Re: MATH_EMULATE

["David Lord" <netbsd%lordynet.org@localhost>]

On 13 Jan 2008, at 1:38, John Nemeth wrote:

> On Jun 4,  8:04am, Steve Woodford wrote:
> } On Friday 11 January 2008 01:47:05 Andrew Doran wrote:
> } > I tried this out by disabling FP. The machine booted OK but a lot was
> } > broken. Almost all recent x86 processors have FP, including the
> } > embedded class ones, so I think it should be removed.
> } 
> } I'm all for removing it, so long as i386 libc is fixed to support 
> } soft-float builds.
> } 
> } For the record, I have a local port of NetBSD for the Linksys WRT54GR, 
> } which has an RDC-something-or-other SoC:
> } 
> }  cpu0 at mainbus0: (uniprocessor)
> }  cpu0: Cyrix 486DLC (486-class)
> 
>      Wow!  I've almost forgotten about those things.  I'm surprised
> that anybody is still using them and that Cyrix is still around.  I'm
> sure that there are processors that are better and just as cheap that
> can be used.

I had two 486dlc one a 40Mhz other either 25 or 33MHz. The 486dlc40 
was used for several years as a firewall, only 8MB ram and NetBSD 
1.5x through various updates to 1.6x. I think at least one may have 
been isa+vesa+pci. That and a 486dx33 firewall ran reliably 24/7 for 
periods up to near 200days between the occasional updates.

I still may have some backups with dmesg but chances are there was a 
fpu of some kind. From a quick search I can't locate any dmesg but 
var/log/messages if anyone is interested:

  NetBSD 1.6 
  cpu0: Cyrix 486DLC (486-class)
no indication of cpu speed or features though.

I wasn't able to get either to run reliably on either FreeBSD or 
NetBSD 2.0 and up and both the 486dlc systems died in the process.

David