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Xref: sserve comp.os.linux:40929 comp.os.386bsd.questions:2748 Newsgroups: comp.os.linux,comp.os.386bsd.questions Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!network.ucsd.edu!sdd.hp.com!nigel.msen.com!math.fu-berlin.de!easix!knobel!andreas From: andreas@knobel.GUN.de (Andreas Klemm) Subject: Re: coexist of linux,386BSD,ISC,Solaris,etc. Organization: Andreas Klemm, D-4040 Neuss 21 References: <C7o7Js.J1p@percy.rain.com> Message-ID: <1993May30.142451.5182@knobel.GUN.de> Date: Sun, 30 May 93 14:24:51 GMT Lines: 66 In <C7o7Js.J1p@percy.rain.com> leop@percy.rain.com (Leo) writes: |I haven't seen this issue discussed here or in the FAQs. If it has |been, please point me to it! |The new hardware will be arriving soon. I'll have a 1.2GB drive and I |want to have several different versions of Unix on it. Linux, 386BSD, |NetBSD, and ISC to begin with and maybe later Solaris. How much, if |at all, can the filesystems be shared? Which types of files systems |should be used if sharing is an option? Can I create a news |filesystem that can be used by any of the Unixes? |If you've installed different kinds of Unix on one system, how did you |set up the disks? What were you able to share? I believe that the |maximum number of physical partitions is four. Did each Unix have to |have its own partition? In my eyes: nearly impossible. Or a big trickery ! First of all: Since NetBSD and 386BSD doesn't come with a fdisk command to make the one or other partition bootable you have to use a bootmenue program. The number of supported bootable OS on a disk is restricted to 4. Don't know exactly if this restriction is also present if you don't use DOS on the disk. 386bsd and NetBSD write disklabel on a disk where to find partitions. Ok if you only use 386bsd or Netbsd. But unfortunately the disklabel destroyed my dos partition table. If this is the case you should come into trouble, when installing a boot manager, which looks for dos compatible partition entries, tooo bad. Then: each vendor of commercial Unixes use different ways to manage the partition/filesystem stuff. Generally: They write dos compatible partition entries to the harddisk. So you can determine via boot menue which OS to boot. DOS, UNIX, .... The filesystem stuff is managed in their partition. There is a kind of disklabel in their partition, too. ISC and Esix systems have an user readable image of the label in a file called /etc/partition or similar ... But to put all kinds of unix onto one disk ... nearly impossible. Another thing. The (dumb) 386bsd install program exits installation when its finds already a valid disklabel. It asks you, if you want to override it, but in fact the installation stops at this point. Reinstalling 386bsd means .... format your Harddisk completely...and then install. The MSDOS 5.0 fdisk program recognizes the BSD partition and removes it (from DOS sight of view). But it doesn't remove the BSD disklabel which is installed at some other place....... This all costs time and time..... After reinstalling DOS and BSD several times, because 386bsd's disklabel destroyed my dos partition table...I now gave up trying to install 386BSD with real partitions and increased swap space. -- ---- Andreas Klemm ------- /////// andreas@knobel.GUN.de \\\\\\\ private : +49 2137 12609 D-4040 Neuss 21 (Norf), Germany at work : +49 2173 3964 161 Wiechers & Partner Datentechnik GmbH Telefax : +49 2173 3964 222 Abteilung Unix Support, D-4019 Monheim