Subject: Re: newfs can't make filesystems over 1TB in size
To: Bill Studenmund <wrstuden@netbsd.org>
From: Brian Buhrow <buhrow@lothlorien.nfbcal.org>
List: current-users
Date: 12/09/2002 22:59:13
On Dec 9,  8:18pm, Bill Studenmund wrote:
} Subject: Re: newfs can't make filesystems over 1TB in size
} Uhm, why not change them all to off_t? Even though you're not changing
} size, you're changing semantics, and so you'd have to supply compatability
} calls for everything (where the values make it to userland), so why not
} just fix things once & for all?

	Hi bill.  Are you suggesting that I should consider
changing the on-disk format of disklabel such that the size of a partition
is represented by an off_t, a 64-bit signed value?  Do you think this might
be overkill since NetBSD seems to already address physical disk sectors as
unsigned 32-bit valuse, a state of affairs which will currently let us talk
to a 4-TB disk?  I was merely thinking that the disk drivers and
disklabel(8) program ought to reflect that reality and print out meaningful
data.  Is there a semantic I'm missing, and unintentionally changing?
Changing the on-disk format seems like quite a significant one, and
something to be worked toward, whereas I was mostly suggesting a cosmetic
change, initially, at least, which would improve the usability of NetBSD.  
	Please tell me if I'm missing something, because I certainly
want to do what's best for NetBSD as I strive to make it work well with
these huge data stores.

-thanks
-Brian