Subject: Re: Some more newbie questions
To: None <jasper@ivision.co.uk>
From: Steve Hennigan <Stephen@hennign.demon.co.uk>
List: port-arm32
Date: 02/19/1997 14:08:01
In message <Pine.GSO.3.93.970219121317.20099C-100000@stingray.ivision.co.uk> you wrote:

> On Tue, 18 Feb 1997, Steve Hennigan wrote:
> 
> > 
> > I have been trying to install RiscBSD for a few days now and have come up
> > against a 'bit of a wall'.
> > I have got as far as step 31 of Marks RiscBSD Installation script v1.2.
> > I have loaded the base,text,etc,misc,config,tcsh,bash,local and man
> > distribution sets from the Risc Disc 3 CD to floppy and then into the
> > RiscBSD partition via RiscBSD itself. I dont seem to be able to get any
> > further and I have the following questions.
> 
> what do you mean 'don't seem to be able to get any further'? can you use the
> inst program to extract the sets? Can you boot from the harddisc without a
> root floppy?

I can boot without the root floppy, in fact I seem to have a base installation
running fine, I have installed all the base sets. But I dont fancy another
evening of formatting and copy out all the other sets just to get them
into the machine (call me lazy if you like). Also, I have started to get
file errors requiring me to use FSCK repeatedly so may have to start from
scratch yet.

>
> > 1. I have one of the CTA Direct 4x4 CD jukeboxes on my RPC600. Will the
> > intended ATAPI device drivers support this type of CD Drive?
> 
> I've got one too, IIRC it's recognised at boot as being an atapi cd, but
> I've never used it (I compile my own kernels and the atapi stuff dosn't work
> with the current kernel source)
> 
> > 2.If not, how do I go about getting the unixfs filing system working?
> > I have tried the standard configuration and also spent some time working
> > on the advice posted by Mr Thomassen the other night to no avail. The best
> > I can get out of this is the message:
> > 
> > 8
> > Bad Disklabel
> > 
> > If I could only get this bit working, I could transfer the sets much more
> > easily than via floppy (yawn).
> 
> Does RiscBSD produce any error messages when it mounts the disc? Is the
> Risc OS partition bigger then 512Mb? do you have the new FileCore?

I dont recall arror messages but there is so much flying by at bootup that
it can be hard to keep track. The RISC-OS Partition is 832MB and RiscBSD
takes the rest of a 1.2GB disk
>
> If you can get your maching on a network in any way it's a lot eaiser to ftp
> the sets accross...
>
Almost no chance of that, unless I can connect to the Internet via Demon and
then I've got the extra expense of downloading them over a phone line.

> > 3.I keep hearing about the beta versions of kernels supporting ATAPI discs
> > but cannot seem to positively identify any of them. Some of the VOYAGER
> > kernels seem to report an ATAPI bus during booting but the advice in FAQ
> > on how to configure the drive does not seem to work. (incidentally the > > > > latest VOYAGER kernel doesn't seem to report the ATAPI bus anymore).
> 
> For a while Mark was using a slightly out-of date kernel source tree to
> develop against. Since he's developing the atapi stuff it worked at the
> time. Now that he's switched to the latest version of the kernel source tree
> the atapi stuff dosn't work. He just needs to find time in his already
> overstreched life to make the atapui stuff work again. So very old kernels
> did not support atapi, not so old ones did, and very recent ones don't.
> 
> > As you have probably gathered, I am a complete novice at this unix lark.
> > We got sent on a 4 day course late last year and I am trying to find out
> > more about it as I may have to 'operate' it this year for real. I'm an
> > MVS operator by trade.
> 
> There was a book list posted somewhere ;-)
> 
I was going to try and get hold of 'Unix for the Impatient' . Is it any good?

Thanks for the reply, it's most appreciated


-- 
Steve Hennigan		Stephen@hennign.demon.co.uk
			hennigsj@arcade.demon.co.uk