[Coco] NitrOS-9 Cobbler Problems

[Joel Ewy]

Bob Devries wrote:
> Yes, Joel,
>
> You can use 'ded' to access the disk this way:
>
> ded /dx@
>
> Where x is the drive number where your virtual disk resides. Then use 
> the 'S' command and type 4C8 in response to the 'SECTOR =' question. 
> 'Q' quits back to the command line prompt after the ubiquitous 'are 
> you sure' prompt.
>

Ok, I'm coming to the conclusion that the bootable disk images made for 
Drivewire don't have the boot block in the same place as a floppy disk.  
I just tried running the mb.dw3 script to make a new bootable disk 
image.  However, I used it on an existing, blank, 720K disk image and I 
modified the script so it wouldn't format the image file.  On that disk 
image, and on the one I had made previously with Cobbler, sector $4C8 
begins with $4F53 as we expect.  And neither image boots from HDB-DOS at 
cold start.

I examined sector $4C8 on two different NitrOS9 Drivewire distribution 
images, and in neither case did I find $4F53.  So apparently HDB-DOS 
expects to find the boot block in a different place when it boots from a 
Drivewire server than when booting from a floppy disk.

I guess there's no reason my disk image has to map exactly to a floppy 
disk for the Drivewire version, as long as the data I'm putting on the 
disk can fit on a differently-constituted bootable floppy image, which 
I'm now realizing will have to be developed separately.  Hmmph.

JCE

>
> -- 
> Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of 
> one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.
>
> Edsger W.Dijkstra, 18 June 1975
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Ewy" <jcewy at swbell.net>
> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 3:58 PM
> Subject: Re: [Coco] NitrOS-9 Cobbler Problems
>
>
>> Bob Devries wrote:
>>> If cobbler has done its job right, then you shoul see $4F53 at the 
>>> beginning of sector $4C8 on a 720K disk.
>>>
>>> If it's not there, then cobbler failed somehow.
>>>
>>> Be sure that your descriptors are properly set before you use cobbler.
>>>
>>> I'm assuming you're using a virtual disk with HDB-DOS? Do you have 
>>> the DRIVE ON/OFF command set to make drive 0 the virtual drive 
>>> instead of the real one?
>>>
>>
>> Thanks for the response, Bob.
>> I'm using only virtual disks at this point, though I have been able 
>> to access the real floppy drives using the /d0 and /d1 device 
>> descriptors.  I wouldn't think that HDB-DOS' DRIVE ON/OFF command 
>> would have any play in OS-9.  But in any case, I'm booting OS-9 
>> immediately on power-up, so I don't think that's relevant.
>>
>> I'm not quite sure how to check the contents of sector $4C8.  Would 
>> that be the proper LSN if I use 'ded' on the whole disk?
>>
>> JCE
>>
>>> I'm sure there's other issues, but that's all I can think of right now.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of 
>>> one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.
>>>
>>> Edsger W.Dijkstra, 18 June 1975
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Ewy" <jcewy at swbell.net>
>>> To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>> Sent: Monday, January 04, 2010 3:08 PM
>>> Subject: [Coco] NitrOS-9 Cobbler Problems
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hey everybody,
>>>>
>>>> I've been working on a demonstration of using 8-bit composite 
>>>> (NTSC) artifact colors that I'd like to distribute as a 720K 
>>>> NitrOS-9 disk image file, bootable over Drivewire 3.  (I may also 
>>>> make a version that will boot from a regular 720K floppy.)  The 
>>>> slideshow is all ready to go, but I'm having problems making a 
>>>> bootable disk image.
>>>>
>>>> I started with a NitrOS-9 image file that, IIRC, was distributed 
>>>> with Drivewire.  It is 'nos6809l2.dsk'.  I made some other disk 
>>>> image files using the Toolshed tools (os9 format -ds -t80 
>>>> diskname.dsk) and copied my converted image files onto them, then 
>>>> loaded them up into the Drivewire server.  No problem.
>>>>
>>>> Then I made another blank image the same way, and immediately used 
>>>> cobbler to put an OS9Boot file on the disk.  Doesn't cobbler add 
>>>> the proper code to the boot track?  I copied a shell, merged with a 
>>>> few utilities, grfdrv, and sysgo.  I tested it by hitting reset, 
>>>> and (after I got all the appropriate files copied) it seemed to 
>>>> boot and run the slideshow.
>>>>
>>>> However it doesn't boot cold.  After typing 'DOS' HDB-DOS simply 
>>>> returns to the 'OK' prompt.  So it seems as if the boot track is 
>>>> not being laid down.  I tried 'os9gen -q=os9boot' and I tried 
>>>> deleting the OS9Boot file and re-running cobbler, but neither of 
>>>> these things made any difference. What am I forgetting?
>>>>
>>>> I'm almost done with this demo... So close...  Need to get some 
>>>> other work done... :-)
>>>>
>>>> JCE
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
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