overby@plains.NoDak.edu (Glen Overby) (02/18/91)
[ Yet Another cut at the FAQ sheet.
If you have questions and answers to contribute, please send them to me,
overby@plains.nodak.edu]
Commonly Asked Questions on Comp.Os.MINIX
The venerable Minix Information Sheet never seems to satisfy the endless ques-
tions asked on comp.os.minix. It's prose style probably doesn't lend itself to
the quick hand-holding that some seek.
As a result, I have decided to create this "Question-Answer" format companion to
hopefully fill the gap. It's an impossible task, but maybe this will help.
In creating this, I have attempted to recall the Great Questions (and their
answers) as well as the Great Discussions from the net. Many thanks to those
two people who have contributed to this document.
Several things to remember when you ask questions on the net:
Supply enough information for people to actually help you. Things like what
Minix version, your hardware configuration, and so-on are almost always neces-
sarey to not have to take shots in the dark. If you are reluctant to tell any
or all of this, don't expect a good answer.
1. Where can I get MINIX?
Minix is sold by Prentice-Hall, Inc. and their authorized distributors. They
hold the Copyright on Minix, and sell it for profit (or at least we assume they
make a profit on it).
IT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANONYMOUS FTP!
2. What versions of Minix exist?
The most current version is 1.5.10, known simply as "1.5" if you buy it from
Prentice-Hall. Upgrade "diffs" have been posted to the net over the past
several months; consult an archive site listed in the Info Sheet to find that.
Prentice-Hall has been shipping ALL versions of Minix 1.5 for several months.
3. But I've heard of this a newer version, 1.6.11.
Yes, that sort of exists; it was a mid-development beta release for the PC
(only) released to beta-testers in mid-December.
4. PDP 11/44 Memory Management
This was the first big off-the-topic discussion on the group, and it's still not
an appropriate topic, so if you are still intrigued about pdp-11 memory manage-
ment, consult the DEC processor handbooks, or some harmless newsgroup like
alt.dev.null.
5. Please subscrbe me to the mailing list
why ask 26,000 people to do that, when there is one person who can do it, and
you can ask a computer to do it for you.
If you are on bitnet or arpanet, you can get this newsgroup via a mailing list,
info-minix. To subcribe to the list, send a message to listserv@vm1.nodak.edu
(internet) or listserv@ndsuvm1 (bitnet) saying:
signup minix-l your_full_name
If you have trouble, contact the list maintainer at info-minix-request@udel.edu.
6. Please Unsubscribe me from the mailing list
Use the same procedure as for subscribing, but use "unsubscribe" instead of
"signup".
7. What is the root password?
It's in the book, on pages 373 (login "ast") and 380 (login "root"). If you
didn't buy the book, that's only the start of your problems.
8. MINIX doesn't work with my hard disk.
There are many potential sources of this. Several are:
You are running an RLL controler. You must change "NR_SECTORS" in the confi-
guration file, <minix/config.h> from 17 (standard for MFM controllers) to 25
(Adaptect controlers) or 26 (Western Digital and others).
9. Is there a SCSI driver for MINIX?
All SCSI controlers work differently, from the primitive Seagate ST01, to the
smarter Always IN-2000, and Adaptec with it's own on-board CPU. Nobody has yet
posted a wini driver for any of these, but there has been talk of it. For now,
you are stuck using the ROM wini driver.
10. The single threaded filesystem is a real bottlenck.
True. It's only noticeable when you are running massive bacground processes, or
putting multiple users on your computer.
You've got the source. Fix it.
11. Is there a 386 Minix?
Minix 1.5.10/PC runs on 80286 and 80386 systems using 80286 protected mode (so
all your memory is used for programs, rather than as bank-switched memory "win-
dows" or a big RAM disk). There is an experimental 32-bit kernel from Bruce
Evans. It is available from sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au in Australia and as
plains.nodak.edu.
12. I have an old version of Minix. How can I upgrade?
You need to get an upgrade kit from one of the archive sites.
Also, read the Upgrading Tutorial -- it was ment to help.
13. What shells exist for MINIX?
sh: Your typical Bourne shell. Comes with distribution Minix
clam: Tcsh-like shell, runs under Minix & real Unix's. Available
from ftp sites sirius, ccadfa, plains & others
ksh: Korn shell, ported to Minix. Diffs for Minix on plains.
marvin: A kid's shell. Posted months ago in comp.os.minix.
emacs: Does this count as a shell? Works only under 68K-Minix's
and perhaps 386-Minix.
14. Is there X-windows for MINIX?
No, there is not. It would be difficult if not impossible (that was ment as a
challenge!) to put X on Minix because X is huge. Unless you have many megabytes
of memory, it would be impossible to run X clients and servers on one machine.
It will also certainly require 32-bit mode operation.
15. Why can't my PC can't boot PC-MINIX from 1.44Mb floppy disks?
There's a couple of reasons for this. First, straight out of the box, MINIX
doesn't plan on dealing with 1.44Mb floppy disks. The entries in /dev should be
set up specifically for your machine, so pick out the correct entries here:
mknod /dev/fd0-dsdd5in b 2 4 360 # Drive A, 360K 5.25"
mknod /dev/fd0-dshd5in b 2 8 1200 # Drive A, 1.2M 5.25"
mknod /dev/fd0-dsdd3in b 2 16 720 # Drive A, 720K 3.5"
mknod /dev/fd0-dshd3in b 2 28 1440 # Drive A, 1.44M 3.5"
^^^ ^^
Change 'fd0' to 'fd1' and add 1 to the minor device number to create an entry
for floppy drive B. It may be a good idea to link the generic floppy disk en-
tries (/dev/fd0 and /dev/fd1) to the proper /dev/fd0-ds{whatever} entries for
your machine, so that programs like dosread continue to work.
Second reason your PC won't boot from 1.44Mb floppy disks, even though you've
fixed up the floppy disk device entries: tools/bootblok.s doesn't know about
1.44M disks, so it blindly loads the boot image incorrectly and then tries to
execute it. Get Guy Helmer's bootblok.s from an archive site, or get shoelace.
--
Glen Overby <overby@plains.nodak.edu>
uunet!plains!overby (UUCP) overby@plains (Bitnet)overby@plains.NoDak.edu (Glen Overby) (03/01/91)
[ If you have questions and answers to contribute, please send them to me, ]
[ overby@plains.nodak.edu ]
Commonly Asked Questions on Comp.Os.MINIX
The venerable Minix Information Sheet never seems to satisfy the endless ques-
tions asked on comp.os.minix. It's prose style probably doesn't lend itself to
the quick hand-holding that some seek.
As a result, I have decided to create this "Question-Answer" format companion to
hopefully fill the gap. It's an impossible task, but maybe this will help.
In creating this, I have attempted to recall the Great Questions (and their
answers) as well as the Great Discussions from the net. Many thanks to those
two people who have contributed to this document.
Several things to remember when you ask questions on the net:
Supply enough information for people to actually help you. Things like what
Minix version, your hardware configuration, and so-on are almost always neces-
sarey to not have to take shots in the dark. If you are reluctant to tell any
or all of this, don't expect a good answer.
1. Where can I get MINIX?
Minix is sold by Prentice-Hall, Inc. and their authorized distributors. They
hold the Copyright on Minix, and sell it for profit (or at least we assume they
make a profit on it).
IT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANONYMOUS FTP!
2. What versions of Minix exist?
The most current version is 1.5.10, known simply as "1.5" if you buy it from
Prentice-Hall. Upgrade "diffs" have been posted to the net over the past
several months; consult an archive site listed in the Info Sheet to find that.
Prentice-Hall has been shipping ALL versions of Minix 1.5 for several months.
3. But I've heard of this a newer version, 1.6.11.
Yes, that sort of exists; it was a mid-development beta release for the PC
(only) released to beta-testers in mid-December.
4. PDP 11/44 Memory Management
This was the first big off-the-topic discussion on the group, and it's still not
an appropriate topic, so if you are still intrigued about pdp-11 memory manage-
ment, consult the DEC processor handbooks, or some harmless newsgroup like
alt.dev.null.
5. Please subscrbe me to the mailing list
why ask 26,000 people to do that, when there is one person who can do it, and
you can ask a computer to do it for you.
If you are on bitnet or arpanet, you can get this newsgroup via a mailing list,
info-minix. To subcribe to the list, send a message to listserv@vm1.nodak.edu
(internet) or listserv@ndsuvm1 (bitnet) saying:
signup minix-l your_full_name
If you have trouble, contact the list maintainer at info-minix-request@udel.edu.
6. Please Unsubscribe me from the mailing list
Use the same procedure as for subscribing, but use "unsubscribe" instead of
"signup".
7. What is the root password?
It's in the book, on pages 373 (login "ast") and 380 (login "root"). If you
didn't buy the book, that's only the start of your problems.
8. MINIX doesn't work with my hard disk.
There are many potential sources of this. Several are:
You are running an RLL controler. You must change "NR_SECTORS" in the confi-
guration file, <minix/config.h> from 17 (standard for MFM controllers) to 25
(Adaptect controlers) or 26 (Western Digital and others).
9. Is there a SCSI driver for MINIX?
All SCSI controlers work differently, from the primitive Seagate ST01, to the
smarter Always IN-2000, and Adaptec with it's own on-board CPU. Nobody has yet
posted a wini driver for any of these, but there has been talk of it. For now,
you are stuck using the ROM wini driver.
10. The single threaded filesystem is a real bottlenck.
True. It's only noticeable when you are running massive bacground processes, or
putting multiple users on your computer.
You've got the source. Fix it.
11. Is there a 386 Minix?
Minix 1.5.10/PC runs on 80286 and 80386 systems using 80286 protected mode (so
all your memory is used for programs, rather than as bank-switched memory "win-
dows" or a big RAM disk). There is an experimental 32-bit kernel from Bruce
Evans. It is available from sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au in Australia and as
plains.nodak.edu.
12. I have an old version of Minix. How can I upgrade?
You need to get an upgrade kit from one of the archive sites.
Also, read the Upgrading Tutorial -- it was ment to help.
13. What shells exist for MINIX?
sh: Your typical Bourne shell. Comes with distribution Minix
clam: Tcsh-like shell, runs under Minix & real Unix's. Available
from ftp sites sirius, ccadfa, plains & others
ksh: Korn shell, ported to Minix. Diffs for Minix on plains.
marvin: A kid's shell. Posted months ago in comp.os.minix.
emacs: Does this count as a shell? Works only under 68K-Minix's
and perhaps 386-Minix.
14. Is there X-windows for MINIX?
No, there is not. It would be difficult if not impossible (that was ment as a
challenge!) to put X on Minix because X is huge. Unless you have many megabytes
of memory, it would be impossible to run X clients and servers on one machine.
It will also certainly require 32-bit mode operation.
15. Why can't my PC can't boot PC-MINIX from 1.44Mb floppy disks?
There's a couple of reasons for this. First, straight out of the box, MINIX
doesn't plan on dealing with 1.44Mb floppy disks. The entries in /dev should be
set up specifically for your machine, so pick out the correct entries here:
mknod /dev/fd0-dsdd5in b 2 4 360 # Drive A, 360K 5.25"
mknod /dev/fd0-dshd5in b 2 8 1200 # Drive A, 1.2M 5.25"
mknod /dev/fd0-dsdd3in b 2 16 720 # Drive A, 720K 3.5"
mknod /dev/fd0-dshd3in b 2 28 1440 # Drive A, 1.44M 3.5"
^^^ ^^
Change 'fd0' to 'fd1' and add 1 to the minor device number to create an entry
for floppy drive B. It may be a good idea to link the generic floppy disk en-
tries (/dev/fd0 and /dev/fd1) to the proper /dev/fd0-ds{whatever} entries for
your machine, so that programs like dosread continue to work.
Second reason your PC won't boot from 1.44Mb floppy disks, even though you've
fixed up the floppy disk device entries: tools/bootblok.s doesn't know about
1.44M disks, so it blindly loads the boot image incorrectly and then tries to
execute it. Get Guy Helmer's bootblok.s from an archive site, or get shoelace.
--
Glen Overby <overby@plains.nodak.edu>
uunet!plains!overby (UUCP) overby@plains (Bitnet)