BOOTRAD and RESRAM drives

Hi all,
This RAD DosDriver was found in OS4.0 Final Sys:Storage/DosDrivers/RAD * $VER: RAD 40.1 (31.8.93).
Geez! It's totally old and incompatible with the new memory system. I was checking out BOOTRAD and RESRAM which don't use any DosDriver, but Kickstart/Kicklayout; or Uboot Prefs Kernel parameters.I guess what I trying to say is don't use them, DELETE'em! OK, read the Kernel documentation!

It started out here:
http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/v ... p?topic_id=26196&forum=14

@Snuffy

Quote:

Why? Because Snuffy said so in the topic you linked to?
I used the old RAD for years on my A4000 and on my ?A1/OS4 until OS4 final was released. It still works on my OS4 system but no longer survives a reboot. It was far more flexible than RESRAD and I would like to see it returned to it's original functionality.

On a classic Amiga, you can edit the RAD mountfile and create a RAD drive that you can "DiskCopy" floppy disks to for faster operation and manipulation. You can also mount multiple RAD drives if you want. You can copy your boot partition or boot floppy to a RAD drive and reboot from the RAD drive for increased speed. Unlike RESRAD, the size of a RAD drive was only limited by installed memory. I used large (48MB, 64MB) RAD drives on my classic Amiga and my ?A1 until OS4 Final appeared. RESRAD is limited to 15-20MB and slows down the cold boot process. I'm using a ?A1 but I'll bet that you can still diskcopy floppies to RAD on a classic Amiga with OS4 installed.

Hi xenic,

That's a feature I've used nearly as often as the RAM: disk, and the ram: disk is ALWAYS used.

Luckily I found out about the RAD: shortly after I got my Amiga 2000 in 1989. (Salesmen can't tell you everything about an Amiga, especially if they didn't KNOW everything, hehehe.) However, I was always wondering whether more than one could be mounted, but you say it's possible? I once got a cool hack of the RAD: called RRD: (recoverable ram disk) on a magazine coverdisk. Those I was able to make more than one with. The difference was, if you didn't use the RRD: to max capacity, the RRD: memory not filled by files was released to the system to be used by programs. Great in theory but I think I remember it was unstable though.... Yes, the computer would guru fairly soon. The memory I guess fragmented something awful over time.

The Amiga is just completely unique, in a gooooooddd way, no two ways about it!!

@Atheist

I used RRD for years on my 2000 & 4000 it was rock solid for me.

Hi @xenic

Why? Because Snuffy said so in the topic you linked to?
What the hell does that mean? I don't have classical system here. I reported what BOOTRAD does for floppy ram drive. It works fine here just like 'old' RAD, but it's implemented thru the Kernel's kickstart and you don't use any DosDrivers. RAD won't work on my A1-G4.
What you're saying is the RAD stuff in the OS is for the Classical Amiga's. Gee, my error, I was trying to explain a problem on the A1.

Hi @Severin

One of the problems I was having was setting the kernel arguments in UBoot prefs. The docs don't show you where this is done exactly. A better picture perhaps will help:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11367727@N07/2554420418/

@Snuffy

Relax. I wasn't trying to mount a personal attack on you. I just thought your statement was a little misleading and that your advice to delete those files wasn't sound. RAD won't survive a reboot with OS4 Final but it still works and can be quite useful. For example, I downloaded the ImageMaster files just released by Blackbelt. They are released as ADF files or DMS files. I downloaded the ADF files and used the "Transadf" program to write the seven adf files to 7 880k RAD drives which I mounted as RAD1, RAD2 etc. with the unit numbers changed to 0 through 6. I clicked on the disk1 installer and installed ImageMaster to my hard-disk. I haven't tested the program yet but the install worked. Granted, there are probably quicker and easier ways to accomplish the installation but I just did it as an exercise to demonstrate the flexibility and usefullness of the old RAD drive.

The older Amiga documention refers to the Recoverable RAM Drive (RAD) as Ramb0: but only as RAD: in the OS 3.1 documentation. Before OS4 Final was released the RAD drive would survive an Amiga reboot (Ctrl RAmiga/LAmiga) but not a warm reset. I used a 64 MB RAD drive with OS4 pre4 and did most of my compiling on the RAD drive because it was faster than compiling on my hard-disk. If the Grim Reaper popped up when I tested a program I could simply reboot and all my source files remained in the RAD drive. RESRAD is too small to use for compiling large programs and slows down a reset because it clears all the memory it uses to 00 when started.

I want my mountable recoverable ram drive (RAD) back but I don't know if we will ever see another OS4 update.

Hi @xenic
(message#2)
RESRAD is limited to 15-20MB and slows down the cold boot process.

Not true! I played with it... 50M was the limit for my 256MB A1-XE/G4. It would be nice if someone with 512MB of Ram would check if RESMEM=64M would work.
Y/N anyone? I tried and the Kickstart progress bar will hang in limbo. I tried RESMEM=55M and the system booted, but ignored the setting. So 50M worked for me.
BTW, there was no cold boot time change. I loaded it up with EUAE workbench and games and restored fine on warm reboot.