NDIX

Tape with a beta version of NDIX version C. Unknown if it is source code or a binary copy.

NDIX is the name of the Norsk Data port of BSD unix to the ND-500 and ND-5000 hardware. The OS runs on the ND-500(0) CPU and uses the ND-100 part of the machine as an I/O processor.
The ND-100 CPU runs SINTRAN III and communicates via XMSG with NDIX, but compared to how the interaction between the ND-100 and ND-500(0) works when running Sintran it is quite different for NDIX.
In the Sintran world the ND-100 launches different processes on the ND-500(0) and mage them from the ND-100. In the NDIX world it works in the opposite way; all process management is on the ND-500(0) (NDIX "owns" the ND-500(0)) and the ND-100 is only used as an I/O processor. This is achieved by using a special NDIX microcode on the ND-500(0) and a specially generated Sintran for the ND-100.

NDIX was an effort to gain market shares on the emerging UNIX market for servers. The last version of the BSD-based version of NDIX (NDIX-C) was released in 1989, and since the development of the ND line of hardware ended so did NDIX.
Note that there was a software called NDIX-V that did run on the 88k machines ND sold. This was just System-V for 88k and nothing ND-specific about it.

Hardware requirement

NDIX-A and NDIX-B (4.2BSD-based) only run on ND-500.

• ND-500/CX (second generation, MPM 5 and 500/2)
• 2-6 MByte private memory for the ND-100 CPU
• Up to 32 MByte shared memory

NDIX-C (4.3BSD-based) only runs on ND-5000.

• ND-5400, ND-5500, ND-5700 or ND-5800.
• 32-bit ND-120 CPU.
• 2-6 MByte private memory for the ND-100 CPU
• Up to 32 MByte shared memory

History

The beginning of NDIX started at at Luleå Tekniska Högskola (LuTH) (now Luleå University, www.ltu.se) were a C compiler (LCC, the Lulea C Compiler) was written for ND-500. This did draw quite some interest from ND, so people from ND Service Team were stationed at LuTH working with porting 4.2BSD to ND-500. The resulting operating system were called NDIX-A. It was used only internally and at LuTH.

ND Service Team continued development of NDIX, mostly focusing on modifying Sintran and the ND-500 microcode to better work together with NDIX. Also a better compiler were added to the system, a port of the Portable C Compiler for the system. This version was released as NDIX-B.

The last version of NDIX, the NDIX-C version, was a port of 4.3BSD and was released not long after NDIX-B. It was ported by Norsk Data LTD, Benham Valence, Newbury, Berkshire, England and did only run on the ND-5000 machines. NDIX-C became widely used, mostly at universities and research facilities.

Software requirement

Besides the software for NDIX itself, there were a need for a special version of Sintran itself.

• NDIX-B needs Sintran K/VSX Workmode 300.
• NDIX-C needs Sintran K/VSX Workmode 600 (or later). Latest release was Workmode 602.

Also, a special microcode for the ND-500(0) adapted for NDIX was needed.

Releases

This section lists the releases of NDIX.

A-version

Not delivered outside of Norsk Data.

B-version

1987-10-26, sources are available on tape.

C-version

At least in beta version, sources available on tape

NDIX Release C product number ND 211308

ND Product numbers

• ND-210746 NDIX for 16 users
• ND-210903 NDIX for 32 users
• ND-210904 NDIX for 64 users
• ND-210905 NDIX for over 64 users

References

• ND-210905
• NORSK DATA UNIX (NDIX) - ND-5000/ND-100 Interface Specification
• NDIX Memory Layout
• List of special commands for communicating with SINTRAN III
• Norsk Data Document ND–30.055 NDIX operator guide
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.244 NDIX Programmer GUIDE Volume I
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.245 NDIX Programmer GUIDE Volume IIa
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.246 NDIX Programmer GUIDE Volume IIb
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.247 NDIX Programmer GUIDE Volume IIc
• Norsk Data Document ND–70.003 NDIX Documentation Kit

NDIX Release C

• Norsk Data Document ND–60.327.1 EN [[Documentation list#Unknown|]]
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.328.1 EN [[Documentation list#Unknown|]]
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.329.1 EN [[Documentation list#Unknown|]]
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.330.1 EN [[Documentation list#Unknown|]]
• Norsk Data Document ND–60.331.1 EN [[Documentation list#Unknown|]]