DELL Computers - does XENIX run on them?

[Dave H Close]

Quoting: Steven List @ Transact Software, Inc.

> I am thinking of buying a computer from Dell Computers.  Their ads sound
> good, they've gotten good reviews in PC Magazine, and they provide on-site
> service.  The big question is: Does XENIX run on them?  None of their ads
> make any mention of either UNIX or XENIX.  I'm concerned that XENIX may
> have problems with their disk controller (particularly for the big ESDI
> disks) and tape drive/controller.

I can testify that the Dell 310 runs Xenix fine with the 150MB ESDI disk.
HOWEVER, beware of multiport serial boards.  To run Xenix you will surely
want at least one.  But Dell put COM1 and COM2 on the motherboard AND left
out any way to force disable them (such as a jumper).  Their BIOS does attempt
to determine if an add-in serial board is present and disables the on-board 
ports if any is found.  But they don't reliably find all the boards on the 
market!  In particular the BellTech HUB6 doesn't work.

Dave Close, Compata, Arlington, Texas
compata at cup.portal.com