root on wedges

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

Wedges are data structures in the NetBSD kernel that describe a single
disk partition. They can be created manually or by parsing an on-disk
label. By default only a GPT label is parsed, but by configuring a
kernel with the DKWEDGE_METHOD_* options, other labels including the
BSD disklabel can be used.

If you use DKWEDGE_METHOD_BSDLABEL or if your root disk uses a GPT
label, it is necessary to use wedges to mount the root filesystem
because either the traditional partition device (sd0a/wd0a) is busy
or because there is no such device anymore.

Mounting root on a wedge is currently only possible for a few architectures,
that is: i386,amd64,xen and sparc64.

I have put a patch on

ftp.netbsd.org:/pub/NetBSD/misc/mlelstv/bootwedge.diff

that moves the configuration of root on wedges into the MI part of the kernel.
The patch is incomplete, as it only adapts the autoconfiguration for i386 and
amd64.

Please have a look and comment..




Greetings,
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."
-- 
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."