Recent posts

#61

Software / Re: 4GB partitions under NeXTs...

Last post by Rhetorica - Mar 13, 2026, 08:10 PM

Filling up disk isn't so hard when working with large datasets. Things I've done include:

 - trying to build a three-way DualDeveloper setup that can handle 3.3, 4.2, and WebObjects 3.5 side-by-side
 - building a Rock Ridge ISO with every known white hardware driver
 - consolidating different versions of NeXTanswers
 - building an indexed Project Gutenberg dataset to complement the Shakespeare files (some BGCD discs had a very early version of this)
 - frankensteining bits of Rhapsody DR1 and OPENSTEP 4.2 to see what combinations of old and new files, if any, work
 - trying to rebuild a bootable 4.0PR1 ISO

These have mostly been failures, but they eat up HDD space fast!

#62

Software / Re: 4GB partitions under NeXTs...

Last post by ptek - Mar 13, 2026, 01:03 AM

I admire how "3 GB or more" is described as "very large."

Seriously are you guys filling up your 2GB partitions easily?

I struggle with mine. Even 800Mb. I mainly just use the developer version. I guess once I hit the 2GB I would start using NFS on a closed network.

#63

Software / Re: 4GB partitions under NeXTs...

Last post by Rhetorica - Mar 12, 2026, 05:07 PM

Seems we've got a few copies in the archives already!

http://archive.nextcommunity.net/tu-berlin/admin/unix/sdformat_1.3.MIHS.tar.gz
http://archive.nextcommunity.net/peak/apps/utils/disk/scsi/sdformat.nonFAT.tar.gz
http://archive.nextcommunity.net/peak/apps/utils/disk/scsi/sdformat.1.2.MIH.tar.gz
http://archive.nextcommunity.net/peak/apps/utils/disk/scsi/sdformat.1.3.MIHS.tar.gz

From the readmes, it seems  sdformat.nonFAT == 0.9 for m68k only (non-fat as in pre-lipo'd, not File Allocation Table)

Code Select Expand

sdformat
--------

INTRO
-----

sdformat is an enhanced replacement for the sdform utility shipped with
NEXTSTEP.  It allows selection of the SCSI device's block size for improved
performance - both in access speed and available free space.


REVISION HISTORY
----------------

This is the third major release version of sdformat (Version 1.3), and the
first to support NEXTSTEP on NeXT/Motorola, Intel, HP-PA RISC and Sparc
processors.

There was only one reported problem with Version 0.9, so version 1.1 was
released to address problems with very large hard drives (about 3 GB or more).
It has since been proven to work with drives as large as 9 GB (The Seagate
ELITE), even though NeXT's sdform would not work on that drive.  Version 1.2
added more verbose error message text from the ANSI SCSI specification, in
addition to HP-PA support.  Now, version 1.3 is friendlier to other SCSI
programs and has improved error reporting.


BACKGROUND
----------

One of the most popular performance enhancements for NEXTSTEP workstations is
to do a low-level format of all capable SCSI drives at a block size of 1024
bytes.  If you have a new drive, or if you have backed up all data on your
current drive, then you might consider wiping the slate clean and starting over
with a faster, larger drive (for free!)


sdformat does what you cannot do with the utilities supplied by NeXT.  I
believe it is easier to use than the "formatter" utility on the archives - and
compatible with more drives.

For some strange reason, the formatting utilities included in NEXTSTEP are not
orthogonal in features.  Specifically, fdform allows specification of the block
size as 512 or 1024 bytes, but sdform has no such option.  sdform is also
limited to working with SCSI devices which were attached when the system was
started, simply because it takes a raw device name instead of a SCSI id.

Hence the need for sdformat.

sdformat, which is available as a FAT binary, is capable of formatting any SCSI
device selected by its target ID (and logical unit number, if applicable).  The
utility can also be used to examine the current settings for a particular
device's block size.  You will only need root access for drives which were
attached and powered up when NEXTSTEP was booted, otherwise any user can just
power up a new drive, format, and reboot to initialize the drive with the file
system of your choice (sdformat does not handle the step of file system
initialization, but neither does sdform or fdform).  Drive cables should only
be attached while the computer is halted or powered off, but the drive may be
powered up and down while NEXTSTEP is running so long as you do not power off
a mounted drive.


Need further convincing?

If you aren't already convinced that you want to back up your drive and execute
a low-level reformat, read on!

For space increase, you can expect numbers like the following:

Original    Reformat    Increase    Drive
406.5 MB    419.9 MB    13.39 MB    Seagate ST1480N (NeXT supplied 400 MB)
1.156 GB    1.227 GB    73.30 MB    Maxtor MXT-1240S
                        5.407%      Seagate ST41650N (Wren VIII)

I have not personally measured the inherent increases in throughput
performance, but figures ranging from 20% to 25% have been reported by users of
sdformat.


LEGAL STUFF
-----------

I am tired of legalese, so I will word the following in plain english.  The
language should be precise enough to avoid misunderstanding in the event that
legal action is necessary.

I cannot be responsible for data loss.  This program is designed to do a
low-level format of a SCSI device under user control.  "Format" implies data
loss by definition.  If you ask for this operation with the right options, you
WILL erase your drive.  I can say that I highly doubt that there is any way to
permanently damage a SCSI device when using sdformat, other than data loss.
Note: There was one report from the Internet by someone who knew of an IBM
drive which would destroy its factory formatting if the SCSI format command was
issued, but I would consider that a firmware bug.

Please do not charge money for this utility or for any service you provide
using this utility.  Please do not remove my name from this README, the
accompanying man page, or the executable.  Please do not distribute modified
versions of these files.  I hold the copyrights for this utility and do not
give permission for it to be distributed on CD-ROM without my prior written
permission.  For those of you who are compiling CD-ROM archives of software
available freely via ftp, these restrictions are aimed directly at you -
especially if you are planning to charge for the CD-ROM, but even if you are
not.  For those of you who make a living formatting SCSI drives for others, you
will have to find some other program if the standard NEXTSTEP tools are not
sufficient.  Exceptions will be made only for those who contact me for
licensing information.  I would suggest keeping a copy of this README around to
remind you not to forget about the restrictions I have placed on this free
software.  Future versions are not guaranteed to be free.

Apart from the explicit warnings about inherent data loss, there are no other
guarantees or warranties associated with this free software.  You must accept
it as is or do without.


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
-------------------------

Two packages are available:

1) sdformat.FAT.tar.gz  is FAT (as the name implies), and includes a man page.
Anyone who can execute FAT binaries should have gzip available in their version
of NEXTSTEP in order to uncompress this package using the following commands:

3.2> gnutar zxf sdformat_1.3.MIHS.tar.gz
3.1> gzcat sdformat_1.3.MIHS.tar.gz | gnutar xvf -

2) sdformat.tar.Z  is for Motorola (true Black NeXT hardware) systems, and also
includes the same man page.  It has not been tested under 3.0 or earlier, but
it should work.  Note: At this time, only the beta version, 0.9, is available
for 3.0 or earlier.  Use the following command to uncompress:

zcat sdformat.tar.Z | tar xf -


Both packages have the following recommended installation points:

/usr/local/bin/sdformat
/usr/local/man/man8/sdformat.8

or you can use ~/Unix/bin and ~/Unix/man/man8


As an exercise for the reader, I leave the process for adding new man page
directories (hint, take a look in /etc/login.std and /etc/cshrc.std after
searching for MANPATH in the ManPages target of Digital Librarian).


PARTING NOTE
------------

sdformat does not Initialize the SCSI device.  In this respect it is just like
NeXT's own sdform.  When sdformat is finished, you must decide whether to
create a BFFS, DOS (not very useful), or Macintosh (probably impossible)
volume.  I usually just let Workspace.app handle the Initialization, since it
tends to want to do so automatically.  Please do not contact me for help in
initializing your disk, and especially not if you need to partition your large
(greater than 2 GB) disk.  For these tasks, I would suggest becoming an expert
on the /etc/disk utility shipped with NEXTSTEP - or perhaps you can consult the
NEXTSTEP FAQ as posted to comp.sys.next.announce


    Brian Willoughby    Software Design Engineer, BSEE from NCSU
NeXTmail welcome        Sound Consulting: Software Design and Development
BrianW@SoundS.WA.com    Bellevue, WA

I admire how "3 GB or more" is described as "very large." — but it definitely sounds like version 1.3 is probably the best to use for most purposes.

#64

Software / Re: 4GB partitions under NeXTs...

Last post by ZombiePhysicist - Mar 12, 2026, 04:26 PM

I haven't had time to work on this and almost. I used a better command line app called sdformat, which I still have. I believe the last version was 1.3. And it involved changing the fstab and changing the block size from 512 to to 1024, which caused me to have to change other parameters in the fstab, which I may or may not still have saved somewhere. 

I'll try to get the app and share it. I think I may have the fstab somewhere too.

I know this seems little but I think it will make a big quality of life improvement to people using emulators. I also wonder if we could extend past 4gb with bigger block sizes but I vaguely remember that going beyond 4gb may have other problems. Although it wa always possible via nfs.

#65

Virtualization / Re: What Needs to be done for ...

Last post by andreas_g - Mar 12, 2026, 12:19 PM

As far as I understand from the link I mentioned, it should also be possible to enable direct git access to the code repo on sourceforge. Maybe @andreas_g or somebody else who has admin access to the repo on sourceforge could check if this is enabled or not.

I don't think I can enable something here. The linked instruction describes how to set up a git repository, but Previous uses a subversion repository.

#66

Software / Re: Some archive.org chance IS...

Last post by Rhetorica - Mar 12, 2026, 12:57 AM

sticky thread?

Sure! Stickied

#67

Virtualization / Re: Update from NS3.3 to OS4.2...

Last post by ptek - Mar 12, 2026, 12:32 AM

Are we really sure this boots on a real machine?

We are not. I always heard that the Turbos could boot CDs. But it seems it's only NEXTSTEP...

https://nextcomputers.org/forums/index.php?topic=1711.0

The site mentioned above no longer seems to work
https://nextcomputers.org/forums/index.php?topic=1711.0, Nitro must have updated his phpbb code.

On this site it is mentioned that the OpenStep 4.2 CDROM is bootable on Sparc only. https://peterwong.net/blog/creating-an-openstep-boot-cd-2/

#68

Software / Re: Some archive.org chance IS...

Last post by ptek - Mar 12, 2026, 12:24 AM

sticky thread?

#69

Software / Re: 4GB partitions under NeXTs...

Last post by ptek - Mar 12, 2026, 12:24 AM

Any luck with this?

Was it as easy as creating a disktab file and formating the drive?

[blue box]

#70

General Discussion / Re: Origins of the names "Blue...

Last post by ptek - Mar 12, 2026, 12:16 AM

I always thought blue box was from both Steves blue boxing days in the 70s which was going to be incorrect but that's what I tell myself. I can't remember what the yellow box did but I know that the white box was a DTMF dialer and the red box made the pay phone tones.