[TUHS] PDP-7 and Interdata 8/32 Bell System UNIX Installations?

[Warner Losh]

On Mon, Dec 18, 2023, 6:45 PM segaloco via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org> wrote:

> Are there any documented or remembered instances PDP-7 or Interdata 8/32
> UNIX being installed on any such machines for use in the Bell System aside
> from their original hosts?  Along similar lines, was the mention of PDP-7
> UNIX also supporting the PDP-9 based solely on consistencies in the
> architecture or did this early version of UNIX actually get bootstrapped on
> a real PDP-9 at some point?
>

I've been told it ran on a couple of pdp-9s at bell labs with the right
disk controllers. The original one was a pdp-9 controller retofitted to
work in the pdp-7. There was only ever 1 pdp-7 installation back in the day.

My understanding of the pre-3B-and-VAX landscape of UNIX in the Bell System
> is predominantly PDP-11 systems, but there was also work in the late 70s
> regarding 8086 hosts as evidenced in some BSTJ and other publications, and
> there is the System/370 work (Holmdel?) which I don't know enough about to
> say whether it technically starts before or after UNIX touches the VAX.
>

The pdp11 was the only machine to run unix until the ports began after the
5th edition came out. They began in earnest after the 6th Edition came out
they began in earnest ar Bell Labs with the interdata 8/32 and IBM 370/VM.
After that v7 was ported to the vax in what would become the 32V. Outside
of Bell Labs was the internal 7/32 at Wollongong that beat the lab's
effort. And another port to IBM 370/VM. I'm not sure when the 8086 with
custom MMU was in all this. Late I believe: either just before V7 or just
after.

Warner

Thanks for any info!
>
> - Matt G.
>
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