Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 17:19:53 +0800 (HKT) From: Clarence Chu <clc@hkstar.com> To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Annoucing: FreeBSD-3.2-Express, a multi-filesystem capable FreeBSD Message-ID: <199907010919.RAA04587@b1.hkstar.com>
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Dear all, It is to announce the availability of FreeBSD-3.2-Express on ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/development/3.2-express. FreeBSD-3.2-Express is now capable of being hosted on local/remote disk drives of FAT/NTFS/UFS/EXT2FS/NFS and ISO-9660 to take the benefits of harddisk and/or network performance. One don't even need any CD-writer nor CD-ROM to play with FreeBSD. Compared to FreeBSD-3.1-Express, most user configurable files are now placed on the MFS, memory file system, and are user customisable. Tools for backup , 'snap' and 'resume' are shell scripts to ease re-configurations. Also, 'express.sh' under /misc may be used to install the contents of 3.2-Express onto installed 3.2-RELEASE. Numerous packages had been added, such as CORBA 2 compliant ILU, OODBMS PostgreSQL-6.5, File manager XFM, gimp-1.1.5, lyx-1.0.2, abs-0.6a, apache-1.3.6, webmin-0.72, xwpe, ddd-3.1.5, jdk1.1.8-elf, lesstif-0.88.1, samba-2.0.4b, mars_nwse, netatalk-asun, fwtk-2.1, Xvnc-3.3.2, mapedit, acroread, mpsql-2.1, python-1.5.2, ssh. Also, the kernel had been upgraded to include ipfw capability featuring DUMMYNET bandwidth management and BRIDGE. bpf, ccd-capable, vinum, svr4, nwfs as loadable modules. lesstif's mwm, mlvwm(mac lookalike) and qvwm(windows lookalike) are window-manager switchable on the fly, Xwindow configurations being a one-click distance under xfm, editor of vi, ee, vim, nedit of choices. shells of sh, csh, ksh, bash, tcsh for to be choose among. cxterm been configured for both big5 and gb encoding and xcin installed. Xservers are now true-type-font capable. If you're to view the contents of packages on FreeBSD-3.2-Express, please read the MANIFEST.TXT on the CD. Enclosed is the README.TXT found on the url above. Enjoy, -- Best wishes, / ___/ / ___/ Clarence Chu / / / clc@hkstar.com ____/ ____/ ____/ http://www.hkstar.com/~clc Encl. FreeBSD-3.2-EXPRESS ======================================== (C) Copyright 1999 Data Expert Limited. All rights reserved. Running the CD -------------- If you do not have access to a bootable CD-ROM drive for running, you will have to generate two 1.44MB bootable floppies under \INSTALL\kern.flp and \INSTALL\mfsroot.flp by using \INSTALL\fdimage.exe under DOS, consult \INSTALL\README.TXT. vn(4), vinum(8), ccd(4), mount_ntfs(8), mount_ext2fs(8), mount_nwfs(8), mount_cd9660(8), smbclient(8), mount_msdos(8) as well as mount_nfs(8) are working on the CD. To use X-window System with only the CD, optinally configure the network details and choose "eXpress". A default XF86Config file had been placed under /etc, for resolution of 1024x768-8bpp of SVGA compatible card. you may run "x11 [gui]", "startx", "xinit", "xlogin [hostname]" or "Xwrapper <options>" to start the X-window System. If the XF86Config does not match your hardware, reconfigure it by "xf86config" or "XF86Setup". Xdm had been started for network connections, users may login from their X-server and may execute the X-clients. Lpd, httpd, sendmail and webmin for administration had been started, too. Xvnc had been installed, try http://<hostname>:5800+DISPLAY_NO/ after running 'vncserver' script. About 200 packages of all types had been installed onto the CD as executable binaries, please consult /MANIFEST.TXT on the CD by www browsers. Quick installation of XF86Config for 1152x900, 1024x768, 800x600 and 640x480 with depth 8/16/24/32 is provided. Issue "1152 3" for 1152x900 with 24bpp, "1024i 2" for 1024x768 with 16bpp for interlaced display, etc. Release Notes ------------- a) Visit http://www.freebsd.org for general information. b) SVR4 emulation do work on the CD, /cdrom/misc/svr4.txt c) Linux emulation works, consult /cdrom/misc/staroffice.txt d) Netware clients had been added, see /cdrom/misc/ipx.html e) Ntfs (smbclient on CD) added, mount_ntfs(8) and smbclient(8) f) For professional support, visit http://www.dexpert.com. FreeBSD-3.2-Express How to run it most efficiently ======================================= FreeBSD-3.2-Express is capable of running even without a local CD-ROM drive. Just prepare the ISO-9660 image (by your favorite cdrecording software or dd(1) of any *nix), and place it onto your FAT/NTFS/UFS/EXT2FS/NFS drive space. Then use the /INSTALL/*.flp floppies or the 3.2-Express CD to boot up the box. By using the HoloShell of the 3.2-express main menu, mount the iso-image onto the /dist directory of the HoloShell and exit the shell. FreeBSD-3.2-Express will fire up upon request to enter the 'Express mode'. There is even two life examples on entering the shell. In so doing, the media in use will either be local harddisk or NFS which is several ten-folds of drive access performance. And when you see the Express-Menu, the floppies may be used on other machines. It is in the rarest case, e.g. in demo room of computer stores, to use FreeBSD-3.2-Express on CD basis. i.e. if you have the 650MB drive space, use it! In additions, if you have one FreeBSD-3.2-Express running on a local disk, you may use the /dist directory contents on all your local network: because, the /dist filesystem had been exported as an NFS share. I would like to illustrate the scenerio with an example: That there is few networked machines with, say, Windoz-98 going to run FreeBSD-3.2-Express. The first thing to look for is a single machine with more than 650MB spare disk space, with supported LAN card and more than 64MB RAM. 1) Prepare the ISO-9660 image of FreeBSD-3.2-Express and load it onto the machine, say, on C:\32exprs.img. 2) Boot the machine with either the floppies under INSTALL/ or the FreeBSD-3.2-Express CD 3) When the 3.2-Express Menu appears, configure the Network 4) Enter the Shell 5) follow the examples to mount the C:\32exprs.img onto /dist e.g. # mount_msdos /dev/wd0a /mnt # vnconfig -e /dev/vn0 /mnt/32exprs.img # mount_cd9660 /dev/vn0 /dist 6) exit the shell and fireup Express-mode 7) you may even forget about XF86Setup if you're not to use X there. 8) Go to other machine and boot them with 3.2-express media 9) And go to the shell after network configurations. 10) use 'mount_nfs <servername>:/dist /dist' and exit the shell 11) Upon entering Express-mode, another FreeBSD station will be up. The description is rather verbose, but imagine the convenience it had brought forth. Without patitioning of the local disk and scrifice of disk performance by using CD-ROM to be secondary storage, the overall performance of FreeBSD-3.2-Express should be comparable to the installed counterpart. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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