Subject: Re: problems installing
To: Thomas Pusateri <pusateri@cs.duke.edu>
From: Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com <michaelv@HeadCandy.com>
List: current-users
Date: 10/25/1994 12:42:48
>> Exactly the problem. Thanks a bunch. I disabled the cache and the install
>> went fine.
[...]
>> Also, you might want to add this to the INSTALL doc.

>I believe there's a chunk in there that suggests that if one has
>trouble booting, etc., to turn off caches and try again.  It's
>never explicitly stated that they might cause problems for other
>things, too, but it's sort-of implied (i think).
>
>in any case, it shouldn't be a problem for _too_ many people.

To put this a little more clearly, this isn't a problem with *every*
cache -- it's a problem with your motherboard's cache, in particular.
There are certain motherboards out there that don't have very good
cache-coherency hardware, and thus screw you over if you run something
other than DOS with the cache turned on.  (These motherboards would
also have problems with something like Windoze NT or OS/2.)

On the other hand, I can run my motherboard (NICE Super-EISA) with the
cache in full write-back mode, with an EISA bus-mastering SCSI
controller (bt747s), and I don't have a single problem.  It's all
dependent on your hardware.

So, yes, it should be noted in the INSTALL doc that this could be a
potential fix for people who are getting weird problems.  But it isn't
a problem for most people.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Michael L. VanLoon     michaelv@HeadCandy.com     michaelv@iastate.edu
  Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x for PC/Mac/Amiga/etc.
     Working NetBSD ports: 386+PC, Mac, Amiga, HP300, Sun3, Sun4c, PC532
               In progress: DEC pmax (MIPS R2k/3k), VAX, Sun4m
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