Date: Fri, 3 Nov 1995 11:53:51 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: phk@critter.tfs.com (Poul-Henning Kamp) Cc: terry@lambert.org, hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: RFD: VFS, non-Intel architectures Message-ID: <199511031853.LAA04815@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <2258.815397332@critter.tfs.com> from "Poul-Henning Kamp" at Nov 3, 95 12:15:32 pm
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> Trimmed Cc: to hackers.
>
> > As some of you know, I am doing a port of FreeBSD to the Motorolla
> > Ultra 603/604.
> Good.
>
> > Part of a port to a different platform has always been support of
> > the native file system for that platform.
>
> Yes, as something you added later :-)
>
> My bogometer is in warning mode, in particular since the PowerPC idea
> (though you are probably on a RS6k/P40) was to be able to run (if I
> remember right from the glossies):
>
> NT
> AIX
> Solaris
> OSF/1
> MacOS
> <anything else>
>
> So implying that the "crumbly VFS code" is holding back your port because
> you cannot make a JFS is "BullShit, first grade".
No. I am running a Motorolla Ultra 603 with AIX. Not IBM Hardware.
> > I would like to invite discussion on these proposed VFS changes.
>
> Sure, just do make it sound like you cannot possibly do anything until
> it has been done.
That's not true. I can do things. I will just lose the ability to
keep other peoples changes to FreeBSD as part and parcel of my local
code base.
> It seems to me that you are attacking the porting owrk from the wrong end.
>
> Since you quite obviously havn't thought much about how to attack this
> task I volounteer to educate you a bit here:
>
> I would suggest you start out by (re)reading a couple of the classic
> papers on porting unix to another platform for hints and ideas,
> Bell Labs for instance had a couple of classics that it seems you
> have never understood (assuming you ever actually read them).
>
> My personal suggestion to you would be:
>
> Make a kernel that the AIX bootloader can load, which only contains
> panic ("Kilroy, Really ???\n");
> For instance using netbooting, which I'm sure the P40 is capable of.
> (3 weeks).
Done. Though I don't use a P40, the ROS code for the Ultra leaves the
system in the same state regardless of if it's a P40 or not.
> Make that kernel work so far that it can execute /sbin/init from a
> compiled in MFS filesystem.
> (8 weeks).
I can do this already as well, though I admit to some PTE bugs.
> Make your device drivers for disk and network work and work well.
> (8 weeks).
I'm having problems with the console code and am waiting on PPCBug
documentation.
> Make a couple of FFS filesystems and make the user-land work.
> (6 weeks).
Works from floppy already.
> Then add JFS compatibility, if you really need it.
> (4 weeks).
In progress.
> If I had paid you to port FreeBSD, and you came to me with this "I
> need to fix the VFS" crap, you wouldn't even have had time to print
> your resume before you left.
Lucky I'm doing it for no cost to you, I guess.
> I wish I could afford to buy another computer right now, and I would
> love to produce a port before you do.
>
> I'm sure I could beat you to it, considering that I know nothing
> about the Power, havn't done it before, have a job and a family,
> and don't have to write N*10K emails all the time.
>
> Come on Terry, show us, prove that you can deliver what your mouth
> keeps babling about, show us a kernel that boots on a Power at Xmas
> and have a complete selfhosted port ready by easter...
>
> "but mom, he's not wearing any clothes..."
8-P.
Terry Lambert
terry@lambert.org
---
Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
or previous employers.
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