FA: Sun PCI II Pro Coprocessor card

[J.C. Wren]

Zane H. Healy wrote:

>>  These are COOL! Check out the specs here
>><http://sunsolve.sun.com/handbook_pub/Devices/Miscellaneous/MISC_SunPCi_IIpr
>>o.html>
>>
>>
>>Auction  <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5754769132>
>>
>>  Joe
>>
>>    
>>
>
>Just how do these cards work?  Do they expect you to have a second monitor,
>or do they display the Windows desktop on top of Solaris?  I've been
>threatening to pick one up for my Ultra 60.
>
>		Zane
>
>
>  
>
    They do have a monitor port, but they can also export the display to 
a window under CDE (Solaris' desktop environment).  I don't know if any 
other window managers are supported either by the cards, or under 
Solaris in general (to wit: I've only used CDE under Solaris).  Solaris 
provides the disk services.  The cards also have an ethernet port, so 
you can either have it as a true standalone ethernet device, or Solaris 
can proxy addresses for it (IIRC, it sets up a private network between 
Solaris and the card).

    They're pretty slick, and it does let you run Windows app on true 
x86 hardware under Solaris.  That being said, the ONLY support I'm aware 
for these cards is under Solaris, so you can't just drop a couple in a 
x86 PC as co-processor cards and do anything with them.

    Basically, you can add external everything (video, network, serial, 
parallel, audio,USB, maybe keyboard & mouse), but no disk.  I've got one 
in my Sun Blade 100, and it works.  I haven't found a use for it, but it 
works.

    --jc