Subject: Re: aperture driver for XFree86
To: Havard Eidnes <uunet!runit.sintef.no!Havard.Eidnes@uunet.uu.net>
From: Zdenek Salvet <salvet@nyx.dcs.muni.cz>
List: current-users
Date: 06/21/1994 17:47:14
In-Reply-To: <9406211359.AA29719@goldman.gnu.ai.mit.edu>; from "mycroft@gnu.ai.mit.edu" at Jun 21, 94 09:59:47 am

>    Is there any way how to boot large kernel ( 692KB) and still use
>    level 1 ffs ? ( fsck -c 2 seems little risky to me )
> 
> Where did you *ever* get the silly idea that the size of the kernel you
> could boot has anything to do with file system format?  The current boot
> block can boot a kernel as large as extended memory (minus ~64k of slop)
> on any file system that it can read.

 I have never thought new bootblocks cannot boot kernel on level 1 ffs
 before reading Thursday's discussion:

Ken Hornstein <kenh@wrl.EPI.COM> wrote: 
| I must confess to being a little confused about the relationships between
| old bootblocks, new bootblocks, old filesystem layouts and new filesystem
| layouts.  Would someone who understands all this stuff confirm or deny the
| following things I THINK are true. (any pointers to an appropriate reference
| would be greatly appreciated).
| 
| - The old (0.9) bootblocks will boot a -current GERERIC kernel (I'm sure about
|   this one)
| 
| - The old bootblocks won't boot a large (>640K ?) -current kernel.
| 
| - The old bootblocks will work with a level 2 filesystem (fsck -c 2).
| 
| - The new bootblocks will boot all possible -current kernels.
| 
| - The new bootblocks will NOT work with a level 1 or level 0 filesystem.

You replied:
| As far as I know, all of your points are correct, though I'm not sure
| why a new boot block won't work with an old file system.  (Anyone care
| to loan me a few hours from their day so I can do everything?  I wonder
| how the IRS would tax such donations.  B-))

Nobody reported opposite experience and I have no floppies handy to reinstall
old bootblocks if new bootblocks won't boot from my filesystem, so I'm
affraid to try them.

Zdenek Salvet
salvet@nyx.dcs.muni.cz



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