Date: Fri, 10 May 2002 09:06:51 -0400 From: "Richard E. Hawkins" <dochawk@psu.edu> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: burn-in floppy for system builders? Message-ID: <200205101306.g4AD6pX1056708@fac13.ds.psu.edu>
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We're in the middle of a *wretched* experience having a system built by
a local company. In short, after their unapproved substitutions and
unbelievably bad job of internal arrangement, the system can't run more
than a few minutes with the case on, or a couple of hours with it off.
Fortunately, the purchase order was pulled before they got paid, and
now we have to deal with the aftermath.
Anyway, the system was sold without an operating system, which would
have prevented a burnin of the system. I'm wondering if anyone has
gotten around to making a simple disk with an SMP kernel for this
purpose.
As I see it, the kernel would boot and run a single program (or short
sequence) which would:
1) detect memory and the number of processors.
2) try to detect hard drives
3) let user insure all drives ID'd and add/subtract if necessary, and
determine how long to run.
4) warn if any existing partitions exist on any disks, and allow
avoiding these
5) partition the disks to use all space
6) dispatch test programs:
a) memory tests
b) CPU-sucking processes drawing from random memory locations
c) simultaneous disk tests on all drives, of both random locations
and near-far seeks.
d) keep load on each processor above 4 at all times
Output could either be to a disk not to be tested or to a simple line
printer on the parallell port.
This would create a standard disk that could simply be handed to, or
downloaded by, any old shop building a system, whether they understand
*nix or not.
It doesn't sound to hard to write (though low level scripting is harly
my area! :)
Would it be practical to modify root.flp to do this as a single disk?
Or can any of the small-system versions (picobsd?) run an SMP kernel
off floppy?
Or would customizing tomsrtb (the linux on a floppy) be a better idea?
hawk, who really wants a working workstation!
intensive calculations pulling values f
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