[comp.os.minix] root disk size was: running root from a harddisk instead of RAM

klamer@mi.eltn.utwente.nl (Klamer Schutte -- Universiteit Twente) (02/18/91)

oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu (Andrew C. Stoffel) writes:

>I just finished patching ST-Minix all the way up to 1.5.10.3 from the
>PH distribution (1.5.10)
>  
>Now what ??? Before I go about compiling 1.5.10.3 {Just to make it
>clear.. I mean the ST version} is there any way to change root from a
>RAM disk to a hard disk partition ??? I have more room on my harddisk
>than RAM for root and would like the few hundred K that the RAM disk
>uses back.... I can live with the slower access root on  a harddrive
>would give me... (At least till I can get more memory (RAM) for my ST)

Just for the record, i just (yesterday) upgraded from 1.5.10 to 1.5.10.3;
i had 1 meg of memory, a 300 k ram disk, and approx. 150k free on /tmp.
Upgrade succeeded expect for 1 patch (kernel/system.c) in 1.5.10.2->1.5.10.3
Stripping the ram disk a bit (i.e. getting rid of every thing but bare minimum
(I do have a boot disk with only a 65k image)) made this patch succeed.

With 1.5.10.3 came one virtual console -- and thus 32k less 
(hardscroll disabled -- see kernel/Makefile). So i squeezed the ram disk
back to 250k -- and had to re-patch the kernel (due to a accidental
rm -rf /usr -- i can't advise you to do that :-). It succeeded!

As a resume i want to state that you don't need to get rid of your ramdisk
to come up to 1.5.10.3.

Klamer

PS Thank you all for making 1.5.10.3! I especially like the virtual consoles!

-- 
Klamer Schutte
Faculty of electrical engineering -- University of Twente, The Netherlands
klamer@mi.eltn.utwente.nl	{backbone}!mcsun!mi.eltn.utwente.nl!klamer

oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu (Andrew C. Stoffel) (02/18/91)

In article <klamer.666869600@mi.eltn.utwente.nl> klamer@mi.eltn.utwente.nl (Klamer Schutte -- Universiteit Twente) writes:

[stuff deleted.....]

>   As a resume i want to state that you don't need to get rid of your ramdisk
>   to come up to 1.5.10.3.

That wasn't quite what I meant but thanks :-). I wanted to know if
there was a way to COMPLETELY get rid of my RAM disk and use the
partition I use to boot it from as root instead....

>   Klamer
>   PS Thank you all for making 1.5.10.3! I especially like the
>   virtual consoles! 
I'd like to add my thanks too :-)....

--
|"The Snark WAS a Boojum, you see!"|Good   : acs@unhd.unh.edu       |
|"Reality !?! Isn't that something |Better : ANDYS@psc.plymouth.edu |
|    you sprinkle on ice ??"       |Best   : oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu |
-- 
|"The Snark WAS a Boojum, you see!"|Good   : acs@unhd.unh.edu       |
|"Reality !?! Isn't that something |Better : ANDYS@psc.plymouth.edu |
|    you sprinkle on ice ??"       |Best   : oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu |

cechew@sol1.cs.monash.edu.au (Earl Chew) (02/19/91)

oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu (Andrew C. Stoffel) writes:

>That wasn't quite what I meant but thanks :-). I wanted to know if
>there was a way to COMPLETELY get rid of my RAM disk and use the
>partition I use to boot it from as root instead....

Yes. Use rootdev from shoelace. I forget what the option is from the standard
menu.

Earl
--
Earl Chew, Dept of Computer Science, Monash University, Australia 3168
EMAIL: cechew@bruce.cs.monash.edu.au PHONE: 03 5655778 FAX: 03 5655146
----------------------------------------------------------------------

ralf@ptavv.ka.sub.org (Ralf Wenk) (02/20/91)

In article <ODDJOB.91Feb18072933@oz.oz.plymouth.edu>
oddjob@oz.plymouth.edu (Andrew C. Stoffel) wrote:
> [stuff deleted.....]
> That wasn't quite what I meant but thanks :-). I wanted to know if
> there was a way to COMPLETELY get rid of my RAM disk and use the
> partition I use to boot it from as root instead....
 
Please have a look at /usr/include/minix/boot.h and change DROOTDEV
to (DEV_HD0 + xx). You will get completely rid of the RAM disk.

If you change DRAMSIZE you will get a RAM disk :-)
For /tmp as an example and you must do mkfs on /dev/ram before you
can mount it.

May be this is what you want to know.

-- 
-- 
Ralf Wenk -- ralf@ptavv.ka.sub.org