4BSD file system structure

[Mike McNally]

rcodi at chudich.co.rmit.oz (Ian Donaldson) writes:

>I've always wondered why the boot block actually needs to be in
>the filesystem at all?

>I've set up a small system where the 'b' partition contains vmunix,
>and /vmunix is really a block special file with permissions 644 that
>points to that partition.
> . . .
>This has the disadvantages that:
> . . .

Another couple of disadvantages:

    Bad block in the vmunix partition.  I see no way the firmware could
    cope.  (Of course, if the disk is a decent SCSI drive, is will do
    its own remapping and this problem almost goes away.)

    I make a new kernel.  I install it in its special partition.  It
    fails because I'm slightly ignorant and screwed up.  I lose big.





-- 
Mike McNally                                    Lynx Real-Time Systems
uucp: {voder,athsys}!lynx!m5                    phone: 408 370 2233

            Where equal mind and contest equal, go.