Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995 12:15:32 +0100 From: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@critter.tfs.com> To: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: RFD: VFS, non-Intel architectures Message-ID: <2258.815397332@critter.tfs.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 02 Nov 1995 18:57:29 MST." <199511030157.SAA03367@phaeton.artisoft.com>
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Trimmed Cc: to hackers.
> As some of you know, I am doing a port of FreeBSD to the Motorolla
> Ultra 603/604.
Good.
> Part of a port to a different platform has always been support of
> the native file system for that platform.
Yes, as something you added later :-)
My bogometer is in warning mode, in particular since the PowerPC idea
(though you are probably on a RS6k/P40) was to be able to run (if I
remember right from the glossies):
NT
AIX
Solaris
OSF/1
MacOS
<anything else>
So implying that the "crumbly VFS code" is holding back your port because
you cannot make a JFS is "BullShit, first grade".
> I would like to invite discussion on these proposed VFS changes.
Sure, just do make it sound like you cannot possibly do anything until
it has been done.
Terry,
It seems to me that you are attacking the porting owrk from the wrong end.
Since you quite obviously havn't thought much about how to attack this
task I volounteer to educate you a bit here:
I would suggest you start out by (re)reading a couple of the classic
papers on porting unix to another platform for hints and ideas,
Bell Labs for instance had a couple of classics that it seems you
have never understood (assuming you ever actually read them).
My personal suggestion to you would be:
Make a kernel that the AIX bootloader can load, which only contains
panic ("Kilroy, Really ???\n");
For instance using netbooting, which I'm sure the P40 is capable of.
(3 weeks).
Make that kernel work so far that it can execute /sbin/init from a
compiled in MFS filesystem.
(8 weeks).
Make your device drivers for disk and network work and work well.
(8 weeks).
Make a couple of FFS filesystems and make the user-land work.
(6 weeks).
Then add JFS compatibility, if you really need it.
(4 weeks).
If I had paid you to port FreeBSD, and you came to me with this "I
need to fix the VFS" crap, you wouldn't even have had time to print
your resume before you left.
I wish I could afford to buy another computer right now, and I would
love to produce a port before you do.
I'm sure I could beat you to it, considering that I know nothing
about the Power, havn't done it before, have a job and a family,
and don't have to write N*10K emails all the time.
Come on Terry, show us, prove that you can deliver what your mouth
keeps babling about, show us a kernel that boots on a Power at Xmas
and have a complete selfhosted port ready by easter...
"but mom, he's not wearing any clothes..."
--
Poul-Henning Kamp | phk@FreeBSD.ORG FreeBSD Core-team.
http://www.freebsd.org/~phk | phk@login.dknet.dk Private mailbox.
whois: [PHK] | phk@ref.tfs.com TRW Financial Systems, Inc.
Future will arrive by its own means, progress not so.
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