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Aix ps/2-/386

Caluser2000

Caluser2000

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Whilst reading through my OS/2 manual about about OS/2s boot loader I came across AIX which could be installed on 386 class machines. From what i can gather it was a joint project between Lotus and IBM called PS/2 AIX around 1987.

Did anyone on these forums use it at all in a production enviroment? Seems quite interesting http://www.ibmmuseum.com/ohlandl/AIX_1-3/AIX_For_PS2.html

I'm also curious as to the specs of the computers you actually ran the OS on, particuarly non IBM branded stuff.
Full installation is something 90 1.44meg floppies and scsi hdd I gather- http://ps-2.kev009.com:8081/moreaixps2/aix-supp-hw.html
List of recommended, read IBM, machines- http://ps-2.kev009.com:8081/moreaixps2/aix-supp-hw.html
 
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Caluser2000 said:
Whilst reading through my OS/2 manual about about OS/2s boot loader I came across AIX which could be installed on 386 class machines. From what i can gather it was a joint project between Lotus and IBM called PS/2 AIX around 1987.

Did anyone on these forums use it at all in a production enviroment? Seems quite interesting http://www.ibmmuseum.com/ohlandl/AIX_1-3/AIX_For_PS2.html

I'm also curious as to the specs of the computers you actually ran the OS on, particuarly non IBM branded stuff.
Full installation is something 90 1.44meg floppies and scsi hdd I gather- http://ps-2.kev009.com:8081/moreaixps2/aix-supp-hw.html
List of recommended, read IBM, machines- http://ps-2.kev009.com:8081/moreaixps2/aix-supp-hw.html
Click to expand...

There are those that run (and occasionally develop for) AIX on PS/2s (last available version 1.3) or later releases on RS/6000 at the comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware newsgroup (there even may be more specific groups active too)...
 
IBMMuseum said:
There are those that run (and occasionally develop for) AIX on PS/2s (last available version 1.3) or later releases on RS/6000 at the comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware newsgroup (there even may be more specific groups active too)...
Click to expand...

Just out of curioisty, what sort of companies still use PS/2s?

I never actually seen PS/2s in a production environment before.
 
EverythingIBM said:
Just out of curioisty, what sort of companies still use PS/2s?

I never actually seen PS/2s in a production environment before.
Click to expand...

A few years ago I was contacted by a power company, whom wanted to replace a floppy drive in a PS/2 Model 50. I tried to get them to update to something like a Model 77 (at least a little newer, it was a microchannel adapter for some special function that kept the unit in production). They just wanted the floppy drive (the system is going to quit in a worse way sometime).
 
IBMMuseum said:
A few years ago I was contacted by a power company, whom wanted to replace a floppy drive in a PS/2 Model 50. I tried to get them to update to something like a Model 77 (at least a little newer, it was a microchannel adapter for some special function that kept the unit in production). They just wanted the floppy drive (the system is going to quit in a worse way sometime).
Click to expand...

LOL, if they start to panic when the floppy drive fails, I don't want to know what they'll do when a capacitor on the mobo or PSU dies.
Of course it's fixable, but companies don't have the time, or care really. Entities have an issue when thinking singularly to problem-solve.
But I could be mistaken on easibility, PS/2s did harbor a lot of those bizarre miniature surface mount caps in sundry places. Must be the smallest *electrolytic* surface mount caps I've ever seen...
 
EverythingIBM said:
LOL, if they start to panic when the floppy drive fails, I don't want to know what they'll do when a capacitor on the mobo or PSU dies...
Click to expand...

My thinking with the [Bermuda planar-based] PS/2 Model 77 (besides being a 486 and newer) is that the hard drive would at least be SCSI. Those 20Mb MFM (Model 50) or DBA EDSI (50Z) hard drives got to be close to easily dying. The 2.88Mb floppy drives (like on the 77) don't have anywhere near the long-term failure rate of the 1.44Mb PS/2 drives as well.
 
IBMMuseum said:
My thinking with the [Bermuda planar-based] PS/2 Model 77 (besides being a 486 and newer) is that the hard drive would at least be SCSI. Those 20Mb MFM (Model 50) or DBA EDSI (50Z) hard drives got to be close to easily dying. The 2.88Mb floppy drives (like on the 77) don't have anywhere near the long-term failure rate of the 1.44Mb PS/2 drives as well.
Click to expand...

But don't all PS/2s use proprietary connectors for the HDDs, regardless if they're IDE/SCSI?
Which I think is convenient because then you only need one connector for power & data!
--> Molex connectors can be stiff cheeseballs like 16-bit ISA cards wedged in awkward IBM NLX riser cards.

Well then it's simple!
You get an MCA IDE controller card from Recycled Goods for $500 and then make a molex to draw power from the proprietary PS/2 HDD cable.

(Joke about Recycled Goods, I'm not sure if they carry MCA IDE controller cards. They do have overpriced model 50s and floppy drives). They could "recycle" a lot more if the prices were reasonable.

As for the floppy drives... I took mine apart (well it's back together again and fine); it's really just standard parts that you can replace if you have the tools and patience.
 
EverythingIBM said:
But don't all PS/2s use proprietary connectors for the HDDs, regardless if they're IDE/SCSI?
Which I think is convenient because then you only need one connector for power & data!
--> Molex connectors can be stiff cheeseballs like 16-bit ISA cards wedged in awkward IBM NLX riser cards.

Well then it's simple!
You get an MCA IDE controller card from Recycled Goods for $500 and then make a molex to draw power from the proprietary PS/2 HDD cable.

(Joke about Recycled Goods, I'm not sure if they carry MCA IDE controller cards. They do have overpriced model 50s and floppy drives). They could "recycle" a lot more if the prices were reasonable.

As for the floppy drives... I took mine apart (well it's back together again and fine); it's really just standard parts that you can replace if you have the tools and patience.
Click to expand...

Many early PS/2s used proprietary hard drive connections, but all of the later models were standardized (SCSI, and to a lesser extent, IDE)...
 
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You might find a configuration file for bochs. I have a hard drive image, if you want.
 
Not me, but I have used it on the IBM RT, previous owner said he didn't want any of this DOS rubbish, decided to go UNIX and never regretted it!
(I recently discovered the X86 DOS emulator that was built in too, quite neat)

Interesting that it was available as a separate package. I always thought the PS/2 version had to be installed on a IBM RT and then PS/2's could connect to it and do the install over the network. But clearly not the case.
 
Quite understandable really. Being produced and backed by Big Blue on it's own purpose built hardware would've been a big deal at the time too I'd imagine. The PS/2 AIX 1.3 version has the option of Dos Merge though, which supported Dos 3.3 and 5.

Learning about a wider selection of hardware and software has to be good ;)
 
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ugh, in the weekend I went through my floppy disks and found IBM AIX PS/2 3.5" installation disks. Well 3 of the 4.
BUT the previous owner has overwritten them and turned them in to Windows NT boot disks :( Although it does mean someone in NZ purchased a copy.

My 6150 (AIX 1.3) has dosread/doswrite/dos - you quite simply type 'dos' and it takes you to a C> prompt so you can run DOS software (although I'm guessing programs that directly access hardware might have an issue or three - unlikely an issue on a PS/2).
 
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