Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: dobson@usuhsb.ucc.usuhs.nnmc.navy.mil (BCP LT MICHAEL DOBSON)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: The Upgrade Process (success with 1.5.9!}
Message-ID: <18579@nigel.udel.EDU>
Date: 5 May 90 00:40:43 GMT
Sender: mmdf@udel.EDU
Lines: 25

I started with Minix 1.1 way back when and have upgraded solely from the net.
This upgrade (1.3->1.5.9) has been the smoothest yet!  Thanks to AST and all
the beta folks for removing much of the pain.  I think I now have a complete
crc matching source tree and have made two working 1.5.9 systems, ome for an
XT with RLL hd and one for an AT with MFM hd.  I had trouble with only 6 or
so files solely due to not having a 1.3 crc match to begin with.  A friendly
local Minixer and I swapped files we needed to get in sync with AST so that
wasn't much trouble either.

I will admit to doing all the patching on a "big" Unix machine, an AT$T 3B2/600G
running Sys V R 3.2.  The only tools I needed were L Wall's patch and compress
4.0which I obtained from comp.sources.unix.  I also compiled the mew uud and uuefor use on the 3B2.  TO get the original Minix 1.3 files to the Unix box I
created compressed tar files for each direcrtory, used doswrite to put them on
my DOS partition then ftp'd them to the Unix machine.  I reversed the process
to get tehm back to Minix.  I was pleasntly surprised to find that Minix tar
could read Sys V tar files!  One other trick I used, I delayed building a
working Minix system until 1,5.6, that way I avoided many of the early
troubles.  You can easily go from 1.3->1.5.9 in one step.

Again thanks to AST and the beta folks, this has been the easiest upgrade I
have ever done, on all types of systems!!

Mike Dobson
Internet: rdc30med@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil\Bitent:
Bitnet: dobson@usuhsb.bitnet