Unix filenames and drum memory

From: Bill/Carolyn Pechter <pechter_at_shell.monmouth.com>
Date: Fri Jun 12 16:19:20 1998

>
> On Thu, 11 Jun 1998, Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com> wrote:
> something you can get get around, even with any ordinary sort of
>
> ObCC: I just noticed /dev/drum on a Dec here. Now I *know* there
> is not a drum on this thing, so this must be a holdover from some
> earlier implementation of some Unix. True? Were filesystems on
> drums managed the same as those on disks? I don't see any reason
> why they wouldn't be, offhand. But I thought drums died out before
> Unix appeared. Does anyone still have a functional magnetic drum
> memory? That would be one _awesome_ peripheral. :-)
>
> Bill.
>
>

On this ISP there's a /dev/drum

BSD/OS shell.monmouth.com 3.1 BSDI BSD/OS 3.1 Kernel #2: Mon Jun 1 23:03:46
$ls -l /dev/drum

crw-r----- 1 root kmem 4,0,0 Jan 29 1997 /dev/drum


I believe it's in most BSD Unixes and tied to the swapping/paging system.

Bill
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Received on Fri Jun 12 1998 - 16:19:20 BST