SCO UnixWare 2.1 Technical Summary - Bandwidthco Computer ...

An SCO Technical White Paper Version 2.1.2
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• DDI conformance tool, a utility that can be used to ensure that the driver complies with
DDI/DKI interface standards.
• packaging utilities and source code for creating driver installation floppy disks.
Device driver developers can also use the auto-configuration mechanism provided with the
SCO UnixWare kernel. This allows device drivers to take advantage of the automatic detection
and configuration capabilities available in some HBAs and devices. Auto-detection enables the
device driver to see whether the device it is to control actually exists on the system.
Platform Support Kit (PSK)
The SCO UnixWare Platform Support Kit (PSK) provides a quick, easy and cost-effective way
for OEMs whose products are based on the Intel 80*86 architecture family to ensure that SCO
UnixWare supports their uni-processor and multiprocessor hardware platforms. PSK provides :
• sample source code
• documentation
• compatibility tests
• certification process for Platform Support Modules (PSMs)
Platform Support Modules (PSMs) are the layer of software that sits between the SCO
UnixWare 2.1 kernel and the hardware. The PSM mechanism allows for greater system
portability onto new architectures.
Software Packaging Tools
Software Packaging Tools provide the tools to create and modify installable UNIX software
packages. UNIX package support (also known as pkgadd format) is a standard mechanism for
installing applications, drivers and files onto the SCO UnixWare system. A complete set of tools
are provided to install, remove, display information about, and check the contents of a package.
The popular custom mechanism is also supported on SCO UnixWare 2.1.
SCO UnixWare 2.1 Standards Conformance
SCO UnixWare is a standards-based operating system that drives and complies with many of
the important Open Systems standards and specifications that have been adopted in the
computer industry to date. These include standards in the area of operating system interfaces,
commands and utilities, languages, and networking areas such as TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, SNMP, etc.
The standards to which SCO UnixWare conforms can be classed as binary and source. Source
standards enhance compatibility of source code across all implementations of the UNIX system,
whereas binary standards enhance compatibility of binary code across processor family
implementations.
Standards-based Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
SCO UnixWare system’s powerful applications runtime environment conforms to industry
standards in order to support most off-the-shelf applications. Key standards are:
• POSIX - Portable Operating System for UNIX (POSIX.1, POSIX.2 and POSIX.4)
• Single UNIX Specification (SPEC 1170 aka UNIX95)
• FIPS 151-2 - Federal Information Processing Standard
• SVID3 - System V Interface Definition, Issue 3
• XPG4 - X/Open Portability Guide
• iABI - Intel Application Binary Interface
• iABI+ - Intel Application Binary Interface +