Subject: Linux-Activists Digest #45
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 00:15:19 EDT

Linux-Activists Digest #45, Volume #2             Thu, 9 Apr 92 00:15:19 EDT

Contents:
  floppies Help ! (P Thomson)
  PS/2 Systems and Linux. was: What is linux? (Steve McCalla)
  Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How?) (David Buckley)
  Is Linux real-time ? (Maad Al-Dabbagh)
  Re: Linux Drivers and Kernel question. (Mike Ching)
  stuff at tsx-11.mit.edu (Michael K. Johnson)
  Re: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How....) (tim)
  Re: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How....) (tim)
  Re: Non-destructive repartitioning (was Re: What is linux?) (Jim Belesiu)
  Re: stuff at tsx-11.mit.edu (Michael K. Johnson)
  Re: floppies Help ! (Drew Eckhardt)
  Re: modem login, and .95c (Drew Eckhardt)
  Re: Binaries vs. Sources  (was: (none)) (Adam Thompson)
  modems and terminals(getty) ([email-masked])
  uucp porting status report - 04/08/92 (Ed Carp)
  uucp porting status report - 04/08/92 (Ed Carp)
  problems compiling kernel -- fatal signal 6 (gary a moyer)
  shoelace -- errors at boot from partition (gary a moyer)
  Re: Non-destructive repartitioning (was Re: What is linux?) (Greg Lee)
  wheres the device for ltp1? (gary a moyer)
  problem caught (gary a moyer)

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

From: [email-masked] (P Thomson)
Subject: floppies Help !
Date: 8 Apr 92 20:05:36 GMT

Hi , can someone help here please. I got hold of the images for boot and
root and tried to run Linux from a 1.44Mb floppy.

The program starts to load ie Loading..........
prompts for a svga setting then bombs out. This happens no matter what
mode I try to set ( pressing space has the same effect) 

System config   386DX 20Mz
                 91Mb Segate/Imperus Hard drive (SCSI)

 Thanks in advance Peter.

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

From: [email-masked] (Steve McCalla)
Subject: PS/2 Systems and Linux. was: What is linux?
Date: 8 Apr 92 18:58:32 GMT
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Steve McCalla)

The following is a recollection of news items posted when Minix was ported to
the PS/2 back in the dark ages, so take it with a grain of salt.

The main (only?) difference between microchannel machines and ISA bus machines
is the way interrupts happen. The microchannel has level-triggered interrupts
as opposed to edge-triggered interrupts on the ISA bus. This means that
multiple devices may share a single interrupt line. When an interrupt comes
in on a shared line, the devices sharing that line must be polled to find out
what caused the interrupt. That device must be serviced before sending the EOI
out, otherwise you end up getting another interrupt from the same device.
With edge-triggered interrupts, you can only have a single device per interrupt
line so this is never a problem; you can simply send the EOI and then
handle the
device that caused the interrupt. Naturally, different devices must be serviced
in different ways; I seem to recall a SENSE command being sent to the floppy
device in Minix as being sufficient for having it remove the intterupt request.
I don't know what the commands are for other devices. I believe they found a
way to set up Minix such that it would run on either bus, but I don't have
the details. (They = Bruce Evans, Steve Ackerman, and a host of others).
Hope these ramblings help.

- stevem
"#include <stddisclaimer.h> my opinions are my own, etc"
--
"It's pushbutton automation. First you push 'v', then  you push 'i'...:)

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

From: [email-masked] (David Buckley)
Subject: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How?)
Date: 7 Apr 92 08:24:28 GMT
Reply-To: [email-masked] (David Buckley)

        Is there some version of jsh, or some implementation of the
functions fg, bg, %[n] etc... I didn't find them on the version of
bash I am using. Are there several versions of bash?  How do we get 
access to job ctrl?  I know these exist from reading previous 
postings, are they hiding or should I chmod u+rwx mybrain.out?

        Also, is there some list of developers-port|ers so that
it might be easyer to direct financial contributions to this venture? 
I haven't seen any postings with regards to how and to who money
should be donated, and I think it would be interesting to be able 
to direct donations for specific implementations (our unix favourites),
beyond Linux itself.  Such a posting (I feel) would be greately 
appreciated. 
        
        I am very impressed with the work being done!
        (As a newbie-linuxite I would love to contribute...)

David Yates Buckley                 | Disclaimer: Recursive lunacy is
[email-masked], @csa.bu.edu   | employed in the most trivial tasks...

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

From: [email-masked] (Maad Al-Dabbagh)
Subject: Is Linux real-time ?
Date: 8 Apr 1992 13:50:19 -0700
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Maad Al-Dabbagh)

Is linux a real-time os ? please advise. I am working on an os called
Lynx OS , and it is supposed to be rea-time. I am wondring if it is the
same os or not.

maad

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

From: [email-masked] (Mike Ching)
Subject: Re: Linux Drivers and Kernel question.
Date: 8 Apr 92 17:34:23 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Erik Fichtner) writes:
>Is there an ethernet driver in the works?  along with patches to ka9q to
>make ethernet work? 
>
Does a hardware independant approach like the DOS packet drivers make
sense for Linux? Any hope that the existing packet drivers can be used
with a protected mode widget like the one for Windows?

Mike Ching
(not a kernal hacker yet)

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

From: [email-masked] (Michael K. Johnson)
Subject: stuff at tsx-11.mit.edu
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Michael K. Johnson)
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 23:01:57 GMT

I made patched source for patchlevel .95c (not including the
patchlevel fix -- If you are really worried about that, you darn well
better be able to fix it yourself ;-) available:

tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/sources/system/0.95c.source.tar.Z
(gee, I hope I remembered that right)

Also, I have fixed the .95c patches in the patches directory, for
those of you who may have noticed that I unwittingly broke them.
There is also a diffs.Z it you don't want to uudecode them yourself.

I hope that we get a compiled version soon -- I have been unable to,
and will be for another day or more, so if anyone running virgen .95c
would like to upload a copy, I'd be very grateful.  But if you do,
please make sure that it is just .95c (patchlevel fix optional) and
please mail [email-masked] when you do.

michaelkjohnson
[email-masked]
etc.  no .sig, as usual...

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

From: [email-masked] (tim)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Re: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How....)
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:27:00 GMT

you're probably not using bash at all. you're probably using ash from
the 0.95a root disk? you can get bash from the 0.95 or 0.12 root disk
or possibly alone from   one of the ftp sites.

                        tim

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

From: [email-masked] (tim)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: Re: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How....)
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:27:00 GMT

you're probably not using bash at all. you're probably using ash from
the 0.95a root disk? you can get bash from the 0.95 or 0.12 root disk
or possibly alone from   one of the ftp sites.

                        tim

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

From: [email-masked] (Jim Belesiu)
Subject: Re: Non-destructive repartitioning (was Re: What is linux?)
Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1992 21:32:41 GMT

> very last few clusters of the hard disk as being unmovable and owned by a file
> called 'image.idx'. I believe this has something to do with an extra copy of
> the DOS 5.0 boot image. The question is, does DOS absolutely need this file in
> that particular location, or might it possibly create a new image in the last
> few clusters of a new partion? If not, can this file be moved and how?
>
That file was created by Norton utility image.exe.  This creates an image
of the FAT and directory structure.  You can erase this file without harm
as it will be created the next time you boot (I suspect that image is in
you're autoexec.bat file).

Jim Belesiu
HP Cardiology Business Unit
McMinnville, Oregon

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

From: [email-masked] (Michael K. Johnson)
Subject: Re: stuff at tsx-11.mit.edu
Reply-To: [email-masked] (Michael K. Johnson)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 00:30:30 GMT

I said recently....

   I made patched source for patchlevel .95c (not including the
   patchlevel fix -- If you are really worried about that, you darn well
   better be able to fix it yourself ;-) available:

   tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/sources/system/0.95c.source.tar.Z
   (gee, I hope I remembered that right)

Ok, this has been changed:
1) UTS_VERSION _has_ now been fixed.
2) VFS code has been fixed.
3) filename is now:

tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/sources/system/linux-0.95c.tar.Z

   Also, I have fixed the .95c patches in the patches directory, for
   those of you who may have noticed that I unwittingly broke them.
   There is also a diffs.Z it you don't want to uudecode them yourself.

This is still true.

   I hope that we get a compiled version soon -- I have been unable to,
   and will be for another day or more, so if anyone running virgen .95c
   would like to upload a copy, I'd be very grateful.  But if you do,
   please make sure that it is just .95c (patchlevel fix optional) and
   please mail [email-masked] when you do.

Apparently Linus will be putting one on nic.funet.fi, and when he
does, tsx-11 will snarf it.

   michaelkjohnson
   [email-masked]
   etc.  no .sig, as usual...

still michaelkjohnson
[email-masked]

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

From: [email-masked] (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Re: floppies Help !
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:18:27 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (P Thomson) writes:
>
>
>Hi , can someone help here please. I got hold of the images for boot and
>root and tried to run Linux from a 1.44Mb floppy.
>
>The program starts to load ie Loading..........
>prompts for a svga setting then bombs out. This happens no matter what
>mode I try to set ( pressing space has the same effect) 
>
>System config   386DX 20Mz
>                91Mb Segate/Imperus Hard drive (SCSI)
>
>
> Thanks in advance Peter.

Several things : 
1. The "normal" distribution kernel does not support SCSI.  
2. The SCSI kernel probably tries to mount root off of the first 
        partition on the first "normal" hard disk, 
        and will panic when root can't be mounted.
3. The scsi kernel ONLY supports seagate and Ultrastor 14F
        hosts adapters.   Adaptec support is finished,
        and will be released RSN.

4. "bombs out"  doesn't mean to much.  What kernel panic is created,
        or does it just stop?

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

From: [email-masked] (Drew Eckhardt)
Subject: Re: modem login, and .95c
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:01:06 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Jim Winstead Jr.) writes:
>In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] writes:
>
>>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?
>
>I don't know of anyone with tape drives working.  Apparently the SCSI
>patches are able to handle SCSI tape drives, but I haven't heard of
>anyone using them.
>

The SCSI patches have STUBS for the st tape driver.  Present tapes are 
detected, but that's about it it. 

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

From: [email-masked] (Adam Thompson)
Subject: Re: Binaries vs. Sources  (was: (none))
Date: 9 Apr 92 00:43:52 GMT

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Theodore Ts'o) writes:

>However, I don't think it's fair that you ask everybody to recompile all
>of the binaries each time a new release comes out.  For this reason, I
>do not plan on deleting the binaries subdirectory on TSX-11.  If you
>don't trust the binaries there; fine, don't use them.  There will be
>some people who will want to use the binaries which are provided there
>instead of compiling their own from source.  That's fine too.  If
>someone has a problem with one of the binaries, and recompiles it from
>scratch, and uploads to the various FTP sites, I'm sure we'd be happy to
>replace the broken version with the fixed one.

I think there's a general consensus here, that we still need binary
distribution.  However, some *VERY* valid points have been raised.  For
example,  when I go a-looking to re-install Linux (ie: cleaned up my 2nd
HD, made some room :-)   I FTP to tsx-11.  Fine.  

'cd /pub/linux/INSTALL'
'mget *'
'cd /pub/linux/binaries/usr.bin'
'ls'
*** Now.  What the F*** do I _need_ to get a reasonable Linux system up and
running ?   The last time I tried to actually figure it out, (back at 0.12)
I just FTP'ed the whole directory.  Untarred the whole bundle.  Hoped
everything fell into place when I  unTar'ed from "/".   

Although you (Theodore) probably have a biased view, I think even you have
to admit that the binaries directory is a bit ... cluttered?
 
Now, for your daily:
 Yet Another Suggestion -- create  tsx-11:~ftp/pub/linux/essentials

:-)
-Adam Thompson
 [email-masked]
 (somebody mail me and tell me if I have a .sig or not, please)
-- 
= Adam Thompson   ----   Computer Engineering  ----  University of Manitoba =
= [email-masked]    =  "When you have eliminated the improbable, =
= ...!uunet!decwrl!alberta!\   =    whatever is left, however impossible,   =
=    ccu.UManitoba.CA!umthom61 =    must be the answer."                    =

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

From: [email-masked]
Subject: modems and terminals(getty)
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 02:06:53 GMT

Thanks for all the help on logging in via modem(I essentially had
to turn every "feature" of the modem off) Worked great!
I connected, and used kermit (via other port) to initiate a session
with my provcomm on my xt, worked great!  I then tried to d/l via
zmodem from the xt, but got nothing but bad crc's(to be expected
going through 2 serial ports and kermit)
anyway, on to the problem...:
  I have this really odd terminal(what terminal isn't odd?) and it will
only go up to 9600 baud(no probem yet) However, it will only do even,
odd, or mark parity(can't force none) therein lies the problem.
I do a getty for it, and the message shows on the screen and login:
i try to type, and no response....
is there a way to do getty 9600 (even,7,1) ttys1?
anyway, it isn't important, just a friend wants to log in and look
around(and I am usually on the modem to attmail :) )
the xt works ok for logins, but it's keyboard is partly broken, and I
often use it for loading new software from messy-dos.

BTW, using Procomm Plus 2.0 with vt100 emulation, and logging in
to an account runing bash, up arrow really works right!  This is the
first(and only) flavor of *nix I have yet logged into that vt100
termcap worked so well(backspace on xt even works right, I didn't have to
reprogram it)  Great Job!!!!

Also, I also agree it is time to end alt.os.linux(too many doubled
messages, and I am charged for them all<i think i am anyway>)

Jim Gifford
[email-masked]

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

From: [email-masked] (Ed Carp)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: uucp porting status report - 04/08/92
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:06:07 GMT

Well, for the most part, it works!  I can't turn off debugging
in uucico (have to use -x4 or above), but it works fine with
smail3.  I wrote a simple shell script to deal with local
mail - I'll be including that with both the binaries and the sources.

I just converted to gcc-2.1 from H. J., and now I can't get the
executables to execute!  Can someone please email step-by-step
directions on how to do this?  Thanks!

If I can get the binaries to run, I'll be sending the whole thing over to
tsx-11 Thursday morning sometime.
-- 
Ed Carp  N7EKG/6        [email-masked]         [email-masked]
                        Cupertino, CA           408/252-5947

-- Absolutely unabashed Gates McFadden groupie! --

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

From: [email-masked] (Ed Carp)
Crossposted-To: alt.os.linux
Subject: uucp porting status report - 04/08/92
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:06:07 GMT

Well, for the most part, it works!  I can't turn off debugging
in uucico (have to use -x4 or above), but it works fine with
smail3.  I wrote a simple shell script to deal with local
mail - I'll be including that with both the binaries and the sources.

I just converted to gcc-2.1 from H. J., and now I can't get the
executables to execute!  Can someone please email step-by-step
directions on how to do this?  Thanks!

If I can get the binaries to run, I'll be sending the whole thing over to
tsx-11 Thursday morning sometime.
-- 
Ed Carp  N7EKG/6        [email-masked]         [email-masked]
                        Cupertino, CA           408/252-5947

-- Absolutely unabashed Gates McFadden groupie! --

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

From: [email-masked] (gary a moyer)
Subject: problems compiling kernel -- fatal signal 6
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:50:06 GMT

With a little luck and insight from some users, the mystery
surrounding the fatal signal 6 dilemna has been solved.
Evidently the makefile in linux/kernel contains the line
GCC_OPT = -fcombine-regs commented out due to problems (or
possibly a fix) for persons using gcc2.0.  This, however,
makes gcc1.4 choke and die.  Just remove the comment delimiter
and blamo -- it compiles.

                 [email-masked]

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

From: [email-masked] (gary a moyer)
Subject: shoelace -- errors at boot from partition
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:53:04 GMT

I recently  got linux to boot from the second partition via
shoelace.  It boots fine and everything, however, I get some
interesting warning messages.  Anyone else had this problem?

BTW -- kudos for the port to Linux, that floppy grinding away
at bootup was s l o w......

                   [email-masked]

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

From: [email-masked] (Greg Lee)
Subject: Re: Non-destructive repartitioning (was Re: What is linux?)
Date: 9 Apr 92 02:58:28 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Anthony Frey) writes:
}... I'm running DOS 5.0 and Norton for DOS 5.0 and the Norton optimizer reports the
}very last few clusters of the hard disk as being unmovable and owned by a file
}called 'image.idx'. I believe this has something to do with an extra copy of
}the DOS 5.0 boot image.

The Norton utility 'image', presumably called in your autoexec.bat file,
creates the image.idx file to help you reconstruct msdos disk structure in
case it becomes corrupted.  Just delete it. 

--
Greg Lee <[email-masked]>

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

From: [email-masked] (gary a moyer)
Subject: wheres the device for ltp1?
Date: 8 Apr 92 22:02:08 GMT

I am using the .95 root disk and can't seem to find a device for
a printer on lpt1.  If it by chance isn't there, hows about someone
posting the info necessary for a mknode to create the device?

                    Thanks.  G. Moyer

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

From: [email-masked] (gary a moyer)
Subject: problem caught
Date: 8 Apr 92 15:02:15 GMT

Thanks to everyone for the pointers on the kernel rebuilds -- I got
it figured now.  Thanks.  [email-masked]

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

** 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:
    nic.funet.fi				pub/OS/Linux
    tsx-11.mit.edu				pub/linux
    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
******************************