Thanks Richard... >>> Richard Troth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 9/10/2008 10:34 AM >>> Nothing special for the Linux minidisks. The distributor's installation tool should perform any additional formatting. For example, if you install SuSE (SLES10), you will click the checkboxes for the disks you want Linux to use and the installer program will magically make everything right.
*** DETAILS *** Be aware that high level formatting and low level formatting are separate functions in the Unix world. Low level formatting (eg: blocking the disk at 4K) is handled by the 'dasdfmt' command. High level formatting is handled by 'mkfs' or specifically 'mke2fs'. Once you have Linux installed there are a lot of options open to you! CMS FORMAT does both: it blocks the disk and then slaps an EDF filesystem into those blocks. Truth is that you can CMS FORMAT a minidisk and Linux will use it without the 'dasdfmt' step. (Still needs the 'mke2fs' part, blowing away EDF and laying down EXT2 or EXT3.) But I am leaving out important details and my note to this point would tick off some of the German IBMers who support Linux. Mainframe Linux lately uses "CDL" for the low level format, "Compatible Disk Layout". That is "compatible" with z/OS where the first track has a valid z/OS label. It breaks that lovely and elegant CMS FORMAT layout with pure 4K blocks (or whatever blocksize you choose). If you are not sharing Linux disks with z/OS, CDL buys you nothing. But it is the default and it is what SuSE and RedHat will assume that you want. -- R; <>< On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 10:17 AM, Howard Rifkind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I need to a few Linux guests and was given a new volume to allocate the new guests minidisks on this volume. Volume has 32K tracks and I'm allocating a few minidisk to the guests of 3338 cylinders on this volume. I'm first doing a CPFMTXA format and labeling the disk accordingly. The directory is setup with the new guest and minidisk statements accordingly. Is there anything special I have to do to the minidisk to make the usable to Linux and before I turn over the new guests to the Linux people? Thanks. _____________ LEGAL NOTICE Unless expressly stated otherwise, this message is confidential and may be privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. Access to this E-mail by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not an addressee, any disclosure or copying of the contents of this E-mail or any action taken (or not taken) in reliance on it is unauthorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an addressee, please inform the sender immediately, then delete this message and empty from your trash. _____________ LEGAL NOTICE Unless expressly stated otherwise, this message is confidential and may be privileged. It is intended for the addressee(s) only. Access to this E-mail by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not an addressee, any disclosure or copying of the contents of this E-mail or any action taken (or not taken) in reliance on it is unauthorized and may be unlawful. If you are not an addressee, please inform the sender immediately, then delete this message and empty from your trash.
