Simon Burge wrote:
> 
> Ignatios Souvatzis wrote:
> 
> > On Sun, Oct 15, 2000 at 12:32:41PM +1100, Simon Burge wrote:
> > > Rob Becker wrote:
> > >
> > > > Tried to install the bootloader with the command "/usr/mdec/installboot
> > > > biosboot.sym /dev/rwd1a" and it told me that the filesystem needed to be
> > > > FFS. Oh well. Any suggestions?
> > >
> > > I don't know enough about LFS, but can't files move around on an
> > > LFS?
> >
> > Yes. All the time, even when untouched.
> 
> Hmm, not good for Rob now then.
> 
> > > This is at odds with how the i386 bootblocks work (by having the
> > > location of /boot hardcoded in the bootblocks).
> >
> > Yes, certainly. So it can't work on i386 currently.
> 
> Is there any reason that the i386 can't have bootblocks that live in the
> first 8k (well, 7.5k) of the filesystem like at least pmax and alpha
> do?  I'm pretty much clueless as to the inner workings of the i386 boot
> procedure.

The first 8K of the slice is used for a boot block.  It's
contents are *not* moved around.  Immediately after the boot
block comes the first superblock, which contains (among
other things) the address of other superblocks in the file
system.  See /usr/src/sys/ufs/lfs/README.

  --Dwight Tuinstra
    tuinstra@clarkson.edu