glendy# 9fat:
glendy# cd /n/9fat
glendy# lc
9LOAD 9pc 9pccpuf 9pccpuf.gz 9pcf 9pxeload PLAN9.INI
glendy# lookman 9fat
man 2 authsrv # authsrv(2)
man 4 dossrv # dossrv(4)
man 8 9load # 9load(8)
man 8 booting # booting(8)
man 8 prep # prep(8)
man 8 update # update(8)

Best wishes

uriel

On 3/24/07, W B Hacker wrote:
> Fans,
>
> Online docs (http://planb.lsub.org/magic/man2html/8/9load) describing Plan9's
> boot process, say, in part:
>
> ...in order to find configuration information, 9load searches all units on
> devices fd and sdCn, in that order, for a file called plan9\plan9.ini or
> plan9.ini (see plan9.ini(8)) on a partition named dos or 9fat. If one is found,
> searching stops and the file is read into memory at physical address 0x1200
> where it can be found later by any loaded bootfile. Some options in plan9.ini
> are used by 9load...
>
> NB: These may be the wrong docs... Google dasn't *quite* read minds....)
>
>
> Elsewhere, instructions and examples are publshed for *creating* a plan9.ini file.
>
> My questions are:
>
> - Does a CD-install of 'native' Plan9 to a combined fossil/venti HDD partition
> (eminently bootable, runnable) create a default 'plan9.ini'?
>
> - If so, *where*, and how can I cat or Sam it from a running system?
>
> - If not, how and where *does* Plan9 derive the functionally equivalent
> information it needs to complete the boot process?
>
> (i.e. - given that it is operating the hardware as expected, what goes on
> if/as/when the above search *fails*?)
>
> Objective of the exercise (at this point) is to confirm that plan9.ini or
> functional equivalent, effects the published default of disabling the second
> core in a Core-D P4, and, if so, attempt to re-enable same and see what, if
> anything, breaks.
>
> A mere link to more appropriate docs may be all I need...
>
> Perplexed (after ls'ing all over Hell and at least half of Texas..)
>
> Bill Hacker
>
>
>
>
>

2007/3/24, W B Hacker :
> Fans,
>
> Online docs (http://planb.lsub.org/magic/man2html/8/9load) describing Plan9's
> boot process, say, in part:
>
> ...in order to find configuration information, 9load searches all units on
> devices fd and sdCn, in that order, for a file called plan9\plan9.ini or
> plan9.ini (see plan9.ini(8)) on a partition named dos or 9fat. If one is found,
> searching stops and the file is read into memory at physical address 0x1200
> where it can be found later by any loaded bootfile. Some options in plan9.ini
> are used by 9load...
>
> NB: These may be the wrong docs... Google dasn't *quite* read minds....)
>
>
> Elsewhere, instructions and examples are publshed for *creating* a plan9.ini file.
>
> My questions are:
>
> - Does a CD-install of 'native' Plan9 to a combined fossil/venti HDD partition
> (eminently bootable, runnable) create a default 'plan9.ini'?

Yes, it does. You need to run 9fat: at an rc prompt (including the
colon) and the 9fat partition will be available under /n/9fat

> - If so, *where*, and how can I cat or Sam it from a running system?

Note that since namespaces are local, not global, you won't be able to
modify plan9.ini from an acme / sam session external to the terminal
from which you ran 9fat:.

> - If not, how and where *does* Plan9 derive the functionally equivalent
> information it needs to complete the boot process?
>
> (i.e. - given that it is operating the hardware as expected, what goes on
> if/as/when the above search *fails*?)
>
> Objective of the exercise (at this point) is to confirm that plan9.ini or
> functional equivalent, effects the published default of disabling the second
> core in a Core-D P4, and, if so, attempt to re-enable same and see what, if
> anything, breaks.

Yeah, by default *nomp=yes is set. If you want to enable SMP, remove
that line, and it should work. Though Plan 9 does periodically have
issues with various APICs.

> A mere link to more appropriate docs may be all I need...
>
> Perplexed (after ls'ing all over Hell and at least half of Texas..)
>
> Bill Hacker

--dho

Devon H. O'Dell wrote:
> 2007/3/24, W B Hacker :

*snip*

>
> Yes, it does. You need to run 9fat: at an rc prompt (including the
> colon) and the 9fat partition will be available under /n/9fat
>
>> - If so, *where*, and how can I cat or Sam it from a running system?
>
> Note that since namespaces are local, not global, you won't be able to
> modify plan9.ini from an acme / sam session external to the terminal
> from which you ran 9fat:.
>

ACK.

*snip*
>
> Yeah, by default *nomp=yes is set. If you want to enable SMP, remove
> that line, and it should work. Though Plan 9 does periodically have
> issues with various APICs.
>

Standby one....

Bill

Uriel wrote:
> glendy# 9fat:
> glendy# cd /n/9fat
> glendy# lc
> 9LOAD 9pc 9pccpuf 9pccpuf.gz 9pcf 9pxeload PLAN9.INI

*snip*

Magical!

I've got the rest in hand...

Many thanks!

Bill Hacker

2007/3/24, W B Hacker :
> Devon H. O'Dell wrote:
> > 2007/3/24, W B Hacker :
>
> *snip*
>
> >
> > Yes, it does. You need to run 9fat: at an rc prompt (including the
> > colon) and the 9fat partition will be available under /n/9fat
> >
> >> - If so, *where*, and how can I cat or Sam it from a running system?
> >
> > Note that since namespaces are local, not global, you won't be able to
> > modify plan9.ini from an acme / sam session external to the terminal
> > from which you ran 9fat:.
> >
>
> ACK.

Though I should note that you could certainly, in acme, middle click
on 9fat:, then right click select /n/9fat/plan9.ini and that would
obviously work too

> *snip*
> >
> > Yeah, by default *nomp=yes is set. If you want to enable SMP, remove
> > that line, and it should work. Though Plan 9 does periodically have
> > issues with various APICs.
> >
>
> Standby one....
>
> Bill

Look forward to hearing whether it works.... It didn't like the last
P3 SMP box I tried.

--dho

Devon H. O'Dell wrote:
> 2007/3/24, W B Hacker :
>> Devon H. O'Dell wrote:
>> > 2007/3/24, W B Hacker :
>>
>> *snip*

Done.

Up and running, reporting both CPU at beginning of boot mesages.

Asus P5VDC-MX, Inel Pentium D 915 Dual-Core, 2 GB DDR2 800.

More as I stress it.... but looks golden from C3-800 up.

*snip*

>
> Though I should note that you could certainly, in acme, middle click
> on 9fat:, then right click select /n/9fat/plan9.ini and that would
> obviously work too
>

'Obviously?' Thanks, but if it is all the same, I would rather have Irish
Alzheimer's. Easier to remember....

;-)

>> *snip*
>> >
>> > Yeah, by default *nomp=yes is set. If you want to enable SMP, remove
>> > that line, and it should work. Though Plan 9 does periodically have
>> > issues with various APICs.
>> >
>>
>> Standby one....
>>
>> Bill
>
> Look forward to hearing whether it works.... It didn't like the last
> P3 SMP box I tried.
>

Intel's 'HAL' idea of SMP in P3 days (or earlier - my first was an Asus with
twin Pentium 90 MHz) was somewhat *bent*. Warp on one CPU was 40% faster than
NT4 on two, and that held on P1 200 & PentiumPro 200 as well.

Bill

> Intel's 'HAL' idea of SMP in P3 days (or earlier - my first was an Asus with
> twin Pentium 90 MHz) was somewhat *bent*. Warp on one CPU was 40% faster than
> NT4 on two, and that held on P1 200 & PentiumPro 200 as well.

How much can you tell me about this early equipment? I have such a
box and would dearly like to address its quirks as it is the only MP
device I own. Even Linux (and NetBSD, but that's easier to forgive)
barfs on it, but SCO Unix used to cope with it.

++L

On Sat, Mar 24, 2007 at 05:31:09PM -0400, Devon H. O'Dell wrote:
>Though I should note that you could certainly, in acme, middle click
>on 9fat:, then right click select /n/9fat/plan9.ini and that would
>obviously work too

The fact that it obviously would work notwithstanding, it doesn't sork.
You would need to run 'Local 9fat:' instead. Also, you could run 'plumb
Local 9fat:' and have it available everywhere.

--
Kris Maglione

Any improbable event which would create maximum confusion
if it did occur, will occur.

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one way to use equipment that does not boot plan 9 is to run
a fileserver kernel on it. if you already have a cpu/auth server,
this works out pretty well. my home fileserver is a dual processor
pIII-based machine with a 440gx chipset and an 8169-based nic.
obviously the fs doesn't use the second processor, but it's not
cpu-bound anyway.

- erik

On Sun Mar 25 00:55:16 EDT 2007, lucio@proxima.alt.za wrote:
> > Intel's 'HAL' idea of SMP in P3 days (or earlier - my first was an Asus with
> > twin Pentium 90 MHz) was somewhat *bent*. Warp on one CPU was 40% faster than
> > NT4 on two, and that held on P1 200 & PentiumPro 200 as well.
>
> How much can you tell me about this early equipment? I have such a
> box and would dearly like to address its quirks as it is the only MP
> device I own. Even Linux (and NetBSD, but that's easier to forgive)
> barfs on it, but SCO Unix used to cope with it.
>
> ++L

> one way to use equipment that does not boot plan 9 is to run
> a fileserver kernel on it.

Sadly, the machine in question has an on-board Adaptec SCSI adapter.
I think mowing lawns would be more rewarding.

++L

assuming that this is an unsupported adaptec adapter, there
is no law requiring its use. doesn't this machine have pata?

- erik