131 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
131 lines
4.9 KiB
Plaintext
iBCS EMULATION FOR LINUX
|
|
========================
|
|
|
|
27 September 1999
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
INTRODUCTION
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
The iBCS kernel module for Linux provides access to the wide variety
|
|
of applications available for i386 and Sparc based implementations
|
|
of Unix. Support of SVR4, SVR3, Xenix and BSD is provided with the
|
|
iBCS module handling the non-standard extensions made by various
|
|
vendors in a completely transparent fashion on a per process basis
|
|
allowing your applications from a SCO based PC to run side by side
|
|
with those from a multiprocessor Wyse system on your Linux PC(*).
|
|
|
|
Not only does this give Linux arguably the largest application base
|
|
of any Unix but it also makes Linux the ideal tool to integrate and
|
|
extend existing Unix networks.
|
|
|
|
(*) It is, of course, the user's responsibility to ensure that any
|
|
licensing requirements of your existing packages are adhered to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPORTED CPU ARCHITECTURES
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
* Intel 386/486/Pentium and compatibles Release
|
|
* Sparc Alpha
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPORTED BINARY FORMATS AND STATUS
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
* A.OUT Release
|
|
* ELF Release
|
|
* COFF Release
|
|
* XOUT Beta
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPORTED OS EMULATIONS AND STATUS
|
|
----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
* Sparc Solaris Alpha
|
|
* i386 BSD (386BSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, BSDI/386) Alpha (unmaintained)
|
|
* SVR4 (Interactive, Unixware, USL, Dell etc.) Release
|
|
* SVR3 generic Release
|
|
* SCO 3.2.x COFF Release
|
|
* SCO OpenServer 5 COFF & ELF Release
|
|
* Wyse V/386 (SVR3 with extensions) Release
|
|
* Xenix V/386 Beta
|
|
* Xenix V/286 Beta
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPORTED SUBSYSTEM EMULATIONS AND STATUS
|
|
-----------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
* SYSV IPC Release
|
|
* /dev/socksys socket interface Release
|
|
* System call socket interface Release
|
|
* /dev/spx STREAMS device Release
|
|
* XTI/TLI & libnsl_s Release
|
|
|
|
|
|
AVAILABILITY
|
|
------------
|
|
|
|
FTP: tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/BETA/ibcs2 and mirrors
|
|
|
|
|
|
PRICING
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
The iBCS emulator costs you nothing. Install it on as many machines as
|
|
you like. There is no small print to read and no lawyers will pursue
|
|
you for license infringement (of the iBCS emulator).
|
|
|
|
The iBCS emulator should be considered to be distributed under
|
|
the GNU General Public License as it contains, is derived from,
|
|
and interfaces with the Linux kernel. A copy of this license is
|
|
now included in the distribution.
|
|
|
|
If, on the other hand, you simply do not believe that anything good
|
|
is free then the cost is 99 pounds sterling per machine you run the
|
|
emulator on. Send this money to any iBCS developer (or developers) of
|
|
your choice who I am sure will make good use of it. Alternatively you
|
|
may send the money direct to the charity of your choice or use it any
|
|
other way that will benefit society (or not - your choice).
|
|
|
|
Supporting operating systems and applications which I don't have
|
|
running is difficult to say the least. Donations of OS flavours (ideally
|
|
with development system), applications and hardware is particularly
|
|
welcome. Hardware, in particular, is a continuous problem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUPPORT
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
There should be nothing in the emulator to support, however if you have
|
|
questions feel free to ask the developers. If you think you have found
|
|
a bug in the emulator you can employ anyone you like (including me!) to
|
|
fix the problem at any price you agree. It would be appreciated if you
|
|
send the patch to jaggy@purplet.demon.co.uk so it is incorporated in
|
|
future releases.
|
|
|
|
If you feel you cannot live without paying money regularly to someone
|
|
on the off chance you may wish to ask them a question sometime then
|
|
contact the developers who will be happy to discuss how much you should
|
|
send them.
|
|
|
|
A list of people who are believed to have contributed to the iBCS
|
|
emulator is contained in the CREDITS file in the main distribution.
|
|
|
|
|
|
APPLICATION VALIDATION
|
|
----------------------
|
|
|
|
In general the application vendor will be better placed to test their
|
|
applications on iBCS/Linux as they will have the knowledge and test
|
|
procedures to fully exercise the product. If you really do not wish
|
|
to install a Linux PC and run your application yourself you will find
|
|
that there are plenty of people interested in being paid to use your
|
|
software for a change.
|
|
|
|
Some applications that people have used successfully are listed in
|
|
the COMPAT file of the main distribution. This is however a *very*
|
|
small ad hoc subset of applications which work.
|