LinuxHPC.org/Cluster Builder 1.3
Tru64 UNIX
Tru64 UNIX
By LinuxHPC.org and Cluster Resources
| Tru64 UNIX |
|
Tru64 UNIX is HP's (formerly Compaq; formerly DEC) 64-bit Unix operating system for the DEC Alpha AXP platform. It was previously known as Digital UNIX, and before that as DEC OSF/1 AXP. DEC's prior UNIX product was known as Ultrix.
It is unusual among common commercial UNIX implementations in being built on the Mach kernel, sharing this characteristic with NeXTSTEP and Mac OS X. It is sometimes criticized for POSIX compatibility holes.
Tru64 UNIX requires the SRM boot firmware on DEC Alpha-based computer systems.
OSF/1
In 1988, during the so-called "Unix wars", DEC joined with IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and others to form the Open Software Foundation (OSF) to develop a version of Unix to compete with System V Release 4 from AT&T and Sun Microsystems. OSF/1 was one of the first operating systems to use the Mach kernel, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, incorporating components of the BSD kernel to provide Unix compatibility. OSF/1 was to have been the third major branch of the Unix family tree, after System V and BSD.
DEC's original release of OSF/1 was in 1991 for their line of MIPS-based DECstation workstations; it was never really a fully supported product and it was cancelled before the end of 1992. DEC ported OSF/1 to their new Alpha AXP platform (as DEC OSF/1 AXP), and this was the original version (V1.2) of what is most commonly known as OSF/1. OSF/1 AXP was a full 64-bit operating system and the native UNIX implementation for the Alpha architecture. From OSF/1 AXP V2.0 onwards, UNIX System V compatibility was also integrated into the system.
HP also worked on a product based on OSF/1 designed for early versions of their PA-RISC workstations, but this project never really got off the ground due to the complex nature of the hardware. Apple was rumored to be working on an OSF/1 version of A/UX for their PowerPC architecture, but the project never made it out of the rumor stage. IBM used OSF/1 as the basis of the AIX/ESA operating system for System 370 and System 390 mainframes [1].
In 1994, after the Unix wars had splintered the Unix market, the Open Software Foundation ceased funding of research and development of OSF/1.
Digital UNIX
In 1995, starting with release 3.2, DEC renamed DEC OSF/1 AXP to Digital UNIX to reflect its conformance with the X/Open Single UNIX Specification.
Tru64 UNIX
After Compaq's purchase of DEC in early 1998, with the release of version 4.0F, Digital UNIX was renamed to Tru64 UNIX to emphasise its 64-bit-clean nature and de-emphasise the Digital brand.
Status
With HP's purchase of Compaq in 2002, HP announced the intention to migrate many of Tru64 UNIX's more unique features (including its file system) to HP-UX, HP's proprietary Unix. As of December 2004, however, HP appears to have cancelled this project, instead choosing to use the Veritas file system and abandon the rest of the Tru64 advanced features. In the process, many of the remaining Tru64 developers have been laid-off (made redundant).
As of 2005 HP intends to continue selling the product through 2006 (coincident with the final shipping dates of AlphaServer hardware), with continued support up to 2011. Maintenance releases are planned for 2006 (5.1B-4) and 2008 (5.1B-5).
All text used in this article is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tru64 UNIX".