Subject: Re: LCII console errors
To: bsdlist <port-mac68k@NetBSD.ORG>
From: Geoffrey Alexander <geoffrey@worf.netins.net>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 04/20/1996 10:59:18
Sunny Daniels wrote:

On 11:37 PM 14/4/96, M.Hitter wrote a message claiming that he had succeeded
in running MacBSD in multi-user mode on an LCII with "4MB RAM, 1GB HD, no
extras".  Has anyone else succeeded in getting an LCII to run in multi-user
mode?

I was wondering whether the problems experienced by others had anything to
do with the amount of RAM used in their computers?  According to an
information sheet published by Apple, if you put two 4Mb SIMMs into the
type of LCII with 4Mb RAM soldered to the motherboard, 2Mb of the
motherboard RAM becomes inaccessible, giving a total of 10Mb usable RAM.

I wonder whether, in this configuration, the LCII has "holes" in its
physical address space and has to use the PMMU to produce a contiguous
virtual address space, even when virtual memory is turned off in the
"Memory" control panel!  Does anyone know whether this might be the cause
of the problems with running MacBSD in multi-user mode?

___

Yes, I have __ using a kernel Markus compiled for me -- it's one he left alot
of things out of it, about one third maybe -- including ppp support, so I can't
use it permanently. But it does solve the problem (and multi-user failure is
just a side effect of the real problem, which also manifests in single user
after one full screen -- yes, seems to be a vm error from at least one of the
messages) but at the cost of unacceptably reduced functionality.

Leaving something out of the kernel did fix the problem, though after writing him
it seems he's focus on other bugs, rather than finding the specific cause of this
one -- so we still don't know the cause, and I still need ppp :)...

It's interesting that he can get ADBTEST.132 to run in 4Megs RAM, yet I get bitten
with the same '10'Meg configuration you discuss (two megs one one of the chips
is hidden from the system) -- though bootstrap messages don't indicate problems
with that scenario. But, yes, I think you're onto something.

If I had disk space, I'd be configuring and testing kernels myself -- but I'm
afraid I have to depend upon the proverbial kindness of strangers... :)

I no longer have a copy of ADBTEST.132, but if it would help I'll get another
and post my boot messages....
Geoffrey Alexander
geoffrey@netins.net