Subject: Re: UserKernelConfig (PR 10057)
To: Darren Reed <darrenr@reed.wattle.id.au>
From: Andrew Brown <atatat@atatdot.net>
List: tech-kern
Date: 05/09/2000 10:00:29
>> > 	However, I think 2nd and 3rd part should be solved like bsdi did:
>> > 	- /boot reads in /etc/boot.default, which is a plaintext file
>> > 	  that contain directives to tweak locator table (like "disable ne2")
>> 
>> Most of this UKC looks like a Good Thing to me.  But this part of
>> it...well, let's just say I'd really hope that there's a way to be
>> prompted for the name of this file (perhaps if RB_ASKNAME?), and a way
>> to suppress it entirely (perhaps by asking for "none"?).  Files in
>> magic locations tend to be a Bad Thing - especially if, when corrupt,
>> they can totally screw the boot process.
>
>As someone who has had to deal with such files becoming corrupt during
>a "panic" (inodes getting screwed up), I whole heartedly agree.
>
>The system *must* be able to get to single user mode if any file in the
>file system is corrupt (except for init, boot and kernel :)

i can see that this thing will break *something*.  currently, if you
boot to single-user mode, you can poke around a bit and then come all
the way up later.

if single user mode is defined to exclude the parsing of this file,
then to get to your regular multi-user level, you'll have to reboot
out of single-user mode.  on the other hand, single user mode could be
redefined to include this file, so that the single-to-multi transition
that you're all used to could continue, but that would fly in the face
of your last assertion.

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