Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!helios.ee.lbl.gov!nosc!crash!pnet01!jca From: jca@pnet01.cts.com (John C. Archambeau) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Subject: Re: minix 1.3 on 386/vga/rll system Message-ID: <901@crash.cts.com> Date: 15 Dec 89 06:36:01 GMT Sender: root@crash.cts.com Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon CA Lines: 89 norsk@sequent.UUCP (Doug Thompson) writes: >I'm in the process of building my home system with the >following components: > > 386 Mylex 20Mhz 4mb $1350 > WD1006SVR-2 $ 125 > ST-4144R $ 550 > Paradise-16 VGA $ 299 > NEC-2A $ 499 > 2 TEAC 1.2mb floppy $ 170 > >and one of the projects I plan on using the system for >is "playing" with Minix. I have ordered the current 1.3 >from P-H and it is back ordered! (is there that much >demand???). Apparently so, it took a month for my 1.2 to arrive a few months back. This was when P-H only understood (and I think they still only understand) ISBN codes. > I have followed the discusions on the use of RLL >drives with Minix and understand the mods needed to >the wini driver to get it to work. (BTW: why doesn't >the wini driver - which I haven't yet examined - >(on the AT) do a ROM BIOS disk table lookup based >on the disk drive type stored in the CMOS ram?? >This is the way I did it on the XENIX drivers I >wrote for a couple of disk controllers while at >Tandon. Is there a serious reason? or is it just >a lack of someone doing it?) Simple, not all BIOS chips store the number of sectors per track in the CMOS setup RAM. I know my Phoenix 80286 BIOS Plus 3.10 doesn't (I know later versions do such as the version that's in the ALR PowerFlex). Best bet would be for one to develop a driver so one could force the HD parameters down the driver's throat. The driver I'd like to see is a SCSI driver. One does not really need to know the HD parameters with respect to SCSI although there is a command to get the parameters if one wants them. Since ST412/506 with MFM encoding seems to be the de facto standard, that's what the winchester drivers revolve around. >My question is: does 1.3 work on a VGA card? in >EGA mode? does it know the difference? (I haven't >looked at the console driver) No, it doesn't know what VGA is. In fact, to my understanding (please somebody correct me if I'm wrong) it barely has a notion what EGA is. The console driver sole purpose is to put text to the screen, don't expect it to function along the lines of SunOS whose console drivers know exactly what's what unless you configure the kernel otherwise. If I had a bus mouse, I'd hack around with the mouse driver to try to make it work (if it doesn't already) with the mouse port in my MDA/HGA/CGA card which is supposedly MS bus mouse compatable. >Finally, have any other individuals run Minix >on the above hardware and what problems have >they encountered??? Minix finds my 80-Data 16 MHz 286 board kosher along with the WA3-16 controller by Kimpsion International (it's a WD1003-WA2 clone) without any modifications to the at_wini driver. You are going to have problems with RLL, I have no doubts about that, even if all you have to do is to change the define macro for the number of sectors, it's going to be a pain. Also, if your hard drive does NOT have 4 heads, you have to change the define in fsck.c and in fdisk.c for it to function properly. I have an ST151 (5 heads, 977 cylinders), and that's what needs to be done or fdisk and fsck will not be happy. As for Mylex, Mylex is a major motherboard manufacturer, I suspect it should work just fine. I am getting ready to upgrade to a 386SX, and a prerequisite for the motherboard of the system is that it uses the NEAT Chip Set by Chips and Technology. There is a 386 Neat Chip set out there, and I've see the 386SX's use the original 286 Neat chips since they're only operationg operating on a 16-bit data bus, they really don't need the 32-bit capability of the 386 version. I personally would kill for a Mylex motherboard, but I think I'll probably try Minix 1.3 on one of the ALR PowerFlex's at work. I don't know if they'll work with the embedded 16-bit hard drive controller, but I do know that SCO certifies them to work with Xenix. It'd be a shame if it didn't work since I am considering buying one through the company since it is upgradeable to a 386SX or 486. // JCA /* **--------------------------------------------------------------------------* ** Flames : /dev/null | My opinions are exactly that, ** ARPANET : crash!pnet01!jca@nosc.mil | mine. Bill Gates couldn't buy ** INTERNET: jca@pnet01.cts.com | it, but he could rent it. :) ** UUCP : {nsoc ucsd hplabs!hd-sdd}!crash!pnet01!jca **--------------------------------------------------------------------------* */