[9fans] Wahoo!!! -- thanks guys

[9fans] Wahoo!!! -- thanks guys

[Skip Tavakkolian]

I am now running with a full fledged fileserver and cpu+auth.  It has
been running for over a day now and It is great. I can see the
advantages already.  Thank you all, for all your first-rate help.

A few interesting things:

1.  Attaching a mouse on the fs console is not a good idea.  I don't
know why but when I first booted fs (before I got smart enough and
disconnected the mice from the cpu and fs) the keyboard input went
dead; fortunately it was very early in the configuration and no
problem with pressing reset.

2.  The last part of the wiki page on building fs needs updating/clean
up especially the part on how to get the initial root setup.  I'll update that
wiki page over the next day or so.  It seems it was edited by several
people and the information doesn't flow correctly.  The actual steps are
easy.  I would recommend using mkfs+mkext for this step.  Nemo
hints at this in forsyth's notes on 3e→4e migration.

3.  An advice to others that want to do this: don't schedule a surgery
the same week you are building an cpu/auth+fs.

The rest of this message is for those who enjoy commiserating, or just
schadenfreude:

I spent most of my time fighting hardware issues, most of it
dealing with scsi cables once I switched over to the unused controller.
The reason for switching to the second controller (Symbios 53c875) was
because the first controller (Adaptec 7880) is not supported.
Adding to the problem was a 20 mile round trip plus a ferry ride
each way, to the parts store;  The first cable was too short because
the orientation of the connector was off by 180°. Then there was a bent scsi
connector pin which caused one drive not to show, and finally a bad
ethernet card.

But that still doesn't explain why it would take a week to do this.
Well, you see, my wife had to have shoulder surgery earlier in the
week.  It was scheduled, and I had been warned not to plan on doing
anything else for a few weeks, as I would essentially be a man
servant.  So there you have it.

Special thanks to Geoff, Dave and Russ.