Ultrix changed the disklabel format somewhere around Ultrix 4.2 or 4.2A. 
Newer versions of Ultrix read both types of disklabels, but, so far as I know,
do not cause the label to be converted from one type to another.

I know the former because I learned, after DDing a Sprite disk image over the
a partition of one of my disks, that my Ultrix 4.0 Field Test (don't ask!)
system couldn't edit the partition table any more, ruining my plans to do so
and put Ultrix back on another partition on the disk.

Since the pmax Adam is using is that same pmax, and (unless he's changed
things) the Ultrix partitions he's mounting are those same Ultrix 4.0 volumes,
perhaps the problem is that the netbsd kernel can't read the newer Ultrix
disklabel format, and that the people having these problems labelled their
disks under Ultrix >= 4.2?

If so, code to read the new-style disklabels can probably be stolen from
Sprite.


Are there plans for the various workstation NetBSD ports (pmax, sparc, sun3,
hp300) to eventually stop using the vendor's disklabel formats and boot code? 
I know there's free pmax boot code, at least, but the sparc port's disklabel
munging tricks can occasionally trip one up in unexpected ways and I don't
think it's a practice that should be perpetuated to other ports.

Comments?

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