From: mike@array.com (Mike Willett)
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent
Subject: Coherent 3.2 release FAQ
Keywords: FAQ COHERENT
Date: 1 Sep 92 16:51:56 GMT
Organization: Array Microsystems, Colorado Springs, CO. USA




My copy of 4.0 arrived this week, and I will  be  installing  this  weekend
Sept.  5/6/7.   The Next FAQ release should reflect this experience as well
as several notes I have received in the email about  changes  and  updates.
Posted with this FAQ is the PRN386 (Press Release Notes for the 386 version
of COHERENT).

                                        --Mike

                                        mike@array.com






  A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  T H E  C O H E R E N T  F O R U M :

       Comp.os.coherent (Usenet) / Coherent list on ListServ@IndyCMS
                                 Rev. 1.7


                             C O N T E N T S :

           A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  C O H E R E N T
                       FAQ for Coherent Version 3.2

               What is Coherent?
               Will Coherent run on my system?
               What incompatibilities are known?
               Does Coherent support SCSI drives?
               Can I still run DOS?
               What about technical support?
               What revision is Coherent?
               How many people run Coherent?
               Can source postings be made in this newsgroup (comp.os.coherent)?
               Public domain software:
               Where do I get the public domain software?
               Heated discussions of the group:

                        T E C H N I C A L  T I P S
               Modem devices:
               Remote logins:
               Fast modems:
               Simultaneous users:
               Usenet news software:
               Email packages:
               The 64K question:
               Compiler hints:
               Hardware configurations:
               Termio hints:
               Curses:
               More uucp:
               How to create a bootable >>>R/W<<< floppy from Coherent:
               Master Boot Reinstallation:
               Line Printer Help:
               Moving data from a Sun to Coherent:
               Multi-Volume Archive:
               SCSI MKFS Notes:
               DOS to Coherent:
               Uuinstall Bug Help:
               Xwindows:
               Tar Help:
               Setting Boot Partition: DOS or Coherent?

               MISC:
               Disclaimer:
               Trademarks:

                     K E E P E R S  O F  T H E  F A Q:
                 Mike Willett            mike@array.com,
		 Joachim Riedel          jr@connie.de.convex.com

                                  NOTICE:
             Please read the disclaimer near the end of this
              article before attempting anything in reference
                             to this article.

            A N  I N T R O D U C T I O N  T O  C O H E R E N T
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS COHERENT?
    Coherent is a multi-tasking, multi-user operating system for  IBM  PC's
    and  compatibles.   It will run on most systems with a 286, 386, or 486
    CPU. Coherent closely represents the Unix operating system, but, it  is
    not  Unix.   Coherent  appears to be very similar to Version 7 Unix, or
    for those of you that have not had the  pleasure,  close  to  System  5
    Unix.  Coherent  includes  uucp (Coherent to Coherent Copy) :) and many
    more functions you would  expect  with  Unix.  Coherent  is  small  and
    simple,  easy to maintain, and does not require extensive CPU resources
    to operate well. It does not have network nor X  windows  support,  and
    does  not  require  an  AT&T  license  for Unix. It is as advertised, a
    quick, elegant Unix-like multi-tasking,  multi-user  Operating  System,
    with good documentation.

WILL COHERENT RUN ON MY SYSTEM?
    Coherent runs on just about all 286-386-486 systems.  To list them here
    would  make this document far too lengthy.  It is suggested that if you
    are in doubt, buy Coherent, and when it is almost beyond a  doubt  that
    you  can  not  run Coherent on your machine, to return the software and
    documentation to the the Mark Williams Company within  60  days  for  a
    full refund as per their policy.

WHAT INCOMPATIBILITIES ARE KNOWN?
    IBM XT compatibles will  not  work,  since  the  Coherent  version  3.2
    operating  system  uses  the  286 protected mode.  Coherent version 4.0
    only works on 386 or 486 proccessors. Coherent will not run on an  AT&T
    6300,  IBM  PS/2  model, or with the Western Digital WD1004-27X (XT) or
    other XT controllers.  Coherent exhibits a slight problem with 386  AMI
    BIOS,  whereas Coherent requires a cold boot (hit the reset switch, not
    CTL- ALT-DEL) to boot Coherent after previously running DOS.

DOES COHERENT SUPPORT SCSI DRIVES:
    Coherent3.2 release now supports the following SCSI drive controllers:
    Adaptec AHA-1540 a/b controllers,
    Seagate ST01 and 02 controllers,
    Future Domain 8 bit controllers, and
    Smart Connex SCSI controller

CAN I STILL RUN DOS?
    Yes, Coherent can reside on a disk partition  separate  from  DOS,  and
    likewise  DOS  on  a  partition  separate  from Coherent.  You can boot
    either one at boot time via a "boot strap" program.  They will not  run
    concurrently  however.  DOS file systems are available to Coherent with
    the Coherent DOS command, so files  can  be  transferred  from  DOS  to
    Coherent, Coherent to DOS.

WHAT ABOUT TECHNICAL SUPPORT?
    It is generally felt that  Mark  Williams  Company  provides  excellent
    technical  support  of  their  software within the U.S.A..  They can be
    reached via phone (708) 291-6700, or email:

    uunet!mwc!support       (General uucp address)
    support@mwc.com         (Internet address)
    mwcbbs!support          (from your system directly to the uucp connection
                             they provided by the Mark Williams Company)

WHAT REVISION IS COHERENT?
    Coherent is offered in two revisions.  Revision 3.2 will run on systems
    with  a 286 or higher processor, but does not take advantage of the 386
    architecture, and has the 64K executable and 64K data limits.  Revision
    3.2 is the last revision of Coherent for the 286 protected mode OS. Bug
    fixes will continue to be posted to mwcbbs to support customers of  the
    3.2 version.

    4.0 was announced in May of 1992, (Now shipping  at  the  end  of  July
    1992)  and  is  targeted for the 386 and 486 processors.  This revision
    does not have the 64K limits of  revision  3.2,  but,  still  does  not
    include  a  virtual memory system that swaps pages out to disk. See the
    386 press release notes posted with this FAQ for more information.

    Both versions of OS are available at $99.00, and updates  from  3.2  to
    4.0 are priced at $59.00.

    Features of the 3.2 version include:

    KSH - A clone of the UNIX System - V.2 Korn Shell
    Enhanced version of the Bourne Shell
    New mail facility, supporting domain-style routing
    Enhanced troff, that supports PostScript and LaserJet binary fonts
    More than a dozen new commands
    New and updated online manual pages
    Various minor enhancements and bug fixes

HOW MANY PEOPLE RUN COHERENT?
    The Mark Williams Company has stated that the sales volume  has  passed
    40,000 copies since its introduction to the market in 1990.

CAN POSTINGS BE MADE IN THIS NEWS GROUP (COMP.OS.COHERENT)?
    It is somewhat accepted that source for Coherent will be posted in this
    news  group  occasionally.  Keep in mind that large postings cost money
    to those that pay for telephone and connect time, so  perhaps  a  short
    posting  to  query  general interest should precede the posting. Direct
    mailing should be used if there is small interest,  and  a  posting  to
    archive  sites such as piggy and orca. If the interest is overwhelming,
    a posting to this news group may be in order, along with posting to  an
    archive site such as piggy and orca. Posting to this newsgroup has been
    a topic of constant debate...  :( We hope to soon have  a  source  news
    group for coherent, yet another topic of debate...  :)

PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE:
    Several public domain packages are available  for  use  on  a  Coherent
    machine.  These range from improved mailing packages and spread sheets,
    to at least four news programs, such as bsnews,  cnews,  gnews,  wnews,
    along with readers such as rn, tass, and more.

WHERE DO I GET THE PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE?
    There are several ways to get public domain software:

    1. Mark Williams Company bbs (mwcbbs)
    2. FTP sites
    3. Mailserver (ListServ@IndyCMS)
    4. The OZ / NZ Coherent Users Group
    5. The Pacific Australian Coherent Users Group

    MWCbbs (mwcbbs)
    Access information on the  mwcbbs  is  included  in  the  documentation
    provided with Coherent.  In short, it is a uucp site with public domain
    software as well  as  updates  to  the  Coherent  release,  along  with
    Coherent  news (not usenet) and a "home" for all Coherent sites to uucp
    to. For most of us, that is a long distance phone  call,  as  the  Mark
    Williams Company is located in Illinois.

    FTP sites:
    Jay C. Beavers has been keeping the Coherent Archives  for  quite  some
    time  on the ftp site orca.alaska.edu, and has moved these to an Ultrix
    machine for better access (raven).  When a previous  ftp  site  was  no
    longer available, Jay quickly put raven into action.  Hats off to Jay!

    Machine            I'net Address          Archive administrator
    ---------------    -------------     ----------------------------------
    raven.alaska.edu   137.229.10.39     J.C. Beavers:sxjcb@orca.alaska.edu

            on raven: cd /pub/coherent

    MailServers:
    ListServ@IndyCMS has been offering a mailserver  service  since  before
    the start of comp.os.coherent. It is a gateway between two nets:

    Machine Address                         Mailserver Administrator
    ------------------------------------    ------------------------
    ListServ@IndyCMS (CREN)                 IJBH200@IndyVAX (CREN)
    ListServ@IndyCMS.IUPUI.Edu (Internet)   IJBH200@IndyVAX.IUPUI.Edu (I)

    Coherent@IndyCMS is bidirectional gateway  between  the  ListServ  list
    Coherent and Usenet newsgroup comp.os.coherent co-owned and coordinated
    by  John  Harlan  and  Phil  Corporon.   All   original   postings   to
    comp.os.coherent  Usenet  group  are  automatically  distributed to the
    ListServ list, and everything posted to the ListServ list Coherent,  is
    automatically  posted  to  comp.os.coherent  on  Usenet.   John  Harlan
    humorously adds: "And all without mail looping :-)"

    To get a list of  Coherent  files  from  ListServ,  mail  the  ListServ
    mailserver  as  follows,  with  the  contents  of the message being the
    mailserver command:

                    % mail ListServ@IndyCMS.IUPUI.Edu
                    Subject: (none)

                    INDEX COHERENT

    Privately Owned BBSs:

        The Australian Coherent Users Group:
        (From: rjl@spectre.pub.uu.oz.au.)
        In order to support Coherent users in oz & nz,  Mark  Williams  Co.
        have  agreed  to  supply  a  mirror of the downloads directory from
        their uucp BBS in the states for distribution here [in  Australia].
        This  is  being  supplied  to  the  Australian Coherent User Group,
        initially in  one  13MB  chunk  to  get  things  kicked  off,  then
        subsequently updated on a monthly basis.

        Software is available to all registered Coherent users, and may  be
        obtained either by direct UUCP transfer (a little flakey at present
        :-( ) from this  machine,  or  on  1.2MB  floppies  for  a  nominal
        media/postage charge.

        Anyone interested in this, or in ACUG in general, (as  well  as  in
        APANA  -  the  Australian  Public  Access  Network Association) may
        contact me by email at rjl@spectre.pub.uu.oz.au.

        Australia-Pacific Coherent User Group.
        (Robert Chalmers. d10590@tanus.cec.edu.au. Mackay, Queensland. Australia)
        Privately  operated  public  uucp  site,  based  in  Mackay,  North
        Queensland,  Australia.   The  system connected 24 hours a 7 days a
        week, apart from some down time for maintenance.   Purely  Coherent
        system.  Technical: Clone 286-20. 2Mb RAM. 40Mb IDE HDD. 1 x 1.2, 1
        x 1.44 FDD.  Maestro 2400ZXR Modem.  Wangtek  Tape  Drive.(not  yet
        working). Star printer.

        Support: I can pass on internet fixes and messages to local  users,
        such  as  this  FAQ,  and  hope  to be able to pass on via uucp the
        software lists from  MWC.  Acting  as  a  support  site  for  users
        anywhere.

        Contact details:  (There are no fees or subscriptions involved.)
            +61 079-521070 AEST:24 Hours. in:nuucp rd:uupublic
            Australia-Pacific Coherent User Group.   Info file ~/INFO
            Permissions File:LOGNAME=nanguo MYNAME=bbsuser
            Chat script:

HEATED DISCUSSIONS OF THE GROUP:
    Mark Williams Company has a patent on bit ordering, which is a software
    patent.   Most  think  that this is obvious art in software, and should
    not be patentable, not to mention a move in the software  world  (i.e.,
    FSF)  that "software" should not be patentable in the first place.  The
    Mark Williams Company has committed to comment on this some time in the
    future.

                         T E C H N I C A L  T I P S :
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    MODEM FAQ:

MODEM DEVICES:
    Q: What devices should I use with a modem for dialing in / dialing out

    A: For dialing in you should use a device with modem control. For example
       com1r or com2r. That is important to ensure that when the calling site
       dropped carrier, that also at your site SIGHUP is sent to already running
       processes, to ensure that the modem hangs up (dropping DTR) and a new
       getty is opened on that port to enable further logins.

       For dialing out or local terminals you do not need modem control
       Also you do not have to worry about cabling problems, just use some
       of those null modem cables available in most computer stores.

REMOTE LOGINS:
    Q:  How do I enable logins via modem to my machine:

    A:  I assume that modem is set to AUTO-ANSWER (ATS0=1) and the cabling
        is ok.
        Edit the file  /etc/ttys. Here an example for com2:

        0rPcom2r

        0            = not yet enabled (enable = allow login, run getty)

        r            = remote access   (will enable asking of a password
                                        for remote-access (see /etc/passwd)
                       Why ? System security, additional password

        P            = speed (your modem is connected to the computer)
                       P = 9600 Baud, I use this for my Telebit Modem

        com2r        = device with modem control, when CARRIER is lost it
                       will sent SIGHUP to all processes running on that
                       line and will also drop DTR so a modem hangup or
                       a modern modem does a hardware reset.

         Now type the following:
         enable com2r    (for Coherent 3.2 that's enough)
         kill -1 1       (Coherent 3.0.0 or 3.1.0, Process INIT will start
                          a getty on com2r)

FAST MODEMS:
    Q:    Can I use fast modems with Coherent ?

    A:    Yes you can. But you must think about the following:

          a) maximum  Baud rate between modem - machine is 9600 Baud
             (Coherent as a multiuser/multitasking environment is
              not fast enough for 19200 Baud)

          b) cps-rates in transfer depend on modem/method

             calling into my machine (T2500) with a USR, using sz for transfer:
                       480 cps to 600 cps (compressed, uncompressed files)

             calling out with uucp (T2500):
                       860 cps

             The rate may differ if you use a slow 286 or 386. The above results
             were yielded with a 386/33.

SIMULTANEOUS USERS:
    Q:    I want to use Coherent as a multiuser operating system. How many
          users can work with it at the same time ?

    A:    Now 11 User:
          console   : 1
          com1      : 1
          com2      : 1
          Multiport : 8
          --------------
                     11

          I still do not know if there are device drivers for intelligent
          Multiport-Cards but as far as I know there are only drivers for
          "dumb" Multiport-Cards and only in polled mode.
          Therefore you need a very fast machine for "multiuser"

USENET NEWS SOFTWARE:
    Q:    Is there any Net-News Software for Coherent ?

    A:    Yes, there are several packages available:

          1. CNEWS  -  the famous package

             difficult to install (although there is a nice installation
             script in the Coherent version). Only for advanced users !
             Has no reader !

          2. WNEWS 3.0  -  News for MINIX, ported to Coherent

             based on BNEWS - small, not bad
             Has no reader

          3.  GNEWS 2.0 (or newer now ?)

             all you need for News, easy to install, Newsreader, nice

          4.  rn

              the well known newsreader

          5.  tass

                curses based newsreader. Nice, but you should not have
                too much groups or articles in /usr/spool/news.

          6.  bsnews

              small news package for receiving news via email

EMAIL PACKAGES:
    Q:    I do not like Coherent's mailer. What can I use instead of it ?

    A:    WMAIL 3.63  -  a minix port, MAILX-clone

          comb 1.29   -  curses based mailer, nice interface

          You should ensure that in both cases you have smail 2.5 as
          a smart-mailer that understands domain addresses.
          smail 2.5 is already in Coherent 3.2

THE 64K QUESTION:
    Q:    Does Coherent really have a 64 kb limitation ? I want to port
          the GNU-C-Compiler and compile big programs.

    A:    Coherent programs are limited to 64 K for code and 64 k for data
          and stack. The limit is not in the compiler, it's in the kernel
          or at least in the actual system design. No process can exceed this
          limitation.
          But Binaries in Coherent are about 40 % smaller so big programs
          for "Real-UNIXES" may also be portable

COMPILER HINTS:
    Q:    I write a C-program that seems to be ok but it still core dumped.
          Is this a compiler error ? Is my program wrong ?

    A:    If a program needs a lot of space for local data (resided on the
          stack in most cases) then the maximum size for the stack may be
          exceeded and your return addresses or other important things were
          overwritten.
          With the program fixstack you can increase the size for the stack
          (and also cut the space for data)
          Try size my_prog before and after fixstacking to see the difference.

HARDWARE CONFIGURATIONS:
    Q:     What hardware (Motherboard, hard disk) do I need for Coherent ?

    A:     Difficult question. Minimum is a AT 286 with 640 KB RAM and a
           hard disk (MFM,RLL,ESDI,SCSI (some), IDE (some)) with at least
           10 MB free disk space.

           Nevertheless Coherent is not the fastest operating system, so
           a 386 with at least 25 MHZ and 4 MB RAM and a fast hard disk
           (a hard disk is always too small !!!!) is the minimum config-
           uration for a usable multi-user-operating.

TERMIO HINTS:
    Q:    I compiled a program that uses termio but it did not work.

    A:    The termio in Coherent (at least 3.1.0 and the first 3.2.0) did
          not work in all cases. So try the sgtty, that works fine.
          When porting programs try to find the -DBSD-parts. There you will
          find in most cases the sgtty-parts you need for porting.

CURSES:
    Q:    I compiled a program that uses curses but the screen sometimes get
          garbled or the machine seems to hang

    A:    Maybe you still have an old libcurses.a. Replace it with a newer
          copy.

MORE UUCP:
    Q:    I often loose email or files after receiving them with UUCP.

    A:    Try to get the newest UUCP-update from MWCBBS. The old packages
          still have some problems. Check the permissions, at least for example
          with comparing them with those on your original diskettes.
          Check also the permissions of the needed directories.
          In /usr/spool/uucp/Logs./uucp-program you will find the "hints" of the
          "uucp-program" (uucico, uucp, uux,uuxqt) what goes wrong.
          In Coherent 3.2. you have the program uucheck that will check your
          uucp-installation and is also able to "fix" problems. But you have to
          run it twice if you run it as root because the first time it creates
          the needed directories and the second run sets the correct permission.

    Q:    I am having a problem connecting to uucp sites not running Coherent
          after updating to Coherent 3.2.  The error looks like a parity
          problem, with an {expect} / {actually got} output like:
            uu315323t 342og310n:   (With backslashes before the numbers)

          Again, get the latest UUCP package from MWCBBS.  The 3.2 Coherent
          release may exhibit a parity problem which is cured with the latest
          uucp release.

HOW TO CREATE A BOOTABLE >>>R/W<<< FLOPPY from Coherent
            From: Peter Fillingham  fillingham@att.com
    The COHERENT Operating System Release Notes (Release 3.1.0) along  with
    the  main  manual  suggest  ways  of  creating  a bootable floppy.  One
    difficulty of this  procedure  is  that,  after  producing  a  bootable
    floppy,  one  can't  write  to  it  !  The following shell programs are
    suggested as a way making a bootable  floppy,  and  below  is  the  fix
    recommended by mwc for making the bootable floppy system read-write.

    (0) first boot your system from your hard disk, login in as  root,  use
    mkdir  to  make  a  convenient  subdirectory  [e.g., /bin/temp ]. cd to
    /bin/temp. Place disk #1 of your mwc original  floppies  in  drive  A:,
    then enter

        dd if=/dev/fha0 of=cohboot count=80 bs=30b

    Run it in the background if you wish [follow the above line with an  &;
    use  ps  -axfl  if  you  are  curious].  This will take just over three
    minutes depending on the speed of your system.  What  is  going  on  is
    that  dd  is  creating  an  image  of  your  boot floppy in you default
    directory with the file name cohboot. When it finishes, remove the  mwc
    original floppy, and insert a blank disk.

    (1) Next run the following shell program:

        echo "/etc/fdformat -v /dev/fha0"
        /etc/fdformat -v /dev/fha0
        echo "/etc/badscan -o proto /dev/fha0 2400"
        /etc/badscan -o proto /dev/fha0 2400

    Run it in the background if you wish; it takes time.   The  echo  lines
    simply  display each command line just before it is carried out to tell
    you what is going on. The second and fourth lines format the floppy and
    check  for  bad  blocks,  respectively.  In addition, a file (proto) is
    being built in your default subdirectory.  This  file  will  contain  a
    list  of  the bad blocks: look for a line with %b in it. Probably it is
    best to use only a floppy with NO bad blocks: so  try  until  you  find
    one.

    (2) make sure you have a subdirectory /f0 on your hard disk;
        if not, use mkdir /f0.

    (3) Next run the following shell program:

        echo "/etc/mkfs /dev/fha0 proto"
        /etc/mkfs /dev/fha0 proto
        echo "cp /conf/boot.fha /dev/fha0"
        cp /conf/boot.fha /dev/fha0
        echo "dd if=cohboot of=/dev/fha0 count=80 bs=30b"
        dd if=cohboot of=/dev/fha0 count=80 bs=30b
        echo "/etc/mount /dev/fha0 /f0"
        /etc/mount /dev/fha0 /f0
        echo "cd /f0 "
        cd /f0
        echo " DONE but f0 still mounted !"

    The second line produces the  file  system  on  the  floppy  using  the
    information  from  file  proto.  The fourth line copies boot.fha to the
    floppy.  The sixth line transfers the image of your system boot  floppy
    to  your  newly  formatted  disk  (note  all  these  things take time).
    Finally, the floppy is mounted so that while you have booted  from  the
    hard  disk  and  have root permissions you can write to the floppy. The
    last line simply rings the bell and tells you it is done.

    (4) next (noting that your default directory is /f0, i.e. the
          floppy disk) enter:

          mv begin autoboot
                then enter
          db coherent
                then enter
          ronflag
                the response is
          ronflag=001
                then enter
          .=0
                then a response appears
          ronflag=000
                then enter
          :q
                and you should get back your prompt.

    (5) Finally while the floppy is still mounted, cp over your most useful
        programs  to  the  appropriate  directories (e.g., vi or me, du, df
        ...) Lastly umount  f0,  shutdown,  sync  and  boot  your  writable
        floppy.

MASTER BOOT REINSTALLATION:
            From: doug@mwc.com (Doug Peterson)
    I want to upgrade the DOS partition from MS-DOS 3.3 to 5.0, and the
    installation program refuses to work with the Coherent master bootstrap
    program. It no longer asks for the ability to boot Coherent!

    The problem specifically is caused be Microsoft's faulty update install
    procedure. They assume you have no other operating system on the
    computer.

    When the 5.0 update install is run, the procedure archives the original
    master boot block of the hard drive and rewrites a brand new one.
    Problem is, it takes Coherent's master boot along with it. To restore
    the master boot is very simple:

    Use dos 5.0 fdisk to change the active partition to COHERENT. Reboot.

    Use COHERENT's fdisk utility with the -b option to rewrite a new master
    boot. Specifically; fdisk -b /conf/mboot /dev/at0x <ENTER>

    Once completed, you can now boot either system no matter which one is
    active or inactive.


LINE PRINTER HELP: From: dave@uvm-gen!pete (Dave Peterson)
    I have my printer hooked up to lpt1 and cannot get any output.  I have
    checked my files, but, no luck.  What's the problem?

    1) ls -li   ( The i will list the inode number, this will tell you where
                  you have linked /dev/lp to. )

    2) ln -f /dev/lpt2 /dev/lp  ( link to lpt2  IBM and MWC number the ports
                               differently thus lpt2 is the first printer )
                               [ you need to be root or bin to do the link ]

    This is a partial listing of my /dev directory note the first number is
    the inode number.  I have linked lp to lpt2.
      174 c-w--w--w-  2 bin        bin          3   1 Mon Nov 25 17:36 /dev/lp
      101 c-w--w--w-  1 bin        bin          3   0 Fri Apr 27  1990 /dev/lpt1
      174 c-w--w--w-  2 bin        bin          3   1 Mon Nov 25 17:36 /dev/lpt2
      173 c-w--w--w-  1 bin        bin          3   2 Fri Apr 27  1990 /dev/lpt3

    As a final point when you send data to /dev/lpt2 use pipes not redirection.
    Try cat (file) | /dev/lpt2  it works for me.

MOVING DATA FROM A SUN TO COHERENT:
                    (From: PINEAU@uqac.uquebec.ca (Louis Pineau))
    First, the floppy have to be formatted whether on the  sun  or  on  the
    Coherent  system (with fdformat /dev/rfd0c on the sun). Once the floppy
    is formatted, there is no need to reformat or mkfs it for the  life  of
    the floppy or until something unusual happens.

    To write and read the floppy, on both system (sun and coherent), I  use
    the  command "ustar" since it can handle multi-volume files (files that
    are too large to fit on a single floppy).

    Thus, on the sun, I do:
      /usr/5bin/ustar -cvf /dev/rfd0c file [files ...]    to write on the floppy
      /usr/5bin/ustar -tvf /dev/rfd0c                     to list the floppy
      /usr/5bin/ustar -xvf /dev/rfd0c [file ...]          to read the floppy

    On my coherent system, I use the same commands  without  the  /usr/5bin
    prefix and with the proper floppy device (/dev/fva1 on my system).

    I know that there is a way to read or write ms-dos formatted floppy but
    in order to mount or unmount the floppy, you must become superuser.

MULTI-VOLUME ARCHIVE: (From: jr@connie.de.convex.com (Joachim Riedel))
    I'm trying to archive a 5 mb file (which is itself  a  compressed  cpio
    file)  from  hard disk onto floppy disk (fva1). I've tried cpio and tar
    and even pax directly but cannot get past one volume.

    Use the raw device (i.e. /dev/rfva1 ) instead of the device  fva1.

SCSI MKFS NOTES: Answer From: stephen@mwc.com (Stephen Davis)
    I am trying to add a second scsi drive to my  system.   mkfs  will  not
    accept a proto file.  What do I do?

    You do not badscan a SCSI drive. Instead of giving mkfs a  proto  file,
    you  give it the total number of blocks in the partition. The number of
    blocks is listed in the partition table under f-disk.

DOS TO COHERENT:
    Q: The question is, is it possible to read DOS-format 360KB-diskettes?

    A: yes it is :-)   From: lvds@tfpbbs.uucp (Laurent Cas)

    Here is the device type reference table:
    Device name  Sectors/track  Heads  Sectors  Bytes   Format
    /dev/f9a0          9          2      720    360 KB   5.25"
    /dev/fqa0          9          2     1440    720 KB   3.5"
    /dev/fha0         15          2     2400    1.2 MB   5.25"
    /dev/fva0         18          2     2880    1.44 MB  3.5"

    If your 360KB drive  is  'A:'  (MSDOS  reference)  you  can  do  dos  t
    /dev/f9a0  to list your disk, or if your 360KB is 'B:' you will have to
    do dos t /dev/f9a1

    drive A is number 0 and drive B is number 1 ; same  for  partitions  on
    your hard disk...

    Cheers, Laurent.

UUINSTALL BUG HELP: (From norm@mwc.com)
    Using Coherent 3.2, I run UUINSTALL, upon exiting,  I  am  back  at  my
    prompt,  but,  the  system hangs. the only way to restart via a reboot.
    Is this problem specific to 3.2 or is  it  something  I  have  possibly
    done?

    This is a bug in the 3.2.0 release  of  uuinstall.  Occasionally,  upon
    exiting, it leaves your terminal in "raw" mode.  The Errata sheet which
    is included with 3.2 releases mentions this, as far as I know.  To  fix
    your  terminal  after exiting uuinstall, enter the following (note that
    <ctrl-J> is the control key plus the letter J):

            <ctrl-J> stty sane <ctrl-J>

XWINDOWS:  (From doug@mwc:)
    From time to time, we get people asking about X  windows  on  Coherent.
    Many  new  entrants  into  the field of UNIX have probably heard of the
    popular UNIX graphics interface called X-WINDOWS.

    X-WINDOWS was developed by MIT. To the best of our knowledge they still
    hold the rights to the source code and it is in the public domain.

    To the best of our knowledge, the source code takes up  110mb  of  disk
    space!   The  binaries,  an  additional  12  - 20mb's of disk space. It
    requires TCP or Streams support, neither of which is in COHERENT.

    X-windows it seems, has become somewhat of a popular GUI for UNIX in  a
    very  short  time.  Various  hardware  firms  have  developed  and  are
    marketing X-workstations, servers and cards.

    On page 14 of the November 1991 issue of UNIX REVIEW, is an ad for  X11
    Release  5  for System V/386. The price advertised is $495 with printed
    manuals, $395 without. So, X is not cheap via the commercial route.

    Given COHERENT'S small model compiler, it is  obviously  impossible  at
    this  time  for  COHERENT  to  even compile the code, let alone run it.
    COHERENT 386, currently undergoing intensive development, will  feature
    a 32-bit native mode compiler.

    At this time, we don't envision COHERENT ever shipping  with  X-Windows
    given  the  fact  that the size of it would double the size of COHERENT
    overnight.

Tar Help:
    The Coherent version of tar has  been  known  to  create  problems  for
    users.   It  is  believed that the latest version of tar has alleviated
    most of these problems. Some of the original problems include inability
    to  read  a tar archive to tar creating recursive inode/file loops that
    can only be removed by "clri".  The more recent Coherent releases  also
    includes  ustar,  which  appears  to  be much more robust.  It has been
    suggested to use the ustar command instead of the Coherent  native  tar
    command in most cases.

Setting Boot Partition: DOS or Coherent?
    Occasionally, a user may want to boot to Coherent for  the  most  part,
    rather than come up in DOS by default.  You can leave the DOS partition
    in tact, and switch between the preferred operating systems on  as  "as
    needed"  basis.   To  do  this,  simply use the fdisk program in either
    operating system and make the partition active for the operating system
    that  resides there. Reboot the system, (AMI Bios system owners require
    a hard reset) and the system will now boot to the partition made active
    with  fdisk.  For example, if you wish to boot DOS by default, make the
    first partition active.  If you want to boot Coherent by default,  make
    the partition active that Coherent resides on.

DISCLAIMER:
    ANY REFERENCE TO THIS ARTICLE, IN ANY FORM, IS PURELY AT YOUR OWN RISK!
    All opinions, tips, and instructions in this article are those  of  the
    contributors,  and  not  of  any company associated with the individual
    contributor, or any company mentioned in this article.   Any  reference
    to  this  article  is  done  purely  AT YOUR OWN RISK!  The information
    contained within is not guaranteed to be free of errors in any way.

    The intention of this note is only to  inform  curious  usenet  readers
    about  some  aspects  of  the  operating  system of Coherent, and those
    companies mentioned are encouraged to add  corrections,  additions,  or
    suggest deletions to this note to as per their policy or willingness to
    provide positive criticism.

TRADEMARKS
    Unix is the trademark of AT&T / Unix System Laboratories, Inc.
    Coherent is the trademark of the Mark Williams Company.
































-- 
       mike@array.com     So much fun, so little time to enjoy it...

       System Administration: n, 1. Fixing yesterdays' problems tomorrow.