[9fans] Building a new Plan 9 system.

[forsyth@caldo.demon.co.uk forsyth@caldo.demon.co.uk]

>>I was interested to read the comments that the CPU server and terminal
>>server don't need hard drives.  I was wondering how hard it is to then
>>use the terminal to install the file server software?  But in any case,

a little more elaboration might be helpful.

i was trying to remember how the 4 diskette set was organised.
using that, i suppose you would need to unpack the diskettes into a dos
partition somewhere to provide the environment to make the file
server boot diskette and unload the CDROM.
with your configuration, i'd probably have booted the cpu server
as a terminal for initial installation and left the `real' terminal
discless.  (i'll discuss that in a moment.)  once you've got a file
server loaded, the terminals can indeed be discless.
connect it to the network, make an entry in /lib/ndb/local, and boot.
(you can also boot, then make the entry in /lib/ndb/local if you
load the kernel from floppy not over the network.)

contrary to what i said before, it can be (marginally) helpful to have a disc
on the cpu server because the nvram partition lives there,
making reboots a little more automatic (though i still don't bother).
you can also use it for local paging space.

a disc on the terminal could be used for dual-boot
with windows or linux if you need them, for paging space for plan9, for the
cache file system if you're using the cable modem to a system
at work, or for local kfs storage.

i still prefer to have discless terminals when i can,
partly because it demonstrates that the network computer was easily
but more usefully anticipated by plan9's arrangement;
it is slightly cheaper to build a new terminal or server(though not by as much as it once did);
one less thing is needed when recycling cast-off 486 machines as utility cpu servers
or cheap terminals;
but mainly because there is less noise.

when i nevertheless need a disc on a terminal for windows/linux/xBSD dual boot,
or for experiment (eg, with scsi cards), and the drive supports it,
i set spindowntime in plan9.ini (for eide drives)
or use scuzz (for scsi drives) to have the system shut down the drive.
my terminal at home has indeed got a drive