Subject: Re: NetBSD 1.5 kernel config...
To: Henry Nelson <henry@irm.nara.kindai.ac.jp>
From: Dave Burgess <burgess@neonramp.com>
List: port-i386
Date: 01/29/2001 01:12:34
Henry Nelson wrote:
> 
> > # CPU-related options.
> > options         MATH_EMULATE    # floating point emulation
> > #^^^ anyone got a 25MHz 387sx laying around?  ;-) -ASB
> 
> No.  (I'm using it! :-)  A question I've been burning to ask for a long
> time, though, is: do I need or want this option if I've got a 387 processor
> installed?  What about >486s that don't have a separate numerical processor
> to begin with?

I don't honestly know.  Try it both ways and see.  My suspicion is that
you are correct and that this really only helps you out if you have a
387-less  motherboard.

> 
> > #file-system    FDESC           # /dev/fd
> [...]
> > fdc0    at isa? port 0x3f0 irq 6 drq 2  # standard PC floppy controllers
> > #fdc1   at isa? port 0x370 irq ? drq ?
> > fd*     at fdc? drive ?                 # the drives themselves
> 
> If you've got /dev/fd turned off, is the floppy drive going to be of any
> use?  (I don't know; that's why I'm asking.)

/dev/fd and /dev/fd0* are different.

The first you can theoretically live without, the second I'm not so
sure.

> 
> > pseudo-device   bpfilter        8       # Berkeley packet filter
> > pseudo-device   ipfilter                # IP filter (firewall) and NAT
> 
> Same sort of wondering (assuming you're looking for a "minimal" config): if
> you only have one interface (serial?), are these going to be useful?
>

The bpfilter (one, anyway) would be needed if this thing is going to be
used on a PPP service at all.  Same with the ipfilter stuff.  If this
isn't going to be used for Internet service, then these are extraneous.

Dave