Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 18:58:29 -0500 From: Christopher Michaels <ChrisMic@clientlogic.com> To: 'Annelise Anderson' <andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu> Cc: "FreeBSD Questions (E-mail)" <questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: vnconfig on bootup? Message-ID: <6C37EE640B78D2118D2F00A0C90FCB4401105DC2@site2s1>
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I feel like we're having 2 different conversations here, please see my response below... > -----Original Message----- > From: Annelise Anderson [SMTP:andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu] > Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 11:27 PM > To: Christopher Michaels > Cc: FreeBSD Questions (E-mail) > Subject: RE: vnconfig on bootup? > > > > On Fri, 26 Nov 1999, Christopher Michaels wrote: > > > Annelise, > > I didn't relize I was being vague. Sorry. > > > > What I'm looking to be able to do is just add entries in /etc/fstab so > that > > my vnX devices are automatically mounted on startup (w/o causing errors > of > > course). I know I can just make a simple shell script that runs the > > specific mount commands, and I do know how to do that (although I'll > admit I > > didn't even think of that at first). > > > > I would just like to be able to edit /etc/fstab and have the devices > > automatically mounted on startup. To me this should be an option. One > > would not tell a user to make a shell script to mount any other kind of > > filesystem, whether it be UFS, NFS, MFS, MSDOS, CD9660, etc... There is > an > > option to start such things are vinum on startup as well. > > > > So, since I know why it cannot be done in the current system, I would > like > > to be able to start working on a solution that would allow one to set a > > variable in /etc/rc.conf such as vnconfig_all="YES". > > > I'm not sure what your idea of "configuring" the devices is. vnconfig -a > reads a file, by default /etc/vntab, that gives the details of the > configuration. These details amount to saying that a particular device > node (say, vn0a) should be associated with a file, and that file should > be mounted /here or /there or used as swap. And other optional details. > At what point did I use the work "configuring" that you seem to be having so much trouble with. I am WELL aware of what "vnconfig" and "vnconfig -a" do and am having no troubles with the concept. I have 3 vnX devices currently "configured" and working properly. This is not my issue, never has been my issue, and I never implied or stated that it was my issue. Now that I've gotten that off my chest... > So all you have to do is fill out /etc/vntab and run vnconfig -a from > any convenient place, such as a script that runs on boot or is called on > boot, as mentioned in the last message. > Not entirely accurate. The mounting options in /etc/vntab only appear to work on specific filesystems, at least that appears to be my trouble at this point. In my case the "filesystems" in question are not UFS and using the mount options in the /etc/vntab file only generate errors. If I am missing an option here, please correct me. My "filesystems" are cd9660 format. When I use mount=, or mountro=, it returns an error to me. I don't have the error in front of me as I'm not at the system. I can come back with that at a later time. > I think that in the sense you are talking about, the device nodes are > "configured" in that they're ready for use if they exist and vn has > been compiled into the kernel. > I don't quite agree, but the definition of "configured" isn't what's in question in here anyway. > > > I am by far not that experienced, but most replies to "I'd like to see > this > > feature in FreeBSD" are "supply diffs". So I'd like to show that I > actually > > put some effort and thought into this solution. > > > > Unfortunately I cannot put any work forward until I can figure out how > to > > statically compile vnconfig. Can you (or anyone for that matter) be so > kind > > as to point me in the right direction for this? I'm not asking for hand > > holding, just a pointer or two. > > I think statically compiling vnconfig is entirely beside the point, > utterly irrelevant, and is a consequence of a misunderstanding of what > you want to accomplish. How are you going to mount a file as file > system or swap from a partition that itself has not yet been mounted? > 1. It is not besides the point. And even if it is, it's my box, and my time, why hold back this information from me? I would like to know how to statically compile _anything_, all I'm asking is to be pointed in the right direction. If you have the information, I would greatly appreciate it, if you do not let me know and I'll look to other sources. I don't appreciate having the information held back 'for my own good', and this is how this last paragraph has come across to me (if this interpretation is in error, I apologize). 2. I do not misunderstand what I want to accomplish. I know exactly what I want to accomplish and I know exactly how I'd like to do that. Now, if I am overlooking a simpler, more elegant, or less troublesome solution, than I'd be more than happy to hear it. 3. I do understand what you are saying, in that "how do you mount a filesystem...from a partition that itself has not yet been mounted". This is a good point. I was under the impression that the mount -a command read the file from top to bottom and mounted each one in turn. Since I would place the vnX filesystem(s) at the end of the file, I didn't believe this would be a problem. On the other hand, this discussion has pointed out to me that _I_ am probably attacking the problem at hand from the wrong angle. A better solution would be to have the issue of vnconfig not being able to directly mount cd9660 (and possibly other) filesystems addressed. As it stands now my only solution is to vnconfig the device node and then mount it separately. I am not a programmer, but I can gather the appropriate information and file a pr on it (assuming this has not been one already submitted). > Do you have vn in the kernel? Have you created the vn device nodes? > Have you tried doing something like mounting mfsroot.flp from your hard > drive as a file system? > Whether vnX works on my system is not in question. Again, I apologize if I was vague. I have several vn devices configured and working properly. > Annelise > Thanks, it never hurts to have a sounding board, and unfortunately with FreeBSD this list is the only sounding board I have. -Chris > > > > Thank you, > > -Chris > > > > P.S. I really do appreciate your help thus far. > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Annelise Anderson [SMTP:andrsn@andrsn.stanford.edu] > > > Sent: Friday, November 26, 1999 5:56 PM > > > To: Christopher Michaels > > > Cc: FreeBSD Questions (E-mail) > > > Subject: RE: vnconfig on bootup? > > > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, 26 Nov 1999, Christopher Michaels wrote: > > > > > > > In other words, w/o making a script that explicitly mounts each > mount > > > point, > > > > it can't be done. This much I already know how to do, I was hoping > for > > > some > > > > level of automation. > > > > > > Maybe I haven't understood what you're trying to do. But you can > > > do in a script whatever you can do at the command line. And from > > > /usr/local/etc/rc.d, you can do it after all the disks are mounted. > > > And then you don't need to compile vnconfig statically, which > > > doesn't help you with automation anyway, as far as I can tell. > > > > > > > Just incase I feel like playing with this. Can you (or someone > else) > > > give > > > > me some pointers as to how to statically compile vnconfig (or any > > > program > > > > for that matter). > > > > > > > > Thank you, > > > > -Chris > > > > > > > Annelise To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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