Herb Weiner          ([e-mail])
    onion.rain.com               [pub/wiskit]

gcc (1.40 and 2.2.1):
    John Coolidge        ([e-mail])
    wuarchive.wustl.edu          [systems/aux/gnu]
    (See Q&A #9)

gdb (4.6):
    Thomas Eberhardt     ([e-mail])
    wuarchive.wustl.edu          [systems/aux/gnu]

logging in.ftpd:
    Jim Jagielski        ([e-mail])
    jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov        [pub]
    (See Q&A #16)

mt2 (replacement for 'mt' tape positioner program):
    Jim Jagielski        ([e-mail])
    jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov        [pub]

sendmail 5.65:
    Jim Jagielski        ([e-mail])
    jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov        [pub]
    (See Q&A #19)
    <<ED: sendmail 5.65 & IDA 1.4.4.1 may soon be made available>>

sendmail.cf:
    Alexis Rosen         ([e-mail])
    jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov        [pub/uucp-sendmail-cf]
    (See Q&A #15)

talk and talkd (BSD 4.3 versions)
    Steve Green          ([e-mail])
    jagubox.gsfc.nasa.gov        [pub]
    (See Q&A #39)

tcsh (6.00.03):  (if you have 6.00.02, you really _should_ upgrade)
    Eric Dittman         ([e-mail])
    wuarchive.wustl.edu          [systems/aux/packages]

X11R5 and X11R4:
    John Coolidge        ([e-mail])
    Thomas Eberhardt     ([e-mail])
    wuarchive.wustl.edu          [systems/aux/gnu]
    (See Q&A #8)

The following have also been successfully ported to A/UX with minimal trouble.
Since the ports are pretty straightforward, only a few are actually available
in their ported form (please see Q&A #6): (those that have been personnally
verified by the editor are marked with '#')

o  Cnews (Ver. ??)
#  elm 2.3.11
o  Ghostscript 2.3
o  GNU Stuff:
    binutils 1.9
    bison 1.15
    emacs 18.58 (see List of Ports, above)
    fileutils 3.1
#    find 3.7  (to allow 'find' to recognize user=nobody, compile
               with 'cc')
    flex 2.3.7
    gawk 2.13
#    gdbm 1.5
#    grep 1.6
    sed 1.08
    shellutils 1.5
    Smalltalk 1.1.1
    tar 1.10.12
    textutils 1.1.1
o  Gwm 1.7h
#  less 177
#  NetHack
#  nn 6.4.16
#  nntp 1.5.11
#  perl 4.010    (requires the rewinddir() function in libposix.a)
#  rn 4.3.54
#  rn 4.4.1
o  SB Prolog 3.1 (minor changes in the builtin directory)
o  smail 3.1.24
o  trn (Ver. ??)


===============================================================================

   **** List of compatible Extensions and CDEVs known to work under 3.0 ****
        (will focus on popular ones, mostly of the shareware variety)

o  After Dark (2.0u and later) - some displays don't have enough
    memory to work so the default (low memory) one comes up
o  ATM 2.0.3
o  ATM 3.0
o  CFloppy
o  Disinfectant INIT (2.9)
o  Extension Manager
o  Facade (1.x)
o  Font Porter
o  FMbackup 1.0.4  (prevents having to totally rebuild Desktop when A/UX
    crashes)
o  GateKeeper (1.2.5) - For some reason, "Show Log" doesn't work although
    log entries _are_ made. Chris Johnson knows about this and is
    looking into it.
o  HDT LightShow (1.1) - shows Mac disk access (only works when Mac
    applications read/write disk - Unix access aren't shown)
o  MacsBug (6.2.x)
o  Moire (3.22) - even works under login screen ## kinda incompatible
    with FMbackup (prevents "Finishing up..." window)
o  Now Utilities 3.0.2
    (New Menus requires that the Control Panel alias point to a Control
    Panel which is on a HFS partition... this means you need to copy the
    A/UX CP over to a HFS partition (such as MacPartition) and then make
    and alias and copy that over to the Apple Menu Items folder under
    A/UX.

    Super Boomerang doesn't seem to like 3.0)

o  Suitcase (1.2.6) - the latest version, 1.2.12, doesn't
    (if you have ATM, you can use Font Porter instead which automatically
    installs Font suitcases)
    << ED: well, now I hear that 1.2.6 may not even work... I'll keep you
    all posted >>
o  Type Reunion 1.3
o  VersaTerm Telnet (etc...) Tool
o  Windows (2.1)

According to Jim Ryan of Adobe ([e-mail]), the following Adobe products
have been tested for 3.0 compatibility. Hopefully there will be no changes with
the final release of 3.0.

   o Illustrator 3.2
   o Photoshop 2.0.1 <mostly> (Gamma, which is included, does _not_ work)
   o Premiere 1.0
   o Streamline 2.0 <mostly... not 32-bit clean>


===============================================================================
            **** Vendors who make things difficult for A/UX ****

|Even though A/UX is the best software package that Apple has developed
|for the Macs, there are still vendors out there who either refuse to support
|A/UX or don't even know what A/UX is. Although the editor in no way
|encourages or condones senseless acts of riotous protest, if you discover
|such a vendor make it known! And complain! (Even worse, in the editor's
|opinion, than the vendors who simply don't support A/UX are those who
|_dropped_ support, leaving users high and dry.)

|<<ED: This section will not simply be a flame-fest towards vendors.
|  Rather it is intended to inform the net of some "suspicious" activities
|  and those vendors who refuse to support A/UX. This section may, at a
|  later time, become it's own posting and be deleted from the FAQ>>

|o    Dayna.
|    Dayna used to distribute the EtherPortII cards. Of course, to
|    use this card under A/UX you needed device drivers for it.
|    Dayna would provide them for you... at a cost of something
|    like $50! They also produce other ethernet cards but no drivers
|    for them (like the SE/30 SONIC chipset etherney card).

|o    Daystar Digital.
|    Daystar used to be at the forefront of the accelerator market.
|    With their Accelerator and PowerCard line, you were able to
|    bump you Mac to IIfx levels. And Daystar provided A/UX drivers
|    for these cards. In fact, the 50MHz versions required a A/UX hardware
|    modification (for reliable floppy disk access) that was provided
|    free and upon request. Now it appears that they are no longer
|    providing drivers for these older cards for A/UX 3.0 although
|    they do have 2.0 drivers. Instead, they suggest upgrading to
|    their PowerCache cards, which they do have drivers for. It seems
|    hard to believe that the kernel has changed _that_ much between
|    2.0 and 3.0 that Daystar couldn't make the minimal changes required.
|    This has all the smell of a quick way of making a few more bucks.
|    What a shame!

|o    Dealers.
|    Believe it or not, there are still Apple dealers out there that
|    if you mention the term A/UX, they'll look at you with the
|    vacuous stare of Baby Huey.

|o    E-Machines.
|    Another example of vendors _stopping_ their support of A/UX.
|    They used to have 2.0 drivers for their TX-24 card but they
|    have none for 3.0... and the 2.0 drivers cause a nasty crash.


===============================================================================

                    **** Hints and Words of Wisdom: ****

o By default, A/UX allocates only 10% of memory for disk buffers
  (that is, the value of "NBUF" is 0... see kconfig(1M))
  If you have a lot of RAM, you could greatly increase system
  performance by increasing the allotment. However, you cannot
  use kconfig to specify "20%" but you must give it an actual number
  to use. The way to determine the number of buffers being used,
  run "pstat -m". This will give you the number of buffers that are
  currently allocated. For example, if the value is 1000, then you know
  that to increase the number of buffers to 20%, you must use "kconfig"
  to set "NBUF" to 2000.

  Please note that if you change the amount of RAM you have, you'll
  need to change the value of "NBUF." I suggest that before you
  add|remove RAM, you use "kconfig" to reset "NBUF" to 0, then
  do the RAM change and see how your system performance is. If needed,
  you can then use the above to increase (or decrease) the number of
  disk buffers.

o You can run A/UX on the original MacII, however the PMMU chip must be
  installed. You can also use one of the many 68030 upgrades for the
  MacII, such as the Marathon '030, but the MacII ROMs won't recognize
  the PMMU capabilities onboard the CPU. You'll need to get the MacII
  FDHD ROM Upgrade Kit. This kit replaces your ROMs with IIx ROMs, thus
  enabling you (and A/UX) to use the upgrade. The kit also replaces your
  SWIM chip (floppy controller) enabling you to use FDHD disks (if such
  a drive is installed) too... thus the name of the kit. This kit can
  be had for about $120 although some dealers also include a FDHD drive
  as well, bumping the price up to about $430.

o You can configure the built-in serial ports for hardware handshaking
  (RTS & DTS) _or_ dialup security (DTR & CD) but not both, due to the
  lack of a sufficinet number of modem control lines.

o When using ftp, unless you are _sure_ that a file is, in fact, a true
  Text file, set the ftp mode to Binary. This is especially true when
  downloading GIFs and "true" Mac files. If it's a BINHEXed file or a
  uuencoded file, then you can specify Ascii mode (in some cases, it's
  required). If the file you wish to download has the ".tar" or ".Z"
  suffix, then you _need_ Binary; if the suffix is ".uu" or ".hqx"
  then use Ascii.

o To download GIF files via anon-ftp, be sure to specify Binary mode. Then
  use "setfile" to create the correct Type and Creator fields (for, example,
  for Giffer use 'setfile -t"GIFf" -c"Bozo"'). You can then keep this file
  on your A/UX disk or transfer it over to your MacOS disk (See Q#40).

o If you want to rebuild the "/" desktop, be _sure_ to avoid circular
  symbolic links (links to "." and/or "..") or else you'll be waiting
  a looooong time.

o The full functionality of System 7 Tuner 1.1.1 is included in A/UX 3.0
  even though A/UX "only" has System 7 Tuner 1.0. Installing version 1.1.1
  could cause problems running the Finder environment.

  Installing LaserWriter 7.1.1 (which is on the TuneUp 1.1.1 disk)
  causes no problems at all.

o To more accurately reflect the geometry of the FFS, try increasing
  SBUFSIZE to something like 4096 or 8192 with a corresponding decrease
  in NBUF by a factor of 2 or 4, respectively (to maintain the same
  amount of buffer memory used).

o With the newest version of HDB UUCP (1.16 - see above), use the "-u"
  option on 'getty' to keep /dev/tty?? settings sane. Also use the "-t"
  option with a value like 60 or so to make getty hang up and hung
  login attempt.

/// End of Part 1 of 2 ///
--
    Jim Jagielski               | "This is supposed to be a happy occasion.
    [e-mail]   |  Let's not bicker and argue about who
    NASA/GSFC, Code 734.4       |  killed who."
    Greenbelt, MD 20771         |