Subject: Linux-Development Digest #990
From: Digestifier <Linux-Development-Request@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>
To: Linux-Development@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: Linux-Development@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU
Date:     Fri, 5 Aug 94 17:13:08 EDT

Linux-Development Digest #990, Volume #1          Fri, 5 Aug 94 17:13:08 EDT

Contents:
  Kernel change summary 1.1.31 -> 1.1.32 (Russell Nelson)
  Kernel change summary 1.1.32 -> 1.1.33 (Russell Nelson)
  Kernel change summary 1.1.33 -> 1.1.34 (Russell Nelson)
  Kernel change summary 1.1.34 -> 1.1.35 (Russell Nelson)
  Kernel change summary 1.1.35 -> 1.1.36 (Russell Nelson)
  slow RAM above 16M as swap (laboratorium dydaktyczne)
  Few simple questions... (Simo Varis)
  1.1.37 and greater don't work with old harddisks (Scott Fritz)
  Kernel change summary 1.1.38 -> 1.1.39 (Russell Nelson)
  Re: Questions on network drivers (Russell Nelson)

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.31 -> 1.1.32
Date: 03 Aug 1994 21:19:39 GMT

IDE Performance Enhancements Version 2.0 included (but are disabled
        for comptibility reasons).
The selection package can now highlight the pointer.
ni5210 and ni6510 probing added.
PPP doesn't have to loop through dev_rint.
The MSS/WSS sound support works now. At least with SG NX Pro 16.
mm.h changed to match the actual do_wp_page() and do_no_page() calls.
ptrace.c modified to do something I don't understand.
memory.c modified to do something I don't understand.
timer management code changed around.
nit support added to network device drivers.
change in timeout of closed tcp socket state handling (hey, this might
        fix the bug I've seen where all the data gets transmitted, but
        the close never occurs!).

--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.32 -> 1.1.33
Date: 03 Aug 1994 21:29:47 GMT

Check for opening a CD-ROM file for writing added to CD-ROM drivers.
Addition for selection: xterm like mouse click reporting
If someone is executing off a virtual inode, be sure to put the
        changes back after running it.
More changes to general mmap of a NFS file.
New syscall for Andrew File System
Add provision for adding a vm area that's readonly.
Added check for uninitialized timer being deleted.
Made changes to memory.c to properly share pages, and maintain a swap cache.
--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.33 -> 1.1.34
Date: 04 Aug 1994 02:31:26 GMT

Consolidate the S3 support in the bootloader.
Switch to release 2.4 of SoundBlaster Pro CD-ROM driver.  Use
        different names for device registering.
Fixed a bug in the way the Cabletron E2100 shared memory registers
        were set.
Change the global that ptrace uses to get its list of vm areas.
Change the memory mapper for the swap cache.
The boot loader does something different depending on whether the
        kernel image is compressed or not.
--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.34 -> 1.1.35
Date: 04 Aug 1994 02:45:41 GMT

Added umsdos (Unix like fs on top of std MSDOS FAT fs).
QIC-02 tape parameters can now be set at runtime.
Selection mouse reporting now has three states instead of two.
Fixed a bug in the ultrastor SCSI driver related to register usage.

QIC-02 tape driver changes:

* Revision 0.4.1.4  1994/07/21  02:15:45  root
* ifdef'd DDI. Exception masks.
* Initial attempt at Mountain support for the Mountain 7150.
* Based on patches provided by Erik Jacobson.
* Many driver messages can now be turned off (runtime selectable).
* DYNCONF mark II.
* Linus changed TAPE_QIC02 to QIC02_TAPE.
* TP_HAVE_SEEK, TP_HAVE_DENS. byte_swap_w() on arg, not global.
* Attempt to fix cartridge-changed-problem for 2150L.
* Release irq and dma reservations if initial reset fails.

--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.35 -> 1.1.36
Date: 04 Aug 1994 03:02:00 GMT

Console gets a new csi_X command.
Various mmap routines changed to take vm_area_struct as parameter.
de600 driver doesn't use FAKE_SMALL_MAX anymore.  Instead it uses the 
        standard maxwindow parameter instead.
Typeo fixed on sb_dsp that didn't let you exclude the YM3812 support.
Turn off writing to executable files if they're memory-mapped.
New file for memory protection.
--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: stud37@sun1000.ci.pwr.wroc.pl (laboratorium dydaktyczne)
Subject: slow RAM above 16M as swap
Date: 5 Aug 1994 13:28:15 GMT

Recently I read (in comp.os.linux.admin) that some (broken)
motherboards don't cache the RAM above 16MB. This results
in system slowing down after upgrading from 16M to, say,
32M. The use of slow RAM above 16M can be disabled, but
the unused RAM is $$$... Just an (hopefully interesting)
idea: why not make the disabled RAM available as a special
file (device)? This device might be used as the first,
very fast swap area, faster than any hard disk. This would
greatly increase the system performance on those broken
motherboards with >16M RAM. What do you think about that?
I am not (yet) a kernel hacker, but maybe there is someone
who would like this idea and do this?

--
Marek Michalkiewicz
stud37@ci3ux.ci.pwr.wroc.pl

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

From: svaris@cs.joensuu.fi (Simo Varis)
Subject: Few simple questions...
Date: Fri, 5 Aug 1994 14:16:35 GMT

I have few questions about current kernels, 1.1.3X.
Yes, I realize they are development kernels and
things may change soon and if I want stable
kernel I shouldn't use these etc. etc.
And latest I have is 1.1.38, maybe newer fix
some or all of my problems.

I don't remember how long this has been going,
but at least from 1.1.2something. I answer no
for Networking support question but still some
net stuff gets compiled in. This is what I get
at boot:
Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
Swansea University Computer Society NET3.016
Linux version 1.1.38 (root@linux) (gcc version 2.5.8) #1 Tue Aug 2 23:09:18 GMT 1994

Well, it really doesn't matter what's in my
kernel, if it doesn't use memory, but this does,
I'm afraid. So how could I avoid this? I watched
what's going in, and for my surprise, also
3c509, de600, de620, 3c501 and plip got compiled.
Why? Also at least bios32 was compiled, and it's
totally useless for me, VLB-user. Maybe it doesn't
take up any memory...

Next, is there any way how could I see what's in
my kernel, like those card-drivers?

And last, what's difference between /usr/src/linux/ibcs/binfmt_elf.c
and binfmt_elf.c in ibcs-package? I mean, ibcs-package is required
in order to run e.g. SCO WP, so what's the point to keep "same"
files...? No thanks, I don't want diff, I can do this by myself :)

Yes, I know, simple and stupid questions, and probably
someone has asked them before, but please don't flame me.
If you really feel you have to do it, please e-mail me :-)

Thanks.

-- 
Simo Varis -- svaris@cs.joensuu.fi


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

From: Scott.Fritz@launchpad.unc.edu (Scott Fritz)
Subject: 1.1.37 and greater don't work with old harddisks
Date: 5 Aug 1994 00:57:28 -0400


Just recompiled with patch level 1.1.37, and now when I reboot to test it
out, I get the following message:

VFS: Unable to mount root fs on 3 2

Up until version 1.1.36, everything seemed to be working just great.

I am running an hold segate RLL drive to boot from, and as a small root
partition. I have also tried booting version 1.1.36 on my other system
with an IDE drive, and neither work.

Main System Confiuration

Cyrix 486DX40
8 Meg ram
Conner 212 disk
Quantim 105 disk
Syquest 88 meg
Segate 40 meg RLL

Scott.Fritz@launchpad.unc.edu
436tac@dylan.af.mil

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Launchpad is an experimental internet BBS. The views of its users do not 
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------------------------------

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Kernel change summary 1.1.38 -> 1.1.39
Date: 05 Aug 1994 05:36:45 GMT

hdparm.c is split out into its own file.
IDE driver no longer complains about drives with heads>16.
Changed the way drives are id'ed (no longer an option).
Changed around a few IDE ioctls, added new ones for BLKRAGET, GETIDENTIFY.
Mis-spellings of grab ("Unable to grab floppy IRQ") fixed.
plip adds a few delays in its timeout code.  Makes timeouts more reliable.
Added scsicam.h.
Add command line string for ramdisk=SIZE.
Oops!  We can now ptrace if if just the gids match.
In the socket buffering, remember to carry the packet type across.
Fix the "If we get an ICMP error while we've only sent a SYN, give up" code.
--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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

From: nelson@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson)
Subject: Re: Questions on network drivers
Date: 05 Aug 1994 05:52:33 GMT

In article <CtyrrL.HIy@eng_ser1.ie.cuhk.hk> ypwong@ie.cuhk.hk (Kenneth Wong) writes:

   6 Is there any source for knowing changes in kernel specifications? eg call
     mark_bh(NET_BH) instead of mark_bh(INTER_BH)

My kernel change summaries won't tell you everything you need to know,
but they're a help...  Get them from c.o.l.d, or ftp.emlist.com:pub/kchanges.

--
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>    http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr/nelson.html
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | ask4 PGP key
11 Grant St.      | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX)  | What is thee doing about it?
Potsdam, NY 13676 | LPF member - ask me about the harm software patents do.

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


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