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XEROX
BUSINESS SYSTElVIS
System Development Division
To: D. Liddle Date: January 25, .1979
From: W. C. Lynch Location: Palo Alto
Subject:' Status Report for .January 79 Organization: SDD/SS
Filed on: [lris]Copies: Archives Agh Belleville Bergsteinsson Bewley Bice
Clark DeSantis Harslem Heinrich Herold Irby
Kennedy Lampson Lauer Lazar LeCesne Liddle
Linden Lynch Miller Reilly, D. Reiley, J. Schwartz
Sonderegger Szelong Townsend Wallace Weaver Wick
Wickham White
Cc: SS members
Introduction
This is the first status report of the Systems Software section since the recent SDD reorganizal1on.
'Ihis cover status report will attempt to summarize the monthly accomplishments, list important
Systems Software section issues, and track the status of personnel and equipment, all in bullet fOlm.
Details, additional information, and items of lesser importance can be found in the attached Systems
Software area status reports, and these should be freely consulted when necessary and desirable.
Any suggestions for improving this summary report without unduly lengthening it will be
welcomed.
Accomplishments
Planning for Pilot 3.0 is nearly complete.
Design details for software booting and microcode. swapping have been worked out.
The strategy for supporting the rvlesa debugger running on top of Pilot has been. worked out.
The SnD Architecture fioard, which was established this month, has empaneled an I/O Interface
\Vorking Group chaired by Jim \Vhite and with heavy Systems Software .participation.
Communications Software has been work.ing closely with ASD lO determine and ~vork toward
fulfilling U1eir requirements.
Victor Schwartz and his group have succeeded in tr("lllsferring files between the I BM System 6 anu
the IBM CMC 11 in both directions. The CE communications log on the System G was printed and
read.
[lris]
DO microcode version 2.1b was made available.
Issues
Systems Software is seriously short of Altos. A DO shortfall is expected within the month as work
begins on Teak.
Microcode release management has become a much more serious problem with Carol Hankins'
departure.
A microcode overlay strategy (e.g. for the RS232C variants) needs to be developed in view of the
tightness of control store.
"Mail service to our personnel in building 34 needs to be improved.
The Xerox-Wire controller is missing "too many packets.
ll1e requirements for Diagnostics mllst be negotiated with the new XBS service organization.
The Gateway software will not have a client for at least six months. This introduces testing risks.
IODU is critically short of both .personnel and Altos.
Personnel and EquiI)men~
Randy Gobbel started January 22.
JohnNg started December 29.
Tommy Chang transferred to IODU from ED.
Carol Hankins resigned from Xerox.
Offers have been extended to Robert Ladner (Pilot- Common Software) and Alan Freier (10-
IODU)