Re: SingleUser-Problem (2)

["Philip Clark" <pclark%enterprise.net@localhost>]

Sorry for the delay in replying to this, but I think
this might help.


Markus A. Regli wrote:

>Hi there!

>I wanted to make a more precisely report of my problem:

>1) I install the miniroot.fs like written in the manual.
>2) I start with loadbsd -a netbsd
>   @ the beginning of the screen of every boot come the two lines:
>    *[netbsd d.out symbole table not valid]*
>*    [no symbol tables format found]*

I do not think that this is part of the same problem. I too am lucky
enough to have a "large memory" system (82MB) and had this report
when using loadbsd, but it does not happen when using the bootblock.


>3) The booting goes ahead normal until after the line '10 views', there
>   stands:
>    *warning found rdb->secpercyl(209)!=rdb->nsectors(210)*rdb->nheads(1)*
>   but it continues normaly...

This is the real problem, for me at least. NetBSD (1.4) seems to pick
the lower value, when the larger one seems to be the correct one. See
below.

>4) I install the sets of your 1.4.1-FTP-Side over a AmigaDos-Partition:
>   The sets: base, comp, etc, man, misc, xserver. The kern I downloaded
>   too, but I don't know what happens with that.
>5) The other sets I take from the Gateway-CD (NetBSD 1.3.2)
>6) After Time-Code etc. it comes the message, that it was installed and
>   is ok.
>7) So I reboot with loadbsd -a netbsd.
>8) @ the line the fsck starts the failure comes like that:
>   */dev/rsd0a: bad super block: magic number wrong*
>*   /dev/rsd0a: unexpected inconsistency; run fsck_ffs manually*
>*   automatic file system check failed; help!*
>9) So then comes (surely) the single-user mode. If a start fsck or fsck_ffs
>   mostely comes: 
>   * bad super block: magic number wrong*
>*    fsck: /dev/rsd0a: floating point exception.*
>10) If I start fsck often, it could happen, that it really does something:
>    The normal phase 1.. checking.
>    *Phase 5: CG 0: bad magic number blk(s) missing in bit maps, salvage? y*
>*    summary information bad, salvage? y*
>*    mark filesystem clean? y*
>11) So If I then reboot, the same thing happens.

>PLEASE HELP!!

>Markus

I did a complete re-install for 1.4 and started to get an "off by
one" error at boot-up. The installation went OK and I had a usable
system at the end of it. Then, a few days later, my root partition
would be corrupted. Sometimes it would fsck, but more often it would
be beyond repair. Then I noticed that the ADOS partition below the
NetBSD root was also being corrupted, so it looks like NetBSD and
ADOS are not using the same values. I have my NetBSD installed
high on the drive, so that ADOS can use the space below the 4GB
limit.

In order to get round this, I added a De-Militarized Zone by leaving
enough spare blocks between the end of the ADOS partition and the
begining of NetBSD to account for the difference. So far, this has
worked like a charm, although it is more in the manner of a
workaround than a fix :) And, no, I don't work for Microsoft.

Is the increase in the value of VM_KERNEL_PT_PAGES a known cure
for this problem? If so, is there some way to calculate the
number I will need to handle the memory I have?

Many Thanks, Phil.


--
      o     Philip Clark at home in (Sunny?) Scotland
     /  <|  M68060/50 + PPC A4000T, OS3.1 and NetBSD 1.4, 82M/6.4G
 \  /    |  with a couple of A1200's on the side.
  \/     |  E-mail: pclark%enterprise.net@localhost
--
All programmers want arrays!