Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!ames!sun-barr!male!pitstop!sundc!seismo!uunet!van-bc!lpami
From: lphillips@lpami.wimsey.bc.ca (Larry Phillips)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Fast File System and SupraMount
Message-ID: <2390@van-bc.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 89 18:50:43 GMT
Sender: lpami@van-bc.UUCP
Lines: 69

In <3368@eos.UUCP>, phil@eos.UUCP (Phil Stone) writes:
>I finally got my Supra/Quantum 80 setup going, but I'm not sure    
>if I'm running the Fast File System.  The software supplied with    
>the Supra card did most of the work, but it didn't mention the    
>Fast File System specifically (it's version 5.1, I think).    
>    
>Is there an easy way to tell if a partition is FFS?    

Yes. Make a file that's 500 bytes long, and copy it to your partition. Then
LIST the file with the BLOCKS option, as in 'LIST DHn:filename BLOCKS'. If it's
OFS, it will be 3 nblocks long. If FFS, it will be 2 blocks long. You could
also use Sectorama to look at sector 0. OFS will have $444F5300 in the first
longword. FFS will have $444F5301 in that spot.
    
>If I don't have it, do I just follow the instructions in the    
>Enhancer manual, or do I need to do something special for the    
>Supra software to be happy?

Not familiar enough with the Supra to help here.

>Also, it's not clear from the Enhancer manual how big the Slow    
>File System partition has to be.  They give an example of one with    
>the entire workbench on it - why would anyone want to do that?    

The requirement for an OFS partition is not universal. Some units can boot from
an FFS partition. Depends entirely on the manufacturer, and how they did
things. If yours requirs the OFS partition, make it 'beig enough'. The reason
there is no hard and fast rule is that it all depends on what all needs to be
on the boot partition for your setup. Leave enough room for the
startup-sequence, system-configuration, and any programs needed before you
switch control to a FFS partition.

One of my boot partitions (I have three, so that I can still boot when I remove
a drive for any reason), is 88K, and has the following directory:

     c (dir)
       assign                         endcli
       mount                          newcli
       run
     L (dir)
       FastFileSystem
     devs (dir)
       hddisk.device                  mountlist
       system-configuration
     s (dir)
       hdstart                        hdstart2
       startup-sequence
     libs (dir)
       arp.library

I don't think the Supra uses the standard MOUNT command, so you may not need
MOUNT, devs/mountlist etc.


>I have a feeling these are stupid questions, but I RTFM, and I'm    
>still in the dark.    

It's a dark FM.

-larry

--
Frisbeetarianism: The belief that when you die, your soul goes up on
                  the roof and gets stuck.
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|   //   Larry Phillips                                                |
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