/etc/bootparams

[gary at proa.sv.dg.com]

In article <4559 at brazos.Rice.edu> len at rufus.math.nwu.edu (Len Evens) writes:
>X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 19, message 5 of 14
>..
>We had not in fact rebooted the clients during this time, so we were
>unaware of the problem. When we did try to reboot, the process failed, and
>even though we suspected that the bootparams file might be invovlved we
>did not see the cause until Avi Freedman pointed it out. (He had
>apparently suffered for over a month before pinpointing it.) When we
>corrected the /etc/bootparams file to use the complete symbolic internet
>addresses, e.g.,
>
>cname.lnet.univ.edu	root=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/root/cname\
>			swap=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/swap/cname
>
>the problem disappeared.

Perhaps only for the nonce.  If you move on to BIND you will probably have
more luck with:

cname.lnet.univ.edu  root=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/root/cname.lnet.univ.edu\
		     swap=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/swap/cname.lnet.univ.edu

with the corresponding change in /etc/exports.  Also, take a peek at your
/etc/ethers or YP ethers file. You may need the domain specifier there.
We, too spent many happy hours poking around with this. :-| (Bind is a
side-effect of loading all the uunet upgrade stuff.  This is (IMHO) a good
thing, but - be prepared for your host calling itself
cname.lnet.univ.edu.)

Gary Bridgewater, Data General Corporation, Sunnyvale California
gary at sv.dg.com or {amdahl,aeras,amdcad}!dgcad!gary
The impossible we understand right away - the obvious takes a little longer.