> From port-alpha-owner@netbsd.org Tue May  9 08:16:49 2000
> Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 10:15:47 -0500
> To: port-alpha@netbsd.org
> From: Mocha <netbsd_alpha@yahoo.com>
> Subject: disklabel looks wrong
>
> here is my disklabel that the install floppy made for my sd0:
> ---cut---
> disk: alphaboot
> label:
> flags:
> bytes/sector: 512
> sectors/track: 84
> tracks/cylinder: 16
> sectors/cylinder: 1344
> cylinders: 3045
> total sectors: 4110480
> rpm: 3600
> interleave: 1
> trackskew: 0
> cylinderskew: 0
> headswitch: 0           # milliseconds
> track-to-track seek: 0  # milliseconds
> drivedata: 0
>
> 8 partitions:
> #        size   offset     fstype   [fsize bsize   cpg]
>    a:   263424        0     4.2BSD     1024  8192    16   # (Cyl.    0 - 195)
>    b:   537600   263424       swap                        # (Cyl.  196 - 595)
>    c:  4110480        0     unused        0     0         # (Cyl.    0 - 3058*)
>    d:  3309456   801024     4.2BSD     1024  8192    16   # (Cyl.  596 - 3058*)
> ---cut---
>
> first, where did they get the total value of cylinders as (0-3058) when it 
> says above that it's 3045. size and offset for (d:) looks wrong. why is 
> there a (*) after 3058? is it because it couldn't guess the real max cylinder?

Modern drives vary the number of sectors per cylinder, so the actual
number of cylinders doesn't necessarily match the cylinder a partition
appears to be at given a single sampled sectors/cyl value. This is
also the reason for the '*', as it is warning you -- but you don't care --
that the partition begins or ends in the middle of a (fake) cylinder.

You have no idea where the cylinder boundaries really are these days,
but fortunately you don't care. 

	ross