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Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 14:32:14 -0800
From: Julian Elischer <julian@whistle.com>
Organization: Whistle Communications
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Subject: DEVFS testers needed
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Please please please, if you have a few spare cycles....

This is really a quite low-impact test.
it shouldn't need to take much time..
(a kernel compile, a few patches, a few edits and a reboot)

WARNING: Please do not test this if you:
1/ have REALLY OLD ESDI drives
2/ are using DOS extended partitions to hold filesystems
(I think that excuses about 3 people)


I have placed a copy of the needed patchfile on
ftp://hub.freebsd.org/pub/scsi/slice3.tar.gz

I am looking for more testers.

 The changes are COMPLETELY non-intrusive, by which I mean,
If you do not define SLICE and DEVFS there are no changes in what is
compiled from the present -current tree. All new code
is marked #ifdef SLICE, or is in new files.
I have included a sample config file SLICE.

I have had positive tests from a couple of people but need a 
LOT wider testing..

What you need to do to be able to switch back and forth between
norma and DEVFS kernels is limited to a small hack in the norma /dev.
If you don't want to switch back this isn't needed :)

first it depends on whether your boot device is 'dangerously dedicated'
or not.
if it is, there is nothing to do.
if it is not, you need to go to the old /dev and do:

ln -f /dev/sd0a /dev/sd0s1a
(or the equivalent for your system)

then:
edit /etc/fstab
and change all the 'shortcut' device names totheir long forms.
(remember this is only for non-dangerously dedicated drives)

reboot like this on your old kernel. it should still work.
fix till it does. remember this is just nomenclature. Nothing physical
should be changing except that link.

build your DEVFS kernel. install as /kernel.slice.

add  the line:
mount -t devfs devfs /dev >/dev/null 2>&1 
to /etc/rc before the swapon -a

reboot off the new kernel.

let me know what happens :)

julian