[Coco] partial OS9 boot from hard drive (back on topic)

[Robert Gault]

Calm down Vern, Mark did not mean what you think he meant. There is a 
steep learning curve with OS-9 and sometimes it is worth paying for a 
service rather than trying to do it yourself.

The NitrOS-9 Level 2 boot process is described at
http://nitros9.org/boot_process.html

Vern Burke wrote:
> Well, heaven knows I don't want to put anyone out by asking for help 
> getting this to work, nor was I expecting free paid type support. I'm 
> simply asking for someone who has done this before or knows more detail 
> about the OS-9 boot process to either give me a brief rundown on the 
> steps in the boot process so I can understand where this is going wrong 
> or suggestions as to what it could be trying to load that I'm not aware 
> of that would cause the machine to crash.
> 
> Anyone who doesn't want to answer, feel free to ignore me, everyone else 
>  who has replied with suggestions, I'm grateful.
> 
> Vern
> 
> 
> Mark Marlette wrote:
> 
>> Vern,
>>
>> The files work. The details of getting a distribution setup. I do it 
>> all the time and it can cause some problems in the process and the 
>> tool kit required is a good one. My life on the coco is it. That is 
>> why I offer the free installation on the drive. I have spent more time 
>> on these two Email's than it takes to do the complete installation of 
>> the distribution. I don't have the time to support a free OS. The 
>> SuperBoard will require the same drivers for the SCSI/IDE.
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>
>> At 8/27/2005 09:00 PM, you wrote:
>>
>>> Mark:
>>>    It was just the controller (since I have/had a ton of SCSI hard 
>>> drives hanging around on the shelf). Unfortunately, the recent 
>>> disintegration of my business under extreme pressure and the loss of 
>>> almost everything I've worked for for the last 12 years leaves me 
>>> with no discretionary funds at the moment.
>>>    I don't believe this is anything that hasn't been done before, but 
>>> 99% of the question answer volume has been "buy something else", so 
>>> I'll probably just end up re-shelving things.
>>>    Regarding NitrOS-9, I was finally able to tease what appeared to 
>>> be a good disk from the dsk file (now that I understand which 
>>> distribution file is supposed to be what)(disk and files all readable 
>>> from stock OS9)
>>> however it totally refuses to boot (after DOS command, simply drops 
>>> back to OK). The machine runs stock OS9 fine, has a 63C09E, and 
>>> completely fails to run NitrOS9 (but runs the old Gale Force version 
>>> I've still got hanging around on floppy).
>>>    Maybe I'll bother pulling it back out when the SuperBoard comes 
>>> around (yes, I've got an outstanding deposit on a SuperBoard from 
>>> quite some time back).
>>>
>>> Vern
>>>
>>>
>>> Mark Marlette wrote:
>>>
>>>> At 8/27/2005 08:50 AM, Vern Burke wrote:
>>>> Vern,
>>>> Don't recall if you bought a SCSI system or just the controller. The 
>>>> TCC512 is no longer supported because it is replaced with SuperDriver.
>>>> If you bought a drive from me then it has a nitros9 directory in the 
>>>> root with the version you are running below it. Inside of that 
>>>> directory is a script and bootlist directory that builds the boot 
>>>> disks for you. If you didn't then you are probably finding out that 
>>>> $25 isn't to bad for a drive and a free installation. :)
>>>> If you have HDB-DOS then you will be able to boot directly from the 
>>>> hard drive at powerup.
>>>> Get to the current version of NitrOS-9,SuperDriver and HDB-DOS and 
>>>> you will have no problems. If not enjoy the challenge.
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Mark
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> OS is OS9 L2, the SCSI controller is a TCCC/Cloud 9 unit. The 
>>>>> driver is TCC512 and, yes, the working floppy boot contains the 
>>>>> driver and /h0 description for the hard drive. I sometimes wish for 
>>>>> the old days of my CoCo XT and the XT ROM.
>>>>>
>>>>> At the time I got mine, and as far as I know still, there is no 
>>>>> provision to boot this combination without use of a floppy, or to 
>>>>> load the boot track or os9boot from the hard drive.
>>>>>
>>>>> I certainly can just make the /dd descriptor the hard drive 
>>>>> descriptor, the problem is that the boot will not finish with /dd 
>>>>> set as working directory and /dd/cmds set as execution. The boot 
>>>>> finshes up /d0 and /d0/cmds and it's a pain in the butt because I 
>>>>> have to do a manual chd/chx to the hard drive.
>>>>>
>>>>> Vern
>>>>>
>>>>> Robert Gault wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Vern Burke wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ok, we're straying way the heck off track here :). Lemme lay this 
>>>>>>> out again:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> What I have to work with:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A working hard drive and SCSI controller with no support for 
>>>>>>> booting directly from the hard drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Why no support? What SCSI controller and OS? Do you just mean that 
>>>>>> you don't know how to set up OS-9 to boot from the hard drive or 
>>>>>> that your SCSI OS can't boot from the hard drive?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A working OS9 boot floppy with /dd and /d0 as the floppy and /h0 
>>>>>>> as the hard drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Does this working floppy contain a hard disk driver (hdisk) in the 
>>>>>> os9boot file?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> All the standard disk manipulation tools (ezgen/etc, ded)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The goal:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Boot from floppy and finish with the hard drive as /dd, the 
>>>>>>> working directory set to /dd, and the execution directory set to 
>>>>>>> /dd/cmds.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Just change /dd so that it is the hard drive. There should be 
>>>>>> substitute /dd modules on the NitrOS-9 80T disk or 40T disk 2 for 
>>>>>> this purpose.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I will not/can not:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Rewrite BOOT or any other module (I can patch where required, not 
>>>>>>> a programmer).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Buy an RS-BASIC replacement.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Meaning what? Again, what disk OS is in use with your hard drive 
>>>>>> system?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> How do I get there from here? :)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Vern
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -- 
>>>>> Coco mailing list
>>>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Coco mailing list
>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>