/debug (again and again and again...)

[Dave Ciemiewicz]

In article <42340 at sgi.sgi.com>, daveh at xtenk.sgi.com (David A Higgen) writes:

> > But the burning question is...
> > If your disk is partitioned so that /debug gets, say, 53meg, does that mean
> > that you only have 53meg of swap space, maximum?
> 
> > || Tom Stockfisch, UCSD Chemistry	tps at chem.ucsd.edu
> 
> Tom, didn't you READ the article you were appending to?
> Repeat After Me, 500 times: "/debug is NOT my swap space".
> 
> /debug is simply an informational window to processes' virtual space, used
> by debuggers (eg dbx). IT NEITHER CONSUMES NOR PROVIDES PHYSICAL RESOURCES.
> 
> /debug is not "on" a disk partition. Your swap space IS on one or more
> disk partitions reserved for the purpose, normally partition 1 on the
> root disk. Other partitions can be added to the swap space; try
> 'man swap' for details.
> 
> Incidentally, is anyone from Tech Pubs here reading this group? I would
> guess that the continuing confusion on the /debug issue is a strong
> suggestion that documentation on the point needs to be improved...
> 
> 
> 				Dave Higgen
> 

/debug is an file interface to system processes.  Unmounting /debug to
not unmount the swap space; unmounting only removes access to the interface
which SGI's dbx can access and debug processes.

However, playing out /debug's affectation of a real file system, many
of the standard IRIX(TM) file and filesystem commands present information
about the /debug interface and the swap partion AS THOUGH they were real
live IRIX(TM) file systems though they are not.

As part of of this, df of /debug reveals the size of your swap partion.
Thus yes, if "df -k /debug" says /debug imitation file system has
51048 kbytes, your swap partion has been partioned for approximately
51MB of swap space (virtual memory).

It is wise to take heed from Mr. Higgen and remember that /debug is not
a real file system but is a file system abstraction of the processes
executing under IRIX(TM).

				--- Dave Ciemiewicz
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
			Cosmo Ciemo, Silicon Valley Dude

I was traipsing through the fields of my mind when I stepped in something that
smelled rather ripe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------