Very Computer

Can I transfer my application software with all configs in tact?
Are the .profile files compatible?
Are printer drivers compatible?

Any help would be great!
thanks

P.S.  My e-mail address might be wrong, but I plan on looking in here again, so you could  post in here.
Thanks

   Please use your Return or Enter key _before_ you reach 80 chara
cters.  Otherwise,
your article becomes very difficult to read.  If it is very diffic
ult to read,
then people are less likely to read it.  If less people read it, y
ou are not
as likely to get the responses you desire.

$I am running about 25 terminals off of a Stallion board and running a 486 33Mhz pc.

   Make sure you get new drivers for this and for any other
non-SCO-supported hardware you're using.  Xenix and Unix have rather
different kernels and you'll need SCO Unix-specific drivers.  SCO
supplies drivers for a wide range of hardware, but there are also many
boards (such as intelligent multiport serial cards, for example) for
which you'll need vendor-supplied drivers.

   If you're not sure what hardware is directly supported by SCO Unix,
check the hardware compatibility handbook in your system (if you bought
the full manual set ... I'm not sure if that's included in the
no-manuals version).  Alternatively, see the HCH* files on ftp.sco.com
or browse around http://www.sco.com

   Some of the termio flags have changed - in particular, those
dealing with RTS/CTS handshaking.  If you're using this, check
your old gettydefs entries to know what you have set up, and
compare it with the termio man page under Unix to see if you need
to make any changes.

$Can I transfer my application software with all configs in tact?

   Are you planning on doing this on the same machine, or to a
different machine by way of backup/restore?  The former is probably
easier, as you can do an in-place upgrade and not have as many
places to worry about whether or not you should restore such-and-such
a config file.

   For your applications, you should be fine.  There are a few apps
which check to see which OS they're running on, and probably a handful
which will run fine on Xenix but won't on Unix - but they're
relatively rare.  Most Xenix programs will run just fine on Unix.
If you're doing an in-place upgrade, you probably don't need to
touch them; if you're doing a by-tape-to-new-machine upgrade,
back the apps up onto the tape, restore them to the same place in
the directory tree, and you should be OK.

$Are the .profile files compatible?

   Almost certainly.  SCO goes to great lengths to make Unix backward-
compatible with Xenix, both at a system call level and at a command-line
level.

$Are printer drivers compatible?

   Hmm ... good question.  I _think_ they are, but I'm not 100%
sure.

   Other stuff ... make _at least_ one good, verified, known working
backup, and write-protect it.  Also make Xenix emergency boot/recovery
diskettes.  Chances are you'll survive the upgrade without making any
major mistakes, but in case you do (or in case you find out that
you don't have all the pieces you need), you probably want to be
able to go back to the old system.

   Here's a partial list of configuration files you may have customized
and which might be overwritten during the installation of the new
OS.  Have a look through them, back them up, and be prepared to make
manual adjustments to the new ones or equivalents if required.  You
_don't_ want to restore these over top of the new versions without
at least comparing them, but you _do_ want to have them around in case
you need them.

/.cshrc
/.kshrc
/.login
/.logout
/.profile
/etc/cshrc
/etc/default
/etc/gettydefs
/etc/group
/etc/passwd
/etc/profile
/etc/rc.d
/etc/termcap
/etc/ttys
/etc/ttytype
/usr/lib/mail/*aliases
/usr/lib/mail/mailrc
/usr/lib/mkuser
/usr/lib/terminfo/*
/usr/lib/uucp/[A-Z]*
/usr/local/*

   Keep in mind that SCO's tar doesn't back up empty directories,
pipes, devices, etc., so any directory containing any of those
needs to be backed up with something else (in the absence of a
third-party product, I'd suggest cpio).

   Note that I've crossposted this into comp.unix.sco.misc, where many
SCO experts hang out.
--

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen M. Dunn, CNE, ACE, Sr. Systems Analyst, United System Solutions Inc.
104 Carnforth Road, Toronto, ON, Canada M4A 2K7          (416) 750-7946 x251

I have just completed doing something very similar.  Instead of just copying
all the apps over, I first contacted all the s/w vendors for the XENIX
packages and most (not all) upgraded to the SCO version for a small or none
fee.

I then tarred to tape all the 'user' files and after installing everything
on the new system, copyed the user stuff into a tmp directory and started
placing where is should go.  (Make sure you don't use absolute paths when
backing up your XENIX stuff)

I have a few problems with differences in where some files/commands where
located, or even if they existed.  But other than that, it was very
straight forward.