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Date:      Tue, 21 Nov 2000 23:21:11 -0800
From:      "Matt Wilbur" <matt@photon.com>
To:        <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   problems with diskless operation, 4.1.1R
Message-ID:  <HEEGKECJGHFENDFGFKCJAEJPCAAA.matt@photon.com>

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Hello,

I've been working on a diskless config (4.1.1R server and clients) for a
lab, and I've come a long way, but I've got one problem I can't seem to get
around.

I'm able to boot the client using an etherboot floppy, load the kernel,
mount the rootfs (passed to the kernel via bootp), and have a working /etc,
/dev (vtys are happy, etc) and /var (mostly thanks to rc.diskless*)..  I'm
kludging to get swap working over nfs using vn for now (long story, but our
processing requires a LOT more memory than these systems have..)

I can log in, and most everything works, EXCEPT for things like top (nlist
error), pstat (missing symbol having to do with vn), vmstat (missing other
symbols..)  ps works ok.  /dev/[mem,kmem] are working OK.  libkvm is ok,
i've rebuilt/reinstalled it just in case.  I've rebuilt the kernel from
within the diskless system, same problem.  I've unpacked fresh 4.1.1R
libraries and reinstalled them, and ldconfig'd just in case.  To get the
exact error messages I need to print them out and type them in (long story),
so I'm hoping someone will have an idea based on the above information...
Otherwise I'll inflict the error messages on you tomorrow :)

I can't help but think that I'm missing some basic kvm initialization step
or something in the boot process.  Help ?  I swapon my vn swap device and it
doesn't complain, but I can't verify that it's actually being used because
pstat/swapinfo are broke.  I'm assuming that a swapless system will just
croak when it runs out of physical memory, not behave this way..

Ideas?
Thanks!
-Matt Wilbur



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