> From: Adrian_Roseboom@hud.gov
> Date: Mon, 30 Dec 96 16:37:37 EST

>   So... if my labels are OK but all I need to do is newfs my disk, I can do 
>   this on a PC based *nix system?  It would be oh so easy for me to pop the 
>   drive in and do a CD based boot of Redhat at work (just runs off the CD 
>   and boot disks).  Then I should be able to newfs the sucker and go from 
>   there.  I can tapeboot just fine at home but that doesn't include newfs 

Wait a minute!  If you can tapeboot, why are you trying to initialize
the disk on some other machine?  If you follow the directions in the
release notes, you will be able to newfs the disk as soon as you have
booted the miniroot.

>   :(.  At that point I can dd it from the tape drive.  Why oh why isn't 
>   newfs available in the tape boot media (asking innocently but completely 
>   ignorantly ;)  I can disklabel all I like but without newfs yer kinda 
>   stuck.  I don't wanna be whiny, I'm just curious.

The RAMDISK kernel on the boot media is only capable of loading the
miniroot, because the programs needed for doing that can fit in the
very small memory left when running from a RAM-disk and have no swap.
If you try running anything larger on such a setup, it will just hang
due to VM limitations (though I haven't tried lately).

So anyway, just load the miniroot like it says and then newfs.

Gordon