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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!trib.apple.com!amd!netcomsv!calcite!vjs From: vjs@calcite.rhyolite.com (Vernon Schryver) Subject: Re: dual procesor motherboards the way forward? Message-ID: <CxKFM4.ByL@calcite.rhyolite.com> Organization: Rhyolite Software Date: Wed, 12 Oct 1994 15:13:16 GMT References: <Cww6x9.1A0@gnome.co.uk> <tgray-0710940002460001@192.187.228.31> <37c3t5$a4m@engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM> Lines: 17 In article <37c3t5$a4m@engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM> jackv@orpheus.Eng.Sun.COM (Jack F. Vogel) writes: > ... >I am not an expert in X86 architecture, but I believe it was also >ONLY as of the 486 that this architecture had an ATOMIC 'compare >and swap' (which they call compare and exchange :-), something that >is desireable in implementing MP locking. > ... wrong. The original 8086 had the LOCK prefix, and Multibus boards from Intel supported it just fine. It was possible to make functioning, commercial multi-processor operating systems (not just program loaders like DOS) before IBM built the first PC. Vernon Schryver vjs@rhyolite.com