Subject: Re: changing root_device? Or load different kernel (ala /dev/reload)
To: None <netbsd-users@netbsd.org>
From: Jeremy C. Reed <reed@reedmedia.net>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 03/11/2002 17:03:01
On Mon, 11 Mar 2002, Andrew Gillham wrote:

> You could use small ramdisk for / and then mount_mfs more space?  Populate
> the space by untarring a file from the CD, and using mount_null to overlay
> /bin /sbin, etc.

Thanks for replying.

In fact, I am already using mount_null over mount_mfs. My /var/tmp is a
MFS mount and then it has directories like: /var/tmp/etc,
/var/tmp/var/run, et cetera which are overlayed with mount_null (so /etc
is really /var/tmp/etc).

But mount_null is broken for me (it doesn't reclaim space as I mentioned
in an email a couple days ago) and others (PR #15555). There is a
workaround that may work that I need to try.

I guess using "root on cd" is fine, but one concern I have is when I look
at my mfs files (under /var/tmp), the cd0 device is still accessed (as
seen with vmstat). I don't know if the physical hardware is accessed
though. I don't want the physical CDROM hardware to be accessed
needlessly.

   Jeremy C. Reed
   http://www.reedmedia.net/