Also: OS/2 Warp and OS/2 Warp Server
Summary
OS/2 client is a high performance desktop operating system made by IBM that runs on Intel/Cyrix/AMD Pentium and Intel 80x86. OS/2 Warp Server is a more advanced version of OS/2 designed for use as a network server.
- further reading: books on OS/2
“Whether you run a large enterprise or a small business, OS/2 Warp Server offers you a strategic network platform, for today and the future. With OS/2 Warp Server, you gain a complete, fully-functional application server, a highly reliable network operating system, a systems management server, backup and recovery services, and more…all in a single, cost-effective solution that’s easy to install and manage. The bottom line? OS/2 Warp Server is an extraordinary feature-rich network operating system.”
Intended purpose
Server/mainframe: OS/2 Warp intended for small and medium scale servers
Desktop/workstation: OS/2 client intended for desktops and workstations
Handheld: not appropriate
Real time: not appropriate
Kind of OS: proprietary
Release Date: April 2, 1987
- OS/2 1.0: December 1987
- OS/2 4.0: September 1996
- OS/2 Warp Server for e-Business: November 1999
- OS/2 Warp Server for e-Business ACP: November 2000
- OS/2 Warp Client 4.51 (MCP): November 2000
- eComStation (based on OS/2; from Serenity Systems): May 2001 [separate web page coming]
Current Version: 4.51
Cost: $250
Hardware Supported: Pentium, 80486
Maximum Number of Processors: 64
“This is normally a single processor OS, but you can get the pro version that contains the SMP kernel from warp server. The client does not come with SMP, only the server, and only if you request it. The maximum number of processors is 64 but not considered practical for more than 16 because you have reached the point of diminishing returns. Four processors runs 300% faster than one (for NT, it is more like 250%).” —David Eckard
“OS/2 Warp Server can use at least 4 clusters of 64 CPUs for a total of 256 CPUs.” —Robert Damian Mauro
“On an RS/6000 implementation based off the the AS/400 ‘Phoenix’ technology, they’ve done 256 clusters at max CPUs per node.” —Robert Damian Mauro
Number of bits: 32
Kernel: proprietary
POSIX: compliant
Peripherals: “some but not all PC hardware” —Kristian Elof Sørensen
File Systems Supported:
- preferred file system: HPFS-2 (NRWF)
- file systems can read/write/format: FAT (DRW), HPFS (NRWF), HPFS386 (RW), JFS (RW)
- file systems read only and can write through optional software: ISO 9660
- file systems can read/write/format through third party or optional software: HFS (rw), NTFS (r), FAT32 (rw), VFAT (rw), ext2fs (rw), extfs(rw), NFS (rw), TVFS (rw)
“Both OS/2 and eCS can now use the JFS from AIX. You use it for the data partitions as you can’t boot from it. You still do that from HPFS. JFS will also span partitions and drives. Four drives, two of them scsi and two IDE, you can make drive q: be on all four, without any drive letters before it.” —David Eckard
Other Systems Emulated: Windows 3.1 (built-in emulation), PC-DOS (built-in emulation, same as MS-DOS)
Graphics Engine: GRADD
“IBM developed a 32-bit GRE (GRaphics Engine) for it’s OS/2 2.1. Then sometime when they released OS/2 Warp 4 they released a new “object oriented device driver” called GRADD, which is also 32-bits.” —Pat Jaworski
Text Command Shell: UNIX shells
User Interface (graphic): Presentation Manager, X Window
Graphic Command Shell: WorkPlace, X Window
OS/2
Screen shot of OS/2
screen shot courtesy of Dead Operating Systems
“It [OS/2] does have available 2 complete GUI X implementations (including support to run whatever X GUI you wish such as KDE, etc) and full text based *nix support as well.” —Robert Damian Mauro
Disabled support:
Internet Services:
Application Programs:
Security:
Other:
references