squeegee@well.UUCP (Stephen C. Gilardi) (05/19/91)
Hi folks.
OK, it's not a shared library question, but I'd like some help anyway...
I have a NeXT computer with no floppy drive. I also have a Mac IIci running
A/UX with a floppy drive. Much of NeXT software distribution is now done on
UNIX format 1.44Meg floppies. A/UX can't MOUNT the NeXT floppies, but it CAN
read all the bytes off them using something like
cat /dev/rfloppy0 > flopdisk.image
I can move flopdisk.image over to the NeXT using Ethernet. I'd like to be
able to somehow mount that image as (perhaps) a read only block device. It
occurs to me that a RAM disk driver would be ideal here. I could make a
1.44Meg RAM disk. Assuming the driver supported both RAW and block I/O, I
could do:
cat flopdisk.image > /dev/rrd0a
mount /dev/rd0a /pseudofloppy
What I need from you folks is an example driver for BSD 4.3 based perhaps on
the template block driver in "Writing a UNIX device driver" by Egan and
Teixeira. I tried doing it myself, but it doesn't work. The NeXT seems to
have some different arguments to the driver entry points even than 4.3, but
a known good 4.3 RAM disk driver would be a GREAT starting point.
I asked in comp.sys.next, but didn't get any response in about a week. People
look at me funny when I ask for a UNIX ram disk ("You do after all have virtual
memory..."). I hope the above justifies my need. If anyone can think of
another way to do it I'd be pysched to hear it. I take it that if I was using
Suns I could use ND... NeXT even has major device numbers reserved for a
RAM disk's RAW and block I/O. They don't however seem to include the driver.
Any help would be appreciated!
--Steve
well!squeegee@apple.com (== squeegee@sf.ca.us)