[comp.unix.xenix] Drive C: under vpix

john@smosjc.UUCP (John Conover) (01/24/89)

Does anyone know how to access the first disk partition (MSDOS drive C:)
under xenix as vpix drive C:? Is it possible to "boot" vpix from
this partition?

	Thanks,
	John
	..!uunet!smosjc!john

jeffh@hplsla.HP.COM (Jeff Harrell) (01/29/89)

>Does anyone know how to access the first disk partition (MSDOS drive C:)
>under xenix as vpix drive C:? Is it possible to "boot" vpix from
>this partition?

I don't think VP/ix 1.1 will do it. I tried and got zip!
Who knows, when VP/ix actually works we may by able to
do quite a few usefull things with it...

Jeff (Spectra Software) Harrell

rosso@sco.COM (Ross Oliver) (02/07/89)

In article <5980007@hplsla.HP.COM> jeffh@hplsla.HP.COM (Jeff Harrell) writes:
>>Does anyone know how to access the first disk partition (MSDOS drive C:)
>>under xenix as vpix drive C:? Is it possible to "boot" vpix from
>>this partition?
>
>I don't think VP/ix 1.1 will do it. I tried and got zip!
>Who knows, when VP/ix actually works we may by able to
>do quite a few usefull things with it...
>
>Jeff (Spectra Software) Harrell

Add the following line to your vpix.cnf file:

	D:	/dev/hd00

You must grant read and write permission on /dev/hd00 for all users
who will be using it.  This poses a considerable security risk, since
/dev/hd00 addresses your ENTIRE hard disk (including fdisk and badtrack
tables, all filesystems, etc.)  This is necessary because MS-DOS requires
access to the fdisk table.  Also, VP/ix opens the device for exclusive
use, so only one user can use it at a time.  And since VP/ix opens all
devices for read/write, it is impossible to set up your DOS hard disk
partition as read-only.  Yes, you can boot from your DOS partition,
although I would recommend against it.  The version of MS-DOS shipped
with VP/ix has some modifications to make it less of a CPU hog (emphasis
on "less of," it still is a CPU hog) in terms of spin loops and such.

Ross Oliver
Software Support Engineer
The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.