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From: kjh@aludra.usc.edu (Kenneth J. Hendrickson)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: disk controllers
Message-ID: <12771@chaph.usc.edu>
Date: 26 Oct 90 23:40:02 GMT
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I have learned that on the NeXT (and possibly other *nix systems), there
is a /etc/disktab animal that lists characteristics of disks, much like
/etc/termcap lists the capabilities of a terminal.  This sounds like a
good idea to me.  The kernel could read this file and configure itself
for the correct number of tracks, sectors, cylinders, heads, etc.  Thus
this information would not need to be hardcoded into the kernel as it is
now.  I don't know much about disk controllers, but could this help the
compatibility problem, and development of SCSI and ESDI device drivers?

It is kind of "begging the question" to use this if you are booting from
a hard disk, but it makes perfect sense if you are booting from a
floppy.

What say the device driver gods?

Ken Hendrickson N8DGN/6      kjh@usc.edu      ...!uunet!usc!pollux!kjh