*BSD News Article 9782


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From: peter@ferranti.com (peter da silva)
Subject: Re: 386BSD install problem -- can't mount /
Message-ID: <id.AGNW.SV5@ferranti.com>
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
References: <1993Jan11.022758.10164@cs.wright.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 15:18:48 GMT
Lines: 28

In article <1993Jan11.022758.10164@cs.wright.edu> corcoran@valhalla.cs.wright.edu (Michael P. Corcoran) writes:
> 	Data Technology DTC6282-24 ESDI controller set for 63 sector
> 		per track mapping mode which is recommended for Novell,
> 		OS/2 and UNIX.

Here's your problem. Either turn off the sector mapping, or find a sector
where the mapping and the real cylinders match. At least part of the 386BSD
boot sequence uses real track offsets. Like 0 (which is why it works when
you do a "whole disk" install).

I would suggest turning off the sector mapping. The ONLY reason for this is
to allow DOS access to cylinders past 1024 without patching the BIOS, and
if you're using a small DOS partition and a large BSD partition you'll never
need that.

You'll also get a performance improvement on BSD (cylinder groups end up on
real cylinder boundaries!), and probably a little more disk space (I got an
extra 30 MB on a Maxtor 4380E when I switched from the Compaq controller to
my Ultrastor 12F24... and I could have gotten another 30 MB if I'd wanted
to use BAD144 for all my bad-track mapping). It's a win all round.

Insert obligatory flaming about idiot manuals that encourage bad procedures
here, and go on to the next message...
-- 
Peter da Silva                                            `-_-'
Ferranti International Controls Corporation                'U` 
Sugar Land, TX  77487-5012 USA
+1 713 274 5180                            "Zure otsoa besarkatu al duzu gaur?"