Subject: Re: proposed pax changes (was Big problems with
To: NetBSD-Current <current-users@netbsd.org>
From: Tim Walls <tim.walls@pa.press.net>
List: current-users
Date: 03/06/2000 13:47:33
>> 4) fix the install kernel to be able to make use of a mfs /tmp *
> 
> I think it's either this or the ramdisk generation system adds a
> parameter for the minimum free space on the ramdisk. I think we should
> go with whatever takes the least space: jettisoning MFS and fixing it
> in the ramdisk tool, or leaving no free room on the md0 miniroot and
> always mounting a decent-sized MFS /tmp.

Can I just add (a probably not necessary) cautionary note here - please
remember machines without much memory!!!

I had great troubles installing -current on a 4MB RAM machine the other
day because of half the RAM pinched by the ramdisk & the other half
by the kernel (even pared down to the very bone I haven't managed to
get the kernel less tham about 1.5MB, which is a depressingly far cry
from the 600-odd K of 1.0 kernel it used to have on it.)

Basically, sysinst won't even run at all out of the box on this
machine (OK, sysinst runs, but when it tries to launch any other
processes like disklabel, it dies 'cos there is no memory left.)

Fortunately, this was an upgrade from 1.0, so I was able to
manually mount my old swap partition, and then run sysinst to carefully
build new-partition-ID partitions 'around' the active swap
partition...


I think basically what I think I'm (not very clearly) trying to say
is, if anything more is going to get loaded into RAM for installation,
can we do it _after_ the swap partition has been created & mounted please?

>> [*] While we're at it, could we *please* add the NIC drivers?!?  I was

And while we're at it, could we have a 'tiny' INSTALL which _does_
have PCMCIA drivers & network cards?  Given that laptops are more likely
than most to be 'tiny' machines, it seems a shame to throw out exactly
the drivers they'll need for a network install...


Tata,
Tim.  (If I've missed a point totally, feel free to ignore me ;-)

-- 
Tim Walls
Project Manager, PA/Sporting Life
IT Department, PA NewsCentre, 292 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1AE

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