[unios] Re: Networked GUI (was Posix and Networks)

Pat Wendorf beholder@ican.net
Thu, 17 Dec 1998 12:13:58 -0500


From: Pat Wendorf <beholder@ican.net>

> > I'd want a remote access that does not differ from local access.
>
> I want both explicit terminal access. (Oh yes, I do like Unix/X),
> and hidden remote access.

I agree, its important to have both.

> > Network-wide home directories... Log in anywhere and it'll look the same.
>
> This is distributed computing. I would like a system which can do both,
> but it's almost impossible to do that.

How so?

> > Hmm... do you mean multiple GUI desktops? That would be easy, different
> > windows could even be used by different servers. No problem if networking
> > is sufficiently transparent.
>
> Of course... Windows NT Terminal Server does it too, now. (Well , I like
> to stress the word "Terminal", but in another sense.)

 My friend tried it out, and said it works quite well... But I sure as hell wouldn't
wanna try running Quake or anything like that under it :)

> > Security is very important when incorporating networking.
>
>                  *******************************
> GOD ! What are y ou talking about? Locking out the supervisor terminal?
> OF COURSE. Ever been a sysadm???? Do you know what it feels like being
> root on a multi-server network??? Do you know what one would do to obtain
> this? Of course a supervisor terminal cannot be reached. It's the most
> important thing in the whole system! Such as simple security is something
> that is VERY BASIC to implement. (At least on servers)
> Also,we really don't want to make the networking errors Unix made back in
> the seventies and NT does now again. NT doesn't even survive a
> denial-of-service attack! You have to add third-party software.
>                  ******************************

Wow strong feelings :)  I believe we stated it just for the sake of stating it :)
It would not have been forgotten.

> > An ordinary home user is not in possession of a network. In those cases,
> > these features are not loaded or even not installed at all. Flexibility...
>
> That's exactly why we need the flexibility. The normal user's don't need
> it, but the UniOS designers will, and sysadms on servers, powerusers and
> developpers will.

And everyone will benefit... I know some don't agree... but I know everyone can
benefit from it.

> > I have another suggestion. Redundance in networking, which allows one or
> > several nodes to fail without loss of the joint computation or information.
> > To how big degree this can be done by the OS I don't know, but it's
> > certainly useful. What if you could just declare some data to logically
> > exist on the network, and it's automatically mirrored on several nodes,
> > with accesses made to the nearest copy without any effort from the
> > application's side?
> > binEng
> >
>
> Hm. What you are referring to, is ont of the buzz-words of the last year,
>  CLUSTERING. Unix can do it, MS just starts to get some in-the-field
> experience. It's really important for a corporate server-OS.
>
> An OS that can run _really_ non-stop (off course on the best hardware),
> should be able to be implemented too. Although... Tandy and some others
> seem to be the only firms able to do this... So it is rather difficult, I
> think.

That's kinda what I figured, but with our model it might be a little easier to
make.  We could have the primary machine make memory images of itself and transfer
them to the backup, and when the primary goes down (stops sending, or is observed to
be in lock-up), the secondary can jump into action at the same point the other left
off...

Only one problem I see here, and that is having a GIG of working system in memory,
and getting that to another machine... FDDI or ATM I think would have to do it...

--
-----------------------------
Pat Wendorf
UniOS Group
http://members.xoom.com/unios
beholder@ican.net
ICQ: 1503733
-----------------------------



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