Re: Re (6): installing NetBSD on a Sparcstation 2.

[Dan Oglesby <danno%serverunderground.com@localhost>]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "der Mouse" <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>
> To: port-sparc%NetBSD.org@localhost
> Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 3:13:45 PM
> Subject: Re: Re (6): installing NetBSD on a Sparcstation 2.
> > Ugh... 2GB limit for the / filesystem when using anything but the
> > 2.9 PROM, from what I've gathered.
> 
> For the boot filesystem, more likely. NetBSD can work just fine with
> boot and root on separate filesystems, though (at least in my
> experience) you usually need a custom-configured kernel, or be willing
> to type some stuff on the console at every boot.
> 
> Even then, if it's the usual problem (ROMs not knowing how to use
> 10-byte CDBs), the limit is 1G, not 2G (small CDBs support block
> numbers from 0 to 0x1fffff). And it's not a limit on filesystem size
> per se, but rather, the limit is that every disk block read using the
> ROM routines must be below the line; a large filesystem is fine if the
> blocks of interest are all low down - but, with most filesystems,
> that's difficult to ensure short of capping overall filesystem size.
> 

The limit I saw for the SS2 running older PROM was 2GB for Solaris, which 
normally doesn't split out the kernel from the root filesystem.

> > I have an IPC that was running NetBSD 4.something a while back, and
> > I'm pretty sure it used the entire 18GB drive that was installed at
> > the time. It must have a much newer PROM, because I remember the
> > NetBSD install from CD-ROM going without any problems at all.
> 
> I've seen it said that different models of Sun sometimes have
> different
> restrictions even for apparently similar ROM revs; I've had somewhat
> inconsistent results that incline me to believe it, but I've never
> seen
> a really authoritative statement, nor have I snooped to see if the
> ROMs
> know how to use 10-byte CDBs.
> 
> In any case, even if your IPC worked fine, it could have been sheer
> luck. I've had machines with the limit which worked fine with huge
> root-&-boot filesystems for a long time, until one day a new kernel
> happened to use a block over the limit - kaboom.
> 
> These days I routinely separate boot and / - or, depending on the
> intended use, keep / below the limit and use it for boot too. This
> means that I don't have to care whether the machine has the limit or
> not, and means that the disk can move to another machine without
> caring
> whether the new machine has the limit either.


This is the approach I am taking right now loading Solaris 7.  I have split up 
/, /usr, /var/, and /home to keep / small and within the limits.

Thanks for the insight, it's been far too long since I've messed with any of 
this hardware.  :-)

--Dan