Subject: Linux-Misc Digest #801
From: Digestifier <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 16:13:20 EDT

Linux-Misc Digest #801, Volume #2                Thu, 22 Sep 94 16:13:20 EDT

Contents:
  Help!  I'm installin', but I can't boot up! (Donald R Lloyd)
  Re: Time Screws up w/ Linux (Karsten Johansson)
  Re: More Memory = Slow Linux?? (Larry Pyeatt)
  Re: OS/2 fan wants to try Linux.. What do I need ?? ([email-masked])
  Re: Help: Enhanced IDE supported ?? (Mark Lord)
  Re: posting HOWTOs to c.o.l.announce (Dag Asheim)
  Re: 286 telnet P5 with Linux? (Erik Mouw)
  Re: How to use a host as a router - READ THIS (Matthias Urlichs)
  Re: Don't use Linux or it's to academic! (Leslie Mikesell)
  SEARCH: Clock setting Programm for 24X (Peter Berger)
  Re: Installing a new kernel on the Slackware Boot disk! (Stephen Vance)
  Re: Help!  I'm installin', but I can't boot up! (Peter Dardarananda)
  Re: Premiere PCI/II BIOS (Patrick vd Steeg)
  Re: Word Processor for Linux? (Dan Newcombe)
  [Q] FTape patch? (Dennis Duffner)
  Reveal Sound FX Card (Neil L Cook)
  Pentium-optimized compiler is slower then 486 gcc-2.5.8 on P5 !!! (Valery Petrov)
  P5-90 MHz beats SGI R4000-100MHz. (Valery Petrov)
  486-66 Motherboard recommendations? (Tom. Adams 529-7860)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Donald R Lloyd)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help
Subject: Help!  I'm installin', but I can't boot up!
Date: 22 Sep 1994 09:08:49 -0400

I'm trying to get Linux running on my machine (a VLB/ISA/PCI 486/66, 730meg
IDE HD for DOS, 330 meg SCSI-2 HD for Linux, NEC CD-ROM drive) using the
slackware release from the august Linux Toolkit CD.  Since my nice PCI 
Adaptec 2940 controller isn't supported under Linux, I've yanked it out
and am currently using the 1520 on my SB16 card.

I boot linux from the boot & root disks I created (have to enter
"ramdisk 152x=aha152x,11,7,1" at the boot: prompt to get it to recognize
the controller) and got through setting up the partitions, installing the
software, etc. with no problems.  However, I have yet to be able to actually
use Linux once it's installed on the drive.

I've tried booting into Linux several ways:

The boot disk Setup created - spews out all kinds of error messages that
    scroll by too fast to read.  Kernel panic, crash.

LILO from HD - L1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101.... into infinity

LILO from floppy - as above

I've been rebooting from the install disks, re-installing the OS (apparently
the only way to change the LILO setup from the install disks is to
re-install it) and trying to get it to work.  I know I need some
variation of the aha152x line from above, and have tried a number of appends,
but have never been able to boot yet.

Can anyone shed some light on what I need to do, or possibly send me an
example lilo.conf file to show me what it might be supposed to look like?
Or is this not so much a problem with lilo.conf but with LILO itself?

-- 
Don Lloyd    [email-masked]          "Mmmmmm.... floor pie."

Stuck using a PC, but still an Amiga guy at heart...

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Karsten Johansson)
Subject: Re: Time Screws up w/ Linux
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 16:44:54 GMT

Vaughn Adams ([email-masked]) wrote:
:       I have had this problem for a while and never bothered to resolve it.
: Now that I need cron, I need to get it fixd.  Everytime I boot Linux, my i
: clock screws up.  THe time is always off, but the date is ok.  This doesn't 
: happen with any other OS that I have run on the computer.  I am runnin 
: Slackware 1.2 with a couple of dirrerent kernels. it seems to be kernel
: independant.

:       Any response would be appreciated.

This is exactly the case on my system.  It seems that only the hours on my
system screw up, but the minutes/seconds/ and entire date are fine.  In
almost all cases, it is behind by 4 hours to what time the CMOS is
reporting.

Thanks for the reminder, too.  I had the electrician put in a new outlet for
my computer, so I had to reboot.

-- 
There are those who are born UNIX     |  Karsten Johansson
Those who are made UNIX               |  416/691-9838
And those who become UNIX             |
For the kingdom of heaven's sake      |  Matthew 19:12

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Larry Pyeatt)
Subject: Re: More Memory = Slow Linux??
Date: 22 Sep 1994 03:39:34 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Brad Matthew Garcia) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> I keep seeing posts made by people who have added memory
|> to their computers and subsequently experienced a drop in
|> performance under Linux.
|> 
|> I want to know if anyone knows *why* this happens.  Please post
|> any replies to this newsgroup, since I believe others would also
|> be interested in hearing the answers.  If you cannot post for
|> whatever reason, e-mail me (I will forward to the newsgroup if
|> you like).

OK.  here is the scoop:

Most PC motherboards have really cheesy cache setups.  The cache works
fine as long as you don't put too much RAM in.  When you get too much
RAM, the cache does not work on the upper part, so on a 16 Meg system,
you may only have caching on the lower 8 Meg.  If your cache RAM is 15ns
and your DRAM is 70ns, and your cache hit rate is 90% for the lower 8 Meg
and 0% for the upper 8 Meg, then your AVERAGE time for memory access is:

lower 8 Meg: .10 * 70 + .9 * 15 = 20.5 ns
upper 8 Meg: 1.0 * 70 + 0.0* 15 = 70 ns
overall:                          45.25 ns      

So, by adding the upper 8 Meg, you have more than doubled the AVERAGE time
to access memory.  The cache makes a big difference.

The fix:  upgrade your cache to 256K.  Don't forget to upgrade the
cache tag RAM as well, or you will still get no benefit from the 
additional cache.  Some motherboards are so cheesy that it is
impossible to cache the whole address space, even with the maximum
cache RAM.

------------------------------

Subject: Re: OS/2 fan wants to try Linux.. What do I need ??
From: [email-masked]
Date: 22 Sep 94 09:42:18 EDT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Jeff Kesselman) writes:
> In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Yasuo Ohgaki) writes:
>>J.J. Paijmans ([email-masked]) wrote:
>>: In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (todd) writes:
>>: >I recently added Linux to my OS/2 machine and am quite
>>: >happy, so I feel somewhat qualified to answer this post:
>>: >
>>: >Jim Chisholm ([email-masked]) wrote:
>>: >: Hi folks..
>>: >: I'm a long time advocate of OS/2 and I am curious about Linux..
>>: >
>>: >: 1)will it run on a386DX40 8M ?
>>: >
>>: >Yes, but slowly.

Baloney! :-) I have MS-DOG, OS/2 and Linux on my 386DX33 (w/ 8MB and 15MB swap)
and I would say Linux runs faster than DOG or OS/2. It certainly compares 
favorably with the RS6000 system, running AIX, at work. It's not slow (unless 
you're comparing 386 speed with 486 or Pentium speed. But what the hell do you 
expect? That it will run eqqually fast no matter which chip you're using?).

>>You need more ram. 8MB is not enough for X. 

More baloney. 8MB (with a decent sized swap) is just fine (unless, of course,
you're running LOTS of things simultaneously, and you have no patience).
 
> Not meaning to perpetuate a war, but the poster didn't ASK what he needed 
> to run X, he asked what he needfed to run Linux.  I have a BEAUTIFUL 
> Linux system running on a 386/33 with 5 meg of memory, I just don't use X.

The suggestion that you need some kind of monster computer to run Linux is
absurd.
 
> GUIs are pigs. 

Sure, but XWindows is still a small enough pig that you can feed and care for 
it with only 8MB (and a decent sized swap file). :-)

Guido
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/ Guido N. Vacano--Graduate Student, | Adelheid R. Vacano (A.R.V.)           \
/ Department of Molecular Biology,   |    "Be the feeling . . ." --Le Hootay \
/ Wesleyan University, Connecticut   |         X-File phile  ;-)             \

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Mark Lord)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help
Subject: Re: Help: Enhanced IDE supported ??
Date: 22 Sep 1994 13:44:59 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] writes:
<Hello,
<
<as I want to buy a new PC, I need to know if the new Enhanced IDE
<features are supported by Linux.

Features, no.

Drives, yes.

Your EIDE drive will work just fine with linux as-is.

To use the fancier features, assuming you have an IDE interface card
that supports them, you may need additional software support.

But the drive will work fine as is.
-- 
[email-masked]    Mark Lord       BNR Ottawa,Canada       613-763-7482

------------------------------

From: Dag Asheim <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: posting HOWTOs to c.o.l.announce
Date: 22 Sep 1994 13:56:18 +0200
Reply-To: dash

>We're proposing moving them to comp.os.linux.answers.  (that's why
>I said it's good for those of us who keep groups matching "*.answers"
>longer than other groups)

It is a good idea to keep groups matching "*.announce" longer as well.

                                        Dag

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Erik Mouw)
Subject: Re: 286 telnet P5 with Linux?
Date: 22 Sep 94 13:15:46 +0200

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Lee Wai Han) writes:
> Is it worth to set up a 286 system to telnet to a P5(with Linux installed)
> to do somethings?
> 
> What things can a 286 do with such connections?
> 
> Do I have any better connection for choose? 
> [ Say, null modem / terminal(?) ]
> 
> If connecting a 286 didn't worth anything, how about a 386?
> 
> Thank you in advance?

Depends on what you want to do. A 286 with NCSA telnet is something like 
a Linux machine in text mode with virtual consoles. At home I have a 386 
running Linux, a 286 running NCSA telnet and a VT100 connected to the 
386. I prefer the 286 with NCSA telnet as "second workplace" because of 
the virtual consoles. The VT100 is only for emergency purposes, such as 
killing processes (as root).

Erik

==================================================
Erik Mouw, Department of Electrical Engineering,
Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
email : [email-masked]

        D  O  N  '  T     P  A  N  I  C  !

==================================================

Why did the Roman Empire collapse?
What is the Latin for office automation?

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Matthias Urlichs)
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.linux.admin
Subject: Re: How to use a host as a router - READ THIS
Date: 22 Sep 1994 09:17:30 +0200

In comp.os.linux.development, article <ianm.780078992@miles>,
  [email-masked] (Ian McCloghrie) writes:
> [email-masked] (Jay Ashworth) writes:
> >Now, since we know that IP addresses must be unique, it follows that it is
> >not correct practice to assign the same address to two different
> >interfaces on the same machine.
> 
IP addresses must be unique, true -- but unique per host, or per host
interface? The RFCs don't say. I say ;-) that I can't think of any problems
with using the same IP address for multiple interfaces, and in fact it's a
good idea to do so (it avoids wasting network addresses).

> Keep in mind that BSD is just the most prevalent TCP/IP
> implementation, and not the definition of the protocols.
> 
Fortunately not, or else we'd still be using BSD 4.2ish networking with
all-zero broadcast addresses.

-- 
The value of marriage is not that adults produce children, but that children
produce adults.
                -- Peter De Vries
-- 
Matthias Urlichs        \ XLink-POP Nürnberg  | EMail: [email-masked]
Schleiermacherstraße 12  \  Unix+Linux+Mac    | Phone: ...please use email.
90491 Nürnberg (Germany)  \   Consulting+Networking+Programming+etc'ing     42
          PGP: 1B 89 E2 1C 43 EA 80 44  15 D2 29 CF C6 C7 E0 DE 
      Click <A HREF="http://smurf.noris.de/~urlichs/finger">here</A>.

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Leslie Mikesell)
Subject: Re: Don't use Linux or it's to academic!
Date: 22 Sep 1994 12:42:51 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>,
Svein Erik Brostigen <[email-masked]> wrote:

>3. There is currently no easy way to interconnect to LAN Server or Netware
>   natively, i.e.  from Linux.

Run the free 'samba' server under Linux and let your lanman and WFWG clients
connect directly.

>11. Support for ISDN is not generally available.

Doesn't this belong in a network router instead of a PC card anyway?

Les Mikesell
  [email-masked]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 19:01:00 +0200
From: [email-masked] (Peter Berger)
Subject: SEARCH: Clock setting Programm for 24X

[email-masked] wrote:

 > I'am searching for an Program named: CLOCK !
 > This tool is designed, to change the clock settings of an
 > Speedstar 24X Graphicsadapter.
 > [...]
 > Where can i get this ???

Sorry, forgot the name. Grep for "diamond" and/or "speedst" on the ls-lR's of
sunsite.unc.edu/tsx-11.mit.edu (or better: a mirror).

 > ## CrossPoint v3.0 ##
Oh, well, unfortunately many users of this soft think that stands for
crosspost...

bye,
    Peter

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Vance)
Subject: Re: Installing a new kernel on the Slackware Boot disk!
Date: 21 Sep 1994 10:47:47 GMT

In article [email-masked] (Onno Roep) writes:
>[email-masked] (Colin Kelly) writes:
>
>>In article domen.uninett.no (Olav Kvittem) writes:
>>|> From: [email-masked] (Robert Kroes)
>>|> ...
>>|> I would like to know how I can create a Slackware boot disk (the one used
>>|> to install Linux from scratch) and install a kernel of my choice...
>>|> 
>
>Well I read about this problem earlier and I posted in short how I did it.
>So again the story but more extensive.
>It's a few weeks ago so maybe the story is not complete and reposts are needed.
>
>1: take a existing bootfloppy  is easy because there is space left
>   for another kernel.  You can mount it with mount /dev/fd0 /fd0 
>   You can even remove the old  kernel on the floppy if  there is a
>   space problem.
>   
>   From scratch it is more complicated and at last the same problem
>   must be solved. At least you have to do something like:
>   mkfs /dev/fd0 and you have an emty floppy then mount it etc.
>   But almost everything on a slackware bootdisk is needed.
>   (You must create the devices in /dev create /bin /etc and more )
>
>2: make a kernel on your harddisk system
>   copy the kernel to the root of the floppy (/fd0)
>   now the kernel is on a bootflop , the only problem is how to boot
>   from the new kernel
>
>3: edit /fd0/etc/lilo.conf and add the kernel just added
>
>4: run lilo -r /fd0      lilo with change root to /fd0
>                        will change the bootrec on the floppy and add the kernel.
>                        This command is essential to solve the problem!!!
>
>5: reboot with the changed bootfloppy. You should be able to
>   choose your kernel at the lilo prompt.
>
>
>
>I hope I didn't forget anything, success!

Only one thing:  having this new kernel prompt for the root disk involves
a patch to linux/drivers/block/ramdisk.c.

Steve

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Peter Dardarananda)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 16:02:28 DST
Crossposted-To: comp.os.linux.help
Subject: Re: Help!  I'm installin', but I can't boot up!

In <[email-masked]> Donald R Lloyd writes:
>I'm trying to get Linux running on my machine (a VLB/ISA/PCI 486/66, 730meg
>IDE HD for DOS, 330 meg SCSI-2 HD for Linux, NEC CD-ROM drive) using the
>slackware release from the august Linux Toolkit CD.  Since my nice PCI
>Adaptec 2940 controller isn't supported under Linux, I've yanked it out
>and am currently using the 1520 on my SB16 card.
>
>I boot linux from the boot & root disks I created (have to enter
>"ramdisk 152x=aha152x,11,7,1" at the boot: prompt to get it to recognize
>the controller) and got through setting up the partitions, installing the
>software, etc. with no problems.  However, I have yet to be able to actually
>use Linux once it's installed on the drive.
>
>I've tried booting into Linux several ways:
>
>The boot disk Setup created - spews out all kinds of error messages that
>    scroll by too fast to read.  Kernel panic, crash.
>
>LILO from HD - L1010101010101010101010101010101010101010101.... into infinity
>
>LILO from floppy - as above
>
>I've been rebooting from the install disks, re-installing the OS (apparently
>the only way to change the LILO setup from the install disks is to
>re-install it) and trying to get it to work.  I know I need some
>variation of the aha152x line from above, and have tried a number of appends,
>but have never been able to boot yet.
>
>Can anyone shed some light on what I need to do, or possibly send me an
>example lilo.conf file to show me what it might be supposed to look like?
>Or is this not so much a problem with lilo.conf but with LILO itself?
>
>--
>Don Lloyd    [email-masked]          "Mmmmmm.... floor pie."
>
>Stuck using a PC, but still an Amiga guy at heart...
>

While the SB16 SCSI has the 1520 chipset, it doesn't have the
bios in rom which should mean that it would be impossible to boot
any hard disk that is attached to it.  I may be wrong, but I'm
pretty sure I remembered correctly from a prior posting elsewhere
since I had a similar question when I purchased my SB16SCSI.

Peter D.

------------------------------

Crossposted-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips
From: [email-masked] (Patrick vd Steeg)
Subject: Re: Premiere PCI/II BIOS
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 06:36:41 GMT

My computer refused to work with my Conner tape streamer (QIC80)
until I upgraded to Bios rev. 10. After the upgrade everything worked
perfectly!! For me this was the most important reason to upgrade, I
didn't notice any speed difference (I didn't run any benchmarks).

Hope this helps,

Patrick van de Steeg

e-mail: [email-masked]

-- 

    Philips Research Laboratories
    Building , Prof. Holstlaan 4, 5656 AA Eindhoven, The Netherlands

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Dan Newcombe)
Subject: Re: Word Processor for Linux?
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 13:59:00 UNDEFINED

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Grant Edwards) writes:

>I want somethat is either WYSI(exactly)WYG or something like LaTeX.

Oh no....here come the religious wars again.

--
Dan Newcombe                    [email-masked]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"And the man in the mirror has sad eyes."       -Marillion

------------------------------

From: duffy@[email-masked] (Dennis Duffner)
Subject: [Q] FTape patch?
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 1994 15:22:51 GMT

Within the last several days, I've seen posts regarding ftape-1.13b-patched
and that the patch to fdc-io.c was not correctly.  If anyone has the patch,
would they be willing to post it here?  I've asked in c.o.l.help topic about
this and decided that I needed to cover the bases.

The main problem with it now is ftape hangs the process and you can't kill
the thing until the kernel panics and throws the box into a tizzy.

I've got the 1.13b-patched files, as well as the new modutils.  I'm running 
1.1.45 on a 486dx system.

Thanks.

--
/-------------------------------------------------\
| Dennis Duffner               "No matter where   |
| [email-masked]        you go, there     |
| [email-masked]       you are."          |
| #include disclaimer.h           Buckaroo Bonzai |
\-------------------------------------------------/

------------------------------

From: [email-masked] (Neil L Cook)
Subject: Reveal Sound FX Card
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 15:16:09 GMT

I have a Reveal SoundFX card, model SC400. It supports Soundblaster
ProII, and MSS. I have it working just fine with Soundblaster Pro
support built into the kernel. However, the card supports 16 bit
sound.
My question is:
1) Will the Microsoft Sound System support  in the newest kernel
support 16 bt sound using the MSS chip on my card?
2) Can I use this to play doom with 16bit sound? :-)

Neil.

------------------------------

Subject: Pentium-optimized compiler is slower then 486 gcc-2.5.8 on P5 !!!
From: [email-masked] (Valery Petrov)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 14:53:05 GMT

Hello Linuxers,
I thought it would be interesting to know:

I've just got a DELL XPS-90 and I installed and tested pentium-optimized gcc-i2.4.0p and the patched version found on sunsite.unc.edu (gcc-i2.5.8p). I've done some benchmarking for
integer and floating point calculations (plain C) and results for "pentium-optimized: -O4 -mpenium" code turned out to be even slower (5% on integer, 20% on floating point calculations) then the standart distribution gcc-2.5.8 code !!! So, don't mess with that Intel optimized compiler.

Valery Petrov.
Nonlinear Dynamics Research Group.
Department of Chemistry.
West Virginia University.

------------------------------

Subject: P5-90 MHz beats SGI R4000-100MHz.
From: [email-masked] (Valery Petrov)
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 15:10:10 GMT

Some benchmarks comparison:

                        DELL XPS-90      SGI with R4000 cpu (100MHz):
Integer:                19.2 sec.               23.3 sec.
Floating point:         200 sec.                199 sec.

I used gcc-2.5.8 with Linux-1.1.51 on DELL's Pentium and C 3.18 with Irix 5.2 on Silicon Graphics machine. Programs were written in plain C using double precision for floating point. Considering 
the price difference (similarly equipped SGI is ~3 times more expensive) I wonder who whould like to buy those Indigos nowdays. 

Valery Petrov.
Nonlinear Dynamics Research Group.
Department of Chemistry.
West Virginia University.

------------------------------

From: tadams@wedge (Tom. Adams 529-7860)
Subject: 486-66 Motherboard recommendations?
Date: 22 Sep 1994 14:04:10 GMT
Reply-To: [email-masked]

I have a 386-40 I'm currently running Linux on.  I'm just about to 
move up to a 486-66.  I have all ISA cards, and 30 pin simms and 
intend to reuse them.  Anybody have recommendations?  Any idea how 
much difference in perceived speed I should expect to see?

--
Tom Adams
SBC Technology Resources Inc.

------------------------------

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End of Linux-Misc Digest
******************************