By William Fellows
To better align the efforts of the IBM Corp-led IA-64 Monterey Unix project, the Santa Cruz Operation Inc and Sequent Computer Systems Inc will implement AIX APIs in their respective Unix operating systems by year-end giving customers an AIX look and feel, although not the actual ability to run AIX programs. SCO and Sequent are trying to create a long up-ramp for users as they head towards superceding their current IA-32 Unixes – respectively UnixWare and Dynix/ptx – with a single Monterey64 Unix for Intel IA-64 systems based upon IBM’s 64-bit AIX kernel. IBM is porting its PowerPC-based AIX to run on Intel’s 64-bit chips and will integrate SCO and Sequent IP into the product, which is code-named Monterey64. IBM will continue to offer AIX on PowerPC. As part of the convergence Sequent is to rename its Dynix/ptx operating system UnixWare ptx by year-end. As a result of having worked closely with SCO on Unix back in 1993 Sequent says SCO UnixWare applications will run on UnixWare ptx – the two operating systems will be source and binary compatible – although programs will need to be optimized to take advantage of Sequent’s architecture. UnixWare ptx is being positioned as the high-end of the UnixWare brand even if the two are separate code bases for all intents and purposes. Support for ptx’s ccNUMA distributed shared memory server functionality won’t be offered elsewhere until Monterey64 becomes available as integrating this work involves the transfer of IP between Sequent and IBM, Sequent says. Only at that time will Sequent have the opportunity to sell the operating system for use on third party hardware, although it hinted yesterday that it expects to pick up more OEMs as a result of its commitment to Monterey64. IBM software including DB/2, middleware and web applications will be available for ptx by the end of the year. Sequent says that ISVs and customers that write applications to UnixWare ptx using a Monterey universal development kit will be able to recompile those applications for Monterey64.
