The Field Guide to Differences
Between
SUNMOS
and OSF
by Kevin McCurley
Nodes on the Intel Paragon run one of two different operating systems,
called SUNMOS
and OSF, leading to some confusion among users of the
system. This document explains the major differences for those that
have had some experience with each. Code fragments are in C due to
the bias of the author.
THE ACRONYMS
OSF ==
- One Sorry Failure
- Obsolete Software Feature
- Oppressive System Frustration
- Open Sore Fortran
- Obviously Silly Functionality
- Obfuscated Software Fiction
- Oregon Sadism Festival
- Omnipresent System Failure
- Obese Software Foundation
SUNMOS ==
- Send Us No More OSF Sillyness
- Sandia's Untesed Nonfunctioning Microscopic Operating System
- Simpleminded Unsupported New Mess Of Software
- Sandia's Useless New Messy Opium Substitute
- Sandia Uses Nice Masterful Obvious Solution
- Stephen's Useful New MPP Oregon Savior
Thanks to John Shadid for his help on these
THE PHILOSOPHY
OSF ==
- Give the customer what we want.
- If you feel bad, then I feel bad.
- Jonestown in software.
- Never compute today what you can put off until tomorrow.
- You can't get there from here.
- I'm sorry, we have no space left today.
- Performance? Let me look that up in /usr/dict/words...
SUNMOS ==
- Give the customer what they want.
- #include <performance.h>
- You want to do WHAT?
- Write it yourself.
DOCUMENTATION
OSF: (too many to list here - see the four volume set:
"Paragon System Technical Documentation Guide"). Of course,
nobody reads them.
SUNMOS:
- ar860 e /Net/local/sunmos/lib/libsunmos.a
- anonymous ftp for postscript files at cs.sandia.gov
SAMPLE CODE FRAGMENTS
OSF:
void csend(int type, char buf, int len, int node, int pid)
{
FILE *pipe;
int i;
pipe = popen("/usr/lib/sendmail","w");
fprintf(pipe,"MAIL TO: %d@%d\n",pid,node);
for(i=0;i
fprintf(pipe,"%c",buf[i]);
}
fclose(pipe);
while(1) sleep(1);
return(len);
}
SUNMOS:
#define @(*&@#$&@(% int
#ifndef (@#^$*^@*&$^(*#&@$_(@*&^*$&
@(*&@#$&@(% __8____a_(INT32 glurb, void up_yours)
{
return(1);
}
#endif
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS TOOLS
OSF:
- Hourglass
- date()
- Lights
- Motif GUI for above
SUNMOS:
DEBUGGING TOOLS
OSF:
SUNMOS:
- getcomm
- lights
- hex calculator
- Rolf
- Gabi
- Mack
- Stephen
EMULATION MODES
OSF:
SUNMOS:
- Intel Touchstone Delta NX
- Intel iPSC/860 NX
- Intel Paragon NX
- nCUBE-2 Vertex
- NASA Challenger
MOST USEFUL FUNCTIONS
OSF: exit()
SUNMOS: main()
LEAST RELIABLE FUNCTIONS
OSF: exit()
SUNMOS: main()
MOST USEFUL UTILITIES
OSF:
df, /usr/paragon/boot/reset.sunmos
SUNMOS: yod, /usr/paragon/boot/reset.sunmos
LEAST RELIABLE UTILITIES
OSF: /usr/bin/*
SUNMOS: /sunmos/bin/*
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
OSF:
pajarito-> wc buglist
6516 37145 275978 buglist
SUNMOS:
pajarito-> wc buglist
wc: buglist: No such file or directory
BIGGEST IRONY
OSF: gimmeabreak()
SUNMOS: the compiler is called sicc (sic sick)
(NON)QUOTE FROM DEVELOPERS
OSF: "You're selling nodes with HOW much memory?"
SUNMOS: "The best documentation is the source code"
BIGGEST FANS
OSF:
- OSF
- DRAM manufacturers
- IBM
- Thinking Machines Corporation
- Cray Research, Inc.
- J. P. Sartre
SUNMOS:
- Intel SSD Employees
- Paragon users
- The author
Apologies to those I might have offended, as well as those I
neglected to offend...
Kevin McCurley's home page.
See more humor.