Subject: Re: LC 475
To: None <port-mac68k@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Steve Allen <allen@cssg4.cslab.ds.boeing.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 10/18/1995 10:33:04
On Oct 18,  3:51pm, "J.C.Highfield" wrote:
>> > If we could grab the drivers that are already on the drive then writing a
>> > NetBSD/mac68k (re)formatter might be practical. One problem is that there
>> > tends to be driver/partition-layout specific information in some places for
>> > the driver to read.
>> Well, we don't use the driver that's on the disk or in the ROM.
>> It's only an issue that NetBSD not stomp on the one that's stored
>> on the disk...  ;-)
>Fine, if you are all you want is to break up or join already existing 
>partitions. The problems with intsalling drivers only come when you try to 
>create a new MacOS partition.

What's so difficult about that?  The partition map/structure is known
(Allen posted a program to read it out), so it should be as simple as:

 - save the MacOS driver off the disk
 - format the disk
 - frob the partition map
 - put the MacOS driver back on the disk

The next time MacOS boots, it sees (if you created them) uninitialized
MacOS partitions and asks you to initialize them.

If all you're doing is changing partitions around, it's not even _that_
difficult.

BTW, if someone is *really* serious about making this program (i.e.,
putting more work into it than I am putting into the '040 enet driver ;-),
I have a spare (internal) 40MB drive I could donate for testing.

~Steve

-- 
Steven R. Allen - allen@cssg4.cslab.ds.boeing.com
"Dang, I know I left it here somewhere!" "What?" "My mind. I've lost my mind!"
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This message conveys the opinion only of the author, and not of the Boeing Co.

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