From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262193AbTJYC2H (ORCPT ); Fri, 24 Oct 2003 22:28:07 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S262286AbTJYC2H (ORCPT ); Fri, 24 Oct 2003 22:28:07 -0400 Received: from MAIL.13thfloor.at ([212.16.62.51]:12978 "EHLO mail.13thfloor.at") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S262274AbTJYC2E (ORCPT ); Fri, 24 Oct 2003 22:28:04 -0400 Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 04:28:03 +0200 From: Herbert Poetzl To: Matt Domsch Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: [RFC][PATCH 2.4] EDD 4-byte MBR disk signature for the boot disk Message-ID: <20031025022803.GA18168@DUK2.13thfloor.at> Mail-Followup-To: Matt Domsch , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <20031014104508.GA5820@win.tue.nl> <20031014133804.GC15295@iguana.domsch.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20031014133804.GC15295@iguana.domsch.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Tue, Oct 14, 2003 at 08:38:09AM -0500, Matt Domsch wrote: > > Can you remind me why you want to retrieve the boot disk? > > Fair question. Consider the case of automated factory install of a > new system. One may configure the system to have multiple disk > controllers and multiple disks on them, attached in just about any > way. One common configuration our customers like is to have two disks > attached to one controller on which to put the OS, then maybe 8 more > disks on a second SCSI backplane going to two channels of another > controller on which they want to build their database files. > > Right now, there's no good way to determine programatically from > within Linux which disk controller and disk the BIOS will decide is > the boot device. hmm, IIRC devfs makes a /dev/root symlink pointing to the root device ... is this not what you want? please ignore if I talk nonsense ... best, Herbert