[Coco] cobbler'd disks

Wed May 16 04:26:55 EDT 2007

Mike,

Ok...but.....

You are missing one important part here.

An image is not created on the coco, which you know. NitrOS-9 is 
based upon scripts.

Go to the modules directory. Don't recall the exact path or names 
here. I run a custom boot and Boisy and I differ on why/where we 
place modules. He places modules based upon function. Example, RBF 
drivers go in the RBF path of NitrOS-9. I don't mix products. So mine 
is party based. CDF has a directory, DriveWire has a directory and 
SuperDriver has a directory. That way the products are not mixed with 
the OS. This is not as big of a deal since NitrOS-9 is not changing 
as much now as it use to be. I just keep a clean directory structure. 
An update to the proper product, short edit using VED to the 
bootlist, run the mb_x script and a new disk is made with the new 
drivers present.

There are two directories. One is bootlists and the other is scripts. 
In the bootlist directory there is a file named standard.bl, read it, 
it makes total sense. This will be the file that contains all of the 
modules that is in your boot.

In the scripts directory, there is a mb file, forget the name, mine 
again are custom, which I will get to in a bit, no pun intended. Run 
this script with NO modifications and NO modifications to the 
bootlist standard.bl. It WILL create a bootable disk. If not then 
there is a hardware issue.

If the above works, then go to the next, custom level. Copy the 
standard.bl to another name. I have several for example. 
Superdriver_floppy.bl, superdriver_hard.bl. These are copies of the 
standard.bl with Cloud-9 specific descriptors for CFs. All .dds from 
C-9 are the same. 256MB or 128MBs. That way when you are done 
flashing the flash. You can swap CFs and transfer programs, etc.

Then in the script directory do the same copy the mb to mb_floppy.d0, 
this will make a floppy boot on /d0, remember you must change the 
name of the .bl you are now running. I have three. mb_floppy.d0, 
mb_hard.dd and mb_hdb.dd.

The only difference between a hard boot and a HDB-DOS boot is the 
boot track. You will see this in the script when it generates the boot track.

If you REALLY want to understand NitrOS-9, read and understand these scripts.

They work and well. Remember don't change until you can create a bootable disk

Hopefully this helps...at 3:26AM........

Regards,

Mark
Cloud-9

At 5/15/2007 09:59 PM, you wrote:

>The original image I downloaded from source forge and transferred to real
>floppy, works perfectly.  I can format another disk and backup the original
>to it and that works too.  I just can't create a custom boot disk.
>
>On 5/15/07, Mark Marlette <mark at cloud9tech.com> wrote:
>>
>>Mike,
>>
>>Do you run the script and you can't create a DSDD boot disk?
>>
>>Out of the shoot NitrOS-9 is DSDD.
>>
>>Mark
>>
>>That sounds like a hardware problem.
>>
>>At 5/15/2007 07:57 PM, you wrote:
>>
>> >Here's whats on the screen
>> >
>> >KRel Boot Krn tb0..........................etc...............bKrnP2 IOMan
>> >Init RBF rb1773 DD D0 D1 D2
>> >Rammer i2xot*j
>> >
>> >Then "FAILED" comes up under NITROS9 BOOT.  Please note that I have tried
>>it
>> >without the ram disk also and it stops about the same place.  At this
>>point,
>> >I can't even make a boot disk using mb and standard.bl.  The only way I
>>can
>> >make another boot disk in NitrOS-9 is to format a disk and do a backup
>>(this
>> >is a DS 40 disk), not very customized eh.  In OS-9 I can only make 35 or
>>40
>> >track SINGLE sided boot disks.
>> >
>> >On 5/15/07, Christopher Hawks <chawks at dls.net> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>mike delyea wrote:
>> >> > dmode /dd shows
>> >> > nam=DD mgr=RBF ddr=rb1773 hpn=07 hpa=FF40 drv=00 stp=03 typ=20 dns=01
>> >> > cyl=0028
>> >> > sid=02 vfy=01 sct=0012 t0s=0012 ilv=03 sas=08 wpc= ofs= rwc=
>> >> >
>> >> > dmode /d0 shows the same except for the nam part (which is D0 instead
>>of
>> >> > DD).  dmode /d1 is also the same.  I am only using 360k 5.25 floppy
>> >>drives.
>> >>
>> >>Mike:
>> >>
>> >>         When you boot the NitrOS-9 disk, what appears on the screen??
>>You
>> >>should see
>> >>the "NitrOS-9 Boot" in the center of the screen and if you are using a
>>40
>> >>or 80
>> >>column /term, a bunch of debug data.
>> >>
>> >>         Attached you'll find a copy of my article from the Coco123
>> >>(Glenside
>> >>Newsletter) describing that the boot process is doing as each part of
>>the
>> >>debug
>> >>data appears. It has always (for me) shown what part of the process is
>> >>going
>> >>into the weeds.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>--
>> >>Christopher R. Hawks
>> >>HAWKSoft
>> >>---------------------------------------------------------
>> >>When you say 'I wrote a program that crashed Windows', people just stare
>> >>at you blankly and say 'Hey, I got those with the system, for free'
>> >>         -- Linus Torvalds
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>NitrOS-9 Level 2 Booting and (trouble)Shooting.
>> >>
>> >>by Chris Hawks.  12 May 2006
>> >>
>> >>         One of our local Coco-nuts was having a problem with NitrOS-9
>>on
>> >>his Coco3. It had recently stopped booting NitrOS-9 from HDB-DOS in
>> >>his SuperIDE. We got together at the monthly Glenside Color Computer
>>Club
>> >>meeting to see if we could resolve the problem. He brought his system
>> >>and I brought a sub-set of my system to the meeting. We were the
>> >>'presentation' for that meeting. I booted my system from HDB-DOS and
>> >>my SuperIDE adapter with his compactflash card in a compactflash to
>> >>IDE adapter as the slave drive. After my systems booted, I looked at
>> >>the root directory of his compactflash card. It looked OK to me, but,
>> >>he did have some odd files there. I shut down my system and swapped the
>> >>compactflash cards.  (His as mastr and mine as slave. The boot process
>> >>started and loaded track 34 and the OS9boot and then just stopped. From
>> >>the debugging clues posted to the screen during the boot process, I was
>> >>able to determine the the boot process was unable to find the 'sysgo'
>> >>module. I re-booted with my compactflash as master and his as slave,
>> >>and copied 'sysgo' from my root directory to his. We swapped the
>> >>compactflash cards once again and his compact flash was able to boot!
>> >>
>> >>         I was asked to write-up our adventure as a article for the GCCC
>> >>newsletter (Coco 1 2 3). I had not been able to find and information on
>> >>debugging the boot process in NitrOS-9 (except from the source code) so
>> >>here it is.
>> >>
>> >>STEP 1
>> >>         The modules 'rel', 'boot', and 'krn' are loaded into memory
>>from
>> >>track 34 by the 'dos' command. 'Rel' ensures that it is located in the
>> >>correct part of memory, sets up some of the hardware, clears the screen,
>> >>and installs the debugging 'print' routine. It prints 'NITROS9 BOOT' in
>> >>the center of the screen and jumps to the execution address of the
>> >>module 'krn'.
>> >>
>> >>STEP 2
>> >>         The module 'krn' uses the debug 'print' routine to put a 'K' on
>> >>the
>> >>startup screen. It validates the modules in memory ('rel', boot, and
>> >>'krn') which prints their names on the startup screen and makes a system
>> >>call (F$Boot) which puts a 't' on the startup screen and links the
>>module
>> >>'boot'. It puts a 'b' on the startup screen and calls 'boot'. 'Boot'
>>reads
>> >>LSN0 to find OS9boot and puts a '0' on the startup screen. 'Boot' then
>> >>loads OS9boot and puts a '.' on the startup screen for each sector read.
>> >>'$F$Boot' validates all modules in OS9boot which prints their names to
>>the
>> >>screen, and puts a second 'b' on the startup screen. Next 'krn' links to
>> >>the 'init' module and puts 'i' on the startup screen. Following this it
>> >>links to and executes 'krnp2' the second part of the kernel.
>> >>
>> >>STEP 3
>> >>         'Krnp2' puts a '2' on the startup screen, and puts an 'x' on
>>the
>> >>startup screen. Then 'krnp2' tries to 'chd' to the system device named
>>in
>> >>'init' (usually '/dd'). Next 'krnp2' puts a 'o' on the startup screen
>>and
>> >>tries to open the output console named in 'init' (usually '/term').
>> >>'Krnp2'
>> >>checks for 'krnp3' and runs it if available. Then 'krnp2' puts a 'C' on
>> >>the startup screen and tries to run the startup module named in init
>> >>usually 'sysgo'.
>> >>
>> >>STEP 4
>> >>         'Sysgo' opens the output console, prints the NitrOS-9 startup
>> >>banner
>> >>and sets the data and exec directories. 'Sysgo' will execute 'startup'
>>and
>> >>'autoexec' if available (unless you hold the 'shift' key) and finally
>> >>starts a 'shell' on the console.
>> >>
>> >>         If something goes wrong during the boot, the module will call
>>the
>> >>'crash' routine which will put a '*' and single character on the startup
>> >>screen.  The '*' indicates that an error occured and the character's
>>ascii
>> >>value plus 128 is the error number. For instance '*X' would indicate a
>> >>'Path Name Not Found' error. 'X' is ascii 88, and 88 + 128 = 216, the
>> >>error code for 'Path Name Not Found'. This is the error we saw when
>>sysgo
>> >>was missing from the root directory of the disk.
>> >>
>> >>         So, the start up messages look something like this:
>> >>Krel boot krn tb0...................................................
>> >>......... bkrnp2 dd d0 rbf rb1773 term w w1 w2 w3 w4 scf cowin clock
>> >>clock2 init i2xoC
>> >>
>> >>         Of course, YMMV (Your Modules May Vary)
>> >>
>> >>         This should give you some insight into what goes on during a
>> >>NitrOS-9
>> >>boot, and berhaps some debugging assistance when something goes wrong.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>--
>> >>Coco mailing list
>> >>Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> >>http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >>
>> >
>> >--
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>> >Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> >http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>> >269.7.0/804 - Release Date: 5/14/2007 4:46 PM
>>
>>
>>
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>>4:46 PM
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>>
>>--
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>>http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>
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>
>
>
>
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