Messages in this thread | | | Date | Sat, 7 Jun 1997 14:01:42 -0400 (EDT) | From | "Richard B. Johnson" <> | Subject | Re: support for '386s be disabled (was: 2.1.42) |
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On Fri, 6 Jun 1997, Joe Julian wrote:
> Richard B. Johnson wrote: > > > > I just replaced the root file-system, utilities, and kernel in an old > > '386SX (16MHz). Compiled with math emulation, etc. > > > > . . . > > > > The machine will hang. No interrupt activity whatsoever. Looking at > > IRQ0 (timer-tick) on the bus shows it permanently high. Perhaps these > > old machines can't use level-triggered interrupts. It worked with > > an old version of Linux for several years. It still worked before I > > installed 2.1.42. The old version was 0.99 (Yaggdrasl). Now I am > > gonna be in trouble with the owner (an executive). > > > > I will probably have to give him a "new" motherboard with a '486-DX/66 > > to get him off my back (I have a old spare). > > > > I would suggest that support for '386s be disabled sometime soon, > > What I don't understand about this whole thread is why someone would > blindly assume that a development kernel would work on anything > without testing it first, especially to the exclusion of being able > to go backwards.
The kernel installation process is something that __I__ do, not something that gets done by magic. As I mentioned, I made a new system disk with all new ELF binaries, etc. The present kernel, and its bug-fixes has been in use here on over 20 machines.
> kernel so you can have it boot if the new one doesn't work, and if > you lost that possibility, you could boot off the Yaggdrasl boot disk > and re-install the old working kernel to salvage your mistakes rather > than giving hardware away.
These are not my __MISTAKES__. The 0.99 kernel does not even like the present version of the ext2 file-system. It is not supposed to be. There have been many improvements over the past 6 years.
> I also think that you can't find any > professional who wouldn't suggest doing a complete backup before any > major changes to any system.
Not only was all the user's stuff backed up to a SCSI tape, but I also have his original root file-system disk, i.e., a 330B slow-speed Seagate. The backup was done first because I know that the old SCSI disk has a different sector translation scheme than the new one so I would not be able to retreive the old stuff except from tape.
I can always hand this VP back is favorite machine, saying; "I can't make it be able to play the ELF binaries you get off the Internet". I can also try to make the latest working stuff work on his machine. Or, I can secretly replace his motherboard -- but his RS-232C lights won't flicker on the front panel so he'll know I cheated. This is an AST 386SX/16 that his son have him just before his son was killed. You don't just throw these things away.
The whole idea was to use a complete __WORKING__ system disk with all the latest tools, with all the latest networking improvements, and all the latest X-Windows "User stuff", on the old machine. To assure compatibility, the old hard-disk controller, and the old network card were used and tested, complete --everything on a more modern motherboard.
The newer kernels simply do not work properly with a '386SX/16.. And the old 0.99 kernel will not work with the new ELF binaries and the improvements made in the file-systems (of course).
I would like to get the code to work on the old junker, in fact if I leave out the Ethernet card (so it doesn't get pranged with a lot of interrupts), change only the cascade interrupt to a specific EIO in the kernel, I can keep the machine up long enough to rebuild the kernel (six and a half hours!!!). However, If I were to make any typing mistake so the "bell" rings, the machine halts.
Cheers, DJ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Richard B. Johnson Analogic Corporation Email : rjohnson@analogic.com, johnson@analogic.com Penguin : Linux version 2.1.42 on an i586 machine (66.15 BogoMips). Warning : It's hard to stay on the trailing edge of technology. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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