fdfishman@watcgl.UUCP (03/10/87)
I Think I have found a bug in the ASDG ram disk. (Or Manx) Firstly
I am using a standard brand new Amiga 1000 with a Comspec Ax2000
2 meg upgrade (I like it) with Manx 3.30c.
I have the rrd set to 1.1 meg of fast and I keep a c,lib and src
directory in it.
My problem is this: I am working on a program using a 640x400
screen with several subwindows with gadgets. If my program were
to hang in such a way that I can not access a gadget or other IO
(i.e.. if I were to enter an infinite loop with gadgets active),
and then control amiga-amiga to softboot, I discover that my rrd
is empty. And all my rrd files are lost.
I think that the rrd is a great tool and my check will be in the
mail as soon as I can get it to work with my system.
p.s.. has anybody tried to use firstsilicon with manx? When I
type make I get a system crash.
(I wonder if it is just bad karma)
--
FDFISHMAN (Flynn D. Fishman) @ WATCGL (but you can call me Flynn)
UUCP : ...!{decvax|ihnp4|clyde|allegra|utzoo}!watmath!watcgl!fdfishman
ARPA : fdfishman%watcgl%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
CSNET : fdfishman%watcgl@waterloo.csnetmmcp@vice.UUCP (03/11/87)
I use the ASDG RRD to hold all of TDI's Modula-2 symbol and link
files during compilation. RRD size is set a 1 megabyte, and the
files occupy about 800K of this space; Amy has 1.5 megabytes total
memory. Routine resets reveal an empty vd0:. It is not necessary
to hang the machine in order to accomplish this. I had supposed
that the compiler (which has some known bugs) might be responsible
for doing this, but perhaps it's an RRD bug?
Other than this single (but annoying) peccadillo, the RRD is
wonderful and greatly appreciated. It survives routine resets
perfectly when files totalling < 500K or so are present and has
exhibited no other problems.
-- Mark --perry@sfsup.UUCP (03/12/87)
In article <708@watcgl.UUCP>, fdfishman@watcgl.UUCP writes: > > I have the rrd set to 1.1 meg of fast and I keep a c,lib and src > directory in it. > > My problem is this: I am working on a program using a 640x400 > screen with several subwindows with gadgets. If my program were > to hang in such a way that I can not access a gadget or other IO > (i.e.. if I were to enter an infinite loop with gadgets active), > and then control amiga-amiga to softboot, I discover that my rrd > is empty. And all my rrd files are lost. Your situation cannot have anything to do with the RRD per se. Maybe you have a bad ram chip, or the program is actually writing to memory and scribbles on the RRD? Was another task writing to the RRD when you hit reset? If you kill a write right in the middle, it will leave a bogus sector (as it would on a floppy). The RRD checks the ram disk out very very completely. If anything's changed during the reset, you'll know about it. It uses sections of ram boards that otherwize aren't accessed much. A lot of people mistakenly think the RRD doesn't work, when the culprit is really weak ram chips that you haven't run into yet. I would strongly suggest that when you find the RRD didn't recover, don't assume the rrd doesn't work (or it decided on a fluke not to work this time) rather, consider it a warning that something else on your machine is failing. Given the same environment, the RRD will recover 100 percent of the time. No exceptions. If it doesn't recover, something's going on that you want to know about. > > I think that the rrd is a great tool and my check will be in the > mail as soon as I can get it to work with my system. > It seems to me you already have it working on your system (since you indicate that it works whenever your program doesn't crash). Perry Kivolowitz
walton@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (03/13/87)
In article <1483@vice.TEK.COM> mmcp@vice.UUCP (Mark McPherson) writes: >I use the ASDG RRD to hold all of TDI's Modula-2 symbol and link >files during compilation. RRD size is set a 1 megabyte, and the >files occupy about 800K of this space; Amy has 1.5 megabytes total >memory. Routine resets reveal an empty vd0:. It is not necessary >to hang the machine in order to accomplish this. I had supposed >that the compiler (which has some known bugs) might be responsible >for doing this, but perhaps it's an RRD bug? I thought I had the same problem on my system (512K RRD with 1 Meg Amiga). As Perry Kivilowitz explained to me, that isn't the problem at all. AmigaDOS puts some of its own data structures (100+K worth) in the low end of your fast memory on bootup. So, if you try to create a 1 MB RRD on a 1.5MB machine, the RRD "borrows" chip RAM to do the job. Under these conditions, the RRD often doesn't recover. Moral: follow Perry's recommended maximum size in his Mountlist as posted; they're there for a reason. Mild flame: On a related topic, I was shocked to hear that only about 20 people have sent ASDG $10 for the RRD. There must be hundreds of you out there using it, and if you don't send in the $10, you'll never get anything like it again. (Yes, I am one of the 20.) Steve Walton
cjp@vax135.UUCP (03/13/87)
In article <2028@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> walton@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Steve Walton) writes: > Mild flame: On a related topic, I was shocked to hear that only >about 20 people have sent ASDG $10 for the RRD. Perry showed great good will to the Amiga community by posting his RRD. But good will only goes so far if you are trying to earn a living on these things. RRD is simply the most valuable utility ever written for the Amiga (narrowly beating PopCLI II and DiskSalv). Don't be cheap, send $10 today, cash, check, or Treasury Bills, to Perry Kivolowitz, 280 River Road Suite #54A, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Charles Poirier
perry@sfsup.UUCP (03/13/87)
In article <1483@vice.TEK.COM>, mmcp@vice.UUCP writes: > I use the ASDG RRD to hold all of TDI's Modula-2 symbol and link > files during compilation. RRD size is set a 1 megabyte, and the > files occupy about 800K of this space; Amy has 1.5 megabytes total > memory. Routine resets reveal an empty vd0:. It is not necessary > wonderful and greatly appreciated. It survives routine resets > perfectly when files totalling < 500K or so are present and has > exhibited no other problems. The information you have supplied tells me several things: 1) You have 1 megabyte of non-chip ram. Then you total ram disk size should not be 1 megabyte. Check the suggested HiCyl for a 1 meg of memory system. Remember, other things go into Fast ram besides the rrd! 2) Your problem is probably centered around incorrect max sizing of the ram disk. 3) However, there is the distinct possibility that you have a bad ram chip somewhere near the middle of your address space. Since 500K works fine, and you intimate that 600 does not, somewhere in between is either a bad ram chip or where your incorrect sizing is getting you in trouble. 4) Are you a registered owner? Please become one. Thanks. Perry
mmcp@vice.UUCP (03/15/87)
In article <2028@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> walton@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Steve Walton) writes: [...Summary of my posting regarding loss of RRD contents during warm boot..followed by] >I thought I had the same problem on my system (512K RRD with 1 Meg >Amiga). As Perry Kivilowitz explained to me, that isn't the problem >at all. AmigaDOS puts some of its own data structures (100+K worth) >in the low end of your fast memory on bootup. So, if you try to create >a 1 MB RRD on a 1.5MB machine, the RRD "borrows" chip RAM to do the job. >Under these conditions, the RRD often doesn't recover. Moral: follow >Perry's recommended maximum size in his Mountlist as posted; they're >there for a reason. > Mild flame: On a related topic, I was shocked to hear that only >about 20 people have sent ASDG $10 for the RRD. There must be hundreds >of you out there using it, and if you don't send in the $10, you'll >never get anything like it again. (Yes, I am one of the 20.) > > Steve Walton Wellll....I read Perry's documentation in the RRD Mountlist entry and resized HighCyl from 127 to 95 as the documentation suggests it should be.........hey presto, no more problems with the RRD evaporating during warm resets. Works like a champ, every time! On the theory that software like this which *really* works is cheap at twice the price (as long as the price is reasonable) I'm going to send Perry $20. Seems little enough to pay for something that saves your butt every single time you have to reboot.......(and when I consider how much I've paid for stuff that *didn't* work......). This is a program that really ought to be supported financially by the Amiga community. But now I don't have enough space for all the stuff I need to dump to the RRD! Hey, Perry, got any nifty software to give me, oh, an extra megabyte or so of memory? 8-) -- Mark --
keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) (03/15/87)
In article <2028@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> walton@tybalt.caltech.edu.UUCP (Steve Walton) writes: > Mild flame: On a related topic, I was shocked to hear that only >about 20 people have sent ASDG $10 for the RRD. There must be hundreds >of you out there using it, and if you don't send in the $10, you'll >never get anything like it again. (Yes, I am one of the 20.) > > Steve Walton Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use it so far. Perry, any chance you'll fix it to work with the Chris Erving internal memory mods? Keith Doyle # {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd # cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa
cjp@vax135.UUCP (03/16/87)
Keywords: In article <1489@vice.TEK.COM> mmcp@vice.UUCP (Mark McPherson) writes: >...I'm going to >send Perry $20. Seems little enough to pay for something that saves >your butt every single time you have to reboot... I did this too. Yes it does work like a champ if you follow the directions. I've found RRD to be a tremendous help in program development. There's enough room in my vd0: to store lots of nice utilities but there's no room for these utilities on my Manx compiler disk. So, I first boot my Workbench which starts up from a script which loads all the utilities I want into vd0:. Then I pop in Manx and reboot (to set up all the Manxish thingies) and still have those utilities on-line! Great stuff. Charles Poirier
philip@dalcsug.UUCP (Peter Philip) (03/18/87)
In article <1435@cadovax.UUCP> keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) writes: (speaking of the ASDG RRD) >Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use it so far. Perry, any chance >you'll fix it to work with the Chris Erving internal memory mods? Whoa! This is something new to me! Is it true that the RRD does not work with the Amazing Computing (alias Cris Erving) 512K upgrade? This seriously affects the value of the upgrade. I was under the impression that the 512K worked fairly well and with almost all programs (I know that it does not autoconfig). So can someone please clear up this confusion? I was all set to download RRD, send Perry $10 (cheap at twice the price) and do the A-C upgrade. Maybe Perry can list the expansions that the RRD works with for those of us who missed the posting (or repost?). Peter Philip ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Any opinions expressed are entirely mine. MINE! MINE! MINE! I just go to Dalhousie, so blame anything offensive on me, not them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------