Subject: Re: Release goo for 1.4.2_ALPHA
To: Bill Studenmund <wrstuden@nas.nasa.gov>
From: Todd Whitesel <toddpw@best.com>
List: tech-install
Date: 02/07/2000 22:26:58
> >   2. src/distrib/* could be unified a lot more than they are now. When I'm
> >     done with 1.4.2 and move the ArchFarm back to current, I'll get on it,
> >     if only to keep my sanity. I also want to automate the process of
> >     determining the correct geometry values for miniroots. Right now we get
> >     lots of spurious vnd overflows because of hardcoded numbers in Makefiles
> >     and kernel configs.
> 
> That and commands not using ${DESTDIR}/etc/disktab - assuming you're
> running what you're making. :-)

Eh? That usage is consistent with the DESTDIR concept. I don't have a
problem with it.

What I _do_ have a problem with is that it uses a system disktab in the
first place. More hardcoded values that have to be kept consistent; barf!

One of the patches in the cvs-diff file on my 19991223-{sparc,sun3} snaps
will let you specify the geometry in the Makefile and a teeny local disktab
file is created based on those. Much cleaner and a lot easier to experiment
with.

> I like the idea of ftp straming into pax. But I doubt it would make NFS
> expendable. :-) We're one site which runs NFS and not FTP, and have
> locally-modified tries. With NFS install, it's easy. :-)

Yeah, although I think I would still push for the single-floppy installer
to drop NFS early on (seeing as how we still have the fdset and 2880K
CD-ROM installers) -- taking out NFS made a huge difference, much larger
than any other single component I've tried removing.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ best.com