Subject: Linux-Activists Digest #41
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 00:15:13 EDT

Linux-Activists Digest #41, Volume #2             Wed, 8 Apr 92 00:15:13 EDT

Contents:
  Digests (thomas dunbar)
  Re: FS questions (Drew Eckhardt)
  libtermcap.a bugs? (Britt Park)
  libtermcap.a bugs? (Britt Park)
  libtermcap.a bugs? (Britt Park)
  Re: IMPORTANT: gcc 2.1, libc.a 2.1a and Linux (Karl R. Buck)
  Re: ST-506 and IDE drives on the same machine ? (Jonathan O'Neal)
  Re: Beginner's Guide: Installation (I Reid)
  Large disk partition (Stephen Harris)
  Large disk partition (Stephen Harris)
  modem login, and .95c ([email-masked])
  HELP! Problems with rootimage. (Timo Jaakko Sillanp{{)
  RE:Scott's HD timeout problems (tim)
  RE:Scott's HD timeout problems (tim)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: thomas dunbar <[email-masked]>
Subject: Digests
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 23:07:01 GMT

why do most items in the Linux Digests appear twice?

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Re: FS questions
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 22:23:11 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> mstype!mdf (Matthew Francey) writes:
>well, i've read the FAQ sheet and i am unimpressed. :-)
>
>or more precisely, i am showing remarkable restraint and calm in the
>light of the information on this FAQ list.  i will refrain from rapid,
>perhaps unthinking, decisions.  i will not drool *too* much.  wild,
>incoherent singing in the middle of the night will be kept to an absolute
>minimum.
>
>hence, like any potential guinea pi..., err, customer, i have some
>more questions before i sign my life away to LINUX:
>
>1) is there a driver for my beautiful Adaptec 1542B card?  how difficult

Tommy Thorn's driver has been incorporated into the latest 
release of the SCSI drivers, which I will put up RSN.
What the people on the SCSI mailing list got  :
 
---
Ok, here's the deal :
1.  I found a clash between the seagate driver and 
        gcc2.x, which has been rectified.  Basically, gcc2 decided 
        "Gee, it would be good to save bx and si."  This changed 
        the stack frame around, moving things by 8 bytes,
        the assembler code used the 
        old version of the stack frame, things got corrupted and 
        may or may not have worked correctly.  

        The binaries were compiled with gcc1.37? for 
        the SCSI stuff, 2.x for the rest of it, so this 
        should only have been a problem for those 
        recompiling the whole mess.

        Of course, since bx and si were being changed,
        and not preserved as gcc may have expected them
        to be, this could also have caused problems.

2.  I have a damaged directory under my source tree, and need 
        to finish fixing fsck to repair it.  This takes
        priority over getting out binaries + sources, as 
        I can't get the former out if I don't do a build,
        and won't send out the later without testing them
        first.  

After the second problem is rectified, and Linus's new patches are 
applied, new distributions will be put out including tthorn's 
adaptec drivers.  

>2) is the file system size *really* limited to 64 megabytes?  this is a
>   really serious flaw if true for (a) simple aesthetic reasons and (b)
>   practical reasons for those with large disks ...  and if true, can this
>   be easily fixed?  i have absolutely no care in the world about
>   compatibility with MINIX file systems, or any other for that matter.
>   i just want peak, or close to peak, fs performance.
>

With Minix FS, yes.  

This is what VFS takes care of - it provides an interface
between file related system calls (ie open, read, etc), 
and different file systems such as the Minix FS, Berkely
FFS, LFS, Tar FS, FTP FS, let your imagination run wild.....

>otherwise, LINUX is looking like what i an looking for.  i have had it with
>COHERENT and its 64+64 business and disgusting disk performance...
>
>but its still a toss up between 386 BSD or LINUX.  but i haven't found out
>anything about the BSD other than the fact it exists, is free, and a friend
>tells me it panics alot...

It also requires an entire hard disk to itself, and has no 387 
emulation in the kernel, which makes using stock compilers....
tricky.

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Britt Park)
Subject: libtermcap.a bugs?
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:41:39 GMT

I was trying to compile my much beloved version of uEmacs 3.8, (I've made
several changes to it and am very fond of it.) and found that it compiles
but doesn't work under GCC 1.40.  Does the GCC 1.40 libtermcap have a known
bug in it?  I've traced the problem to that vicinity.  Thanks.

                                        Britt
                                        [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Britt Park)
Subject: libtermcap.a bugs?
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:45:43 GMT

I was trying to compile my much beloved version of uEmacs 3.8, (I've made
several changes to it and am very fond of it.) and found that it compiles
but doesn't work under GCC 1.40.  Does the GCC 1.40 libtermcap have a known
bug in it?  I've traced the problem to that vicinity.  Thanks.

                                        Britt
                                        [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Britt Park)
Subject: libtermcap.a bugs?
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:52:11 GMT

I was trying to compile my much beloved version of uEmacs 3.8, (I've made
several changes to it and am very fond of it.) and found that it compiles
but doesn't work under GCC 1.40.  Does the GCC 1.40 libtermcap have a known
bug in it?  I've traced the problem to that vicinity.  Thanks.

                                        Britt
                                        [email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Karl R. Buck)
Subject: Re: IMPORTANT: gcc 2.1, libc.a 2.1a and Linux
Date: 7 Apr 1992 18:47:04 -0500

[email-masked] (Michael K. Johnson) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Hongjiu Lu -- Graduate Student)

>   >From Linus's second patch, we are moving to VFS. As a result, there
>   will be some changes in libc.a. That means next release of gcc 2.x and
[...]
>If this is so, then we should make available a new bootimage and
>patched source at the major ftp sites, I think.  Requiring a new

This is an excellent idea. Also, I keep hearing about "Linus's second
patch" but I never hear it referred to by its specific file name. Is
this the 0.95c.patch.1 that is on tsx?

BTW, great work on GCC 2.1.
-- 
Karl Buck, [email-masked]     :)

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Jonathan O'Neal)
Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: ST-506 and IDE drives on the same machine ?
Date: 6 Apr 92 13:05:01 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
[email-masked] (Richard Lewis) writes:
> I have a Viglen 386LS (2M RAM, 44M ST-506 Drive, Western Digital
> Controller).  I have heard that it is possible to add a new IDE drive
> and controller while maintaining the original ST-506. Does anyone know
> if this is so and how can I do it ? 

   I have an IDE "paddle card" controller as my primary controller and a
Seagate ST-22M as my secondary controller.  The BIOS on the ST-22M works
very nicely with the IDE card as long as (1) the ST-22M is set up using the
secondary address (0x170), and (2) the second CMOS drive type is set to 0
(not installed).  I run DOS this way regularly;  I recently put SCO Unix on
the MFM drive, set the first CMOS Drive type to 0 and the second CMOS type
to match the MFM drive, and was able to boot unix (just by changing CMOS).
I paid about $54 for the ST-22M, which also has a floppy controller;  the
ST-21M (without floppy controller) should cost less.

> Richard.
-- 
 Jonathan O'Neal      [email-masked]     ...!uunet!emory!scscom!jko
 SCS/Compute, Inc.    WD4DAR                 Any opinions expressed are all
 Norcross, GA 30093   (404) 368-1040         mine, not those of SCS/Compute.

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (I Reid)
Subject: Re: Beginner's Guide: Installation
Date: 7 Apr 92 19:23:31 GMT

[email-masked] (Joseph Dougherty) writes:

>In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (I Reid) writes:
>>--------------------------------------------------------------
>>This is an updated release of my guide to installing Linux. It mostly corrects

>       In reading through this informative post, I discovered only one real
>major error. In the table where you point out the minor numbers of the hard
>disk partitions, there is an error that should be corrected.:

>       In the second set of device numbers, the drive major number should be
>4 with the minor numbers as 1 through 8. This is for a second disk drive
>on a system, using single or multiple partitions. 

>       This should clear up any problems people might be having accessing
>second drives.

My apologies to anyone who had problems with drives following my posting and
thank you to Joseph Dougherty for his correction. What happened was....

When I wrote that bit I did an ls -l /dev on my Linux setup to get the device
numbers and put in what I found. I was writing under a newly installed version
of 0.95a and wasn't aware that I had made a mistake. What can I say.... sorry.

Iain

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Harris)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Large disk partition
Date: 7 Apr 92 20:22:08 GMT

Is it possible for Linux to use a disk partition greater than 64Mb ?
I have a 650Mb disk at 1283x16x63.  DOS takes up the first 1023 clinders
(the most it can have), leaving me 128Mb as a second partition.  But when I
try mkfs it moans for greater than 64Mb :-(

So I now have 64Mb of unused disk (and unusable!  Stupid idea of BIOS boot to
have each partition starting before cylinder 1024.  means my last partition
MUST be at least 128Mb).

Alternatively, could I make this into an extended partiton, with 2x64Mb
in that, or even 1x10Mb (root+tmp), 1x12Mb(swap=3xRAM),1x64 (/usr), 1x42 (think
of something!).

If so, how?  I've read the begineers guide, and the FAQ (Mar 29th) mentions
hda5 as extended partition with a warning, but I couldn't find any info
on how to create this extended partition (NOTE: Dos fdisk won't do it because
it is above the 1024 cylinder limit), nor how to make this as root partition.

Help please!  I am on 0.95c (yippeee! I successfully managed to get Linus's
patches to work! Well the kernel boots :-) ).

Thanks in advance.
-- 
                               Stephen Harris
               [email-masked]    ...!uknet!axion!spuddy!sweh

 * Meeeeow ! Call Spud the Cat on > +44 203 638780 < for free Usenet access *

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Harris)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Large disk partition
Date: 7 Apr 92 20:22:08 GMT

Is it possible for Linux to use a disk partition greater than 64Mb ?
I have a 650Mb disk at 1283x16x63.  DOS takes up the first 1023 clinders
(the most it can have), leaving me 128Mb as a second partition.  But when I
try mkfs it moans for greater than 64Mb :-(

So I now have 64Mb of unused disk (and unusable!  Stupid idea of BIOS boot to
have each partition starting before cylinder 1024.  means my last partition
MUST be at least 128Mb).

Alternatively, could I make this into an extended partiton, with 2x64Mb
in that, or even 1x10Mb (root+tmp), 1x12Mb(swap=3xRAM),1x64 (/usr), 1x42 (think
of something!).

If so, how?  I've read the begineers guide, and the FAQ (Mar 29th) mentions
hda5 as extended partition with a warning, but I couldn't find any info
on how to create this extended partition (NOTE: Dos fdisk won't do it because
it is above the 1024 cylinder limit), nor how to make this as root partition.

Help please!  I am on 0.95c (yippeee! I successfully managed to get Linus's
patches to work! Well the kernel boots :-) ).

Thanks in advance.
-- 
                               Stephen Harris
               [email-masked]    ...!uknet!axion!spuddy!sweh

 * Meeeeow ! Call Spud the Cat on > +44 203 638780 < for free Usenet access *

------------------------------

From: [email-masked]
Subject: modem login, and .95c
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 02:35:20 GMT

I agree that the patches for .95c should be put on the ftp sites.

I mean: It would be nice to ftp the 95c bootimage(maybe with lp
patch?) anyone else agree?
Anyway, How _does_ one go about login via modem?

Also, am I the only one to have trouble with serial port lock-up
when you try to use either both odd or both even ports?(2&4, or 1&3)?
I can use 1&2, 2&3,but not 1&3, 2&4  I have three regular com ports,
and an internal everex 1200 baud modem on 4.  I have yet to get the
internal to work on 4. :(  (no real loss, 1200 is slow anyway)
I have an xt for dos stuff, so my 386 is dedicated to Linux

I would ideally like to login to linux via modem(2400 on ttys2) and
initiate a kermit session to my xt(2400 on ttys1 null modem), however,
I can't seem to login via my modem.  I have used getty 19200 ttys1 &
to login directly from the xt, but getty 2400 ttys2 & always gives
problems(i think the RING message is interfering with normal login)
anyway, any ideas, etc... please e-mail to [email-masked]
(I have logged in at 19200 on ttys1, run kermit out ttys2 to modem, to
connect to e-mail(the pc has a log to disk feature I can't re-create
on Linux with kermit))
also, does anyone know if kermit on tsx-11 still has the bug?

While I am at it...
      1)Kudos to Linus!!!!! GREAT JOB!!!!! (I once was crazy enough
        to try to write a *nix clone, gave up though)
      2)Kudos to Jim Winstead for making an easy install procedure
        suggestion: tar and compress some of the utilities and bash
        and see if they might fit on a root image(worth a try?)
        Also, thanks for being such a help to new-to-linux folks
      3)Kudos to Chuck Boyer for writing the much needed owners
        manual/installation manual/intro to Linux manual....
      4)Kudos to I Reid for a comprehensive explanation of booting linux
        off the hard drive(just when I most needed it :> ) 
      5)Kudos to all the people porting software to Linux, without which
        we would have to do it all ourselves.  :)
      6)Kudos to anyone I have left out. 
Linux is the fastest implementation of *nix on [3,4]86 I have seen yet!

If anyone is interested:
        System Configuration:
         386-33(Intel) 4MB 106MB partitioned as follows:
          pfdisk> 1 99 0 511
                  2 99 512 767
                  3 0 0 0
                  4 99 768 1024
          1 is approx. 53 MB root
          2 is approx. 26MB mounted as /pub(all ftp'd files I put here)
          3 is empty(obviously)
          4 is approx. 26MB swap space
         SVGA Boca card w/Tseng 4000 using Acer 25 UVGA (non-interlaced)
        ttys1:null modem to xt machine
        ttys2:2400 fax/modem(modem only under linux though)
        ttys3:very dumb terminal(Tandy Model 100 portable)
        ttys4:internal 1200 everex modem(not working for some reason)
        PS0 and at1 installed

Oh, one other question: has anyone got a tape drive functioning under Linux?
I am considering that as my next purchase, and I am wondering what is best
for Linux?

Thanks, sorry for all the questions.....

Jim Gifford
[email-masked]

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Timo Jaakko Sillanp{{)
Subject: HELP! Problems with rootimage.
Date: 7 Apr 92 14:20:38

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (tim)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: RE:Scott's HD timeout problems
Date: 8 Apr 92 03:43:28 GMT

Scott:
:Sorry to be a real pain in the but, but here's the next installment in
:the ongoing saga of 'Scott Tries To Install Linux'.
:Early this morning playing around trying to get things to work.  Decided
:to boot up with 0.95 as suggested in I Reid's Beginners Guide.  Made an fs,
:rebooted, and it worked, no probs.  Tried 0.95a and :
:8 virtual consoles
:4 pty's
:HD timeoutHD timeout .......
:dev 0300, block 0
:Unable to read partition table of device 0300
:HD timeoutHD timeout .......
:dev 0340, block 0
:Unable to read partition table of device 0340
:Partition tables ok.                   /* Wonderful !!!! */
:harddisk I/O error
:dev 0341, block 1
:Kernel panic : Unable to mount root

:Before switching off, decided to reboot with 0.95a, just in case.
:Amazing, it worked.  Closed eyes, took a deep breath, tried again, it
:worked...<cut>

i got the same errors the first time i tried 0.95[a]. have you talked
to Linus? he helped me alot with those errors. i still get some error
messages but now i can run it without worrying about it crashing often. the 95c
patchces might  help some i think. 

:0.95 - works
:0.95a -
:HD timeoutHD timeoutHD timeoutHD timeout Partition tables ok.
:39488/43545 blocks
:14327/14515 inodes
:226 buffers - 241424 bytes buffer space
:Free mem : 1310720 bytes
:All systems functioning
:0.95a seems to work in the above manner 1 in 10 attempts.  I am doing
;:nothing strange between reboots.

have you run it more than just past the boot? i got timeouts when
writing or removing a large file[s] or anytime the disk was being
accessed alot.

:Remeber I can get 0.95a to works from hda1.  But for the moment at least
:I need to keep DOS as it is installed.

metoo. i have problems with one drive more than the other. it seems to
be a problem reading the drive, so i've been told. well, anyway,
you're not the only one with those problems and there could well be a
few minor changes in the HD driver that will help considerably. 

0.12 might work better for you also. have you tried that? i get
unexpected intterupt errors with 0.12 but it doesn't timeout. 

                        tim

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (tim)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: RE:Scott's HD timeout problems
Date: 8 Apr 92 03:43:28 GMT

Scott:
:Sorry to be a real pain in the but, but here's the next installment in
:the ongoing saga of 'Scott Tries To Install Linux'.
:Early this morning playing around trying to get things to work.  Decided
:to boot up with 0.95 as suggested in I Reid's Beginners Guide.  Made an fs,
:rebooted, and it worked, no probs.  Tried 0.95a and :
:8 virtual consoles
:4 pty's
:HD timeoutHD timeout .......
:dev 0300, block 0
:Unable to read partition table of device 0300
:HD timeoutHD timeout .......
:dev 0340, block 0
:Unable to read partition table of device 0340
:Partition tables ok.                   /* Wonderful !!!! */
:harddisk I/O error
:dev 0341, block 1
:Kernel panic : Unable to mount root

:Before switching off, decided to reboot with 0.95a, just in case.
:Amazing, it worked.  Closed eyes, took a deep breath, tried again, it
:worked...<cut>

i got the same errors the first time i tried 0.95[a]. have you talked
to Linus? he helped me alot with those errors. i still get some error
messages but now i can run it without worrying about it crashing often. the 95c
patchces might  help some i think. 

:0.95 - works
:0.95a -
:HD timeoutHD timeoutHD timeoutHD timeout Partition tables ok.
:39488/43545 blocks
:14327/14515 inodes
:226 buffers - 241424 bytes buffer space
:Free mem : 1310720 bytes
:All systems functioning
:0.95a seems to work in the above manner 1 in 10 attempts.  I am doing
;:nothing strange between reboots.

have you run it more than just past the boot? i got timeouts when
writing or removing a large file[s] or anytime the disk was being
accessed alot.

:Remeber I can get 0.95a to works from hda1.  But for the moment at least
:I need to keep DOS as it is installed.

metoo. i have problems with one drive more than the other. it seems to
be a problem reading the drive, so i've been told. well, anyway,
you're not the only one with those problems and there could well be a
few minor changes in the HD driver that will help considerably. 

0.12 might work better for you also. have you tried that? i get
unexpected intterupt errors with 0.12 but it doesn't timeout. 

                        tim

------------------------------

** FOR YOUR REFERENCE **

The service address, to which questions about the list itself and requests
to be added to or deleted from it should be directed, is:

    Internet: [email-masked]

You can send mail to the entire list (and comp.os.linux) via:

    Internet: [email-masked]

Linux may be obtained via one of these FTP sites:
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    tupac-amaru.informatik.rwth-aachen.de	pub/msdos/replace

The current version of Linux is 0.95a released on March 17, 1992

End of Linux-Activists Digest
******************************