From: m...@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Michael I Bushnell)
Subject: New Hurd Snapshot
Date: 1995/07/23
Message-ID: < MIB.95Jul23163221@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 106784345
organization: Free Software Foundation, Cambridge, MA
followup-to: gnu.misc.discuss
newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss


I have just put a new Hurd snapshot on alpha.gnu.ai.mit.edu in
/gnu/hurd-snap-950723.tar.gz.

You will also need the new libc snapshot, which should appear in the
same place today.  Older libc snapshots will not be happy.

The binary images (hurd-floppy.fs.gz and hurd-image.tar.gz) have not
been updated.  It is difficult to use the Hurd standalon, because the
Mach boot loaders can now no longer boot the Hurd.  A new boot loader
is nearly finished.  Perhaps we can make new binary images then, or a
volunteer might take over this useful work.  (Hint, hint.)

Michael



Here is the NEWS:

July 23, 1995

Shared libraries now work; use -static to link programs and avoid the
shared libraries.  The Hurd programs are normally built static; this
will probably change soon.

The ext2fs server now works, as do the tools to manipulate ext2fs
filesystems.  A snapshot of the tools will be made soon under separate
cover.  Many thanks to Ted Ts'o for his valuable work on the tools.

Readers of the Makefiles will notice that we now generate dependencies
automatically.

The old netserv library is gone.

The `boot' hack has been modified slightly to avoid the normalq libc startup
files, because they no longer work with UX.

Some small bugs have been fixed in the devio server.

The ports library has been totally rewritten; new features permit
servers to have greater control over thread RPC's and port creation.

The fshelp library now does most of the work for translator
interaction; it's simpler now too.  Filesystems have much less work to
do; the relevant code in libdiskfs is now understanble instead of
unparseable chaos.

The ports library provides for timeouts; the diskfs library almost
uses it, but because of a bug, it's disabled for now.

Filesystems are now expected to sync themselves if necessary; the new
fsys_set_options RPC provides for changeing (or cancelling) the sync
intervale.  The diskfs library does this for you.  The update program
is no longer necessary.

A small bug in the proc server has been hacked around; the real fix
will come later.

Many important bugs in the C library have been fixed since the last
snapshot; perhaps all of them.  ;-)