From: udo@umunk.GUN.de (Udo Munk)
Newsgroups: comp.os.coherent
Subject: Re: Coherent 4.0.1; some bad things
Date: 20 Aug 92 03:46:53 GMT
Organization: umunk (private)
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sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com (Steven J. Edwards) writes:
: #In article <9208141233@umunk.GUN.de> udo@umunk.GUN.de (Udo Munk) writes:
: # sje@xylos.ma30.bull.com (Steven J. Edwards) writes:
: #: 5) The update procedere is nice, but it doesn't allow the resizing of
: #: the boot partition (this is clearly stated in the notes).  The install
: #: procedure is nice, but it doesn't allow the automated preservation of
: #: existing root partition files (also clearly stated in the notes).  But
: #: I needed to both to preserve the files and increase the root
: #: partition!  Take it from me folks, you want to have at least 20 Mbytes
: #: on that root filesystem for serious work.
: #
: # That is not a problem of Coherent, there is no UNIX (like) OS out
: # there, where the size of the root partition can be changed without
: # installing new. Be happy, that you "only" have to reinstall Coherent
: # and not AIX 3.2 or SCO :-)
: 
: It is possible to change partition sizes on unmounted filesystems
: without damaging files.  There are commercial applications for Apple
: Macintosh and PC machines that do this.  Of course, a filesystem may
: not be reduced in size below the combined sizes of its contents and an
: increase in filesystem size can only be done by appropriating
: cylinders from adjacent free space.  It can be done, although it isn't
: easy.  It would have been very convenient in my case.

Yes it could be done from a bootable floppy disk, but it's really not easy.
If you increase the partition also the filesystem must be increased. To
do so you have to increase the freelist which now goes into the block
of the very first files on the disk. All files must be moved and all
the block numbers in the inodes must be adjusted. A very interesting
problem for system programmers :-)
However, I don't know about any UNIX which comes with a program like
this. Of cause it would be very convenient, also not only in your case.

: # All 3.x binaries failed, which are using the IPC stuff, another example
: # is mtalk. This programs must be recompiled under 4.0, you may read this
: # elsewhere in the release notes.
: 
: Perhaps newer versions of the release notes could list the common 3.x
: packages that use the now forbidden IPC.

No, the IPC stuff is not forbidden now, it's changed only! A recompilation
is all what must be done. I guess the problem is, that nobody has a
complete list of the packages using IPC.

: # The MWC K&R compiler is just fine, be happy to have it, otherwhise you
: # couldn't compile the Gigabytes of K&R stuff from the net. 
: 
: I can compile all of the (decent) K&R C source stuff from the net with
: gcc as long as I don't ask for ASNI checking.
: 
: #                                                            Whoever needs
: # an ANSI compiler should get gcc or buy an ANSI compiler from one of the
: # third party software vendors (see release notes).
: 
: I, and many other 4.0 users, are waiting for gcc to arrive.  As an
: alternative, MWC could update their cc to include ASNI facilities.

Yes, but there is much to do for MWC. The ANSI problem is solved with gcc,
so please let them work on the other problems. I guess adding ANSI
features to MWC's cc isn't a fast hack, and it needs a long testing
phase before we can get it. I think a port of gcc to Coherent is
much easyer to do, than adding ANSI features to MWC's cc.

: # Why you do ask us? :-) /dev/cmos points to the CMOS RAM, and the bits
: # of it should be documented in the motherboard or BIOS manual.
: 
: Sadly, information of this sort is rarely provided by many PC hardware
: vendors.  There are third party books available, but these are not
: always appropriate.  If MWC made the device entry, then they can also
: provide the documentation.  There are four devices in 4.0 with major
: device number zero: 0/mem 1/kmem 2/cmos 3/boot_gift.  If MWC
: documented the first two, then they can say a few words about the
: second two.

Yes I know, but there are differences in the usage of the CMOS ram
hidden by the BIOS. How should MWC give us the informations for all
the fine motherboards available today, if the manufacturers of them
aren't willing to document the bits in their documentation? I guess
that /dev/cmos isn't used by Coherent, because in 3.x it wasn't
available. Maybe that MWC gives us access to the CMOS ram for
playing around with it. The problem is that you can't access the
CMOS ram from a users process directly, it would result in a core
dump. Now whith this device driver you can access it for whatever.

: #: 12) The terminfo subsystem is introduced; a good idea.  But where are
: #: the tic source files?  How can I modify the terminfo for ansipc if I
: #: can't find the source?
: #
: # The terminfo sources aren't delivered with 4.0 because this needs disk
: # space, and the disks are full. Also there is no need to deliver the sources,
: # use the command infocmp to decompile the binaries back to the sources.
: 
: Ah, but you have to find out about it first.  I think the only
: guaranteed way of finding these utilities is to do a:
: 
: 	find / -name "*info*" -print
: 
: and hope for the best.

You are right, the manual has no cross-reference for this utility
in the other terminfo stuff man pages. This should be addes to
the manual by MWC. Also this should go into the Coherent 4.0
FAQ (Mike, if you read this:-), because I guess we didn't get
a new manual in the near future.
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