Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: A few questions about 4.3BSD partitions and cylinders
Message-ID: <3185@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 23 Jan 88 18:05:44 GMT
References: <11271@brl-adm.ARPA> <13380@oliveb.olivetti.com> <10286@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 30

In article <10286@mimsy.UUCP> chris@mimsy.UUCP (Chris Torek) writes:
> 
> >Of course if you dd then it doesn't matter bacause you won't be paying
> >any attention to cylinder boundries.
> 
> Right.
> 
> Moreover, the next release has disk labels, stored on sector zero
> of each pack.  If you `dd if=/dev/rp06-root of=/dev/rm05-root' you
> will relabel your RM05 as an RP06.

Yah, Ultrix already has this interesting characteristic.  I've been
caught a few times when dd'ing the a partitiion between rm05's and
my rp07.  It doesn't become obvious until you go to acess one of the
other partitions that are in different places.  Luckily, a quick shot
of chpt sets things right.
 
> I ignore the sizes in the distributions and make up my own.  On
> everything except one Microvax, I have 30+ MB roots.  No more
> running out of space for the next vmunix. . . . :-)

I think if you have several like drives on a system, it's not a bad idea
to stick with the standard partitions.  It makes things relatively easy
to shuffle about if a drive dies.  I do wish there were a pair of
"standard" "ab" and "gh" overlapping definitions though.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)