Re: [9fans] Dum-Bass question

["Devon H. O'Dell" <devon.odell@gmail.com>]

2007/3/24, W B Hacker <wbh@conducive.org>:
> Fans,
>
> Online docs (http://planb.lsub.org/magic/man2html/8/9load) describing Plan9's
> boot process, say, in part:
>
> ...in order to find configuration information, 9load searches all units on
> devices fd and sdCn, in that order, for a file called plan9\plan9.ini or
> plan9.ini  (see plan9.ini(8)) on a partition named dos or 9fat. If one is found,
> searching stops and the file is read into memory at physical address 0x1200
> where it can be found later by any loaded bootfile. Some options in plan9.ini
> are used by 9load...
>
> NB: These may be the wrong docs... Google dasn't *quite* read minds....)
>
>
> Elsewhere, instructions and examples are publshed for *creating* a plan9.ini file.
>
> My questions are:
>
> - Does a CD-install of 'native' Plan9 to a combined fossil/venti HDD partition
> (eminently bootable, runnable) create a default 'plan9.ini'?

Yes, it does. You need to run 9fat: at an rc prompt (including the
colon) and the 9fat partition will be available under /n/9fat

> - If so, *where*, and how can I cat or Sam it from a running system?

Note that since namespaces are local, not global, you won't be able to
modify plan9.ini from an acme / sam session external to the terminal
from which you ran 9fat:.

> - If not, how and where *does* Plan9 derive the functionally equivalent
> information it needs to complete the boot process?
>
> (i.e. - given that it is operating the hardware as expected, what goes on
> if/as/when the above search *fails*?)
>
> Objective of the exercise (at this point) is to confirm that plan9.ini or
> functional equivalent, effects the published default of disabling the second
> core in a Core-D P4, and, if so, attempt to re-enable same and see what, if
> anything, breaks.

Yeah, by default *nomp=yes is set. If you want to enable SMP, remove
that line, and it should work. Though Plan 9 does periodically have
issues with various APICs.

> A mere link to more appropriate docs may be all I need...
>
> Perplexed (after ls'ing all over Hell and at least half of Texas..)
>
> Bill Hacker

--dho