From owner-freebsd-current Wed Nov 11 13:02:01 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id NAA02423 for freebsd-current-outgoing; Wed, 11 Nov 1998 13:01:27 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from alcanet.com.au (border.alcanet.com.au [203.62.196.10]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id NAA02410 for ; Wed, 11 Nov 1998 13:01:23 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from peter.jeremy@auss2.alcatel.com.au) Received: by border.alcanet.com.au id <40345>; Thu, 12 Nov 1998 08:00:26 +1100 Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 07:59:43 +1100 From: Peter Jeremy Subject: /boot vs /usr/mdec [was Re: Is it soup yet? :-)] To: current@FreeBSD.ORG Message-Id: <98Nov12.080026est.40345@border.alcanet.com.au> Sender: owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Nate Williams wrote: >Mike Smith wrote: >> I think the issue is perhaps a little over-emotional. The images total >> 8k in three files, and really don't justify or warrant a directory all >> to themselves *anywhere*. > >More than that. I've got 101K in mine, which includes boot1, boot2, >fbsdboot.exe, a bunch of com files for ether-booting, and rawboot. /usr/mdec on 3.0-RELEASE contains 1.5MB, os which 1.4MB is cdboot. There's 100K (exactly) of other boot images. FWIW, I don't see any point in moving this to /boot (or anywhere else in /). I share the viewpoints which can be summarised as (in my priority order): 1) / should contain only the tools/programs/data necessary to boot the system and resurrect the remaining filesystems. The contents of /usr/mdec do not fall into this category (see below). 2) /usr/mdec is the standard BSD place for boot-related data. It may be an obscure place, but so is /usr/platform/sun4m/lib/fs/ufs [the Solaris 2.x equivalent on a sun4m]. 3) Resizing / is painful. Minimising the amount of extraneous junk loaded into / helps put off that evil day. /usr/mdec does not contain any _files_ that are helpful in booting a system or resurrecting a system once it is booted. The contents of boot[12] are essential to boot a system, but they have to be located in particular physical disk blocks - not in a filesystem. Similarly, the network card ROM images have to be in a ROM on the network card to be of any use. fbsdboot.exe is of no use at all inside a UFS filesystem (since the fileloader it is designed to work with cannot understand UFS). Peter -- Peter Jeremy (VK2PJ) peter.jeremy@alcatel.com.au Alcatel Australia Limited 41 Mandible St Phone: +61 2 9690 5019 ALEXANDRIA NSW 2015 Fax: +61 2 9690 5247 To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message