Re: mount automatic file system check counter

Robert Manning (robertm@stargate.teklords.com)
Thu, 01 Jul 1999 01:45:19 -0500

> On 30-Jun-99 Eduardo Soriano wrote:
> > That's sounds good for a system used as a server, but for a laptop used for
> > demonstrations
> > it is quite hard to have to wait for several minutes with the customer in
> > front of me waiting for a complete file system check, avoiding remarks like:
>
> cause it seems to fit to the raised issue:
> is it actually possible power off to a suspend mode like they do
> with windoze with beeing back immediately?
> I could imagine several problems in a unix with that
> and reasons why not, but maybe someone found a way?
>
> frank
>
> ---
Frank: The fsck check never bothers me. I don't give it
a chance to, and you shouldn't either:
-Just build your kernel and pcmcia-cs with full APM support,
and use the suspend mode...
Here's my experience:
I work for IBM's AIX TCP/IP development support team,
and I travel extensively to customer sites carrying a
laptop running RedHat 5.2 (kernel 2.0.36 -latest rpm) and I usually just
ifconfig en0 down, then hit the suspend mode button, hit the plane,
then bring it out of suspend mode at the customer site
(usually in front of a BUNCH of people in some meeting)
and I have 15 or more things running on multiple desktops immediately,
and it has YET to fail me.
(not once).
In fact, -it's been so impressive, it has gained more than just a few
"converts" both with customers, and with the people I work with
on AIX.
I have been doing this for a few of years now, even before Linux's recent
"popularity" and I have to say that they had this figured out quite awhile ago.
The only thing you might notice is ,
if you leave it in suspend mode overnight, then CRON is going to run his
jobs that he was behind on, and you might have to wait a sec while he
does whatever disk-intensive things he's got to catch-up on.

Answer: Just kill cron, you will hardly miss him on a laptop anyway.

If you do it right, you can recharge, and wind up never really doing
a shutdown.
You should see the faces when I show them a "laptop" with over 120 days
"uptime". -Makes quite an impression.

After bringing her out of suspend mode, I usually just pop out the
cards, pop-in the one(s) I need..listen for cardmgr's "two beeps"
and I know all is good.
-I just run different scripts for each site I am at to ifconfig the
appropriate interface(s) do the route adds, (for the default gateway)
and replace the resolv.conf file, and set the hostname.
This little laptop has had at least 15 different hostnames, been in 15
different domains, (not to mention 15 different IP addrs, and routing tables)
all WITHOUT EVER being shutdown over 120 days)
--JUST using suspend mode.
(Try THAT with a windows box -hah!)

I even wrote one that prompts me for the data for a new site:
Which interface to configure: (I have pcmcia slots 2, and carry a variety
of adapters, -token ring, Two ethernets (3com 589D and a Eigernet)
Whats the ipaddr:
Whats the netmask:
What's the hostname:
What's the default gateway:
What's the domain name:
What's the namesever's IP:
So I usually just need a desk with an analogue phone jack, and an ethernet
(or token ring) port, and I can then dial right into the IBM site,
and simultaneously connect directly to the customer LAN.
Since I do this right out of suspend mode, the whole operation
takes just a few seconds after connecting the phone line.
(One of the apps I like to leave running all the time is the ppp
dialer already set to go into IBM network so I can reach my build
environment back at IBM).

Actually, it's quite intelligent -The APM support works very well.
(Fujistu LifeBook Tx755 Model)
I am quite proud of my little laptop, and while at many of our customer
sites, it has encouraged many to turn from the "evil ways" of watching
GPF's and such to becoming Unix purists..both at the jobsite, and while
on-the-road. (Practice makes perfect -I refuse to even screw with a windows
box since I make my living with Unix.)

Besides, it's a hell of a lot easier to work with the same (practically)
OS on your laptop as you are used to on your servers. (Well, as close
as you can get -Linux, AIX, whatever, -it's still Unix to me, just another
flavor - actually I don't care as long as vi, grep, tar, gzip, ls, et al
all work the same (as well as my POSIX calls)!
So to me, my little Linux/Fujistu laptop is just another Unix box,
I don't care WHAT flavor, as long as it does it's job, does it reliably,
and doesn't screw me around like "wundows" (I wundow if it's gonna GPF before
I do a SAVE --ack!) right in the middle of doing something important.
(Like serving our customers).

My current setup: RedHat 5.2, with all the latest 5.2 RPM's on it,
(I don't fotch with 6.0 or ANY of the 2.2 kernels yet as I'm
not quite sure if they have EVERYTHING working yet for EVERY
laptop-type situation, and this machine it way too important to me
to go experimenting to see right now.)

Besides, my little laptop has been just doing too good to be messing
around with, -I have other machines for doing the "experimenting".

Anyway, I digressed heavily here, - I just wanted to tell you from someone
who has been actually using Linux in laptop land (for a long time now, too)
that YES, the suspend mode (At RedHat 5.2 with latest pcmcia-cs added) works
1st time, every time, with suspend mode (On my Fujitsu LifeBook).
Note: I don't use "suspend to disk" mode -I blew the partition for that away
when I blew windows off this laptop (during the 1st Linux install).

It's been going everywhere I go for about 2 years now, and it's never given
me any greif.

And don't ask me why I run a Fujitsu laptop when I work for IBM..
When I went for a new laptop - I took an El-torito bootable RedHat 5.2 CD
and my pcmcia adapters (modem and ethernet)
into the store with me, and asked the sales rep to let me test it right
there, or no sale...
The Fujistu passed all my tests, and had the features/price I needed.

Besides, I don't work for the PC division.

Robert Manning
IBM RS6000 AIX TCP/IP Software Support.
Austin, Texas.
robertm@austin.ibm.com
robertm@teklords.com
"C" Ya,
--robert

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