Using extra client partitions ....

[Chuck Smoko - E41]

Charles Mcgrew (?) wrote a solution which describes how to use the extra
disk space of unused clients.  I would like to add a few helpful hints.

> From:    Charles <mcgrew at topaz.rutgers.edu>
> ...
> All you need to do is to put entries in your /etc/nd.local (for bogus
> hostnames - you can ignore the 'unknown host' messages) to do the kernel
> magic of setting aside the partitions as real.  Then create the devices
> (in /dev), rerun nd (/etc/nd - < /etc/nd.local), mkfs the partitions,
> mount them on the local machine, update /etc/exports to allow them to be
> exported, and you're done.  The system administrator's manual (how to add
> a client) will give most of this - all you're doing is mounting the
> partition on the server rather than on a client.

Hint 1:  Use the swap space as well.  Swaps are usually bigger anyway.
Below is my old nd.local

clear
version 1
user 0 1 /dev/xy0f 0 10720 -1
user mercury 0 /dev/xy0c 127300 16080 0 
user mercury 1 /dev/xy0c 143380 33500 -1 
user earth 0 /dev/xy0c 176880 16080 1 
user earth 1 /dev/xy0c 192960 33500 -1 
user venus 0 /dev/xy0c 226460 16080 2 
user venus 1 /dev/xy0c 242540 33500 -1 
user milkyway 0 /dev/xy0c 276040 16080 3 
user milkyway 1 /dev/xy0c 292120 33500 -1 
son

I made just one big partition by taking root and swap from earth,
venus, and milkyway.

and the resulting nd.local is 
clear
version 1
user 0 1 /dev/xy0f 0 10720 -1
user mercury 0 /dev/xy0c 127300 16080 0 
user mercury 1 /dev/xy0c 143380 33500 -1 
user loopback 0 /dev/xy0c 176880 148740 1
son

{ I hope my math is right.  I added the size of each of the unused 
partitions to arrive at 148740 }

I used loopback as the internet and added a 0:0:0:0:0:0 entry in
/etc/ethers for loopback.  The raw space is now in /dev/rndl1.  Run
mkfs on it and thats it.

Hint 2: If you add this space in /etc/fstab for mount at boot, you need to
start nd early.  I kludged an /etc/nd < /etc/nd.local in rc.boot right
before the fsck so that nd can know about the 'sub partition'.  Otherwise
the fsck will fail and the system will not boot.


Chuck Smoko 
Naval Surface Warfare Center